Charlies guide to MH & Vehicle washing. The correct way (1 Viewer)

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Charlie

Charlie

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Thanks, @bubble63, but there seems to be two types: -
View attachment 77725 or View attachment 77726 and I don't want to order the wrong one. I emailed one of the sellers yesterday but he hasn't replied, so if he doesn't respond today then he's lost a sale! I'll leave it until lunchtime and then, if there's still no reply, I'll try someone else.

Hi . The lance you need is the one in the bottom picture of your post.
The plastic ones that often come along with a Power washer are hopeless .

The Karcher fitment is the more common bayonet fitting. Any Seller should easily identify this .
 
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Charlie

Charlie

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Regarding Claying.. There is some confusion above it seems over why and how Clay..
Much care must be taken when Claying as marring can be inflicted on the surfaces you are doing .
To explain here will just confuse this thread so if folk are interested I will start a new thread but bear with me I'm a Wee bit busy just now .
 
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Rob and Val

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thank-you - small.gif
, Charlie. I wasn't having a pop at you about not replying. I know that others are much busier than I am these days. However, I thought that putting @Charlie in the post would have brought it to your attention. Not to worry. I'm very grateful for your advice.

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Charlie

Charlie

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View attachment 77752, Charlie. I wasn't having a pop at you about not replying. I know that others are much busier than I am these days. However, I thought that putting @Charlie in the post would have brought it to your attention. Not to worry. I'm very grateful for your advice.

I think the @ Charlie did work it's the posts above I missed ... If you are ever stuck don't hessitate to PM me and I will reply ASAP...
Cheers ..
 
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Thanks, @bubble63, but there seems to be two types: -
View attachment 77725 or View attachment 77726 and I don't want to order the wrong one. I emailed one of the sellers yesterday but he hasn't replied, so if he doesn't respond today then he's lost a sale! I'll leave it until lunchtime and then, if there's still no reply, I'll try someone else.
one on the right[brass] is what i bought (y)

Hi charlie, only banter, no rush:)

which wax:) to add to the bottle?

huury up...............;)
 
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Charlie

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one on the right[brass] is what i bought (y)

Hi charlie, only banter, no rush:)

which wax:) to add to the bottle?

huury up...............;)

I dont add wax to the lance bottle. Many shampoos claim to "Wax as you wash" . I cant entirely disagree with them as they are just a shampoo and if they add wax ace but I doubt it.

In your lance bottle put

1 1/2 to 2 inches of the snow foam. Add a dash of normal car shampoo. Fill to the tp with warm water. Warm water aids the stuff mixing.

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I dont add wax to the lance bottle. Many shampoos claim to "Wax as you wash" . I cant entirely disagree with them as they are just a shampoo and if they add wax ace but I doubt it.

In your lance bottle put

1 1/2 to 2 inches of the snow foam. Add a dash of normal car shampoo. Fill to the tp with warm water. Warm water aids the stuff mixing.
thank you
 
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I like the idea of the fome MH wash as the foam lance reduce the pressure, I don't like to rinse the fome with pressure wash.
Will it be good enough to rinse with just a garden hose?
 
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Charlie

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I like the idea of the fome MH wash as the foam lance reduce the pressure, I don't like to rinse the fome with pressure wash.
Will it be good enough to rinse with just a garden hose?

A hose will wash the foam away but the pressure reduction would reduce the cleaning effect...
There really is no problem with a power washer so long as the user is sensible. Just widen the fan on the end of your PW lance and spray at an angle.

You could try just a hose but I think it's missing the point a wee bit..

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TheWM

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I like the idea of the fome MH wash as the foam lance reduce the pressure, I don't like to rinse the fome with pressure wash.
Will it be good enough to rinse with just a garden hose?

In short, yes and that will remove the foam. The pressure wash, will however remove grime/bird poo etc that has been softened by the foam. If you get a decent pressure washer then they will have a variable power function to it. Although common sense prevails again. Stay clear of joins or seals and just by taking a few steps back will greatly reduce the pressure that is being applied to an area.

I hasten to add I am no expert and the above is only what I have picked up from being around people who know more than me. I will be doing a thread soon myself doing my MH and for better or worse people can see what I have done and judge for themselves.
 

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Sorry that I have missed this thread but I have been away on holiday. Here are a few of my thoughts on postings
Pressure washers - I use a pressure washer on all my valets BUT ALWAYS on a low pressure setting and a wide fan. If there is a high mains pressure it can mean that my pressure washer is less powerful that a hose.

Snow foam - Always my fist stage on a valet unless its a really sunny / windy day as if it dries it can cause problems. Rinsing does not have to be done with a high pressure

Autosmart - I use their products as I find them extremely good quality. As Charlie said caution should be used as instructions are not always printed on the containers.

Microfibres/ drying cloths - Always use these ( Costco) and never a chamois as they can easily scratch.

Sealants - I have yet to find one that is suitable for coachbuilts and A class. This is because the materials used in construction are designed to flex and sealant don't, meaning that eventually they can crack.
 

Bailey58

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Thanks, @sweetie. I've emailed four eBay sellers and not one has had the courtesy to reply! What is wrong with people these days? I asked @Charlie if he knew which lance I needed for my Karcher 211 but he hasn't replied either. :(

Yes same here, still awaiting replies from a couple of ebayers, they obviously don't know anything about other makes. :mad:

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TheWM

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A Karcher 211 from the pics online looks like the same fittings as a k series Karcher. Just don't get a Karcher branded snow lance as they are not very good by the reviews I have seen.
 
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Charlie

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I'm ninety percent sure All Karchers and Nilfisk machines use the same fitting. If you can post up a picture of the fitting on your standard lance it will let the dog see the rabbit ...
 

Bailey58

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Here's mine, a Clarke from Machine Mart, looks the same but . . . . . .

P1050418.JPG P1050419.JPG

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Hi, guys. Well, I finally got all the gear together for snow foaming my low-profile Talbot. My Karcher 211 takes the snow lance in the second pic on my previous post. Both @sweetie and @Charlie kindly confirmed this for me. Lovely day today so out I went to snow foam the car and the motorhome. Took me a while to get everything set up as our 60ft hose really isn't long enough, so I had to keep moving it around. The car was done first (it's smaller!) and it cleaned up really well but the finish was a bit smeary. Lots of hard work with a microfibre cloth (well, three actually) and it's now looking very smart. Even the drive looks cleaner now!

The motorhome was next and, surprisingly, was easier to do than the car as it smeared less - at least it looked like that but the car is black, so that might explain it. I think I must be getting the hang of it now - I'll be starting a detailing/valeting business soon. "Oh, no you won't!", screams my aching muscles. I think I'll leave that kind of business to someone younger.

Many thanks to everyone for their help and particularly to Charlie who started me off on this.
 

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My cherry flavoured snow foam arrived today and the foam gun thing arrives tomorrow. Looks like that's the weekend sorted.

Will report back!
 
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Charlie

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Here's mine, a Clarke from Machine Mart, looks the same but . . . . . .

View attachment 78552 View attachment 78553

It looks very similar but I could not say 100% if that will fit a Karcher or not...

Im mystified as to why the sellers should have even the slightest bit of confusion !

I may just have a Karcher fitment here and will take a picture of it if it helps ?

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DBK

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Looks like the pictures in post #105 are a Bosch - smaller diameter at the end. The Karcher are parallel.
 

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Pic from one ebay seller. The measurements match mine all but the 15mm depth at the base where mine is 10mm but that will be the bottle end so should be no problem.

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Charlie

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My advice would be to ask for the correct Karcher fitting.. I would hesitate to buy something that may not fit...

I may have a Karcher fitting here somewhere . It's just finding it !
 

Bailey58

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But mine's not a Karcher and as @DBK says mine is narrower at the end as is the Bosch. The other problem is nobody on ebay is bothering to answer the question. Think I'll order and post back if it's wrong.
 
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Charlie

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But mine's not a Karcher and as @DBK says mine is narrower at the end as is the Bosch. The other problem is nobody on ebay is bothering to answer the question. Think I'll order and post back if it's wrong.
Ahh sorry I thought you had a Karcher....

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Rob and Val

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But mine's not a Karcher and as @DBK says mine is narrower at the end as is the Bosch. The other problem is nobody on ebay is bothering to answer the question. Think I'll order and post back if it's wrong.
Have you contacted directhose on eBay? We ordered this from them: -
Broken Link Removed
We checked with them first as to whether it would fit our machine and they replied the same day. Delivery was quick too.
 

DBK

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Our pressure washer was on its last legs so I've just bought a new Karcher K2 Compact from Halfords, where they were doing 20% off bringing it down to a fraction under £60.00. You can get it a little cheaper on line but it was just convenient to go to Halfords.

And it all works. Thanks @Charlie
It didn't remove dried-on flies but they were soft enough after the foaming and a soak for few minutes that just a gentle rub with a cloth took them off. Very impressive.

But I did practice on my wife's car (the white one) first before trying the MH! I've also ordered some Collonite 476 and will give that a go when it arrives.

Before:

PA090133.JPG


And after:

PA090146.JPG

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