Scottish Elises

Hey guys,

Well with less than 5 days before i get my car i need to find out how to clean my car now i live in the city.

As you might of read in my other thread i've just moved to Edinburgh.

I've never been without a drive and a garage so without these things how do you guys manage to sensibly wash your cars?

Cheers

Before I had kid(s) I washed my car weekly .......

Now (in Aberdeen) I have washed my cars about 3 times by hand this year . The time spent diggin' out the jet washer and riggin' up the hose etc is not time well spent when your weekend or evening is precious ( especially in the summer )

My advice is to get someone to give your car a good polish / detail before winter and then jet wash as often as possible to prevent a build up of crud. Do you have a hard/soft top though ?

Then get friendly with your local ( decent) hand car wash. Get to know their names, tip them on the understanding you'll use them fairly often if they do a decent job and dont use manky sponges, brutal chemical sprays etc. This worked a treat for me to the extent that the owner knows me and my cars and ensures the "workforce" dont default into standard wash mode. Now when I come in I get a good chat but a damn decent service.

All depends how meticulous you are ? If your like Tut then you wont car about swirl marks etc.

At the end of the day - preventative measures are king. So things like alloy sealers etc that prevent a build up of brake dust and the like will do you a favour. Bugs and road salt are the ultimate seasonal enemies I guess

Alternative is to find a mobile valet chappie you does " the business". Depends on your budget though....

Just leave it out in the rain, then go for a quick run to dry it off.



tut

Wash your car? That's what wifes and girlfriends are for.



/runs

Where abuts in Edinburgh are you sir, there are a few "proper" car washes in the town, agree with the points about though, have a word with the guy running it, if he sounds like he cares then go for it, if not find another!!!

Thanks for that.

Well for the moment I live in a new build ground floor in a place not far from Broughton area. (or maybe I live in the Broughton area? lol)

Anyway I am pretty keen on this so I’m a 2 bucket man with snow foam and 4 dry cloths at the read sort of chap.

When I take her home at Christmas I’ll spend 2 days on her but in between not sure what I should do really?

At home I use dodo purple velvet wax which is pretty soft so I do a wipe down every 6 months and in between 2 layers of wax every 3 months with occasional top ups.

But i’m going from that to nothing it seems.

However things like the interior plastics will be fine and I can wash, clean and seal my wheels again both using poorboy products but the actual cleaning terrifies me.

Think your right about finding someone local thou I wish I could hire the area and water for an hour and do it myself – although G/f wont be pleased that I’ve duplicated my kit from down south…

So anyone know of local places in Edinburgh to get a wash once/twice a month at a reasonable cost?

Oh the car looks immaculate to start with so no need to be cleaning, polishing and sealing any time soon just as we head into November that when I’ll need to have somewhere to go.

I live on the second floor and i have never send my car to a car wash. Granted i'm not a polisher but i find that as long as the car has a good wax on it i can get by with 2 buckets and a garden pressure sprayer.

Sounds like you're a pro!

If I lived in Edinburgh you'd be welcome to come round to mine for car washing for the price of washing an Exige...

Lazydonkey wrote:I live on the second floor and i have never send my car to a car wash. Granted i'm not a polisher but i find that as long as the car has a good wax on it i can get by with 2 buckets and a garden pressure sprayer.

Which sprayer do you use out of interest the mtb bike versions are pretty pricy compared to B&Q std stuff.

IIRC it was a £10 B&Q pressure job - its not going to lift paint but it helps for cleaning wheels / grill etc etc etc

alicrozier wrote:Sounds like you're a pro!

If I lived in Edinburgh you'd be welcome to come round to mine for car washing for the price of washing an Exige...

you have my number..........

Your only 10 mins away from Lewis ( X7LDA ), im sure his weekly washing ritual could fit you in!!!!

Has anyone tried one of these: http://www.mobi-washer.com/index.php? Quite tempted to give one a go, could come in handy for the bike also.

allyrennie wrote:Your only 10 mins away from Lewis ( X7LDA ), im sure his weekly washing ritual could fit you in!!!!

Yup, long as the weather holds up I have the full kit out once a week giving it a good wash, inside/out, dry, wax and polish... Which means during the week it only needs a simple rinse when it's used to keep it gleaming.

Then every 3 or 4 weeks it gets "the works" = full day clean including wheels, wing, splitter, pods, lights and grilles all off, with a good 4 or 5 coats of premium wax.

Bit sad really, I need a life I think

ok right was looking at the facilities at my place and i do have a communal tap which rigged up may provide water to a hose/ power washer .

Now do i begin to duplicate my kit do i need another foam lance and a power washer as well? Or do i just buy a hose and make do whilst i'm here.. decisions decisions.