AIBU not to understand why people prefer hand washing their cars rather than use an automatic car wash?

[swissmilk]

And by that I mean the teams of people in supermarket car parks.
I've tried both, automatic machines seem cheaper, quicker and just as good?
(I never get the inside cleaned...do that myself at home where I'm not in danger of judgement over how many empty crisp packets there are stuffed in the glove box!)

lordrudolph my 10 plate car looks better than most of my friends 18/19 plate cars!

I've even had a couple of offers to buy it, despite having 120,000 miles on the clock. proud

What I don't understand is that MN goes on about how having a dirty house is awful and the smallest cleaning oversights are a mortal sin, yet the same pride doesn't seem to carry over into your car. I have friends who have spotless houses and shit tip cars (that I hate getting in: they stink). I judge you just as much on the state of your car as your house! I ride horses and still manage to keep a clean car...

Last time I took a car to an automatic car wash (many years ago ) it ripped off the rear wiper. I complained, but the garage refused to accept responsibility.

Who cares ?
Get out more

Also for anyone interested in giving it a go... Aqua wax is my new wonder product. So much quicker than doing it properly. Doesn't last quite as long, but still worth it. Spray it on the car while wet and then buff it in while drying the car. Easy!

When I've had company cats we were actually discouraged from using automatic machines due to risk of paintwork damage

my 10 plate car looks better than most of my friends 18/19 plate cars!

I can well believe it!

I wonder if the Quik Detailer I've got is similar to the Aqua Wax you mention? I didn't buy it for its intended purpose, me and a friend decided to have a go at claying an old Corrado he bought and it was recommended as a lubricant. But I think it can be used for a quick detail as per the name.

I have a spotless house my car is a shit tip,judge away, I can't do every thing.

I had my car cleaned once by an automatic one. It had pebbles in it and damaged the bodywork and windows quite badly. This is apparently fairly common. Would never use it again.

I have a soft top. I can't use the automatic machines

The rollers scratch the paint work 🤷🏻‍♀️

I just wash my own now with sponge and jet wash, cheap and cheerful and takes about ten minutes!! Don’t like the automatic ones for reasons above, damage to paintwork etc, and I find by the time I have queues for a hand car wash I could have just done it myself.

Because I have a $100,000 car and don't want the auto wash to scratch it 🤣

I can't be arsed to remove the bike carrier from the roof bars so I can't put it through the auto wash.

Car is currently really dirty!

Oh and the back wiper got damaged by a monkey at Woburn safari park and I think an auto one will rip it right off.

Must get that fixed actually

When we bought our car the dealership advised not to use an automatic carwash because it damages the paintwork. My husband takes ours to a local 'hand wash only' place.

I suppose my understanding is: I dont own many nice things, I've never been able to afford branded clothes or items.

So my 11 plate Golf is my 'nice thing' and it feels more of a 'nice thing' when get it cleaned.

I have a sad-ish life

Could be because the machine ones risk whipping out your radio antenna?

Dear me, some people are grumpy in the heat! For the benefit of those lacking a sense of humour, who assumed I don’t care about people trafficking or the actions of the actual Mafia:
I was making a pun on the word “polish”, as the PP had spelled it without a capital. Hence she apparently meant the wax stuff you rub on cars, not Polish people!
For the record, I completely disapprove of the Mafia, modern slavery, trafficking, and exploitation.
In my naivety, I thought we could all take that as obvious, but apparently not so for the hard of thinking.

The brushes on an automatic car wash ruin the paint work. they scratch it terribly

@LordRudolphVII ah 👏 very refreshing to hear someone who understands paintwork 😁

Some people actually OWN their cars and like to take care of them, not like most who rent a car on PCP to keep up with the neighbours!

Some people actually OWN their cars and like to take care of them, not like most who rent a car on PCP to keep up with the neighbours!

Oh bless your heart, do you think that's why people lease cars? They're no great virtue in owning a car outright.

If I don’t want it super clean, the kids will be busy with buckets and a hose for at least 30 mins - they even have old toothbrushes to get in to nooks and crannies

I always choose a hand job.

I’m presuming the people who get so indignant about self checkouts putting people out of work don’t wash their own cars.