Some people live nasty.

[Dark Dude]

It's been a year own since I brought my first Toyota Landcruiser and in that time a lot of water has passed under the bridge. I originally brought "Hannabal" to ferry my then sick wife back and forth to the Royal Free Hospital has Sharon was finding the journey increasingly difficult in a Vauxhall Frontera that simply couldn't handle the many potholes, bumps and sleeping policemen which lied in wait for us between Tottenham Hale and Hampstead. It was here that the LC100 was a absolute godsend and when Sharon finally took her final journey to the Marie Curie Hospice, it was done in comfort. So last week, as a reward for the sterling service that Hanna had given Sharon in her final days, I decided to give the car a long delayed makeover both inside and out. All was going well until today when I took Hanna for her first full interior valet. I hadn't really touched the car since I brought it as my wife's condition had taken up all of my time only to discover today that the same applied to the car's previous owners for underneath the rubber car mats was something truly horrible. Now I understand it's cool for a LC100 to be dirty but...................WTF! It seems there are some dudes in Bishop Stortford who don't understand the meaning of soap and water......

PS: Thanks Jon for giving me the tip of where to source those deep dish rubber mats that were fitted in your beast when me and Sharon came to visit. They fitted a treat!

John

 

[Doodle]

I looked at a 100 for sale recently, caught it pre-preparation and it had clearly been used as a shoot vehicle or similar. It had been looked after mechanically, but it was *filthy*. Properly ingrained dirt inside, and mud in places that had to be seen to be believed.

 

[clivehorridge]

Now, you're giving me a complex like Caron did when she embarked on "cleaning" Snow White!

It's Spring, and that's the time for me to have the seats and carpet out. Its a job I've never done and I've had the car since 2006. You've convinced me!

 

[Dark Dude]

Same here Doodle. I reckon my car's last owner must have been a Great Dane judging by the amount of dog hair that found it's way into the drivers side footwell. We even found and get this kids homework stuffed into the tool bay located in the rear load area of the truck, so obviously the Great Dane must have been a teacher of some sort or the other. Pity the poor children.

John

 

[Dark Dude]

Now, you're giving me a complex like Caron did when she embarked on "cleaning" Snow White!

It's Spring, and that's the time for me to have the seats and carpet out. Its a job I've never done and I've had the car since 2006. You've convinced me!

Clive

Spring! You are kidding? Right now the offending carpets are well hidden underneath (the affore mentioned) industrial set of mud hugging rubber mats but I wish it was a case of out of sight, out of mind. When eventually I pull these carpets out, they are going to stay OUT!

John

 

[clivehorridge]

Hey, you might be right, but don't give me any excuses not to clean out the car!!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[Dark Dude]

Shame!

John

 

[clivehorridge]

If it doesn't rain this weekend, I'll fetch the seats out and give it all a clean. Trouble is I should buy a jet washer or something to clean the carpets with. It's the only thing that gets the dirt out. Vacuuming and beating does only so-much.

 

[Dark Dude]

Clive

That could be the way to go, if you've got the time and the space to do the job properly...

I remember a posting on this forum from some dude (from South Africa, I think) who did just that and took the carpets out of the car and gave them a good going over with a jet washer. The dude even posted a few before and after photo's of his handywork. The results of his labours looked all right to me. John

 

[clivehorridge]

I also need a good excuse to spend a shed full of money on a good jet-wash machine. I was (kindly) given a Bleck n Deck thingy washer which was crap. It was better than a garden hose but nowhere near a car-wash quality.

After 18 months, it started pissing water from everywhere where it shouldn't, so it's hanging from a nail in the shed.

I think one of the high end range of k'Archer or whatever they're called would be better. I'll have a look this weekend.

 

[OG.]

If buying a pressure washer get one with ceramic components. Anything else will eventually corrode and stop working. My Dad (an industrial spray equipment engineer trained in the Navy) wouldn't touch Karchers as they weren't built with ceramic pistons etc. Later ones at the top end may be now but the cheaper ones aren't.

 

[clivehorridge]

That's a good tip OG, I wouldn't have thought to look out for that, thanks!

I hate buying stuff that fails one month after the customary 1 year has elapsed. B&D are notorious for this. I've had no end of drills, sanders and saws do this on me and I flatly refuse to buy B&D stuff anymore. You can imagine how thrilled I was to receive the B&D jet wash as a bday pressie! Shame, it was meant well. Sure enough in the 13 month, it started leaking all over the place! Took it apart and the "o" rings look OK, but they just leak. The pump seems to be doing ok, but after that it's all crap.

maybe I should look at Bosh or other brands, I'd rather pay extra for something that lasts a few years.

 

[grantw]

I came across the below recently - looks like it would make a pretty mean pressure washer .. with the optional attachments of generator & bilge pump.


http://www.expresstools.co.uk/shop/...ExpressTools&gclid=CJfY5OSu1rYCFVMftAod_nsALQ

 

[clivehorridge]

Interesting concept, a petrol engine to which you can attach a number of different applications.

I've been looking at what's available as a jet or power washer. There are loads to choose from, my favourite so far is a Briggs & Stratton 8HP engine driving a 3,500 psi jet washer, which should be quite effective. The problem for me is finding a supplier in Romania.

All the superstore type outlets can offer are K'Archer type units which are plastic and disposable. They offer 1,600 psi and more for crazy prices, over €500 whereas the B&S was something like $450.

I've got a phone number of an American guy who specializes in the import of garden machinery, ride on mowers and the like, I think he might be able to help.

A good washer will be ideal for shifting my offroad muck, because the DIY cheapies are just not man enough to dislodge dried on clays and their residue. I can then use it on carpets and any other garden cleaning duties.

Does anyone have any idea what psi the commercial car-wash jet washers run at? They always seem to be powerful enough to shift anything undesirable.

 

[Doodle]

The commercial stuff is normally up around 3000psi or so.

 

[OG.]

Dad made agricultural spray equipment (amongst other things). We had some stuff at home as he was doing development work and it was pretty darn good from memory!

 

[Chris Green90]

I got mine from wickes about 5 years ago and apart from the hose pipe connection point going all brittle it is still as good as it ever was. Looks like the don't sell the same one now but it was a wickes one and what sold it for me was that the hose is on a reel at the top of the machine.