justthisbloke Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Our car gets washed v rarely and then usually at home for nowt. But out of curiosity I went along to one of those defunct petrol stations repurposed as a car wash manned by Eastern Europeans. They looked a shady crew - swarthy and unshaven and wearing the duds of Eastern Europe that are somehow reminiscent of 1970s sportswear and medieval bandits. But they didn't half do a cracking job for a fiver. And their customer skills were spot on - they charmed Mrs JTB which takes some doing. I expected to be fleeced at best and carjacked at worst but came away v impressed by their customer and business skills and entrepeneurialism. And with a clean car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thombleached Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 The only reason to wash your car yourself these days is if you enjoy it (I do). Still the swathe of rentals I've lived in over the years with no drive has meant I've used these places plenty and you're right; they're always top notch and get the same finish that I can do (but in a quarter of the time) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Banner Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 I've used a few of them. All have provided service with a smile and the car looks like new when they've finished. I never wash my own car now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chronyx Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 They're OK if you're happy with only the bits you can see being clean... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frozen_out Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 For those living anywhere remotely close to Kirklevington grange prison the prisoners will do a full valet for £15. I'd initially assumed that as they were allowed to clean cars they were low risk, but apparently they're generally people in the last 2 years of a sentence of at least 8 years-which means there might be the odd murderer amongst them. Still, they do a cracking job and as Gordon Brown said: 'British jobs for British convicts'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bossybabe Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Our local Kurds do a great job for a fiver - and smile while they're doing it. Can't see any Brits doing the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiveinHope Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Our local Kurds do a great job for a fiver - and smile while they're doing it. Can't see any Brits doing the same. Taking money from someone to do something like wash a car, that they could do for themselves, would make me smile, even if I hated the person whose car I was cleaning, in fact I'd smile more. Cleverer than Brits, perhaps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winkie Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 The rain cleans my car mostly....other than that I will give it a good thorough once over twice a year, once on its birthday.....requires a toothbrush to remove the moss and algae, then it shows its true colours until next time, never complains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saving For a Space Ship Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Anecdotes from my Londoner brother, detail gang & turf war for many car washes in london. Always amuses me to see the car driver standing around, doing nothing, while they clean it. Might as well have done it yourself ..lazy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saving For a Space Ship Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Our car gets washed v rarely and then usually at home for nowt. But out of curiosity I went along to one of those defunct petrol stations repurposed as a car wash manned by Eastern Europeans. They looked a shady crew - swarthy and unshaven and wearing the duds of Eastern Europe that are somehow reminiscent of 1970s sportswear and medieval bandits. But they didn't half do a cracking job for a fiver. And their customer skills were spot on - they charmed Mrs JTB which takes some doing. I expected to be fleeced at best and carjacked at worst but came away v impressed by their customer and business skills and entrepeneurialism. And with a clean car. Don't you have a bmw i3 ev ? I can't risk them washing my old prius as I have a battery air vent, which you cannot risk getting water in. I assume yours is well hidden like more modern prius' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Banner Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Anecdotes from my Londoner brother, detail gang & turf war for many car washes in london. Always amuses me to see the car driver standing around, doing nothing, while they clean it. Might as well have done it yourself ..lazy I sit in it. Sitting in the car for fifteen minutes is very different to spending over an hour cleaning the damn thing, worth every penny. Some people enjoy cleaning cars, others don't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitevanman Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Our local Kurds do a great job for a fiver - and smile while they're doing it. Can't see any Brits doing the same. Maybe you should start a carwash to redress the balance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNACR Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Very surprised by the lackadaisical approach to car cleaning by ordinarily thrifty HPCers given its deletrious effect on mpg. I'm never that convinced by the labour saving benefits of pressure washers. I've got a diesel powered hot washer at work that's used for trucks and it seems to either not clean the grime off properly or it takes the paint off with nothing inbetween. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
workingpoor Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Be wary of fine paintwork scratches and scratch swirls if you have a car you care about. Fills me with dread when i see them wring out the chamois' they've just been using on the car in front and about 100 cars that day. I'll wager there's more than a few bits of trapped fine grit in thos chamois. (maybe even been dropped on the floor) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19 year mortgage 8itch Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 I'm glad you got a clean car for all the tax credits and housing benefits I provided. I refuse to go backwards to this Lordly/peasant lifestyle where one gets such a lovely clean car for pence from some lovely charming little people tugging furiously at their forelocks at your munificence. I still can't work out where I stand. As a forelock tugging prole, should I be patronising discretionary purchase businesses or not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XswampyX Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 http://chrishambly.com/ealing-car-wash-scam/ Beware, it could happen to you.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Eagle Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 http://chrishambly.com/ealing-car-wash-scam/ Beware, it could happen to you.... LOL, I wouldn't mind if that happened to me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oracle Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Our car gets washed v rarely and then usually at home for nowt. But out of curiosity I went along to one of those defunct petrol stations repurposed as a car wash manned by Eastern Europeans. They looked a shady crew - swarthy and unshaven and wearing the duds of Eastern Europe that are somehow reminiscent of 1970s sportswear and medieval bandits. But they didn't half do a cracking job for a fiver. And their customer skills were spot on - they charmed Mrs JTB which takes some doing. I expected to be fleeced at best and carjacked at worst but came away v impressed by their customer and business skills and entrepeneurialism. And with a clean car. pleasantly surprised myself. very decent one in basingstoke. just stopped off for a quick car wash but they gave my old banger the works...pretty much a full valet. not bad for £7. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solitaire Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 The rain cleans my car mostly....other than that I will give it a good thorough once over twice a year, once on its birthday.....requires a toothbrush to remove the moss and algae, then it shows its true colours until next time, never complains. Same here. Be wary of fine paintwork scratches and scratch swirls if you have a car you care about. Fills me with dread when i see them wring out the chamois' they've just been using on the car in front and about 100 cars that day. I'll wager there's more than a few bits of trapped fine grit in thos chamois. (maybe even been dropped on the floor) Yes, son won't use them for this reason. Also won't put any car through a carwash. Every time he washes his car it gets a proper polish as well with expensive stuff, once a year it gets a professional polish (just had it done and cost £75 mates rates) and this is a race car. He's truly *fastidious* about car paintwork. Edit: *first choice of word was four letters, begins with A and ends in L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Banner Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 Same here. Yes, son won't use them for this reason. Also won't put any car through a carwash. Every time he washes his car it gets a proper polish as well with expensive stuff, once a year it gets a professional polish (just had it done and cost £75 mates rates) and this is a race car. He's truly *fastidious* about car paintwork. Edit: *first choice of word was four letters, begins with A and ends in L I think they call it "detailing", it takes car cleaning to a whole new level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solitaire Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 Yes, that's what it's called, I couldn't remember. Fair do's to him though that he has something he takes real pride in and the car is used for shows, promotions and magazine articles on occassion so he keeps it in tip-top condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy T Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 I used one about six years ago in London, we had a campervan on hire to return and were short on time. I remember they had a gypsy woman on chamois duty, she dropped it on the floor, picked it up and promptly used it on someone else’s car! Queuing up on a hot sunny day at these places seems like madness too. I’m in the camp of not liking the Lordly/peasant thing, and I also like doing stuff with my hands. I’m a bit fussy about paintwork, used to be very into polishing and waxing the car, lost interest in that but still like to wash it myself and take my time. My car is 18 yrs old, waxed only once in a blue moon and has paintwork to rival some cars that are only about 3 years old. People assume I polish it to death, but it’s just careful cleaning with good equipment. That said, I can understand the appeal if you really dislike doing it yourself. The rare occasion I do walk past someone washing their own car, I do think they must be a bit mad (like me), has it almost become socially unacceptable in the UK? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilf Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 There is one set up opposite to my flat, they do an excellent job for £5 or inside too for £10. None of my three cars are particularly new so not that bothered about the paint work in all honesty. I don't have the space of facilities living in a flat to do it myself, £5 every now and again is nothing in the grand scheme of things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longtomsilver Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 My nextdoor neighbour when I lived in York when washing his car used to take his number plate off and clean behind it. He was a policeman. That's the only part of my car I don't clean. As a matter of fact it's the only part of the car I don't own as it belongs to the DVLA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPin Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 My nextdoor neighbour when I lived in York when washing his car used to take his number plate off and clean behind it. He was a policeman. My nextdoor neighbour when I lived in York when washing his car used to take his number plate off and clean behind it. He was a policeman. Why would a policeman wear a number plate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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