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Anything to do with the weird back end of the new ones coming into contact with the drying machines?
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My dad had a '92 Rover 214 that was banned from some car washes because the rubbing strip between the door and the front wheel arch used to come off. So it might be something along those lines. Or maybe the new Megane frightens small children.
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Small children should use a bath.
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Solved it.
Neighbour (also a regular on this site- but I'm not saying who !)
said it was due to a "non-twanging", i.e. solid aerial, on the roof that snaps off in the wash and strips the paint off the next car.
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Sacre bleu, zut alors, merde...French design strikes again!
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I recently took the new BMW through the car wash at my local store. A few days later I noticed some marks on the bonnet which I am fairly confident could only have come from the car wash.
Too late to take any action against them now :-(
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Repeat after me, slowly..............Never Take A Car Through A Car Wash.............
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I should have worked that one out. My Renanult has a solid aerial - it's a replacement for one that snapped while I was erm... unscrewing it to go through the car wash. Now I pay for my car to be washed by hand. It's thorough, it gets waxed, they do an excellent job in 30 minute sor so while I shop at the supermarket - and it costs less (!) than the machine in the filling station.
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I was told by a guy who lived in North london that the local hooligans would sneak into a car wash and tie nuts and bolts into the brushes. Can you imagine the damage that would cause to your pride and joy.
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OMG! You took a new BMW thru a paint removal machine?!? :O
The Merc A-class that I've got on loan has clearly only ever been ashed with one of these, it's X reg and COVERED in swirl marks and small scratches, and has no protection on the paint, the water doesn't bead at all...
I won't even put the Fiesta through one of those things :)
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That takes me back to the seventies (when I were just a lad) when my local car wash had a sign forbidding Ford Anglias (due to their backward sloping rear windows). Could this be the same?
V
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I was lucky enough to go to Stuttgart, many years ago, and pick up a new E class convertible. When I got it home I found a couple of platic stands caught in the trim, which looked to me very much like the long coloured plastic whiskers from a car wash machine brush. Car wash a soft top?! I was suprised!
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Too late to take any action against them now :-(
I don't think you can take action against them anyway. Don't most, if not all, car washes have signs warning that you put your car in at your own risk and that they take no responsibility?
Likewise, the only think I'd put through a car wash is the ex-wife.
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These 'no responsibility' signs have no standing in law. They have a responsibility to ensure the thing works and doesn't cause damage.
As for never using a car wash, a 'hand wash' is far worse since all you will do, even if you use a hose pipe, is wash the tiny grit particles onto another part of the body work for your nice sponge or leather to scratch the shiny paint work.
So there!
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As for never using a car wash, a 'hand wash' is far worse since all you will do, even if you use a hose pipe, is wash the tiny grit particles onto another part of the body work for your nice sponge or leather to scratch the shiny paint work.
What about all those dirt particles left over from other peoples cars in the car wash brushes prior to you using it?
I would sooner wash the tiny dirt particles back into the paintwork from my car, rather than wash other people's tiny dirt particles from their cars into mine by using a car wash.
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I had the paintwork on my car damaged by a car wash, never use one now.
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I had the paintwork on my car damaged by a car wash, never use one now.
I've had two door mirrors eaten by one. Also no fun in opening the window to retrieve what's left and to stop the mirror - that's hanging by it's wires - from damaging the paintwork on the brushes return journey to the front of the car.
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Sorry, I just can't believe that hand washing does more damage. We have carefully handwashed our BMW from new, (it's 6 years old) and the paintwork doesn't have many scratches or swirls at all. Whereas the X reg Merc that I'm driving at the moment has been subjected to a car wash. The paint is now COVERED in swirls and the finish is ruined. It looks a LOT worse than our 6 year old car.
I've washed the Fiesta by hand from new over the last 6 months and so far, there are no noticeable swirls at all.
I agree, a bad handwash will damage equally as much, doing things like not using a jet wash, not rinsing out the sponge regularly will give the similar effect. But, by doing it by hand myself I'm always certain that the job will be done well and won't damage the paint.
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If anyone thinks that handwashing a car is worse than putting it through a car wash must be a complete nutter who NEVER leaves his house. A car wash will completely b***** your paintwork as the brushes collect the grit from everyones cars and scrapes all this grit along your nice undamadged paintwork leaving you with scratches and swirls as mentioned previously.
If you handwash your car properly you will retain an almost perfect paint finish as my 7 year old Merc had when I sold it.
ONLY A COMPLETE MUPPET WOULD SUBJECT THEIR CAR TO A CAR WASH
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"Muppet"
What a lovely English insult ! It could only work in this country.
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Au contraire Pug.
Works as a gross insult here - but then OUR Muppets have AIDS...
(Local Sesame Street has an HIV-infected one. Frightening thought isn't it? Kids Health Care via marionnetes...)
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I agree with Muppet on this one - only a handwash will do the job safely. I'm surprised no one has so far mentioned that those handwash bods at the local supermarket are no better at washing by hand than the conventional garage carwashes. Have you seen the state of the water these idiots wash your car in?
If you wash it yourself, you know that it's fresh water only. Most I've seen are using the same bucket of water on God-knows how many cars. They probably put more dirt ON than they take off.
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If you wash it yourself, you know that it's fresh water only.
And if you scratch it, then you've only yourself to blame, whereas a car wash............
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And if you scratch it, then you've only yourself to blame, whereas a car wash............
..... you're lucky if you're left with a part NOT scratched!!
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Why even bother to wash the car????
Both our cars have been owned from new; the VW is three year's old and the Seat is just under two.
The VW has been washed *twice* since we bought it; once by the dealer after a service and once by me last month. The Seat has never been washed. The only things we clean regularly is the inside of the windscreen, and the occaisional vacuum.
Yes, the cars are dirty, but with two kids and the grubby roads who cares.
I have better things to do than wash the car!!!!
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Why even bother to wash the car????
So as to be able to sell it on in good condition, or make it last longer and not have to scrap it becuase it has fallen apart with rust!! Some of us don't have money to burn.
Also when you do wash it by hand, you are more likely to notice stone chips, and touch them in before they become rust spots.
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I have better things to do than wash the car!!!!
Absolutely. A car should be washed twice. Once when you buy it and once when you sell it. They only get dirty again.
And when you buy a new car, open one of the doors into your gate post (just a small knock, don't crack the paint). That way you won't give yourself ulcers worrying about whether your pristine chariot will get dented in the car park, because it's not pristine any more anyway ;-)
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I have better things to do than wash the car!
Is there anything to life outside washing cars?
Oh polishing them!
How anyone can see through a rear screen washed once in its life beats me!
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I used to look through the rear screen every so often, but with the number of tailgaters out there it's just too frightening. Now I just keep my eyes closed.
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I suppose it means I must have too much free time on my hands. The Fiesta normally looks spotless, I don't care as much in the Winter 'cos everyone's car looks a mess, but in the summer the Fiesta is kept looking smart at all times. :)
I don't really know why, I suppose I'm just proud of it and like it to look nothing less than perfect!
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I don't really know why, I suppose I'm just proud of it and like it to look nothing less than perfect!
If you wanted it to look perfect, you'd have bought an Aston Martin.
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If I could afford an Aston I wouldn't be going to University! :)
Anyway, my car does look perfect when it's clean, it looks really nice.
I can understnad though why people with families probably don't bother, it's just a hassle and doesn't gain anything, 'cos most people in this situation would just see their car as a tool for getting places.
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[Yes, the cars are dirty, but with two kids and the grubby roads who cares.
I have better things to do than wash the car!!!!]
Do people who don't care how their car looks take the same attitude to their driving?
I only ask because I think I take more care of something I look after than something I don't care about.
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Do people who don't care how their car looks take the same attitude to their driving? I only ask because I think I take more care of something I look after than something I don't care about.
I care very much that my car runs properly so I look after the mechanical side of things. Ditto for lights, windows, tyres, brakes and other safety related stuff.
It's just that I don't care what it looks like cosmetically inside or out. If a small dent hasn't cracked the paintwork, or a stone chip touch-up doesn't match the colour quite, I'm not bothered. That's the stuff I feel life is too short to worry about.
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I fully see your point of view, but, for now, whilst I have plenty of time on my hands and I am so proud of the car, I like to keep it looking spotless. Doubtless this will change over the coming years though.
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