CAR WASHING MADE EASY

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32640, 23 June 1971, Page 15

CAR WASHING MADE EASY

Automation is at last catching up with ohe of the dreariest remaining chores of motoring—the weekly ritual with bucket and sponge. A major expansion in the number of automatic carwashing plants in Britain is expected in the next five years, writes John Langley in the “Daily Telegraph.” Similar developments are likely in many other countries, including New Zealand and Australia. The automatic car-wash idea is not new, of course:

drive-through or while-you-wait car-wash systems have been available in Britain for 10 years, or more, but they have tended to be relatively expensive. In the last year or two, there has been a considerable growth in the business and it is estimated that there ate now about 700 carwashing plants in Britain. During the next five years, another 4000 could be installed, some trade experts predict, making a rapid washing service available not just at a few big

garages around the main towns but at many suburban sites as well. SMALLER UNITS The movement is gaining impetus from the introduction of smaller automatic washing units like the £2500 coin-operated design just marketed by the Beatall Company of Lancashire. The maker calculates that some garages will be able to charge as little as 2s a time and still show a profit with this system. And it is compact enough to fit most garage sites. The motorist stays in the car and drives it slowly through the wash—a two or three minute sequence of pre-rinse, brush-wash and final rinse-off with a spray that incorporates a “waxing” agent The system also incorporates sprays to wash mud from the underside of the car.

Women motorists are generally quicker than men to appreciate the advantages of automatic car-washing, an executive of the company, Mr Ore, said. “One finds the same with self-service petrol; I suppose they are more accustomed to using the washingmachine and other domestic gadgets at home. Men tend to be more conservative.

though company representatives, for example, are making increasing use of these facilities.”

PEAK TIMES One problem for firms Is that the business has an end-of-week peak. Most motorists have their cars washed between Thursday and Sunday, with Saturday and Sunday mornings the most popular times.

An Inevitable problem eventually lies in the prospect of a water shortage. Manufacturers are already investigating the possibility of recovery systems that will allow the same water to be cleaned and used repeatedly. Even if there is an automatic washer conveniently available, it is still a good idea to wash the car at home occasionally—there is no surer way of spotting chips and scratches in the paintwork. One of those hose-fed, flexible brushes makes the job easier, particularly in cold weather, and the ideal time to do it is when the car is already soaked by rain.

Car manufacturers could help by providing better accessibility around bumpers, number plates, grilles and wheels—and by not cluttering up the bodywork with lettering and badges. “My devotion to duty, incidentally, does not normally extend to the lengths achieved by those indefatigable chaps at the Automobile Association; they claim to wash each roadtest car themselves, in the members’ interest,” Langley writes. “Since I am unlikely to emulate their example, I could not help wondering which model they bad found the easiest to wash. They nominated the Austin-Mor-ris 1100, because of its flat surfaces and few channels to trap water and dirt They found it much easier to clean than the smaller Mini, with its prominent body seams and outside door hinges.” This is what they said about the “washability factor” of some other models: Triumph Spitfire Mk 3 sports: washing is relatively simple except that the wire wheels are fiddly. Trying to Tyre-savers Women drivers generally get one-third more life from their tyres than do men, a United States survey has shown. They average 30,000 miles a set, while men average from 12,000 to 20,000 miles.

clean and polish in and around all that chromiumplated script on the boot lid will break the heart of any Sunday morning aesthete.

Rover 2000: easy to wash except that the radiator grille is a sponge-des-troyer.

Ford Capri 1600 GT: Rostyle wheels won’t rust although they are fiddly and need a flexible brush to wash them . . . sill treads and surrounds get very dirty in wet weather, which can soil clothes, due to one’s low angle of entry. The Ford Cortina received praise because its underside “seems very free of those nasty narrow crevices that harbour mud and attendant corrosion.”