Why do some people just not care?

[Hendry]

I take it they were long term leases or company cars in that case?

  

I assume so from the fact they had well above average mileage and number plates with Lease Plan, Lex auto lease etc on them

 

you obviously don't have children

  

Lol I meant more in terms of how Astras and Foci seem to have shitty carpets that crap gets easily ground into, seat fabric which stains much easier and plastic trim with nooks and crannies which collects debris than Corsas and Fiestas and Insignias and Mondeos, oddly.

 

Having worked in car rental and having seen the state of some of the cars when they were returned I wonder what some peoples houses are like.

 

That said, anyone who had brought a rental car back in a particularly bad state always, always got charged for valeting it.

 

There were many full of general grime and shit and a fair few with used nappies left in. I reckon the worst was a Bora with a glovebox full of sick. Guy told us that his son had been sick in it mind but that it was to be expected because he was ill. He took the right hump when he got charged for cleaning it though.

 

Once rented a black Ford Galaxy (with tinted back windows) to an undertakers who were using it for moving bodies - they didn't actually state that was its purpose but when you come and collect it, leave all the seats at the rental place, lie down in the back and take measurements it pretty much gives the game away. That came back immaculate with the exception of a couple of patches of sticky, strange fluid just behind the front seats. The valeters wouldn't go near it so I think we sent it to the local Albanian Auto Clean place to sort that one.

I was going to mention this too, I work for an accident hire car firm now and we charge a £50 valet charge if the cars not as clean as it was when they got it, they are well aware of this but most still return the cars minging, I really cannot understand how someone can be such a dirty lazy bastard theyd rather waste £50 than spend 20mins and a couple of quid hoovering the inside, removing all the crap and giving the plastics a dust down, or even better make an attempt to keep the car clean for a week or 2. (We dont bother about the outside needing a wash) Fair enough do what you like with your own car no-one can charge you for it being filthy but to waste £50 because of it is crazy.

[Cavcraft]

Your Boring sounds pretty much like my 306 estate, Chris. I call it my company car as it's usually packed inside and out with bikes and shit and desperately needs a clean.

[Station]

Any car where you have to take the seats out to give it it's first clean in your ownership is a danger sign the previous owner was a filthy bastard.

[rml2345]

Can't abide a car that's minging inside. Mine isn't spotless but it gets cleaned out and hoovered at least once a month.

Couldn't give a fuck about the house as that's only for living in. 

Edited to add;

Dad on the other hand seems to be the opposite. House is always as tidy as he can get it but the Omega hasn't been cleaned out in a year. 

[Morgan84]

It's easier to keep a car clean and tidy then it is to let it get into a state, then have a massive task trying to clean it up and still not look as good 

[Swampy21]

Can't abide a car that's minging inside. Mine isn't spotless but it gets cleaned out and hoovered at least once a month.

Couldn't give a fuck about the house as that's only for living in. 

Edited to add;

Dad on the other hand seems to be the opposite. House is always as tidy as he can get it but the Omega hasn't been cleaned out in a year. 

Quoted and +11ty for Truth!!

[Lord Sterling]

I have decided to give my fathers car its yearly shovel out. He never ceases to amaze me, with the shit hole he can create.

 

The car often has a boot full of timber, and carries a dog or two. As well as it would seem two pairs of wellies, old CD's, receipts, three walking sticks, ice scrapers x5, a bag of rock salt and other pointless shite.

Plus, of course, door pockets and glovebox rammed with more crap that he does not need, nor will ever use.

This quote reminds me that I have the task of cleaning my Dads car out in the next few weeks when I go and visit him. His car isn't by any means filthy, but it can get untidy and unorganised due in no small part to my 2 small brothers and Dads obvious changed priorities. I don't think my Dad has ever really taken to car cleaning that much but his cars have always been presentable. The last car I remember him taking particular pride in was the Renault 14 sometime in 1985.

 

Personally I like my cars as clean and presentable as I can get them, my (on the road) cars are rarely seen without tyre shine and a freshly hoovered interior and wiped down interior plastics. I've gone to town with many of my cars and it is hard work.

 

The current KV6 cms206 can testify had not seen a hoover for a couple of years let alone a body wash, it was the first thing I did as I am rather particular about these things. I try to see the KV6 as a workhorse but it is one of the most comfortable and pleasing cars I have ever owned so I will take pride in it and get it as tidy as I can.

 

As some on here, I have worked in an MOT centre and sat in some shockingly minging cars, one smelt of farm yard animals so badly that I had to hold my breath whilst I was sat in it. Others were just generally dirty and full of crap around various parts of the footwells.

 

One Micra I saw a couple of months ago was a daily used car that had never been washed, green moss was growing along the bottoms of the windows.

[Split_Pin]

Tidy car, tidy mind.

 

I keep mine spotless inside. The family Chevy less so, but I always go over the plastic lower trim with a bit of polish where the Mrs has kicked fuck out of them.

 

When I got my Vectra it was BOGGING inside. Thick dust, full ashtrays and dirt. Got it clean but ended up replacing the whole lot with leathers anyway.

[beko1987]

I did a mate of the missus's car a few months ago

 

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=298887

 

It's back to worse condition now, I said go fuck yourself when the missus asked me to do it again 

[RedSparrow]

I did a mate of the missus's car a few months ago

 

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=298887

 

It's back to worse condition now, I said go fuck yourself when the missus asked me to do it again 

 

And the girl never made the connection between her child's illness and the fucking mould growing in her car?

I hope her house is in a better state.

[phil_lihp]

I'm not obsessed with car cleaning, but there are limits, mine usually gets a wash once every couple of months.  Someone I used to work with drove 30k miles a year in a Focus that never, ever got cleaned inside or out.  When I had a lift in it I had to clear a space in the passenger footwell with my feet among the drink cans, Mcdonalds wrappers and goodness knows what else and you could draw pictures in the dust on the dashboard.  The outside bodywork and wheels were a uniform matt brownish grey - the one time I saw it clean was after a trip to the bodyshop, he was amazed by the paintwork's ability to reflect light but it didn't last long.

 

The dirtiest vehicle I've owned was my old Kangoo which it turned out had previously been used on a small farm and I'm pretty certain it'd been used to transport livestock.  Most of the cab was coated in mud (I hope it was mud) and it smelt like a pigsty - no amount of scrubbing made the seats even remotely presentable but I did manage to shift most of the smell eventually.

[beko1987]

And the girl never made the connection between her child's illness and the fucking mould growing in her car?

I hope her house is in a better state.

It is, luckily! She had no idea the mould was there until I showed her the pictures

[cort16]

My Smart car was bogging when I got it it. It looks like tramps had been living in it and using it as a toilet. I've got a mate who runs a carpet and sofa cleaning company and he went through it 4 times with the industrial wet vac and all the heavy duty cleaning stuff he uses before it started drawing anything like clean water out of it. Even then it still stank like old shoes.

 

I try to keep my Daily in reasonable shape inside although when you do a lot of miles it's easy to fill the door bins and end up with the interior covered in shite. I couldn't live with having the passenger foot well full of wrapper and old cans though it'd do my head.

[MrDuke]

I hardly ever do a proper 'clean' inside - I keep a pack of dash wipes in the glovebox and use them at odd moments when I'm sitting waiting for someone, that usually stops it getting too dusty. I do have a habit of jamming the door pocket with rubbish, but I'm fussy about stuff being left on the floor. I probably vacuum it out twice a year, if that.

I'm more conscious of the outside, although once I've done a thorough job with the polish & linseed oil, I make do with a hosepipe (or rain) until the water stops beading. Can't be arsed shining it every other week.

[Pillock]

I hoover the passenger seat when there's loads of toast crumbs on there. I try to wipe the sneeze off the steering wheel and windscreen. The outside gets washed when it rains, the only thing I do regularly is clear out empty drinks cans/McDonalds wrappers and stuff because things rolling backwards and forwards does my head in. I don't like litter, but I'm not going to go crazy because it's a bit dusty.

 

There's 30,000 miles of brake dust on the front wheels. There's no hope there. I'm actually astonished that brake pads can last that long.

[Jim Bell]

I did a mate of the missus's car a few months ago

 

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=298887

 

It's back to worse condition now, I said go fuck yourself when the missus asked me to do it again 

 

And thats why I'm never gonna have kids or be a women.

[overrun]

It is, luckily! She had no idea the mould was there until I showed her the pictures

 

What a filthy skank.

 

I'll bet kids have been taken away for less!

[cort16]

I've just looked through that Clio thread. Unpleasant!

[overrun]

I've just looked through that Clio thread. Unpleasant!

 

I went right through it, too,

 

Surely it rammed in there! I wonder if the rancid whore is an 8/9/10, too?

[cort16]

The garage I rent my lockup from said they've had cars being sent back from the MOT station as they're so clarty they'll not test them. I've seen some of the ones that come in and I can see why.

[beko1987]

I went right through it, too,

 

Surely it rammed in there! I wonder if the rancid whore is an 8/9/10, too?

A freind of ours found out a month ago, he told me 4/10 in the sack (they don't speak now!)

 

I haven't hoovered the XM out for 2 months now. If I park near a bin I gather up all the rubbish, but that's about it. Must get on it soon, it needs a wash too, but then it will need the polishing continuing and I can't be arsed with that at the moment! However, I did wash and hoover the Meriva, so maybe I will be allowed out to play one weekend!

[cort16]

It could be worse, you could have spec'd your 50 grand BMW from the factory with purple leather.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1996-BMW-540I-AUTO-SILVER-/181176566148?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item2a2ef70184

[Lord Sterling]

Wow Beko, that Clio was RANK. I have seen cars in that state before, but most of them have been in scrapyards for months.

 

This reminds me that the White G-reg 820e I had for a few months a few years ago was pretty rank inside, nowhere near that Clio, but it was clear it had not seen a hoover. I got it back and within a couple of weeks the car was almost tranformed, both in cleanliness and mechanically. The interior was hoovered to within an inch of its life and proper mats installed, the exterior had received a much needed T-cut and polish, the engine had, probably for the first time in years been properly serviced.

 

No specialist equipment was used or nowt but a lot of elbow grease and hard scrubbing was used.

 

My mates car, a Blue T-reg Corsa is pretty much used as mobile storage, papers, bits of change and so are always floating around the footwell, but it is by no means gopping, just very untidy.

[Shep Shepherd]

My best friend (a Cambridge-based computer expert who owns two large dogs) has a 52-plate Saab 9-5 estate which he has only washed twice in the three years he has owned it. The interior has never been cleaned and is full of dirt and dog hair, is covered in spills and stains and still sports dried blood on its rear seat squab from when his Dutch Shepherd Dog was hit by a car in 2011 (he only sustained a flesh wound, thankfully)

 

It's a real shame to see it in the state he has allowed it to get in (to his credit, he has kept on top of its mechanical maintenance), but I reckon that I could get it almost pristine again within a day. Why, I have been threatening to do so over the past few months

[barefoot]

I only joined this forum so I could have a manky old car I wouldn't have to wash every quarter.

[skattrd]

I only joined this forum so I could have a manky old car I wouldn't have to wash every quarter.

 

I'm with you on that one ... and am quite surprised that a shiter has several hundred posts on detailing world. I thought it was only VA that was afflicted with the need to clean things to within an inch of their life 

[Junkman]

It could be worse, you could have spec'd your 50 grand BMW from the factory with purple leather.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1996-BMW-540I-AUTO-SILVER-/181176566148?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item2a2ef70184

 

What's wrong with that?

 

However, looking at the other pics, I don't really want to know what they carried in the boot.

Which brings me to something important. The boot, my friends, is like a business card for a car and it's owner.

[PhilA]

Yeah, that was nasty. I'll agree with Lord Sterling- normally only see cars that bad that've been sat up at a scrapper's with the yard dog sleeping in and used as a general-purpose bin because it hasn't got any windows left.

 

I got looked at funny when I cleaned a hire car before bringing it back. Admittedly just a vacuum clean, wipe over the dash with a damp jaycloth and a rudimentary bucket of suds and a sponge to the outside. But, it'd been up and down the motorway a couple times and ferried us around scenic* places for a week. Hire agreement does state that you return it like you found it, just add miles.

 

Our last car was a hire car for Avis, somewhere out of California. The "no food or drink" rules didn't seem to have applied. There was some sort of Starbucks creation in the gearshift (skinny latte frappucino middle-management dolce special) and plenty of cookie and cake crumbs in the storage space under the rear seats. That car got cleaned to within an inch of its' life and stayed clean until we sold it. It'd been clayed and waxed on the outside two days before I sold it... the dealer just parked it on the lot as-was, looking at the pictures.

 

Y'all are right though. Some people are just utter slobs. We get telephones coming back from people's houses, set-top boxes and modems... common for equipment to come back full of cockroaches, so greasy and sticky that they look like they've been sat next to a stove. Flip them over and look at the manufacture dates- they're normally under two years old. Nasty. Yuk.

 

--Phil

 

 

 

*lots of gravel on the floor. See: Motorway service station, places in Scotland

[beko1987]

I'm with you on that one ... and am quite surprised that a shiter has several hundred posts on detailing world. I thought it was only VA that was afflicted with the need to clean things to within an inch of their life 

Hehe, detailing came before shite, but then again it is immensley satisfying doing a doctor on old shite, I'm sure VA will agree! The XM is starting to get machine polished to remove about 90% of defects, and will look better for it!

 

However, mechanicals come before cleaning nowadays, hence why the XM looks like a shed

[worldofceri]