Supermarket Wash'n'Valet: would you hand over your keys?

Update - the supermarket car wash now has it's logo on the attendant's overalls and surrounding fenced area - apparently a few people reacted the same way as me.

Meanwhile, I've just cleaned and polished my car in 10 minutes with the Greased Lightening cleaner that shysal recommended. Great stuff!

shysal

Hubby uses Showroom Shine. I bought it a couple of years ago from Ideal World shopping channel and he thinks it's great. Lasts ages and keeps well. I will check the price for it on Amazon when he needs some more.

You are absolutely correct about the use of it, do not use on the windscreen. It tells you that when they are demonstrating the product on t.v.

As for the 'pop up' car wash as I like to call them. I have a bit of an issue with them. They take money away from businesses who have to conform to regulations, I believe there is an issue re water drainage and chemicals? Do they pay tax on earnings, can be quite a bit of money changed hands. Are they legal immigrants or are they poor devils working for nowt and kept in squalid living conditions, being used by a gang master??? It happens.

I guess the supermarket car park one's must be sanctioned and above board but I still have my doubts as to the background of it all. I am definitely not implying they are not trustworthy, nor do a good job. I just think sometimes however small an issue there can be consequences we don't think of.

Re. the Showroom Shine, I read somewhere that if used on the windscreen it can cause distorted reflections at night, but I haven't noticed this. Also I don't spray onto wheels, to avoid brake discs, always apply onto the alloys with a cloth.

When my car has its annual service and MOT, they clean it inside and out. between times, I take it through a car wash.

No. Never.

It's Mr Aka's birthday soon so I've ordered that too Shysal, he'll be thrilled

Thanks for the tip, Shysal. I've just I ordered it. Got my car valeted for £10 by a team of whizz-kids in 10 minutes flat whilst I sat in their cabin with a coffee. They didn't ask for my keys and had no need to move the car, either.

I always clean my own car. At the same time I also check fluid levels and tyre pressures. I often use www.amazon.co.uk/Greased-Lightning-Showroom-Waterless-Polish/dp/B006MDJM0I , it is fantastic! You spray straight onto a dirty car and wipe on then off with microfibre cloths. No elbow grease required, and the finish repels dirt. Especially useful in times of drought or frost, but I use all year round.
There is no way I would hand over my keys at a car wash unless I stayed in sight! A new similar set-up appeared at my local Asda a while ago, it lasted about 2 weeks!

Washing the car is up (or down) there with the ironing as far as I'm concerned - I hate doing it myself, and can't remember the last time I did it. DH does mine occasionally, but we use car valeting services usually.

This never happens where I go. It is done in a dedicated area of the car park, set up with a kiosk and an overhead shelter. It always seems to be busy.

To be honest, I find the whole supermarket car-wash thing is becoming a bit of a nuisance. I get accosted every time I visit our local Sainsbury's, and I find their manner quite aggressive. Each time the conversation goes something like this:
"Car wash, Sir?"
"No thank you".
"We're very good".
"I'm sure you are, but still no thank you".
"Cars need washing in this weather, Sir" (by now he is shouting after me as I have almost made it into the store.)

I'm sure this must be putting some people off going to Sainsbury's

soutra we have a few of the same car washes here in Newcastle and you cant fault their work ethic, and the car is always spotless.

I use the supermarket one and they are very good. I leave them my keys and it has always been fine. They have been in there for a long time now and I noticed the other week that they wear overalls with Tesco's across the back.

There's one like that a couple of miles up the road from here, Soutra. That would suit me better. I'll give it a whirl.

I love our local immigrant carwash! Aparent hordes of little men in red overallls attack ot from all sides all for a fiver and then for another fiver I get out and sit in a cabin while t hey hoover and polish the interior. Best £10 ever spent!

It's ok nobody would want to steal a Merc these days.

I would never hand over the keys to have the car washed in the supermarket car park, it may be ok but then it may not either.

We have no shame when, the inside is usually quite dirty when it goes to the garage. I suspect they clean it before they go rootling around in case they catch something

Funnily enough, Harrigran my thinking about getting a quick car shampoo was motivated by my Mercedes being booked in for its service on Thursday. For shame, I couldn't send it in looking mucky, even though they'll valet it for me before I collect it. It doesn't get shampooed from one month to the next!

Doubt it.

The only people that get our car key are the nice men at the Mercedes garage when they do a service. It always comes back clean inside and out. Not sure I would be happy with these supermarket washers, would they be insured to cover respray jobs ?

I used to take our old car to one of those car wash places run by very fast enthusiastic Eastern European gentlemen, but DH has put a stop to that with our nice new car as a friend had the paint removed from his car by the power washers. Apparently the soil loosener stuff they spray on first is highly corrosive. He was told he wouldn't be able to prove it was caused by them, unlike a report I read of a bloke successfully suing for four new tyres after the soil loosener disolved the old ones.
(It's cleaning the inside that I hate.)

I would not leave my keys - for a start the carwasher is not insured to drive my car and supermarket car park are prime places for prangs.

Why not talk to the supermarket manager and ask what the situation is? She may not know that people are being asked for their keys and they are bound to have a view on it - they do not want to discourage customers.

Good, I'm glad I'm not the only one. I normally do it myself but the winter was wet and muddy.