How often do you clean you car?

No contributory factors then? Grandparents absolved of all responsibility? Should I mount a compensation claim perchance?

I think youā€™d find there was no warranty beyond the first 12 months in those days! Some British cars were renowned for their propensity to rust. So, as I recall, were some Italian cars in particular - perhaps latter more excusable coming from a country with a drier climateā€¦ whilst some low-volume manufacturers did it earlier, in terms of mass-production in Europe, I think it may have been Audi who first introduced galvanising of car bodies in the eighties.

I absolutely detest car air fresheners, no idea why, perhaps just seems so artificial or I dislike the fragrances.

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Waitā€¦Iā€™m supposed to clean my car? I thought that only applied to my bicycles. :man_shrugging:

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Yes, Audi were early galvanisers as were Volvo.

Clean bicycles? Excess dirt/mud tends to fall off mine eventually, maintaining a steady stateā€¦

Getting in and out of my car usually transfers mud from my boots and clothes to the sills!

Interesting, when I used to cycle regularly I would clean my bike down after almost every trip, less so with the commuter which probably got a wipe down once a week.

Cars tend to be a utilitarian thing for me, cycles more like treasured possessions!

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Yeah, I clean my bikes regularly. My gravel and mountain bikes get pretty grungy after one ride. My road and single-speed bikes are wiped after most rides and cleaned more thoroughly when needed. It makes maintenance a lot easier.

I have only ever cleaned my bikes when I have needed to work on them, though only road bikes until 18 months ago. The MTB I bought in an auction 18 months ago has yet to be cleaned, but I may dig out the pressure washer some time as it is rather cakedā€¦

Life is too short for washing bikes or cars unnecessarily!

I wouldnā€™t use a pressure washer on a bike. You risk trashing the bearings. If you hose it off use a gentle stream to help loosen the dirt and wipe it off.

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Not if the bearings are sealedā€¦

Good luck with your BB and headset. My mechanics love people who powerwash their bikes. It keeps them employed. :slightly_smiling_face:

Not often.

But I had a ceramic coating applied by these folks in Chelmsford.

Given the motor is parked on the street it has proven a good investment. And when it is washed it really picks up

Bicycle bearings, even sealed ones seem to take a beating. I change stuff on my bike for the sake of it, typical bike tart! But the bottom bracket really does have a hard time and despite all of my bikes being road bikes they seem to wear quite quickly.

For all the people who have said ā€œgarage does it at the serviceā€
I reply yesā€¦at Ā£85 +vat an hourā€¦they would

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So true!

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Just to disambiguate, I donā€™t powerwash. Itā€™s not part of a Norse godā€™s routine.

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I understand. Itā€™s @Innocent_Bystander who mentioned using a pressure washer. Thatā€™s a big no-no, sealed bearings or not, and itā€™s a good way to trash your bottom bracket and headset with rust. I suppose if you ride $300 bikes that might not matter much, but my bikes are from close to $3k (single-speed) up to $9k (gravel race bike). I only use a low pressure hose head,and only when necessary. Otherwise I wipe down by hand with a diluted Simple Green solution.

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I wonder if the same logic could be applied to 4 wheel powertrains?