The Nice People Thread, No.16: A Universe of Niceness.

Pyxis

vivatifosi wrote: »

That makes for an interesting NP poll Pyxis:
Do you.....

A. wash your own car
B. let someone or something else (drive through) wash it for you
C. wait until you take it to a garage, who'll wash it for free, very MSE
D. leave it for nature's car wash?

I'm a B/D myself.

That's a brilliant poll! You should start a thread! I won't pinch your brill idea!

I used to get mine washed (well, rinsed) and vacuumed when it had its annual service, but last time, they didn't do it, so I was well peeved!

There's another place about a mile away where I do sometimes take it to be done. You sit in the car while they do it. I wouldn't want to give someone the keys and walk away while they do the inside, so I don't get the inside done ...... as I said, I relied on the annual service to do it once a year.
Besides, there's so much stuff in the car, it's a pain to empty it. (All my 'just in case I break down' stuff. Once a year is often enough to empty it.

I keep meaning to get a home visit full valet done, as a treat, but never get round to it.

You'd have to add that to the poll! Mobile valet service.
And split B into take it to a hand car wash, take it to a drive-through car wash.
Oh, and maybe add get the neighbour's child to wash it!

LydiaJ

Pyxis wrote: »

Aw! (chokes back small tear)

vivatifosi wrote: »

That makes for an interesting NP poll Pyxis:
Do you.....

A. wash your own car
B. let someone or something else (drive through) wash it for you
C. wait until you take it to a garage, who'll wash it for free, very MSE
D. leave it for nature's car wash?

I'm a B/D myself.

Me too.

Pyxis

I don't feel guilty about not doing it myself now!


Seems it's the exception rather than the rule, to do it yourself!


Although, I do have to occasionally do small patches of it.......when there's a deluge of bird poo, for example.
But that's just spray on the lime neutraliser, wipe it off, and use the watering can to rinse the patch.
Touch wood, doesn't happen too often.

(Probably will now! )

chris_m

PasturesNew wrote: »

I tried washing one of my cars once... I did a rotten job of it and had a dirty stripe the length of the roof where I couldn't reach the middle 2'.

That reminds me of when the railways used steam locomotives. Down where I used to live, Southern Railway territory, that was known as the "Eastleigh Stripe" for the same reason, the cleaners couldn't reach right to the top of the boiler. I dare say other railways had similar names for it.

As to cleaning my car, I have done it a few times myself, but consider that to be an very overrated pastime

I generally let the weather do it or, if it needs doing and the weather either doesn't do a decent job or looks like it won't be doing it for a while, then the Eastern Europeans down the road do a damned good job for a very reasonable price.

I always get them to do it shortly after winter's finished, to get the road salt off the bodywork and out of the wheelarches.

chris_m

Pyxis wrote: »

Oh, and maybe add get the neighbour's child to wash it!

And the local Scout/Guide group or school - some of which do car washes to raise funds.

SingleSue

vivatifosi wrote: »

I was too hot. Now I'm too cold.

I was ok, now I am blooming freezing.

silvercar

vivatifosi wrote: »

That makes for an interesting NP poll Pyxis:
Do you.....

A. wash your own car
B. let someone or something else (drive through) wash it for you
C. wait until you take it to a garage, who'll wash it for free, very MSE
D. leave it for nature's car wash?

I'm a B/D myself.

Definitely B. By a person rather than a machine, I have a fear of drowning in a machine.

DS2 has a half machine/ half person facility near him. The machine sprays it with water/ suds/ whatever and a person hand polishes it dry. only costs £3 which is bargain considering how near central London he is.

Pyxis

silvercar wrote: »

Definitely B. By a person rather than a machine, I have a fear of drowning in a machine.

DS2 has a half machine/ half person facility near him. The machine sprays it with water/ suds/ whatever and a person hand polishes it dry. only costs £3 which is bargain considering how near central London he is.

phew! For a moment I thought it was going to be a human/android hybrid!

chris_m

silvercar wrote: »

Definitely B. By a person rather than a machine, I have a fear of drowning in a machine.

Someone I used to know had a bit of a problem with one of those automatic whirly-brush machines.

He drove in, lowered his window, reached out, pressed the "Start" button on the machine then closed the window - at least, he hit the "Up" button but it didn't do anything :eek:
He didn't drown but it took quite a long time to dry out the car interior

That's why I never used to open the window to start the machine, I opened the door and reached around/over to get to the button. That said, more modern machines often have the Start button or voucher/coin/token slot outside and the wash cycle doesn't start until you drive in and stop when it tells you.

PasturesNew

I remember a number of years back where a couple of automatic car washes had problems with vandals, who would sneak up and tie chunky washers into the brushes.... that'd then smash into the cars as they spun.