Car Washing Horror Stories

**Jaymzx** · 07-03-2006, 02:25 PM

BUMP for the summer season. They`re out washing their cars! Take notes!

**Bigpoppa3346** · 07-03-2006, 02:47 PM

This happened during the spring. I saw my neighbor wash her CR-V with a brush. One of those long handled ones with the big, floppy, swirl-inducing strands for the washing. She puts it on the ground FACE DOWN, then proceeds to scrub her wheels and tires with it. Without even rinsing it off, she wipes it all over the side of the car. Some parts, like the rear quarter panel, she didn`t even get, just hosed off and rubbed a towel on it. I was going to go over and offer my services, but now I`m too scared to see what kind of shape they are in.

**ExoticFetish** · 07-03-2006, 08:52 PM

I used to wash my folks car with tide and an old browned face towel in the houston sun. dried with any old towel. One bucket, tire brush, then amor all. My parents taught me well.

When I got my first car I "stepped up" to car wash shampoo and a 99 cent sponge which i used on everything. Dropped sponge on ground, no problem. One Bucket. Dried with any clean towel I could find. Cleaned wheels and tires with a2z. black magic tire wet. windex used as QD. I thought I knew what I was doing.

New car used GC with cheap wash mitt and old *** brown chaimois. A2Z, tire wet, and Megs quik wax with any clean towel. 2 Buckets. started wondering why other cars had a certain glow to them.

Found Autopia, read a lot. Now I have stuff in the mail as I write. I dreamed about washing my car the other night. I have a problem.

**Tasty** · 07-04-2006, 09:38 AM

Originally Posted by ExoticFetish

Found Autopia, read a lot. Now I have stuff in the mail as I write. I dreamed about washing my car the other night. I have a problem.

Your problem is only just beginning. Wait til the stuff arrives.

**imported_Chris223** · 07-05-2006, 12:46 AM

I`ll chime in. Last summer my sister and her b/f (soon to be my future brother in law) come over with my sisters car... caked in white residue. She says "will you wash my car for me?" knowing it`s never been washed I said yes. I asked again what happened, she said "he waxed it" he said "Yea, I put the wax on, and told you to wipe it off, you were just to lazy" so she left it to sit there. He just uses regular old Turtle Wax Paste, the $3.00 jar from AutoZone to wax his truck with. He`s not AS bad, at least he doesn`t wax with Pledge. But when I explained to both of them the proper washing method, they said "it`s just a car" and when I explained to them what a claybar is and used for, they couldn`t stop laughing. I plan to detail both of their vehicles sometime in the next couple weeks as my wedding gift to them. Gonna have to use some SSR polish, then apply a couple coats of EX-P.

**harleysuperduty** · 07-05-2006, 01:13 AM

I have a 2003 Mercedes. I thought that the dealer would know how to care for cars since they are high end. The first few times I had my car in for minor things or oil changes (free), they washed it and left massive scratching, swirling, and webbing. We are currently negotiating the compensation I will receive for this. My car is black, and with as many black cars as they sell, you`d think they would get a clue. The Service Manager said no one can wash cars without leaving swirls. I tried to educate him, but they don`t want to invest the time or money to do it right, or even closer to right. I started to take a look at the new cars on the lot and several look like they had a brillo pad taken to them.

I bought a 2006 Ford F-250 Harley-Davidson Crew Cab diesel also in black. When I went to get it the dealer had just washed it and was wiping it down with paper towels from the rest room. So I had it buffed, and the guy (detail guy from another dealership who is supposed to be the "best") used a rotary and left lots of swirls. I`ve just bought a PC to take care of it myself. I`m in the process of educating myself (and being educated by lots of you) before I start so I don`t screw anything up. I`ll do my wife`s car first since it is in sad shape and can`t be hurt too badly.

**ev01ut10ndt** · 07-05-2006, 11:32 PM

one day, (I was around 10 years old at the time), we got home, with our 92 camry totally soaked from the rain. Then my parents changed the wiper blades as they didnt work well on the way home. I then proceeded to take the old blades and "dried" the car by running it across the paint. The end result was swirls like you couldn`t imagine. There wasnt any shine left in that car. Our car was like the crappiest looking one out of the whole neighborhood after that incident. Needless to say, we sold that car in 2002...I was GLAD it was gone as it reminded me everytime I looked at it on how NOT to dry a car...

its not really a car wash horror...but halfway there!

well, heres a story: my aunt just hoses down the car and dries it with a towel...no soap PLUS all the caked on dirt`s glory.

**nodrums** · 07-06-2006, 03:30 AM

Good stories. But I gotta tell you about my neighbor. He has all his car wax stuff out readt to do his car. He parks the car in the sun and sez he is heating up the car to wax it. Tried to explain the problem, but he explained this is the way it has been done for 30 years.

He can`t figure out why our cars stand out on the block in the middle of winter.

**craddie type's'** · 07-10-2006, 08:27 PM

Worst I`ve seen:

My neighbour consistently allowing his 4 and 7 year old daughters wash his Porsche Boxter S with dish detergent and kitchen rags....

**Slinky** · 07-10-2006, 10:43 PM

This is the most entertaining thread EVER!!

Originally Posted by Tasty

Your problem is only just beginning. Wait til the stuff arrives.

:chuckle: So true.

**ABS** · 07-11-2006, 12:10 AM

Here`s my contribution.

Once a pal asked me for advice on how to wash her car properly. I told her briefly...

Wash the wheels 1st, then the car> dry the car before you use your spray wax.

She followed everything i said.

Only one problem.....

She did everything with the same terry cloth!!!

**stage5** · 07-11-2006, 08:33 AM

Waiting in line to have my oil changed (there was a 30-40 minute wait). Guy next to me in a Camry (5th gen) takes the Armor All Tire shine and sprays the whole wheel rim and all. By now there is a thick layer sliding down the rim. He lets it sit there...I say to him "Man that looks good"...

Me: "Do you detail cars?"

guy: "yes...I do it part time"

guy :"I`ve been so busy that I did not get a chance to do my car which I`m embarrased about (no sh**)."

"I`m going to do a small pro detail clinic to show you. I normally charge $75 for the clinic" :shocked

guy: gets out a bottle of Sprite gets out and old beach towel.

guy: "I`m going to show you this trick but don`t tell anyone"

he pours Sprite on the towel and wipes his trunk (which was caked with dust and bird droppings). He takes 10 pennies and puts them on the wet trunk.

guy "The pennies form a covalent bond with the Sprite and lift the dirt right off. The trick is to let the product do the work" :shocked

2 minutes pass and then the guy says "Now that the product is working I`m going to hit it with the MM (he said it meant Miracle Mix). "

He brings out this jar filled with something that looks like grease.

guy: "I mixed some jeweler rouje and WD40, then I let it simmer for the night so the WD40 can release it`s power, the next day I mix some PLEDGE (he said this was a trick he learned at the Ford dealership he used to work at). The next day I pour in some Clearasil and lime juice with some mayo to get some paint lubrication and some Ajax to DEEPLY clean the paint".

The guy takes the pennies off and applies his Miracle Mix. I`m dying trying no to lough.

I feel like I`m in a movie and can`t belive this nutjob.

He pours the Miracle Mix on the trunk and takes out sand paper on a sanding block.

guy: "This here is 1200 grit and what I`m about to show you people would kill for". He sprays some liquid on the trunk which needs no introduction it is Kerosene.

guy: "I wet sand/polish/clean all in one step. It is the same process VW used on their Phaton and Touareg and Audi uses it on the A8 S8. It was developed by their top paint chemist in Wolfsburg Germany" :shocked (It is getting really hard not to laugh but I know I have to keep my cool cause the stroy keeps getting better)

He proceedes to use the sand paper on the Miracle Mix which was sprayed with Kerosene.

He made about 40 passes until the "product" was worked in the paint. The oil guy comes over and tells us that we have another 15-20 minutes to wait. He glances at the trunk and asks the guy what he is doing "Just using some Turtle wax". The oil guy leaves and the Camry guy says "I never tell my secreets to these oil people...they don`t know anything about paint protection". By now the trunk is gone....the paint is in BAD shape.

The guy takes a break and says that his product needs to be left to take a breath for maximum effect.

He takes the old beach towel and some shoes polish (I kidd you not). The car is black.

He proceedes to apply the shoe polish with the beach towel pushing hard on it.

By now the paint is getting even worse. I ask him why the paint has swirls, scratches and is dull.

guy: "I have to hit it with my rotary polisher....this took me a long time to learn and it is not for beginners....If you want to do this only do it by hand"...

I ask to see the polisher but he is locking up "Look man I already gave out too much info".

I ask again. He opens the trunk. He is now looking hard at Joe the oil guy who is watching us. By now a few of the oil guys are talking and I can hear them laughing.

guy: "I don`t want the oil guys to see my tools. They are laughing because they don`t know jack about paint or detailing". The oil guys move on. From the trunk he emerges with what can only be described as a coleman 6" 2000 rpm WalMart special. "This here is my pride and joy, a real pro tool". I nod and turn my face because I`m about to bust out laughing. They are ready for my car now. I get in the car and start laughing hard...

**Tasty** · 07-11-2006, 08:41 AM

And to think, all this time I`ve been using carnaubas and stuff like Klasse when all I had to do to get superior paint protection was mix up all the leftover chemicals in my garage and rub it into the paint!