Q: Why Does It Take 2 Hours to Wash... - Page 2 - Smart Car of America Forums : Smart Car Forum
Home News Models Alternatives
 
Smart Car of America - America's Largest Smart Fortwo Enthusiast Community   Smart Fortwo, smart car, smartcar
HOME FORUMS GALLERY

Go Back   Smart Car of America Forums : Smart Car Forum > Community > smart General Discussion


Notices

SmartCarofAmerica.com is the premier Smart Car Forum on the internet. Registered Users do not see the above ads.
» Auto Insurance
» Supporting Partner
» Recent Threads
Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 05-19-2008, 10:36 AM   #11 (permalink)
 
stevenvillatoro's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Carlsbad, CA
Drive: Passion
Posts: 662
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by saskdiesel View Post
Do you need to use a special wash mitt for the plastic or roof panel?
Special detergent?
Or wil my regular car washing stuff work just fine?
I use a mitt, but really the secret to washing is rinse, rinse, rinse. No matter what you use, don't grind surface grit into your paint finish. I pre-rinse and soak the entire car (to soften bugs). Next, I clean the areas that border on dirt-accumulating areas first, including door jambs, wheel wells, etc., with a separate sponge. Then I do a very light rub-down, top-to-bottom, rinsing out my mitt literally every couple of seconds to take dust off the mitt surface. I keep my hose constantly rinsing where I'm working to further wash away grit. A light-handed approach is always key. Finally, I do one last pass with the mitt and soap. I'm a proponent of technique over product, having seen many disasters by people using the right products but monkey-like washing techniques! (Ever see the look on someone's face when washing a new Porsche, and scratching the color coat of paint becuase a small pebble got onto the mitt???) Abrasion is the enemy... "First do no harm!"

stevenvillatoro is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-19-2008, 03:29 PM   #12 (permalink)
 
nprsmart's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: New Port Richey
Drive: Cabrio
Posts: 282
Thanks: 0
Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
Garage
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeepster55 View Post
... but they're most real old people, over 50, so i doubt they would be interested unless it's a new Buick or Caddy......

Easy there. I resemble that remark, but wouldn't be caught dead in a new Buick or Caddy. (Maybe dead in a Caddy as that is what the local funeral homes use...)

I did have to deal with four different folks asking about my fortwo at the Post Office today though. I'm pretty sure at least two of the four were older than me.
nprsmart is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-19-2008, 08:04 PM   #13 (permalink)
 
angel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Lost, Dazed and Confused, DFW TX
Drive: Passion
Posts: 1,093
Thanks: 0
Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Ah heck. I was doing the edging and weed eating when some fella stopped and asked me if I'd take him for a ride in the smart car. Awfully inconvenient time and I was covered in grass, mud and dirt ... not to mention BUSY. I don't mind answering questions. I don't even mind letting people get a looksie. I don't mind giving friends a test ride. But don't think I'm real comfortable giving rides to complete strangers.
angel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-19-2008, 09:49 PM   #14 (permalink)
SCOA Club
 
smartxs's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Northern CA
Drive: Passion
Posts: 91
Thanks: 1
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeepster55 View Post
Thank God when i get MY smart i'll be washing it in my own driveway! of course that won't keep the neighbors from coming around and asking about it, but they're most real old people, over 50, so i doubt they would be interested unless it's a new Buick or Caddy......
I know you were just agitating, but I couldn't pass it up!

NorCal is in water restriction period so we have to use car washes that recycle the water, or go dirty!

Then there is that "Old people" and "over 50" comment.

Just wanted to say, "Thanks!"

Not sure for what. . .
smartxs is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-19-2008, 10:38 PM   #15 (permalink)
 
MSOEMiller's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Pasadena, CA, #1254
Drive: Passion
Posts: 165
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Excellent money making opportunity.

Pay 50 cents for 2 minutes of washing the exotic Smart car. Come one come all.

25 cents to wax for 2 minutes.
MSOEMiller is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-20-2008, 06:43 AM   #16 (permalink)
 
Broken Kid's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Rochester, NY
Drive: Passion
Posts: 204
Thanks: 0
Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by MSOEMiller View Post
Excellent money making opportunity.

Pay 50 cents for 2 minutes of washing the exotic Smart car. Come one come all.

25 cents to wax for 2 minutes.
And after that, you can whitewash my fence! It's really really fun!
Broken Kid is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-20-2008, 05:26 PM   #17 (permalink)
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Mobile, AL
Drive: Passion
Posts: 1,654
Thanks: 13
Thanked 28 Times in 14 Posts
Today a crew came to my office parking lot to wash some cars. I parked about 50 feet from where they were at 8am, using a powerwasher on my friend's truck... I'm thinking that maybe a powerwasher was too harsh to use on a new car, especially mine with a few scratches down the side. I'll call the pro detailer that charges $40 instead of $20.

So I came out at noon, and there's one guy washing another car near mine, and he stops and asks "What kind of car is that?" During the discussion he said there were people standing around it while he was washing cars... he could have racked up some business just from my car being nearby. It gets a lot of attention. The attention won't last more than a couple years but it's fascinating now to see people's responses.
SuperGeek is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-21-2008, 06:00 AM   #18 (permalink)
 
bull8042's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Indian Land, SC
Drive: Brabus
Posts: 660
Thanks: 2
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by Broken Kid View Post
And after that, you can whitewash my fence! It's really really fun!
Ooohh, careful with the literary references Broken Kid. You are going to give away your age!
bull8042 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-21-2008, 07:40 AM   #19 (permalink)
 
liquidfunk's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Little Neck, NY
Drive: Passion
Posts: 33
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I have a question .
Do the Smart wheels fit in a regular car wash?
liquidfunk is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-21-2008, 07:49 AM   #20 (permalink)
Admin/Mod.
SCOA Club
 
JPaul's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Washington, DC
Drive: Passion
Posts: 7,419
Thanks: 74
Thanked 275 Times in 185 Posts
Garage
I have an answer .
Yes! ;)
JPaul is online now   Reply With Quote
Today
 


This ad will not be shown if you are logged in.

Sponsored Links
Advertisement
 
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Spent 4 hours in line but got it! AligelfAlothe smart General Discussion 4 08-21-2009 08:02 PM
Dealership - 1.5 hours Away IMSMART2 smart General Discussion 10 02-25-2008 10:46 PM
Been through a car wash yet? jpkherd smart General Discussion 7 02-16-2008 01:04 PM
Would you buy one if more than 3 hours from dealer? thomasw98 smart General Discussion 26 12-07-2007 04:43 PM
Another Chicago review - three hours ago Carnut smart News & Rumors 1 11-15-2007 08:27 AM

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.2

All times are GMT -7. The time now is 05:16 PM.



Smart Cars of America, LLC is not affiliated with, authorized by, associated with or have any connection with G&K, Zap, Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-Benz AMG, Mercedes-Benz McLaren Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC, smart Canada Division, DaimlerChrysler, Chrysler LLC, DaimlerChrysler AG, Maybach, smart gmbh, a division of Mercedes Benz LLC, the manufacturer of SMART automobiles, smart USA Distributor, LLC, a division of Penske Automotive Group, Inc, the exclusive authorized U.S. importer and distributor of the smart vehicle or any of their official dealerships


Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2012, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Friendly URLs by vBSEO 3.3.2
Garage Plus vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.
Ad Management by RedTyger