Dirty Cars Winter 19/20

[anonymous-user]

Just to add to the rear window debate:

I never bother wiping my rear window, even on the rare occasion I’m driving something with reasonable rear visibility.

Because:

I’m so used to driving things with little or no rear window visibility that I don’t even look in rear view mirrors anymore. Two of my vehicles don’t even have rear windows or rear view mirrors.

The side mirrors do a perfectly good job of allowing you to see behind you in traffic, before changing lanes, or while parking.

[Garett]

carlove said:

Guys, I need your advice. I’ve offered to start giving a lift to one of my colleagues who doesn’t drive (in exchange for petrol money) from the next town. My Astra is wonderfully dirty and I think in a few weeks I’m onto a definite winner, but with starting carpooling, should I wash it?
Colleague is also female which is one of the reasons I’m thinking this.

I cannot believe no one has asked if she is fit or not. I thought this was Pistonheads, not just some motoring forum.

[Slow]

Garett said:

carlove said:

Guys, I need your advice. I’ve offered to start giving a lift to one of my colleagues who doesn’t drive (in exchange for petrol money) from the next town. My Astra is wonderfully dirty and I think in a few weeks I’m onto a definite winner, but with starting carpooling, should I wash it?
Colleague is also female which is one of the reasons I’m thinking this.

I cannot believe no one has asked if she is fit or not. I thought this was Pistonheads, not just some motoring forum.

Hes a Pher, of course she is fit or there would be no offer of a lift!

[Cold]

Slow said:

Garett said:

carlove said:

Guys, I need your advice. I’ve offered to start giving a lift to one of my colleagues who doesn’t drive (in exchange for petrol money) from the next town. My Astra is wonderfully dirty and I think in a few weeks I’m onto a definite winner, but with starting carpooling, should I wash it?
Colleague is also female which is one of the reasons I’m thinking this.

I cannot believe no one has asked if she is fit or not. I thought this was Pistonheads, not just some motoring forum.

Hes a Pher, of course she is fit or there would be no offer of a lift!

In that case, just wash the passenger side of the car.

[Garett]

Lord Marylebone said:

Just to add to the rear window debate:

I never bother wiping my rear window, even on the rare occasion I’m driving something with reasonable rear visibility.

Because:

I’m so used to driving things with little or no rear window visibility that I don’t even look in rear view mirrors anymore. Two of my vehicles don’t even have rear windows or rear view mirrors.

The side mirrors do a perfectly good job of allowing you to see behind you in traffic, before changing lanes, or while parking.

I would disagree, the rear view mirror is invaluable for helping you judge the speed of approaching cars when travelling on motorways, more so on cars that generally tend to have much smaller side mirrors than commercial vehicles.

Maybe whilst towing this is less of an issue as you spend less time in lanes 2 or 3, and you would have mirror extensions for towing wider things like a caravan.

Rear view mirror is there for a reason so use it.

[carlove]

Slow said:

Hes a Pher, of course she is fit or there would be no offer of a lift!

[adingley84]

YouTalkinToMe said:

WarrenB said:

YouTalkinToMe said:

adingley84 said:

pti said:

adingley84 said:

Was spotless...now filthy. 7 days of my regular commute.





Is it even worth trying to keep it clean???

Might be worth switching that rear wiper on now and again!?

Now there's an idea! I thought it was strange to always have brown cars following me ??

I'm actually baffled that you've not wiped that. It makes me think you're not a very good driver - you don't look behind you. And this is a motoring forum...

As I say, baffled.

Hundreds and thousands of van drivers/bus drivers/wagon drivers/etc manage without a rear view mirror or back window. Doesn't make a bad driver.

Hardly the same, they can't. You're less likely to be driving enthusiasticly in those too. Just marks you out as someone not bothered in my opinion. Very odd.

Luckily its the 4x brand new Michelin Pilot Super Sports and full geometry setup keeping me on the road and not my rear window! Phew!

Here's a pic back when my car was clean. I was also a much better driver those 7 days ago.

[snoopy25]

Garett said:

carlove said:

Guys, I need your advice. I’ve offered to start giving a lift to one of my colleagues who doesn’t drive (in exchange for petrol money) from the next town. My Astra is wonderfully dirty and I think in a few weeks I’m onto a definite winner, but with starting carpooling, should I wash it?
Colleague is also female which is one of the reasons I’m thinking this.

I cannot believe no one has asked if she is fit or not. I thought this was Pistonheads, not just some motoring forum.

Pistonheads, Rear Window visibility matters!

[anonymous-user]

Really been struggling this year to get the car in a suitable dirty car state.

6 weeks without a wash which was bloo** hard to do as I wash the car every weekend. But I will hoover the car each week. Problem is it keeps raining.

Travel 800 miles a week and was going to take pictures on the car on Saturday. It was looking pretty bad.

Had a brake service for the car on Friday afternoon. Sat and waited for the car in the showroom before being told it was ready.

Headed out and the service manager very happily told me they had washed the car but didn't bother with the inside as it was clean.

I made out I was very happy and thanked him but inside I was gutted.

Edited by anonymous-user on Sunday 8th December 22:36

[anonymous-user]

warninglight said:

Time to clean the plate on the daily. Mostly Cumbrian roads with the odd blast on the M6 over the past few weeks.

Just love cars with steel wheels. Looks great.

The winter tyres definitely help when it comes to getting the car dirtier.

Keep up the good work.

[anonymous-user]

MellowshipSlinky said:

2 weeks old...
Told her not to have a black one!

Just looks ace dirty but as you say not an easy colour to live with permanently.

[anonymous-user]

jet_noise said:

Messed Up!



550miles north or so a week ago, only took 9.5hrs too includign breakfast & fuel in and wees out!

Just something very cool about the UP GTI. The red looks good dirty as well.

Steel wheels again look the business

[warninglight]

ELUSIVEJIM said:

warninglight said:

Time to clean the plate on the daily. Mostly Cumbrian roads with the odd blast on the M6 over the past few weeks.

Just love cars with steel wheels. Looks great.

The winter tyres definitely help when it comes to getting the car dirtier.

Keep up the good work.

Last winter's daily had steelies too, but the colour hid the grime. The grime coming out of the door shut panel gaps give the best idea of how manky it got...

[Griff 500]

This week's effortless effort from Norfolk

Edited by Griff 500 on Monday 9th December 11:13

[anonymous-user]

warninglight said:

Last winter's daily had steelies too, but the colour hid the grime. The grime coming out of the door shut panel gaps give the best idea of how manky it got...

Great colour if you don't like washing the car

[anonymous-user]

Griff 500 said:

This week's effortless effort from Norfolk

Edited by Griff 500 on Monday 9th December 11:13

Great effort. The roads must have been pretty bad.

White is a great colour for showing off the good work.

[thiscocks]

Garett said:

thiscocks said:

Good effort ^

Garett said:

About 6 weeks worth of road grime and salt, will report back next week when I've done Halifax/Bristol/Falmouth/Oxford/Halifax

Snap:

A fine choice of car there, if I don't say so myself. The twin turbo D5 really is a peach of an engine.

Agree, its been great for the year and a half ive had it. Now with more mud on it since last photo. Mpg seems to take a bit of a dive in the cold but still just about 40mpg for me. I think we also have the same front tyres : Falken AS210? Should be pretty decent if it snows anytime soon!

[thiscocks]

Cold said:

Slow said:

Garett said:

carlove said:

Guys, I need your advice. I’ve offered to start giving a lift to one of my colleagues who doesn’t drive (in exchange for petrol money) from the next town. My Astra is wonderfully dirty and I think in a few weeks I’m onto a definite winner, but with starting carpooling, should I wash it?
Colleague is also female which is one of the reasons I’m thinking this.

I cannot believe no one has asked if she is fit or not. I thought this was Pistonheads, not just some motoring forum.

Hes a Pher, of course she is fit or there would be no offer of a lift!

In that case, just wash the passenger side of the car.

[Muddle238]

YouTalkinToMe said:

WarrenB said:

YouTalkinToMe said:

adingley84 said:

pti said:

adingley84 said:

Was spotless...now filthy. 7 days of my regular commute.





Is it even worth trying to keep it clean???

Might be worth switching that rear wiper on now and again!?

Now there's an idea! I thought it was strange to always have brown cars following me ??

I'm actually baffled that you've not wiped that. It makes me think you're not a very good driver - you don't look behind you. And this is a motoring forum...

As I say, baffled.

Hundreds and thousands of van drivers/bus drivers/wagon drivers/etc manage without a rear view mirror or back window. Doesn't make a bad driver.

Hardly the same, they can't. You're less likely to be driving enthusiasticly in those too. Just marks you out as someone not bothered in my opinion. Very odd.

I agree, it's a bit selfish not bothering to clear a rear window if you have one IMHO. Just because larger goods vehicles don't have one, doesn't mean that car drivers should start pretending they're Gods gift by "not requiring" proper visibility from their vehicles. There are plenty of situations where a rearview mirror will be better than solely door mirrors, for example if a motorcyclist is following behind in traffic, he/she may not be visible in the door mirrors. Likewise getting an early heads up on an approaching ambulance or police car on the motorway, I almost always see them in the rear view mirror first before the door mirrors.

How many times do you see the Police Interceptor type programs where a police car responding to an accident/robbery/incident is stuck behind a van in the outside lane, lights and sirens blaring, yet still the van driver doesn't respond? It must be frustrating for police to have to deal with this from vans, but for car drivers when they have a perfectly good rear window that's been neglected deliberately, that ought to be instant points on their licence.

I somehow bet the BMW driver here is the sort of person who won't bother de-icing their rear windows in the morning because "car derived vans don't have rear windows either"...

[joropug]

2 days and 700 miles post wash!