AlanHo Posted July 26, 2006 Report Share Posted July 26, 2006 A friend gave me a car wash synthetic leather he bought in Holland - it is the best "leather" I have ever used - and that includes real chamois ones. It puts the standard Vileda and other makes you buy in Halfords and other car accessory shops into the shade.It is called a Vileda Flunkey and is claimed to be the choice of professional valeters. I have now used it for a couple of months on the car and the house windows & mirrors and the claim seems justified. It is very soft, super absorbent and strong enough to put up with vigorous "wringing" dry. I have not see these on sale in the UK - other than a couple of dealers on Ebay who sell them for less than £5 each plus postage. Why such a good product is not more widely available I find very surprising.Click here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artist Posted July 27, 2006 Report Share Posted July 27, 2006 Clean the car??? :0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-pops- Posted July 27, 2006 Report Share Posted July 27, 2006 I remember these things being on sale at Woollies and other shops at a ridiculously high price - which was most likely their downfall on the retail market.However good a product is, it won't sell in quantity if it has a price significantly higher than another, similar, product. Even if it has huge advantages (as this is supposed to have) these have to be easily demonstrable which, with a bit of cloth for washing your car, is not at all easy. OK, you may get sales to specialists and enthusiasts as seems to be the case now but, that isn't good for the profit of the manufacturer and I can see the item disappearing from sale altogether.An example of poor marketing strategy, I feel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted July 27, 2006 Report Share Posted July 27, 2006 Clean the car??? :0I did mine last November. I must do it again soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belatucadrus Posted July 27, 2006 Report Share Posted July 27, 2006 There was a motoring program on a few months ago, probably Fifth Gear, showing a professional who's paid large sums to do the supercars of the extremely well healed. He used Microfibre towels not leathers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanHo Posted July 27, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2006 I use microfibre cloths (Ecloths) to clean the car - but they do not remove the residual water as effectively as the Flunkey - nothing does in my experience.In our area - if you leave water to dry on the car (especially the windows) - it leaves a very visible white deposit. Gone are the days when Birmingham water was almost as soft as distilled water and you didn't have the bother - it is now a mixture of water from the Elan Valley, the local rivers and underground aquifers with a much higher salts content. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurlyWhirly Posted July 28, 2006 Report Share Posted July 28, 2006 Clean the car??? :0I did mine last November. I must do it again soon.It must be filthy :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted July 28, 2006 Report Share Posted July 28, 2006 Clean the car??? :0I did mine last November. I must do it again soon.It must be filthy :DA wee bit dusty. :lol: The problem with cleaning cars is that one trip up the road and they are dusty again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordythegouge Posted July 28, 2006 Report Share Posted July 28, 2006 Clean the car??? :0Totally agree......why waste time polishing something that has a finite shelf-life and is destined to turn into rust whatever you do? We've a neighbour who's hobby was polishing his W Reg Escort....it looked as if it had just come of the garage forecourt.....what happens?....his wife's driving the thing and some idiot comes out a sidestreet and goes straight into the side of it! Result....writeoff.....bookprice payout (About£400).. and an extremely pissed off neighbour!!! Can you imagine if you were to put a price on the manhours alone that he wasted on the car? My advice....forget the polishing....get a hobby or something!! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted July 28, 2006 Report Share Posted July 28, 2006 My neighbour washes his car EVERY single week, no matter what the weather is. The inside is also vacuumed out. He won't do it on his drive because a small quantity of water is trapped in the channel round the boot lid, and trickles down leaving a wet mark when he next backs it off the drive. Even if it pours with rain after the wash and all the suds is removed, he rinses it and leathers it after the rain has stopped. If it rains after the rinse, he waits for the rain to stop then goes out with his leather. If however it rains after the leathering than that is acceptable. It's just that EVERY step has to be completed. We put it down to a case of obsessive compulsive disorder. When his wife also had a car this was treated exactly the same way by him. When we went with them to France many years ago, the first thing that he did on the Sunday morning, ( we travelled on the Saturday), was wash and leather the car. I can think of better ways to occupy my time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thos Posted July 28, 2006 Report Share Posted July 28, 2006 A trip through the car wash every three months or so is OK by me.Thos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted July 28, 2006 Report Share Posted July 28, 2006 A trip through the car wash every three months or so is OK by me.Thos.Best invention since sliced bread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanHo Posted July 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2006 What was the best thing before sliced bread was invented? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belatucadrus Posted July 28, 2006 Report Share Posted July 28, 2006 What was the best thing before sliced bread was invented?That would have been the bread knife. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted July 28, 2006 Report Share Posted July 28, 2006 What was the best thing before sliced bread was invented?I don't really know. I don't even like commercial sliced bread especially the white rubber type. I much prefer good Granary bread, preferably home made, which of course must be sliced immediately prior to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurlyWhirly Posted July 28, 2006 Report Share Posted July 28, 2006 The problem with cleaning cars is that one trip up the road and they are dusty again.Yes I was only pulling your leg :P It's the same with my bike, I wash it and after only say 10 miles of travelling, it is dirty again :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rong Posted July 28, 2006 Report Share Posted July 28, 2006 Get a silver one they can go several years between washes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted July 29, 2006 Report Share Posted July 29, 2006 Get a silver one they can go several years between washes.That must be why mine is still reasonable looking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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