Washing the car in the street

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
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Wed 7 Nov 2007 16:11
Washing the car in the street - perleman
I live in a relatively built-up part of London, (not in the suburbs) and every Saturday or Sunday I'm out in the street at 7:30am washing my car by hand on my hands & knees etc, with my chammi, sponge, alloy brush etc. Appart from the odd bus passing by while I'm doing the offside alloys it's problem free.

It takes me 20-25 mins to get my car looking like new, with no swirl marks or missed bits.

People walk past me looking at me as though I'm completely mad. Children ask their parents 'what that man is doing with the bucket', sometimes they are unable to answer, and even the little dogs turn their noses up at me as they patter past. I go to the local supermarket at the weekend and see people waiting in a queue for easily 15 mins to have some spotty teen with a mop rub dirt & grime into their cars for £9 a time. Ridiculous. I'm actually considdering offering my services to my neighbours as a 'I'll wash your car while you sleep' kind of opperation. If I could do £100 a weekend for 3 hours of exercise without leaving my street that would be a nice little suplimental earner!

The question is, is it really that crazy a thing to do these days to wash your own car in the street?
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Wed 7 Nov 2007 16:43
Washing the car in the street - Old Navy
If the politicaly correct, health and safety, environmental extremists have their way we will all probably need a licence to wash our cars before long, just think how much damage soapy water can do to drains! It only needs an empire builder in a goverment agency.
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Wed 7 Nov 2007 16:52
Washing the car in the street - local yokel
A friend of my dad was on six months' paid leave between jobs. Looked out of the window on day one and saw how dirty his windows were, so got out bucket, chammy etc. Up the ladder, and a little old lady calls up and says "when you've done this one you can come round to no. 36. You haven't been for ages".

So he went to no. 36, and cleaned her windows and she gave him the money. Before long he was working at it full time with his son who was waiting to go to uni.

Sold the round for a fair few bob when he had to go back to work.

So, yes, if you offer a good service at a good price, and do it when you say you will, you'll get business.
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Wed 7 Nov 2007 16:55
Washing the car in the street - Old Navy
Our local wheelie bin cleaning outfit has to have a licence from the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, and is not allowed to put waste water into the drainage system.
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Wed 7 Nov 2007 16:58
Washing the car in the street - bell boy
what do they do with the old water then old navy?
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Wed 7 Nov 2007 17:03
Washing the car in the street - Old Navy
They have a collection tank in the back of their van. I dont know where it goes from there. Somewhere legal I hope.
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Wed 7 Nov 2007 17:25
Washing the car in the street - J Bonington Jagworth
"not allowed to put waste water into the drainage system"

So what are the drains used for, then?

I didn't know the lunatics really had taken over the asylum...
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Mon 12 Nov 2007 19:14
Washing the car in the street - Old Navy
The waste water from bin cleaning is dumped into the sewage system which is treated. The surface water (rain+car wash water) is discharged untreated.
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Wed 7 Nov 2007 16:57
Washing the car in the street - Glaikit Wee Scunner {P}
I'll hand wash my car maybe four times a year just to check on paint chips etc.
Never polished my present car.
If the car needs washing will go through the local automatic for £3. No obvious paintwork damage over the years.
Usually got more pleasurable things to do at the weekend than getting wet.I used to clean the car more regularly as a precursor to tidying up the perennial rust bug.

If you enjoy it carry on.
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Wed 7 Nov 2007 17:16
Washing the car in the street - PoloGirl
Have to admit I love washing my own car, then getting the autoglym out and giving him a proper shine, and finally doing the wheels with the wonderwheels. It's so satisfying.

However, since I've had Gunther he has had that treatment about four times (and two of them were in the first week of ownership when I was trying to prove a point about industrial fall out to VW) - he's had quick washes but not the full works. He has, however, been through the car wash twice, and it breaks my heart to see the swirls when the light falls on it in a certain way. I think I'll take him home to mum and dad's and use their driveway this weekend for a proper winter clean, as there's a good covering of dust and skank on the inside too.

I don't think washing the car in the street is a strange thing to do. We used to do it with watering cans when we lived in a flat. There's something a little strange, to me at least, about doing it every week. Still, whatever floats your boat!

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Wed 7 Nov 2007 17:30
Washing the car in the street - J Bonington Jagworth
"it breaks my heart to see the swirls"

I'm glad you said that, PG. I was beginning to think it was my compulsive obsessive disorder! Seems particularly noticeable on dark metallics, but I think any lacquered finish is susceptible. I blame those pesky environmentalists who don't want us to enjoy the smell of proper paint any more...
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Wed 7 Nov 2007 17:45
Washing the car in the street - mike hannon
I nearly caused a riot last year in a little French town called Contrexeville, which is famous for its spa water - supposed to keep you slim if you believe that sort of thing. Well, I guess if all you drink is water you'll stay slim...
Anyway, I digress. One morning, in full view of all the people in the hotel dining room - most of whom were drinking Contrex for breakfast, I walked across the road to the spa building, filled a few bottles with the celebrated liquid from the free tap outside (most French spas give it away if you go there in person!) - and washed the Prelude with it while the believers watched, aghast.
Sure enough, the car lost about 2lb straight away (but only in accumulated road muck).
PS: if you think that story is pathetic - and I wouldn't blame you - I was in the Pyrenees a month ago and thought the car was running a bit rough. After calling in at Lourdes and watching thousands of pilgrims buying the local water with its miraculous healing powers I stopped off at a nearby jetwash, gave the car a blow over - and it's been going like a train ever since...
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Wed 7 Nov 2007 20:08
Washing the car in the street - perleman
The difference between clean & dirty on my car is increadible though - it just had a full respray, new hood, new lights & 4 wheel refurbs - when it's clean it looks brand new! I'd do it it twice a week if I had a driveway!
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Wed 7 Nov 2007 20:31
Washing the car in the street - gordonbennet
Good for you perleman, nice to hear someone else who takes a pride in and looks after their goods in this throw away world.

Bet i'm worse than most though, cos when the roads have been salted i wash under the car as well very often 2 or 3 times a week.

Let the onlookers carry on being amused, when you come to part with your cars bet they are easier to sell than some neglected rust bucket.
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Wed 7 Nov 2007 20:59
Washing the car in the street - Mad Maxy
Seems to me it's washing one's car that's unusual, regardless of whether it's in the street. I seem never to see anyone else doing it.

But Perleman, how do you manage 25 mins??? It's taking me ever longer:

Rinse
Foam
Do wheels thoroughly
Hose away foam/rinse wheels
Wash with mitt (two-bucket method)
Hose off
Pour on water from rose-less watering can to get rid of droplets
Dry with drying towel
Dry door shuts and wheels with synthetic chammy

Hour. :-(
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Wed 7 Nov 2007 21:07
Washing the car in the street - rustbucket
I think you will find that it is against some byelaw that you you are not allowed to wash vehicles in the street.I seem to remember many years ago a nieghbour of ours was finned for doing just that

--
rustbucket (the original)
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Wed 7 Nov 2007 21:19
Washing the car in the street - stunorthants26
I often think its a precarious pratice washing cars in the street from a legal point of view ( as a valeting business ), but I use exclusively eco-friendly chemicals so if anyone did ask I wouldnt be using any naughty chemicals.

As it is though, most of my customers have big driveways so I never worry about it that much. People complain more about noise than chemical useage.

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Wed 7 Nov 2007 22:56
Washing the car in the street - kithmo
finned

LOL, did he grow gills as well, it must have been all that water ;0)
-----------------------------------------------
2005 Ford Mondeo Zetec 2.0 TDCi 130ps
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Thu 8 Nov 2007 12:39
Washing the car in the street - perleman
WOW! What a routine, I clean & dry the panels sequentially instead. While it does create some re-work as panels overlap, it all adds to the general cleaness. It's also quite a small car hence the faster time. As I do it every week, & only drive on urban routes, I don't seem to need to rinse first as there's only ever a light layer of dirt, instead I wet the car with the foamy water, then mitt it. The alloys in particular, take about 1-2 minutes each max to get looking like new. To be fair I probably take closer to 35-40 mins to complete the operation, not the 25 mins I quoted. I also use a synthetic chammy to dry the car with but what is this drying towel you speak of - is it better than the chammy?

The funny looks may well be due to the time I do it at although I do wear a pair of old Paul Smith jeans to do the work in, to help keep the area's fasionable appearance up!

Finally, I wasn't aware of drainwater being unprocessed although it does seem obvious now. I will endeavour to buy some ecologically friendly products, to offset the damage my 2.5 litre engine does to the environment
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Thu 8 Nov 2007 19:51
Washing the car in the street - Mad Maxy

but what is this drying towel you speak of -
is it better than the chammy?

I use a Cobra Guzzler MF drying towel. With only a few residual drops of water left (see watering can routine), you can drag off/soak up the water from a large area (the area of the towel) with one action. There are plenty of products, but drying towels are what all the obsessive car detailers (er, that must include me...) use. It minimises the risk of dragging grit around and marring the paint.

The detailer's objective is maintaining original-quality paint finish - or even improving on it, and then maintaining it. See www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/index.php, and see www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=48...5 in particular. My motors are pictured there to in the Showroom section.

However, you don't have to be obsessional. But once you start thinking about how to get better results it's difficult to stop. Hence why I've spent £00s over the last six months or so on shampoo, foam, clay, polishes, glaze, sealants and waxes. And... But when I've time, the BM and the Cooper S look FANTASTIC!
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Sat 10 Nov 2007 15:33
Washing the car in the street - milkyjoe
i bet you wear an anorak aswell?
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Sat 10 Nov 2007 15:35
Washing the car in the street - bathtub tom
'snuffink wrong with anoraks - just look around this website ;>)
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Thu 8 Nov 2007 07:43
Washing the car in the street - L'escargot
...... just think how much damage
soapy water can do to drains!


I use Zip Wax which, according to the manufacturer, is "totally bio-degradable".
--
L\'escargot.
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Wed 7 Nov 2007 21:39
Washing the car in the street - Big Bad Dave
"every Saturday or Sunday I'm out in the street at 7:30am"

This is why they're laughing at you Perleman, not because you're washing the car.

Have a lie-in why don't you.

I hate washing the car and never did it when I lived in the smoke but now I've got off-street parking I'd rather do it myself than pay someone else. Still hate it though. Really, really hate it.
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Wed 7 Nov 2007 23:01
Washing the car in the street - slowdown avenue
can somebody tell us how many injuries there are from folk washing their cars in the street.my money is on over 500 per annum.
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Wed 7 Nov 2007 23:32
Washing the car in the street - Welliesorter
Nothing strange about this. Several of my neighours wash and vacuum their cars in the street. There probably is a law against it but you'd be pretty unlucky to be caught.

What is anti-social is using a pressure washer in the public road, as one of them does. I challenge anyone to do so without spraying neighbouring cars and houses, as well as passers-by.
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Thu 8 Nov 2007 11:09
Washing the car in the street - mike hannon
Sorry for my earlier effort at trying to inject a note of levity into this thread. I'd forgotten that washing the car can be a serious business.
Like many other fetishes, it is probably best carried out in the privacy of your own home.
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Thu 8 Nov 2007 11:30
Washing the car in the street - Cliff Pope
>>
Like many other fetishes it is probably best carried out in the privacy of your
own home.


You have a big drive-in bathroom obviously? Or do you carry the car in and out?
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Thu 8 Nov 2007 11:41
Washing the car in the street - Dr_Duffy
I live in what might be termed a "nice" neighbourhood. My neighbours would be on to the council VERY quickly if I were to start washing my cars in the road! It does lower the tone of a street. Furthermore, my understanding is that road drains are for storm water only and the water may not be treated before entering rivers. Detergents and other cleaning chemicals therefore pose a pollution risk. You might say you are using environmentally safe chemicals, but onlookers do not know that.
I have my cars washed every two weeks by two very nice Polish lads who run a low-cost valeting company.

Edited by Dr_Duffy on 08/11/2007 at 11:42

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Thu 8 Nov 2007 11:51
Washing the car in the street - Cliff Pope
That would be equally true of washing the car in the drive. The detergent would go wherever the rain went. What do the "nice" people do?
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Thu 8 Nov 2007 12:00
Washing the car in the street - Dr_Duffy
That would be equally true of washing the car in the drive. The detergent would
go wherever the rain went. What do the "nice" people do?


Not on my drive. Water is collected by Aco drains and goes into the same dirty water drain as the kitchen and shower room waste water.
I think a lot of residents in my street take their cars to automated car washes, I see few being washed on driveways.
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Thu 8 Nov 2007 12:48
Washing the car in the street - Chris M
"I see few being washed on driveways"

They are probably too knackered to clean there own cars as they have been busy all week working hard to earn the money to live in a nice neighbourhood - good luck to them.
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Thu 8 Nov 2007 12:49
Washing the car in the street - mss1tw
I live in what might be termed a "nice" neighbourhood. My neighbours would be on
to the council VERY quickly if I were to start washing my cars in the
road! It does lower the tone of a street.


As opposed to grimy dirty cars parked outside every house? :-S
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Thu 8 Nov 2007 13:11
Washing the car in the street - stunorthants26
I live in a particularly affluent close out in a small village.
Far from the neighbours complaing about people washing their cars, its almost routine for atleast 75% of the residents to appear on a sunday morning or afternoon to wash their cars. This is usually followed by mowing the lawns and cutting the hedges.

It has to be said that there is a high proprotion of retired folk, whether this affect it I dont know. Even my neighbours who drive white vans keep theirs clean.

Its one of the reasons im sure, that compared to the roads on the edge of town just a mile away, houses in my village command a 20% premium and have done for a long time.

Id raises the tone of the street as far as I can tell, because it shows people take care of their things and they are also very much inclined to take care of their neighbours things aswell. I have never lived somewhere with such community spirit and its far more pleasent than 'informing' on ones neighbours and spending my time thinking of what to complain about next.
We actually have a situation where kids can play in the street and talk to the neighbours without their parents calling the police!

As such, id much rather live somewhere like this than somewhere that washing your car is socially unacceptable.
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Thu 8 Nov 2007 13:22
Washing the car in the street - mss1tw
As such id much rather live somewhere like this than somewhere that washing your car
is socially unacceptable.


Definitely.
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Thu 8 Nov 2007 13:01
Washing the car in the street - J Bonington Jagworth
"two very nice Polish lads who run a low-cost valeting company"

And where does their waste water go? Rain picks up all manner of rubbish and chemicals (e.g. spilt diesel, old rubber, oil) so I would imagine that a little waste shampoo might even help disperse it. Seems a harmless activity to me.

As for 'lowering the tone', how does not washing them raise it?

Edited by J Bonington Jagworth on 08/11/2007 at 13:05

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Thu 8 Nov 2007 13:13
Washing the car in the street - Franco50
"two very nice Polish lads who run a low-cost valeting company"

They don't call themselves the Polish Polishers by any chance? :-)
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Thu 8 Nov 2007 14:36
Washing the car in the street - oilrag
" I live in what might be termed a "nice" neighbourhood. My neighbours would be on to the council VERY quickly if I were to start washing my cars in the road! It does lower the tone of a street."

It seems like your area has attracted certain personality types, with `judgemental expression`, Dr Duffy. ;)

Regards
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Thu 8 Nov 2007 16:59
Washing the car in the street - UncleR
I'm also (according to my other half) one of the weirdo's who washes the car themself. I try to explain that I don't enjoy washing the car, but I enjoy having a clean car. She still doesn't get it!

No more brush auto-washes for me. Those swirls will appear and are very hard to get rid of. And those guys who do the cars in the supermarkets - there's no way they use enough water - so they are scratching your bodywork with every stroke...

I'm impressed by your wash times. My wheels take at least 25 minutes with a brush and sponge (16 spoke) and then the wash and chamois probably near-on another hour. I need 2 hours to do it properly. Makes a big difference switching from a hatchback to an estate with dirt magnet wheels. As an aside, I heard something about putting wax on alloys to make them easier to clean - is that a myth?
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Thu 8 Nov 2007 19:00
Washing the car in the street - P3t3r
No more brush auto-washes for me. Those swirls will appear and are very hard to
get rid of. And those guys who do the cars in the supermarkets - there's
no way they use enough water - so they are scratching your bodywork with every
stroke...


Have you seen the colour of the water at the supermarkets? It's usually dark brown or black when they start! They use the same water for the wheels etc., it'll have brake dust and stuff in it.
I'm impressed by your wash times. My wheels take at least 25 minutes with a
brush and sponge (16 spoke) and then the wash and chamois probably near-on another hour.


I'm very impressed too, it takes me about 10 mins just to fill buckets, get the hose out and put everything away at the end. It takes me about 1 hr in total, including a clean under the wheel arches etc.
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Sat 10 Nov 2007 11:08
Washing the car in the street - Group B
And where does their waste water go? Rain picks up all manner of rubbish and
chemicals (e.g. spilt diesel old rubber oil) so I would imagine that a little waste
shampoo might even help disperse it.



Perhaps the reasoning is that when it rains the pollutants are diluted into a very large volume of water? When washing a car in dry weather the dirty water will comparatively have a high concentration of detergent and muck in it.

When we design big car park drainage systems, the client has to pay several thousand pounds to have an 'interceptor' installed which prevents fuel, oil and other muck getting into the drainage system. But public highway drainage systems do not normally have these fitted AFAIK, which is a little unfair?
Whether there has been a change in recent years and new road systems have interceptors installed I dont know, now that rainwater management is gaining ever more prominence (we only work on private sector projects).

I have just checked the EA website and found this link: snipurl.com/1tf3x
Looks like they do not mind this water going into the foul sewer system but don't like it going into the surface water (including road drainage) system.
I suppose it would only be investgated if someone complained.. At least where we live nobody is likely to complain about car washing.

When I (infrequently) hand wash my car some of the water goes into the surface water system via a gully on our drive, a small amount of it trickles onto the neighbours lawn. When he washes his car quite a lot of it goes on his lawn, its not a problem...

;o)

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Thu 8 Nov 2007 16:52
Washing the car in the street - pendulum
I like washing and waxing my car, but it actually always looks worse after I do. It's a banger you see, and after a wash, all the scratches and scuff marks really come up well...

Someone cruelly suggested I was "polishing a turd" the last time I was polishing my car, so I prefer to drive it with a protective blanket of dirt now.

I take pleasure in keeping it clean inside though, and every week I give it a going over with the Dyson.
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Thu 8 Nov 2007 17:22
Washing the car in the street - mike hannon
Is 'Dyson' now a generic term like 'Hoover'?
Or has oneupmanship now reached the world of vacuum cleaning as well? ;-)
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Thu 8 Nov 2007 17:24
Washing the car in the street - mike hannon
PS: I have an Electrolux I bought in a secondhand shop about ten years ago, but it cleans the car interior a treat and it's only on it's second bag...
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Thu 8 Nov 2007 20:31
Washing the car in the street - bathtub tom
I've never realised there's a difference between waxing and polishing until recently. I still don't know what it is. Perhaps it's because the rellies keep buying me this 'wax polish' for crimble.
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Fri 9 Nov 2007 00:34
Washing the car in the street - Blue {P}
I've never realised there's a difference between waxing and polishing until recently. I still don't
know what it is. Perhaps it's because the rellies keep buying me this 'wax polish'
for crimble.


Polishing is used to create a shiny surface on the paint abd give it a greater depth.

Waxing is used to protect this freshly polished and shiny surface, giving it the power to bead water and dirt off etc.

Most off the shelf stuff is actually a combination of the two although most real detailing enthusiasts prefer seperate bottles as it gives better results.

Blue
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Thu 8 Nov 2007 20:46
Washing the car in the street - pendulum
Is 'Dyson' now a generic term like 'Hoover'?
Or has oneupmanship now reached the world of vacuum cleaning as well? ;-)


It's because I don't have a good car so I want everyone to know I have a good vacuum cleaner. :o)

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Fri 9 Nov 2007 07:45
Washing the car in the street - Mad Maxy
Polishes also have the ability to remove defects in the paint, like swirls, scratches (as long as they're not too deep), 'micro-marring' and 'holograms'. For more serious defects there's wet-sanding - not for the faint-hearted! It's possible to transform tired, damaged paint to looking as new.

Some of the expert detailers perform miracles IMO. Maybe they can walk on water too.
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Fri 9 Nov 2007 08:01
Washing the car in the street - Falkirk Bairn
Some of my neighbours take the car out of the drive and wash their car in the street.

Reason ? They spent megabucks on a paved drive that is nearly perfectly level - result lots of water seeps down - moves the sand and the pavers move.

Wash it it the street and it runs off down the street & drains and the driveway looks pristine.
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Fri 9 Nov 2007 08:27
Washing the car in the street - Cliff Pope
They must find heavy rain a problem then. Or perhaps they have covers like at Wimbledon?
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Fri 9 Nov 2007 09:12
Washing the car in the street - RichardW
I did think that having bought a slightly smarter car (I did spend £3k after all...) I might be inclined to wash it occasionally (my last car did 65k over 2.5 years and never got washed once). 10 weeks and 6k miles in, it's not looking likely... Still, the newer Silver one doesn't look as dirty as the old black one did after 6k miles!
--
RichardW

Is it illogical? It must be Citroen....
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Fri 9 Nov 2007 10:39
Washing the car in the street - Mad Maxy
my last car did 65k over
2.5 years and never got washed once

Surely you must have cleaned the lights...???
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Fri 9 Nov 2007 10:35
Washing the car in the street - bell boy
i reckon youve watched too many rogue traders - Falkirk Bairn where the pavers lay the sand with the palms of their hands
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Fri 9 Nov 2007 11:21
Washing the car in the street - Nickdm
I used to live on a main road in a small Suffolk village. Car was parked in a layby in front of the house.

At weekends I'd wash the car - but only on one side, the pavement-facing side! It was safer for me and the road-facing side picked up more filth from the passing traffic anyway.

Had to remember to park facing the other way once in a while to give the other side of the car a clean :-)
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Fri 9 Nov 2007 11:36
Washing the car in the street - Blue {P}
Now that's one of the strangest approaches that I've ever heard! :-)

Blue
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Fri 9 Nov 2007 13:34
Washing the car in the street - bell boy
could you not take the sunroof out and hose the car down from this lofty perch ?feet on seats
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Sat 10 Nov 2007 01:08
Washing the car in the street - wazza
One place where i worked you can only get there through country lanes. In winter thanks to farm tractors etc when i get home my car is covered with mud etc. Naturally cleaned the screen/lights every morning.

After getting home when i see it is going to rain then i get a bucket of car shampoo+water a broom brush which has soft bristles. I give the car a quick clean and then let the rain water wash the shampoo away. As you can imagine i got strange looks cleaning the car when it is about to rain

The brush never damaged the paintwork

Edited by wazza on 10/11/2007 at 01:10

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Sat 10 Nov 2007 10:02
Washing the car in the street - GenevaJohn
A mate of mine lives in the black forest in Germany. He's a chef and does some small scale catering (buffets for 50 people at birthday parties etc...) and used to have a car/minivan type vehicle, new and in good nick (I never saw it and don't know exactly what i was). He had a visit from the police one day - a neighbour had made a formal written complaint that his vehicle was dirty. The upshot was that two coppers came round to look at is car/van, saw it was dirty and told him he'd have to clean it and keep it clean.

He had a second visit from trading standards after another complaint - he had 'the flying cook' (in German) written on the van. You may find this difficult to believe, but the complaint was something to do with 'misrepresentation, as he didn't actually fly and was thus misleading people.

Don't what trading standards actually said though.

Anyway, this rules and regulations 'problem' is a European wide problem (anyone ever tried getting a phone-line connected in Italy ????)


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Sat 10 Nov 2007 11:21
Washing the car in the street - Big Bad Dave
"(anyone ever tried getting a phone-line connected in Italy ????)"

Yeah?

Try it in Poland mate. I've been waiting for 14 months and I'm only 10km from the centre of Warsaw.

Edited by Big Bad Dave on 10/11/2007 at 11:22

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Mon 12 Nov 2007 17:38
Washing the car in the street - Vincent de Marco
I would say you're more like 20 km from the centre, but never mind. I've been waiting for over 2 years.
- - - - - - -
Free enterprise is the basis of western democracy.
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Sat 10 Nov 2007 11:41
Washing the car in the street - J Bonington Jagworth
"the flying cook"

Presumably they don't have a Flying Squad in Germany, then!

And I thought it was only we who took notice of EU regulations...
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Mon 12 Nov 2007 19:47
Washing the car in the street - Glaikit Wee Scunner {P}
Well, as I had today off work I thought I'd wash the Passat.Took me over an hour.
Used a nail brush to clean the green stuff off the window rubbers and got rid of the green stuff from the roof seams. Cleaned the gunge off the steel wheels.
Was it all worth it? No.
Was good exercise though.
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