Jet Washing an Elise?

[Pumpkinheeed]

Is this a good idea?
My car is desperate for a clean and what with the dark nights and the weekends being rainy at the mo I haven't had chance to give it a wash.
Would a gentle jet wash at the local Morrisons do it any damage?

I have the hard top on at the mo so leaking should be kept to a minimal... Oh and the use of the high pressure lance will also be kept to a minimum.

Cheers

[Anatol]

Jet wash is best reserved for removing the suds off the car once it has been soaked and mopped over with a grit-free washmit.

High pressure water alone won't do too much to winter road grime.

If you do use a jetwash, avoid direct spraying at rubber seals, and any areas of chipping (which, with a Lotus, unless it's brand new, is going to mean the front clam!).

Tol

[21TonyK]

I used to advocate jest washes but now I would say "no". Bad idea. I lost half the clearcoat on the front of a BMW coupe and actually took some chipped paint off my Jeep with one. Considering its size, I really cannot see any reason to use one on a Lotus. Warm water and a loo brush for arches and underside only!

[TIPPER]

I use a Karcher on mine to get the worst of winter grime off but avoid holding it close up. I also use the sprinkler setting to drench the car in suds before properly hand washing. I just hose off then.

[LotusEater666]

I asked this very question recently, do a search. Some said yay others nay. I'm sticking to bucket and sponge

[paul72s]

If it's any help my heater fan stopped working immediately after jet washing (admittedly I'd been jet washing once a week) and now the resistor pack is gone and it's a clam off job!

Worth bearing in mind....

[greysquirrel]

depends on the power of the jet wash! - going to get one sometime soon as would be easier to blast with soapy water then rinse off with the same machine.
Halfords do a cheap crappy one which will probably just spit at the car, as long as it covers it in water thats good enough for me!
get a patio cleaner one and it will probably blow it across the road lol

[ItsTony]

On the vx220 forum they say jet washing actually takes the paint of the clam, but this might be because a number of vx220 bodies weren't prepped properly before painting which has caused problems with paint flaking in later life.

[Beachbum]

ItsTony said:

On the vx220 forum they say jet washing actually takes the paint of the clam, but this might be because a number of vx220 bodies weren't prepped properly before painting which has caused problems with paint flaking in later life.

The Lotus's had/have the same problem

[Zebede29]

I only use a very gentle pressure hose (NOT jetwash) head to rinse the initial dust/mud off the car, then wash with a sponge and good-quality (ie Autoglym or similar) shampoo, rinse again with the gentle hose head and leather off.

Have only used my jetwasher on the car once and it was from a distance. It was ok, no damage caused, but I prefer the regular hose option - it is £17k-worth of car after all.

[Pumpkinheeed]

Thanks for the replies...
Perhaps I didn't make my situation quite as clear as I should have.

My Lotus is filthy at the mo... Unfortunately I haven't had a free weekend in the last month to wash it in the usual fashion, which is by hand with all the best products on my drive. I don't have external lighting on the drive so washing on an evening is a problem. I'm away again this weekend and honestly feel the car is desperate for a clean.
So... as my local Morrisons has decent lighting on their JetWash bays would it be such a crime to just nip over one evening and give the car a quick wash?
(making sure not to use the pesky high pressure hose to vigorously and too close to the paint work)

Cheers

Edited by Pumpkinheeed on Wednesday 21st November 10:14

[RobM77]

Lotus explicitly say not to do this in the owner's manual, and I also don't think it'd be a good idea from the comments above! I live in the sticks and my car gets really mucky sometimes, but I've never had a problem with my usual routine:

Spray the car with a hose gently. Get the entire car wet.

Leave the car standing there wet whilst you make up your bucket with car shampoo. If the car's really mucky then also fill a clean bucket with just water.

Return to your wet car and gently wipe the mud off with the shampooed sponge. The mud should come off fairly easily if it's been soaking for a few minutes. If the car's really mucky, it's a good idea to wipe once, then rinse the sponge in the clear bucket. This prevents you wasting your shampoo and grinding mud and grit into the car

Waxing every few months helps the mud to drop off more easily.

[boobles]

The only time i decided to queue up for a jet wash, the guy using it prior to me decided he would lay the brush directly onto the floor rather than hang it back up! The thing was covered in grit & stones so i decided to leave well alone & warned the other people within the queue & drove off.

[miles_stylus]

I washed my car last week in the dark (well deep glooming and occational passing head lights) and apart from a little patch on the sill it's all worked well

[mr wiki]

I would avoid jet washing your Elise, also don't go near those jet wash stands at garages, as how many times have you seen the 'brush' on the floor or a person using it drop the brush? It only take a small bit of grit to scratch your paint to bits.

[Pumpkinheeed]

Right...
The JetWash is out!
I will be heading to the nearest spy shop and buying some night vision goggles in order for my attempt at dark matter car wash...
(OK so perhaps a Head Torch is a better idea)

OR! Maybe I could trust the Mrs to wash it while I'm away this weekend!
OK MAYBE NOT!

[TIPPER]

Machine Mart sell rechargeable portable floodlights for not too much (£25ish from memory). I've used on in the past with great effect.

[andys_ctr]

Hi from a new elise owner!

What about washing the underneath of the car with a Karcher? Work love throwing salt all over the carpark and I thought I read in a lotus workshop manul online that they recommended using a pressure washer to stop corosion on the undertray? I havent touched the paintwork with one and do it all by hand/hose, but not sure of the best way to do the undertray to get rid of all this nasty road salt.

I have owned the car 7 weeks now (2005 S2 111S) and have cleaned it 3 times so far... which is a bit of a record for me, think I did my Civic 3 times in a year! Is this going to cause problems with the heater resistor etc as mentioned above? Does all the rain just sit in one place without draining away on all elise models? Is this failure going to be a certainty with lots of washing / using the car everyday as I do? Presumably its the water running of the windscreen that causes the problems?

[Ultrasound]

Jet wash, in the name of God man don't.

[Aston77]

Just a few words of warning, its very easy to jet wash a indicator seal or indicator out of the bonnet and I would take care around engine bay too, soaked mine last time I washed it by hand and the Engine Management light came on... I had to drive it around in hope that the heat would drive out the damp I had put in...it did eventually but hey my a*se was flapping for a while!