Washing the Doblo

I washed the Doblo today for the first time in ages as I'm always at work or the weather is too crap.
I tend to spend about 2 hours over it using Autoglym car shampoo, a sheepskin mitt, 2 buckets (one with the shampoo mix in and one with plain water) with grit guards in each bucket and a pressure hose on a light setting.
I was wondering how you guys wash the Doblo. Do you go to all this hassle when washing your car, or maybe you think I'm not taking enough time over it?

Pressure washer, starting at the bottom & working my way up.
Then bucket of detergent & soft brush.
Then hosepipe.

Centuries ago I had a brand new car, took forever over it, lovingly washing, waxing etc. Despite it being garaged, it rusted quicker than most other cars the same age.
One time, when it was grubby & the weather hadn't been right for cleaning, I took the car to a car wash - big mistake. Forever trying to get the huge nasty swirls out of the bonnet & roof.

So now, I pressure wash, detergent & soft brush & finish with the hose. Leave to dry naturally.
I never wash the car in direct sun, it evaporates the water off too quick & I end up with streaks.

After having spent hundreds in the past on fancy waxes, I've come to realise that the car seems to look just as good for just as long without all that attention. I get in & drive, I wash it when it's mucky, I repair it when it breaks, life's too short to spend time drooling over a tin box on wheels (for that is how I have always viewed my cars since the newby got smashed by some cretin).

I spend about 15 minutes washing the car most of that is spent standing on a chair to do the roof.

I know what you mean but I can't help it. I feel bad if I know I could've made a better job of it. Which is probably why I don't do it very often, well not in the winter anyway, it's too cold .


I'm 6'3" and I can't reach the middle of the sodding roof.

I'm 6'4 and can't quite reach the middle of the roof..........but can get close enough that it doesn't seem worth getting the steps!

I washed mine for the first time yesterday (given the good weather). I just soften the muck with the gentle hosepipe, then use autoglym in a bucket of almost cold water, with a fleece type glove I got from Tesco for 99p. This has a mesh on one side which is good for shifting tougher marks. All followed by a very quick leather if it doesn't look like it will soon rain.

I tend to wash my car once every 3 months.....whether it needs it or not . Since it is new, it got done early.

3 observations on my first wash......

1 - Back wheels (alloys) were still clean after 1200 miles ?........because of the drum breaks on the rear - what a joy!

2 - Front wheels were surprisingly easy to clean, despite being blackened with brake dust. The alloys on my wife's Volvo C30 are already looking rough after 8 months because their finish isn't as smooth as the Doblo's.

3 - I've already picked up quite a few tar spots on the bottom of the front doors - perhaps need to invest in mudflaps to protect them?

Don't cars always seem smoother and quieter when they are freshly cleaned & vacumed?

I wish I hadn't seen this thread because it has made me feel guilty that poor Doblo needs a wash.
I live in a very rural area so mud and cow muck are often encountered.
The cow muck in particular is a bu**er to get off
Half term next week, so plenty of time to get the step ladder out (I'm only 5'3 1/2") Takes me ages, but not 2 hours! Life's too short for that!(sorry Richdoblo 120)
I use Wash and Wax. My Doblo is silver, and never really shines as much as other colours I've had.

Any tips on getting the dreaded cow muck off??

Lyn

I use Autoglym tar remover and it's very good but there are cheaper alternatives.
I've always thought the car seemed nicer to drive after a good wash (the car, not me) but it's probably psychological

I live in a rural area too and I'm always battling with cow poo. I use a pressure washer first, especially under the wheel arches, then lots of elbow grease

soak the cow muck with a stronger than usual mix of car shampoo and warm water and come back to it after 10 mins..

Thanks Rich and Andy re cow muck. It drives me crazy. I can spend ages cleaning the car, go out to the shop and it is covered again!

I'm a bit nervous to use the pressure washer to be honest. My husband used to use it. I wish I'd tried it while he was still around. I've heard some scary stories

Cow muck on my car is especially annoying for me as I don't eat cows

Oh well, lots of soaking may be the answer.
Cheers.

I know what you mean, about pressure washers damaging tyre side walls, but mine is a very basic, cheap model. You can adjust the spread of the jet and that's about it. I adjust the nozzle so it sprays a wide fan rather than a narrow jet, if you see what I mean. That way the pressure is very low. It hardly takes any muck off at all but it softens it enough to be able to clean it off much easier.

i have a punto and i just hose the car down first, get a bucket with some washing up liquid and a little bit of flash, wash the car hose and let it dry, it shines better then my brotheres car and he uses everything auto glym and spends hours on it where i spend about 30 minutes. i thinking putting all this stuff on your car will soon do some sort of damage. i have a horse so my car is always covered in horse poo or cow poo so i dont tend to hose under the wheel arches