Just took my Stilo to the car wash for the first time and no leaks! A great result. Its now 2 months old and done 1k exactly.

Does anyone else trust car washes? When I first got my new Punto I washed it by hand every couple of weeks, but after it kept going wrong I just lost all heart and took it to the car wash. With the Stilo I thought why bother it'll break my heart soon and be in and out of the garage!

March '04, 5 dr 1.4 Stilo Active & Sept '00, 5 dr 1.2 HLX Punto.

get a local kid to do it even the best car washes miss bits, give a kid your own sponge and bucket of water+ shampoo and a dish washing brush for the wheels, you will get a better result than carwash.
Note if you use wash and wax (car washes do even the cheep one) clean it off windscreen with washing up liquid and a washing up sponge with scourer for non stick pans, this will remove wax from windscreen and you will see better when it rains,(other people can use sponge with green bit on but not stilo soft glass)

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Isn't child labour illegal[)]


I say, use the car wash to get the thick of, then take it home and finish it properly.

Stilo TURBO!!!!(diesel)

Car washes are well dodgy, if they damage your car you have no fall back! I had some paint come off the wheel arch on my VTS when i put it through a car was once!

Better to do it by hand, that way you know its done properly, and you save @£5 into the bargain! :I

Low Milage merchant, i've had my car 4 months, and i've done 5700 miles already! B)

53 plate, Stilo 3-door, Sassy grey, Alloys to follow, 1.2 Active, 5-Disc CD-Changer -- 45mpg!

We have a new touchless car wash in my locality, it's the first of it's kind in the UK. Apparently it blows a chemical powder all over your car, this cleans your car, then it sprays it down with purified water, they say the results are fantastic and at no point has your car been touched so no scratches. The basic wash is £6 and £12 for the top wash. I'll give it a go some time and post up a full report!

£6 and £12[:0]

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The price of modern technology my friend!

My previous car was a leased company car, and the local garage at the end of my road gave away free car washes with every £100 of petrol. After a while the alloys were noticeably scratched by the brushes they use on them and I always used to get bits of red plastic brush stuck on the grill trim too. Since the car was leased I wasn't too bothered, but I'm not taking my Stilo in their!

Paul

Stilo Abarth 3dr, Broom Yellow (Nov '03)

Years ago I worked for a garage that had a car wash. I saw many cars get damaged. One time the brush caught up in a rear spoiler and literally lifted the back wheels a good couple of inches of the ground befor ripping the spoiler off.

Youll never catch me in a car wash. Give me a power washer any day ,(though even they can lift the paint if your not carefull)

These days for the price of very few car washes it is possible to buy your own pressure washer these things reduce the washing time dramatically (and use a lot less water than a hose)although to do a really good job you still need to go over the body by hand as well. They are real good for cleaning the underside, the one area that a bucket and sponge cannot reach. As regards sponges remember that they are buggers for holding on to little bits of grit to scratch your paint so avoid 'em if you can ...or use a different one for the really grubby bits like the alloys

100% lancia ....with a hint of fiat

I will never use a car wash with brushes. After only a few washes I noticed lines on the paintwork left by the brushes.

Les Ross
Certified by a Professional.
03 Stilo 5d JTD80 Active
PSI Powerbox and go-faster turtle.
Metallic Navy Blue

I'm not too keen on using a powerwash on the relatively soft paint on a modern car, fine for under the arches and that, but personally I wouldn't use one on the paintwork.

As for sponges, I always use two buckets, one with soapy water, and one with just water to rinse the sponge in, hopefully minimising the chance of it picking up grit, also I wouldn't keep a sponge very long, same with a chamois.

Stiloboy, 5 months, 9700 miles[:0]

Stilo TURBO!!!!(diesel)

poundland is good for sponges you get 4 big ones in a pack they are the same ones that are sold in places like halfords.

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Please do not Email or PM me asking for support. Post on the forums instead. Your reply may help someone else. Thank you

yep and then you don't mind chucking them away after only a couple of uses.

Good tip about not using wash and wax on the windscreen to Dave, I honestly didn't realise this til my mate pointed it out the other day. Funny enough the stilo is the first car where it has caused a problem. My Mam also says add a bit of vinegar to the water along with the washing up liquid I'll give it a blast tomorrow

Stilo TURBO!!!!(diesel)

I was once waiting for the car wash and the car actually in the wash had its front wiper ( complete with arm) ripped off, it was caught in the upper brush and the car was `whipped` with it along the roof.
The sound was incredible....... Everyone else waiting just shuffled out of the queue and drove off.......
I have never been back

How on earth did you find this thread?

It's nearly 3 years old!