Mysterious case of the detaching decals

The Oily Bits S1 Specific Topics
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Hi peeps,

I posted a little while ago saying that the edging tape on one of the headlight covers had come adrift at the hand car wash. I obviously don’t learn from experience, since I went back to the same place and now I have bits missing from the “Exige” flank decal and the “Lotus” sticker on the back.

Thing is, the carwash in question is quality valet place in the Canary Wharf underground car park, and even then I was so obviously nervous about leaving them with a salt-encrusted car in case they didn’t go gently enough with the first pass that the manager actually did the job personally. When it happened the second time he was very apologetic and has offered to contribute to get it sorted out. I would be surprised if they’ve gone over the car particularly hard, so I’m wondering if maybe there is something in their cleaning products which has attacked the adhesive. They use Autoglym everything. Any past experience with this type of problem for anyone else here?

TIA

-= mike =-

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Jet wash

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When they say hand clean do they really mean it

‘Hand’ could mean bare hand + sponge with soapy water, or gloved hand + power tool with high pressure hose & a high revvin’ 9’’ grinder with a brush on the end

Did you see them clean any cars yourself? Autoglym is good stuff, & all I ever use without any problems.

Good to hear they’re willing to sort it out though.

Tim.

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no way that can be done by a real “hand” wash - agree with what others have said…jetwash and then bloody careless if being generous or deliberate if looking for intent.

I would not be looking for a contribution but for them to foot the total bill…and I wouldn’t be going there again. Jetwashers can do all sorts of damage to brakes engine, bearings, seals, etc…and if they have been careless enought o take the decals off, what else have they potentially done that you can’t see right now.

Washing the car is a good thing to do yourself, as it is probably the best time to “see” things in and around your car that you would never normally see.

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Washing the car is a good thing to do yourself, as it is probably the best time to “see” things in and around your car that you would never normally see.

Agreed - I spotted A stonechip on my front clam when I last washed it

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This is a full-on valet place that cares for all the supercars that populate the investment banks around the Wharf – many of which are driven by traders, so you can imagine what they’re like if anything untoward happens to their material possessions. When I expressed my concerns to the manager about grinding road grit into the gelcoat paintwork, he took me through the process they use (non-contact rinse with jet, followed by hand wash with a wash-mit, Autoglym shampoo, always moving in a straight line and using minimum pressure) and offered to do the job himself. Their attitude is great and I wouldn’t resent the �12 they want for the exterior wash if the stickers weren’t falling off the car!

I’d love to wash it myself by it’s a bit tricky as I live in a flat, don’t have access to running water outside and keep the car in secure parking five minutes’ drive down the road. If I’m back from a weekend blat on a Sunday evening then taking it in to work on Monday and getting the valet guys to clean it is by far the most practical option.

Re jetwashes, that always the first move in any exterior clean-up, but you may have a point that that’s where the problem lies if they’re using it too closely. I might go past on the way home and have a word with the guy to see what he thinks. Meanwhile I’m left wondering whether it’s worth even trying to replace the rear badges – my past experience of this on my Subaru showed that it’s nigh-on impossible to them 100% straight and correctly positioned, and you only really get one go at it. The silver Subaru lettering ended up adorning my record box instead of the back of the car!

TTFN

-= mike =-

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Washing the car is a good thing to do yourself, as it is probably the best time to “see” things in and around your car that you would never normally see.

Agreed - I spotted A stonechip on my front clam when I last washed it

Is that because all the dots have finally joined up to make just one big one?

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This is a full-on valet place that cares for all the supercars that populate the investment banks around the Wharf – many of which are driven by traders

I would actually imagine that they dont really give much of a toss about the car, other than the image it projects…don’t they turn them over every 6 months?

non-contact rinse with jet

what the fook is one of those! Sounds like the water never actually touches your car!

I’d love to wash it myself by it’s a bit tricky as I live in a flat, don’t have access to running water outside

no buckets in London then? Park it outside, wash it, dry it and then park it

jetwashes, that always the first move in any exterior clean-up, but you may have a point that that’s where the problem lies if they’re using it too closely.

I would never use a jetwasher on an Exige - I start with a hose down but use a gentle sprinkler attachment the gf has for watering the garden.

it’s worth even trying to replace the rear badges – my past experience of this on my Subaru showed that it’s nigh-on impossible to them 100% straight and correctly positioned, and you only really get one go at it.

I would definitely get a dealer/paintshop to put them on - had mine redone after a respray and they are still looking good 3.5 years later. The back just won’t look right without the badges

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Mike - a final thought on this - �12 for a car wash:

  • its either alot of money to pay for something that is quite simple; or

  • given its location, it could be considered quite cheap, but what wage rate are they paying and so what monkeys are they using on your pride and joy?

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mike

can’t say for sure but it could be some solvent they use perhaps ?


the exige decal in front of the pax on our dashboard started peeling off my car… i bought a new one and replaced it… been fine since

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Hi Steve!

This is a full-on valet place that cares for all the supercars that populate the investment banks around the Wharf – many of which are driven by traders

I would actually imagine that they dont really give much of a toss about the car, other than the image it projects…don’t they turn them over every 6 months?

They probably don’t, but some of them love to be demanding (I could choose other words if I was being less polite)

non-contact rinse with jet

what the fook is one of those! Sounds like the water never actually touches your car!

Non-contact as in no sponge or whatever touching the car, geddit?

I’d love to wash it myself by it’s a bit tricky as I live in a flat, don’t have access to running water outside

no buckets in London then? Park it outside, wash it, dry it and then park it

Yeah yeah, thanks for the tip

In all seriousness, I would never wash a really grimy car without a running water supply, and I reckon you need a jetwash to get the first layer off or else the initial pass with the sponge feels like sandpaper. A slow-moving spray from a garden hose attachment doesn’t really shift enough of the grit. And don’t get me wrong, I would love to wash it myself, but I just badly wanted to get the salt off and having arrived back in town at 9pm on a Sunday night the valet was the only practical option.

I would never use a jetwasher on an Exige - I start with a hose down but use a gentle sprinkler attachment the gf has for watering the garden.

Any particular reason? Jetwashers are fine IME as long as you don’t put the nozzle too close to the paintwork. Is the gelcoat that soft that it’s a much worse idea than on a steel-bodied car? I think I’m in little doubt that the valet guys have been spraying too close-up to the decals though, as both you and Andy say.

I would definitely get a dealer/paintshop to put them on - had mine redone after a respray and they are still looking good 3.5 years later. The back just won’t look right without the badges

Inclined to agree, I will definitely get it sorted. The car is booked in at Sinclaires for first thing in the New Year so will ask them to deal with it I think.

Re your final thoughts, yeah it is a lot to pay for a basic wash. They are trying to present themselves as high-end, hence the manager immediately offering to go halves on the replacement decals rather than pointing to the disclaimer and shrugging, as they undoubtedly would have done in the place under the railway arches down the road from me. More importantly, unless my judgement is off by an unusually large margin, he genuinely likes the car and he was doing his best to treat it well. He seemed very embarrassed that there was a problem the second time around, and therefore I’m disposed to give them a final chance.

Cheers,

M.

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Any particular reason? Jetwashers are fine IME as long as you don’t put the nozzle too close to the paintwork.

Same reason I would not use an adjustable wrench if I could get a socket to fit - its just the wrong tool in the toolbox. It may only be water but what psi is it hitting your car at? Its more likely to catch the grit and score the paintwork as it pushes it along the bodywork. A soapy sponge works much better at picking up the dirt and holding it off the paint work.

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Ok, so just a slight difference of opinion on that point then – I had it drummed into me by the guy who supplied all my Zymol stuff that it’s important not to start using the sponge until after you’ve removed the worst of the heavy grime with a jetwash. He did say not to use it too closely though (2-3 ft minimum).

I went and spoke to the Wharf valet people this morning, and they reckon that they stay at least 2ft away with the jetwash, but then again it’s much more powerful than my small domestic one. I might let them have the car one more time before I have any of the decals replaced, to see whether they can clean it without lifting them off any further. Failing that, then it’s back to bucket’n’sponge methods!

TTFN

-= mike =-