Inclement weather followed us around the North Island on our recent three month 'summer' visit so by the time we reached Christchurch on our return to the South Island, our rig was well overdue for a good wash down.
It didn't help that we'd stayed at a Christchurch POP for several days & parked beside a row of tall trees with overhanging branches. One of the trees was a silver birch & a couple of others were the nightly hangout for the resident possum who chomped his way through several kilos of leaves and pooped it on us while we snoozed below.
So added to the bugs, dust, mud & road film from our travels were thousands of birch tree seeds that had worked their way into every nook & cranny & so much possum pee & poo it was hard to imagine one animal could deposit so much mess!
I had read about a new truck wash in Christchurch so on our way out of town we called into Auto Self Serve Truck & Car Wash in Harewood which is just off SH1 near the airport. Very handy indeed!
As a self-serve operation David wasn't sure how he'd go on the ladder while holding a high-pressure hose to clean the roof, but he needn't have worried.
We were very lucky to find Geoff, the owner, & his friend Derek- who was helping him out with the new business- waiting to greet us & guide us through the wash bay.
Before we swiped the cash card- it's $69 for the truck wash- Geoff ran us through all the different stages of the wash and pointed out how long each would take out of our 30 minute wash cycle.
And then he said, 'bugger it' we're free at the moment, we'll get you started. First the tyre cleaner goes on...
...and then the pre-soak gets added to the vehicle.
By now Dereck was right into it too, happily working on the rear.
In the end Geoff's enthusiasm for his new business got the better of him and he decided they'd both carry on & finish the job off for us, giving us a running commentary through the different stages as they went (while David supervised from the side-lines)
David was then invited to do a post clean inspection which he was very happy with, not least because he didn't have to spend any time up the ladder.
You are able to put two vehicles through the 30 minute cycle but then it becomes a bit of a rush or you have to miss a couple of the stages so rather than do that David drove around the circuit and pulled into one of the car bays to clean the ute ($24). We didn't use the Turbovac but they are there ready for you as you pull out of the bay. There's also a Dog Wash available too, a one stop cleaning shop for those that are travelling with their pets.
All spik 'n span we were ready to hit the road again, clean at least for a day but knowing that the roof was now free of any debris and all the underbody has been thoroughly washed (no underbody blast for the 5th-wheeler, just a gentle clean).
We highly recommend Auto Self Serve & while I can't guarantee you'll get two willing helpers to clean your rig, I'm sure Geoff or any of his very helpful employees will guide you through the process if they have the time.
Auto Self Serve, 48 Greywacke Road, Harewood, Christchurch- open 24/7
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