Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Car cleaning

I live in a rather isolated house but owing to an accident detour had occasion to drive through a fairly local housing estate this morning and was greeted with the sight of dozens of men washing their cars.
This set me wondering how often we clean our cars.
I have never been a keen car cleaner and polisher and whilst I can see the sense in washing the salt off if the car has been out on a treated road in the winter I can see little point in spending time cleaning the car when its only going to get dirty again .
When I was working I had many collegues who cleaned their cars every week and remember one who had his 911 valeted and detailed once a month even though he drove it at most a hundred miles a week.
I am now retired and no longer have the excuse of lack of time but the fact is that a dirty Morgan does not bother me in the slightest and I have to admit to cleaning my Plus Four perhaps only a couple or so times a year.
Do others have similar 'standards' ?
Regards
Gerry

I have a split personality on this.

The Aero gets washed regularly by me.

But my works cars only gets washed on special occasions or when it goes in for a service and its not by me.

I have the same philosophy as Asbojohn, I don't clean my work car but feel the need to have the Morgan ready for inspection at anytime. I have this feeling that classic cars will attract continuous attention and therefore want mine to be always at its best. My time investment is not huge, a waxy wash every 2 or 3 dry trips and a polish 4 times a year.

I prefer to use my Morgan not wash it.
I guess I wash it 3-4 times per year & wax it once.

Gerry,
I can identify with the 'isolated house ' thing.
I'm in the split personality brigade I'm afraid.
I like both of my daily drivers to be clean and seviceable but so long as they are, that's fine.
My Morgan is different- in fact I found myself cleaning it this afternoon because it is going for MOT tomorrow.
The illogic of the fact that I'm going to drive it from South Wales to Kidderminster for said MOT and the weather forecast suggests that by the time I get there it will be in a fairly grotty state just didn't come into the equation.

Howewever, I must admit to being VERY anal when it comes to the actual clockwork- I hate dirty engines no matter what the car is
regards,
G

I wash my 4/4 Sport every 10 days or so, often I'll wash it when I'm not in the mood for driving, this week washed on fri and waxed [with autoglym HD Wax] - sat, not a garage queen though, 6000 miles and a French trip in last 12 months, Also wash and wax my Defender on a regular basis - much to the amusement of my neighbours, much prefer car cleaning to gardening

I have to admit that I clean every car that I own to the same degree. That means at least a weekly wash and monthly Zymol treatment. I am however envious of the more relaxed brigade!

Am I the only married man who takes sexual equality serious??? My wife does the cleaning and I do the mechanicals. She washes the 4/4 once a year and it was never waxed since the respray in 1986 - and it still shines (between the scratches and dents). Her Mini (the real thing, not a BMW!) gets washed about once a month and my Sebring conv. about every 2 months.

Frank

PS: she also mowes the lawn.

These two camps are not mutually exclusive. Obviously I'm driven by OCD, but I clean the Morgan after every trip. Washing is rarely needed though, just fly removal, and a wipe over of the wires and exhausts with a rag and WD40 - sometimes polish. I also do the tyre sidewalls inside and out with a spray on shiner. I've had trouble over the years with sidewalls cracking after a short period, so the shiny finish helps to keep them 'moist'.
It's not a chore with carpet tiles on the garage floor.....

I polish gratuitously whether it needs it or not.

Snap From a fellow OCD-er.
Dave, what do you use on the carpet tiles?

As a good South Wales boy, I went a slightly different route. My floor is sealed and rubber painted but I then ran two strips of Colliery conveyor belting along it so that I don't get the 'sandpapering' effect from grit in the tyres
Actually sourcing the belting was a hoot. I went along to the last working mine in South Wales, asked them if they had any and they said so long as I gave a tenner to the children's Christmas Party Fund I could have as much as I wanted. They also delivered. I got 60 metres and discovered afterwards that it costs an arm and a leg. Great bunch of guys!
G