Car Washing Horror Stories
- Thread starter SVR
- Start date
Years ago, my friend and I were waxing our cars on a hot summer day...
(Wait, that's not the horror story part -- we were just teenagers and didn't know any better.)
Well, anyway, we finish up and go inside for a well deserved beer. We came out an hour or so later to find that my little brother, who had been in the swimming pool, had left his damp towel on the hood of my buddy's car. There was a huge discolored spot where the sun had baked the towel! It was UGLY!
My friend chased my brother about half a mile down the street, screaming obscenities at the top of his lungs. I never knew my brother could run so fast.....
(Wait, that's not the horror story part -- we were just teenagers and didn't know any better.)
Well, anyway, we finish up and go inside for a well deserved beer. We came out an hour or so later to find that my little brother, who had been in the swimming pool, had left his damp towel on the hood of my buddy's car. There was a huge discolored spot where the sun had baked the towel! It was UGLY!
My friend chased my brother about half a mile down the street, screaming obscenities at the top of his lungs. I never knew my brother could run so fast.....
The worst thing I have every seen was something my dumb a$$ did. When I was young and dumb I bought a truck from a lot and they gave me a free car wash at the local $2 slap your car wash. When I came out the other end I was one sideview mirror short and had a huge scratch down my fender.
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Another story. I detailed a black 2002 Civic for an import show, which took first in class!, and about a week or two later my friend and myself where going to the weekly car meet so I was on my way over to meet him at his house. I pull up to see him washing his car, the same car I just detailed for the show, with some dirty rag he got from his laundry room floor. And between washing and hosing off the rag laid on his driveway!
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Another story. I detailed a black 2002 Civic for an import show, which took first in class!, and about a week or two later my friend and myself where going to the weekly car meet so I was on my way over to meet him at his house. I pull up to see him washing his car, the same car I just detailed for the show, with some dirty rag he got from his laundry room floor. And between washing and hosing off the rag laid on his driveway!
whitejavaS500
Member
Well back in 02, I really didnt know what I was doing. I used to use a wet paper towel ang a bath towel to QD my car. Looked fine in the shade though. :doh
imported_Chris223
New member
New horror story from my end...
My brother comes home for the weekend, used to be into cars, isn't anymore. And is a complete idiot when it comes to cleaning it. So I'm at work, I told him to wait for me to get home before he went digging through my stuff and ruining it. He didn't. I come home, asked him what he used to wash the car with, he said "That wash stuff, there wasn't much left" I go "Show me what you're talking about" he goes "This stuff" He points to my now empty bottle of Sonus Der Wunder Washe that I keep in the garage for soaking my PC pads in after use. I go "Are you serious? THIS IS F--KING LAUNDRY DETERGENT YOU IDIOT! AND IT'S NOT F--KING CHEAP!" he goes "Well is says Wash Shampoo" I go "IT SAYS MICROFIBER WASH SHAMPOO *******! IS YOUR CAR MADE OF MICROFIBER?!?!?!?!" By now I'm livid, as now I have no more of my pad cleaning detergent left, then I notice I pile of dirty towels, including a really nice bright yellow towel I have that's now caked in black f--king grime. He goes "I used that on my wheel wells, it's a towel" I go "so you decided to use my GOOD F--KING TOWELS ON YOUR F--KING WHEEL WELL?!?!?!?!?!?!?!" Now I'm getting so mad I'm ready to knock him out, he goes "I also clay barred it" I go, and what did you use as a lube? He goes "That Eagle One crap" and points to a bottle of Eagle 1 20/20 Glass Cleaner that I haven't used in 4 years because I hate it. He goes "I rinsed it out and filled it with water" I go "You didn't use 1 of my 20 bottles of quick detailer??!?!! I told him to get the F out of my garage and give me time to salvage what was left of my cleaning products.
My brother comes home for the weekend, used to be into cars, isn't anymore. And is a complete idiot when it comes to cleaning it. So I'm at work, I told him to wait for me to get home before he went digging through my stuff and ruining it. He didn't. I come home, asked him what he used to wash the car with, he said "That wash stuff, there wasn't much left" I go "Show me what you're talking about" he goes "This stuff" He points to my now empty bottle of Sonus Der Wunder Washe that I keep in the garage for soaking my PC pads in after use. I go "Are you serious? THIS IS F--KING LAUNDRY DETERGENT YOU IDIOT! AND IT'S NOT F--KING CHEAP!" he goes "Well is says Wash Shampoo" I go "IT SAYS MICROFIBER WASH SHAMPOO *******! IS YOUR CAR MADE OF MICROFIBER?!?!?!?!" By now I'm livid, as now I have no more of my pad cleaning detergent left, then I notice I pile of dirty towels, including a really nice bright yellow towel I have that's now caked in black f--king grime. He goes "I used that on my wheel wells, it's a towel" I go "so you decided to use my GOOD F--KING TOWELS ON YOUR F--KING WHEEL WELL?!?!?!?!?!?!?!" Now I'm getting so mad I'm ready to knock him out, he goes "I also clay barred it" I go, and what did you use as a lube? He goes "That Eagle One crap" and points to a bottle of Eagle 1 20/20 Glass Cleaner that I haven't used in 4 years because I hate it. He goes "I rinsed it out and filled it with water" I go "You didn't use 1 of my 20 bottles of quick detailer??!?!! I told him to get the F out of my garage and give me time to salvage what was left of my cleaning products.
imported_Totoland Mach
New member
Chris223 said:
Chris: I feelin' that "brotherly love".....it is pretty funny in a not-so-good way. Thanks for making our day.
Totoland Mach
Last week I woke up to the sound of a rotary in front of my house. I look out the window and there is my neighbor's three month old black GS300 under the tree that drips sap in front of my house. And there is some bald guy buzzing away with a rotary on it. He's got some filthy towels laying on the road. So I watch him as he squirts some liquid on the car from a filthy container and continues to buzz away :waxing: . He then picks the old worn, filthy towel that's laying on the road up and start to wipe the car off with it :soscared: . I then over hear him tell my neighbor's wife that he likes to detail out in the road as it attracts more customers :nervous2: I'd seen enough time to hide the Porsche :bolt :hide: and start drinking
Setec Astronomy
Well-known member
About a year ago, my friend got himself his new (to him) dream car. Since his birthday was coming up, and he had expressed a fascination with claying previously, I decided to give him a little car care kit as a present. I had an extra Perfect Shine clay kit, and I gave him a couple new MF's, as well as some other stuff. While we're claying, I'm talking to him about wash technique, how easy it is to scratch clearcoat, etc. When we got done, he put the MF and the clay down on the driveway...
imported_DC2R
New member
sorry to bring this back, but read all 20 pages over two days.
Some incredible stories and some interesting facts learned.
I think i'd be one of the guys you would all laugh at, but i'm still learning
Some incredible stories and some interesting facts learned.
I think i'd be one of the guys you would all laugh at, but i'm still learning
deadlock32
New member
Resurection!
Ok some of hte interesting ones I've seen lately.....
Was at Budget Rent a Car on business related matters and was out front with the mechanics when I see a really old guy (prolly 60+) bring out a cart of detailing stuff from his trunk. I guess they had brought him there to take care of some of the scratches on these rental cars.
So I look in HORROR as I watched this guy put on a twisted wool pad, put on 1 little squirt of whatever polish / comound he was using (could't see from the bottle) then he proceeds to put his ENTIRE weight on the EDGE of this pad and continutally GRIND it into the scratch...Running this rotary @ FULL SPEED, and staying in the same spots for extended periods of time.
Not only this, but how does he QD the polish residue?? Megs INTERIOR DETAILER OF COURSE, coupled with DIRTY RAGS FROM THE MECHANICS SHOP. He spotted detailed hte entire car using that same "dab" of polish he put on the pad when he started way back. I couldnt' actually believe what I Was seeing.....He left just as I had finished my business there I took a look at his work, this was an overcast cloudy day and I could see a brutal hazing over every part he touched, and this was on a white car too!!
In good news, my neighbour (who used to tell me I was crazy for all the detailing I did) now asks me for advice on what to use for this nice Volvo.....I'll offer to throw a coat of natties on there for him next time I see him out there.
Was at Budget Rent a Car on business related matters and was out front with the mechanics when I see a really old guy (prolly 60+) bring out a cart of detailing stuff from his trunk. I guess they had brought him there to take care of some of the scratches on these rental cars.
So I look in HORROR as I watched this guy put on a twisted wool pad, put on 1 little squirt of whatever polish / comound he was using (could't see from the bottle) then he proceeds to put his ENTIRE weight on the EDGE of this pad and continutally GRIND it into the scratch...Running this rotary @ FULL SPEED, and staying in the same spots for extended periods of time.
Not only this, but how does he QD the polish residue?? Megs INTERIOR DETAILER OF COURSE, coupled with DIRTY RAGS FROM THE MECHANICS SHOP. He spotted detailed hte entire car using that same "dab" of polish he put on the pad when he started way back. I couldnt' actually believe what I Was seeing.....He left just as I had finished my business there I took a look at his work, this was an overcast cloudy day and I could see a brutal hazing over every part he touched, and this was on a white car too!!
In good news, my neighbour (who used to tell me I was crazy for all the detailing I did) now asks me for advice on what to use for this nice Volvo.....I'll offer to throw a coat of natties on there for him next time I see him out there.
OK, I am new at the detailing world and quite shy to use anything stronger than P21S paint cleaner on my car or the GF`s. A friend of mine who owns a couple of nice cars and lets me borrow them once in a while, brought me a spanking brand new black 2006 350Z and asked me to go at it. Well, to my horror, this car had what I can best describe as `hologramming` going on on the hood of the car and some serious swirl marks on the rear bumper and fenders. I told him to take it back to the dealer and have them repair the damage but he took it intead to another one of our friends and after $400, the car is back to new, phew. Dealers have a special place in hell reserved for them!!! 
Bigpoppa3346
New member
I know I already posted here but I have witnessed some more horror since then. My neighbor was washing his Lexus with a long brush, and he scrubbed the wheels and tires with it and proceeded to use it on the paint. He then spends about 3 hours waxing the car with some old turtle wax....I could see the hazed wax from across the street....on a silver car. Then the other day I saw him scrubbing the roof of his Avalon with what looked like a carpet brush, egad!
jsfofec
New member
I'm new here, although I've been reading these boards for a while. After reading this I have to tell you about what I saw last week.
A 10 year old girl who lives across the street decided that she was going to wash the family's Miata. She decided to start in the early afternoon, it was about 85 degrees, and the afternoon sun was beaming down on her. She started to spray water on the car, then she got this old dishtowel or something and started rubbing the body. She would throw on the driveway, spray some more water, then wipe more with the rag. Eventually she got a bottle of something and started pouring it on the rag and continue to wipe it on the car. After finishing this routine, she decided to do the windows. She couldn't reach the middle of the windshield, so she climbed up on the hood and walked across it to the windshield, kneeled down and started wiping it down.
Once she finished, she decided it's time to do the SUV. She used the Miata as a "cart" for her equipment and started the same routine. I'm glad my cars are in the garage!
A 10 year old girl who lives across the street decided that she was going to wash the family's Miata. She decided to start in the early afternoon, it was about 85 degrees, and the afternoon sun was beaming down on her. She started to spray water on the car, then she got this old dishtowel or something and started rubbing the body. She would throw on the driveway, spray some more water, then wipe more with the rag. Eventually she got a bottle of something and started pouring it on the rag and continue to wipe it on the car. After finishing this routine, she decided to do the windows. She couldn't reach the middle of the windshield, so she climbed up on the hood and walked across it to the windshield, kneeled down and started wiping it down.
Once she finished, she decided it's time to do the SUV. She used the Miata as a "cart" for her equipment and started the same routine. I'm glad my cars are in the garage!
I forgot about this thread or I would have posted already.
A few weeks ago I was doing a weekend long detail on my new Mustang. This was the first one since I bought it so it was a major production. This of course resulted in my neighbors making fun of me (in a friendly way). I asked my neighbor Jim, who's a good friend, if his cars had ever been washed. He replied, "Not by hand.".
Well shortly after this, a different neighbor decided that his car needed washed. So rather than do it himself he invites the kids on our cul de sac to do it. This consisted of about 7 or 8 kids ranging from ages 4 through 12, including one of my kids. So as I continued to work on my car for what was probably the 7th or 8th straight hour watching in horror as the kids washed this car. They used pretty much any towel that was available, ditry rags from the garage, bath towels, kitchen towels, paper towels, shirts. Anything they could get their hands on. And being young kids they of course turned this into a game which ended in towels being thrown at each other, picked up of the ground, and then put right back on the paint. :scared: Then Jim (the first neighbor) decides this is a good idea so he drives his car over and lets them wash his. Of course now his car has been "hand-washed". :wall
The worst thing was that a couple of the kids started chasing each other into my yard throwing wet towels while I was working. I firmly (yet nicely) directed them back to the other yard. Then the only fear was an errant spray of the hose.
I still spent the rest of the day worried that the kids would decide to "help" me by "washing" my car. :scared: :scared: :scared: I think my daughter would have stopped them though.
Mike
A few weeks ago I was doing a weekend long detail on my new Mustang. This was the first one since I bought it so it was a major production. This of course resulted in my neighbors making fun of me (in a friendly way). I asked my neighbor Jim, who's a good friend, if his cars had ever been washed. He replied, "Not by hand.".
Well shortly after this, a different neighbor decided that his car needed washed. So rather than do it himself he invites the kids on our cul de sac to do it. This consisted of about 7 or 8 kids ranging from ages 4 through 12, including one of my kids. So as I continued to work on my car for what was probably the 7th or 8th straight hour watching in horror as the kids washed this car. They used pretty much any towel that was available, ditry rags from the garage, bath towels, kitchen towels, paper towels, shirts. Anything they could get their hands on. And being young kids they of course turned this into a game which ended in towels being thrown at each other, picked up of the ground, and then put right back on the paint. :scared: Then Jim (the first neighbor) decides this is a good idea so he drives his car over and lets them wash his. Of course now his car has been "hand-washed". :wall
The worst thing was that a couple of the kids started chasing each other into my yard throwing wet towels while I was working. I firmly (yet nicely) directed them back to the other yard. Then the only fear was an errant spray of the hose.
I still spent the rest of the day worried that the kids would decide to "help" me by "washing" my car. :scared: :scared: :scared: I think my daughter would have stopped them though.
Mike
incoherent
New member
I once came across my brother-in-law "waxing" his car with WD40. After he noticed me look at him like he was a retard, he says "It makes the water bead.." I smiled, and left.
When I was 11 years old cleaning my grandmothers new 1979 impala station wagon, I used a sos pad on the trim around the rear side windows. WHOOPS. Over the years I got a little better.
I commonly see customer cars where they tried to get a spot out (sap and such) with a 3m scrub pad. Neighbor a few years ago drove a which civic acroos many states. In process they killed every bug in between. Came home to find her cleaning the whole front end with mr clean and a scratch pad. Usually when people do stuff that causes damage they stop. She was committed though and finished the job lol.
I commonly see customer cars where they tried to get a spot out (sap and such) with a 3m scrub pad. Neighbor a few years ago drove a which civic acroos many states. In process they killed every bug in between. Came home to find her cleaning the whole front end with mr clean and a scratch pad. Usually when people do stuff that causes damage they stop. She was committed though and finished the job lol.