At the Car Wash.....

Our cars stay filthy and really need a trip to the car wash. They live under trees (both over the driveway and over the street where they are parked) and birds live in both trees. Yes, you can imagine what that does to one's car. Add a bit of pollen, some dried leaves stuck in various openings, and acorns, and it's just not a pretty picture! However, before going to the car wash, I think I will share with you two lessons learned by two different friends.

Last night one of my friends decided to drive her car through the car wash. It was dark. It was cold. It was late at night. It should have been a simple task. You sit, you watch, you wait, you drive away. That is, it's simple, unless, unbeknownst to you, your sun roof has a leak. It would become more complicated if the sunroof were leaking just above the driver. Remember, it was cold. Yes, cold water started coming in through the sun roof (it was closed, I'm guessing!). My friend reached up to somehow catch or block this rain, but this caused the water to run down her arm onto both the front and back of her top. She finally found a cup to hold up to catch what might still be coming in, but she was soaked in water before that point. Did I mention it was cold? She said she & her girls gasped in unison when they saw the water coming in, then burst into uncontrolled laughter. Lesson 1: Never enter the car wash with a sun roof that could potentially have a leak.

Next lesson. About a month or two ago another friend decided to go through a drive through car wash. She must have opened her door to push the right buttons on the little machine that talks to you and tells you how to drive into a car wash. She pulled up and sat back to enjoy a relaxing few moments alone in the car wash. It was relaxing, that is, until the first round of water came by. She felt some water coming into the car. It was then she realized that her door was not really shut well! She held onto the door, pulling it tightly, in fear that the monster wash might rip the door off and take her with it! She sat holding and pulling through the initial rinse, the soap, the scour, the power rinse, and whatever other stages she might have chosen back at that little box that tells you what to do where you have to open your door a little bit to reach. It did end, and she did make it out of there alive. Lesson 2: When you go to the little box with the buttons, be sure to pull up close enough to just have to open your WINDOW, then shut it tightly before following the light that says, "Pull forward."

Or, you could just do the poor man's car wash to rid your car of bird droppings. This involves pulling up to the gas tanks, even if you don't need to put gasoline in the car. Then you begin washing your car off with the window cleaner scrubber and squeegee. This takes a some real talent as you have to do an initial soak, followed by scrubbing, then dip again into the now filthy liquid in that little black holder so you can add a rinse off. Next you squeegee any remaining "crumbs". Then you must rinse again, because you now have tiny droppings in the corners of the windows and crevices of the car. This technique COULD lead to some really weird looking soap marks on your car. That's what I've heard. Um, yeah, that's it. Uh, huh. The neighbor's car must have looked like that. This must be lesson 3: Just have your husband or kids wash the car. You will avoid all 3 incidents listed above.