I'm fully expecting that anyone who ius a menber of a forum like this is going to be a bit more anal than your avaerage RRS owner, but I'm curious how people keep their cars cleanish. I appreciate that hand washing it yourself is likely to be the least harmful but in reality I'm not likely to go on washing it by hand every week until the cows come home. Is it really that disatrous to put it through a car wash? Are the local Poles with a bucket of gritty water really that bad for it? If I stick to hand washing I could well end up with perfect paintwork buried under an inch of Berkshire mud. Thoughts please?

Last edited by foxtrotzulu on Thu Oct 08 2015 12:56pm. Edited 1 time in total

My method usually goes like this:

"Hmm, I must wash the car soon." Visiting from DISCO3.CO.UK
2006 Discovery 3 TDV6 Auto HSE Zambezi Silver

I used local eastern European hand wash guys on last rrsport and they scratched wheel arches standing on tyre to do roof

They also left swirl marks and failed to rinse sponges/use copious amount of water and bubbles. Results were rubbish so never been back

I would rather have dirty car than risk amateur washing and damage  Wanted a Series 2 LR since childhood but previously owned MY16 Disco Sport HSE TD4 Auto, MY13 RR Sport Black Edition TDV6 Auto, MY10 RR Sport HSE TDV6 Auto, 2007 Freelander 1 Freestyle TD4 Soft Top, 2009 Freelander 2 GS TD4 Auto, 2007 Freelander 2 GS TD4, 2004 Disco 2 Metropolis Auto, 2002 Disco 2 GS, 2000 Freelander 1 SE TD4 SW

Still hoping for a S2 one day!

I snow foam, then two bucket method to wash the car, rinse off with just a hose (the sheeting leaves the car dryer than pressure washing), a final towel down with a microfiber towel.

I wouldn't dream of putting it through a hand wash, even less chance of a car wash, my merc ended up looking like it had been sanded.

"I would rather have dirty car than risk amateur washing and damage"

Why? If the car permanently looks because it's filthy then all you are doing is preserving the paintwork for the next owner.

i jetwashed my car down today, the first time since i travelled to Loch Lomand and back in last Aug bank Holiday

Its still dirty, though as i don't use the Jetwash provided "broom of grit" to wash it, its just slightly cleaner and will get a proper wash once my back is fixed and i can bend down

as for driving through a wash, a plastic bristle roller spinning at 100 rpm is never going to be good for the paintwork, neither is a eastern european car wash that washes the sills and upwards without rinsing his dirty grit covered sponge

The local one's to me then jet wash the chamios leathers by laying them down on the area were they was wash cars and jet wash them into the dirt and grit on the floor

Living in a rural area I never use the machines that NP describes on my "nice" cars, too many farmers and folks who live up long rough tracks tend to use them and the brush attachment never gets a rinse out. Don't mind taking my very very muddy Defender to one for a clean off though, it saves me having to shovel all the muck that comes out from under it off the street and I don't have to rinse the brush when I'm finished.................  2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

foxtrotzulu wrote:

"I would rather have dirty car than risk amateur washing and damage"

Why? If the car permanently looks because it's filthy then all you are doing is preserving the paintwork for the next owner.

Click image to enlarge

Looks fine to me! That argument just doesn't wash with everyone.  Visiting from DISCO3.CO.UK
2006 Discovery 3 TDV6 Auto HSE Zambezi Silver

I jet wash first then snow foam, then two bucket method to wash,rinse off ,then microfiber towel to finish

On the rare occasion it gets a bath I snow foam it, as its good for getting all the crap off with the pressure washer. Wash with a mitt then rinse. I then use my leaf blower to get the remaining water out of the panel gaps where it lurks and if I really feel like pushing the boat out then a Meguiars quick detailer so when it rains the water beads off it  2003 BMW M5 - 5 Litres of V8 Optimax Slurping Goodness in Carbon Black

2013 SDV6 HSE Black Edition- Orkney Grey with Ebony & Ivory. LR Facelift RAI, Genuine G4 Expedition Rack, 4x Warn SBD-160 Spotlights, Warn 9.5XPS Winch, Mantec Underbody Protection and Sump Guard, Full Easy Lift Suspension Module, LR Light Guards, Light Force HTX230 Hybrid spotlights, 18� Compomotive PD1881 on 265/65/18 BF Goodrich KO2, ARB fridge, TuffTrek awning 😎

Last edited by Buckster on Thu Oct 08 2015 4:43pm. Edited 1 time in total

LRs are meant to be dirty

What I meant was if it's dirty for a while until I have time to wash with care it's fine  Wanted a Series 2 LR since childhood but previously owned MY16 Disco Sport HSE TD4 Auto, MY13 RR Sport Black Edition TDV6 Auto, MY10 RR Sport HSE TDV6 Auto, 2007 Freelander 1 Freestyle TD4 Soft Top, 2009 Freelander 2 GS TD4 Auto, 2007 Freelander 2 GS TD4, 2004 Disco 2 Metropolis Auto, 2002 Disco 2 GS, 2000 Freelander 1 SE TD4 SW

Still hoping for a S2 one day!

I do mines myself .
Hose down
2 bucket wash with zaino shampoo
Hose
Espuma wheels
Hose off
Dry car with drying towel
Dry wheels
Dry tyres
Apply Meg's tyre gel

The above takes about an hour and I do that maybe every 2 weeks

Every 3 days Ido the following
Quick detail with chemical guys detailer
Re apply tyre gel

Every day or 2 I do the following
Wipe brake dust off wheels
Remove bird

My car is never ever dirty. Quick detailing it takes literally 20 mins and is a great time saver apposed to a full wash

Dean 2009 TDV8 RRS Stornoway grey

Check out my Autobiography conversion

http://www.rrsport.co.uk/forum/topic41605.html

Good Lord! If you guys do this to your cars, what on earth do you do with your children???!!!!!

Old Jock 2018 (MY19) Jaguar F-Pace R-Sport 300PS Petrol in Caesium Blue with many bells and whistles.
2015 RRS HSE SDV6 Firenze Red with Santorini Panoramic Glass Roof, gone but not forgotten.

It's a £70,000 car it costs £1000 a month in depreciation.
Unless it's an "Urban Tractor"
It rubs hedges and its wheels hit kerbs dodging mad tractors and white vans in country lanes....
So for me a d 4 man car wash, a drive through or a £4 wash down :
😎
Come trade in time stealers don't care a monkies

I have mine booked in at the detailers every 2 weeks for a wash