ntc432

haha i just took mines to a brushless car wash, and wouldn't do it again unless you are desperate. Some water did get through the seal of my plastic rear shield but other than that it wasn't that bad. But i am not taking my chances with messing up the top. So all in all, wouldn't recommend it but it's not as bad as some people are making it out to be.

dolebludger

A problem with those "touchless" car washes that rely on pressure of the water spray to clean your car is that the pressure may be high enough to "catch" in a rock chip and strip a bit of paint.

I have my own cold weather wash system which, although it involves access to a hose and a bit of equipment, works and keeps my old body out of the cold water. I have one of those power sprayers where one can dial down the pressure so it will do no harm. It just puts out a nice fan spray with very small water droplets. I use it, then go over the car with a boars' hair brush on a pole, using car wash detergent. Then rinse with the dialed-down power sprayer. If you rinse correctly with the water spray at an accute angle to the car, you won't have much water on the finish to dry. Put on a rubber glove and wipe off with a micrfiber.

But remember not to wash your car at all if it is freezing or below, or if temperatures are expected to soon fall to those levels.

MikeyC

You'll never earn your wash & wax wacko badge by going through a touchless wash!

Seriously though, the pressure can cause problems some of which are water leaking into your interior. However, that's not really the big problem with a touchless wash. The bigger issues are the really strong chemicals touchless washes use to substitute for brushes. These chemicals can strip off your wax/sealant in as little as a single wash. Plus, the touchless washes don't get off 100% of the dirt. So, if you (or the employees of the wash) towel dry the car afterward you're rubbing the dirt right into the paint.

I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea.

fromthegut

Car Wash???
as mentioned earlier, i would guess the rails would scratch the rims

animeS2K

Actually had that happen to my stock rims... Before I became the wacko that I am today


Automatic car wash bad.

dolebludger

Maybe this'll tell you something.

My local dealer has an automatic touchless car wash. When you take your car there for service or repairs, you get a free car wash -- EXCEPT if your car is an s2k. The dealer won't put an s2k through their car wash. The reason they give there is that it damages the top and window seals. Regardless of the reason, I always tell them "no car wash" when I take my s2k there, just to make sure.

hondurr

just took it through one today. there was alot of salt on the roads.

dolebludger

Understood. Sometimes there is a choice between protecting your finish and seals and protecting your understructure. Where I live, there isn't usually more than a week between snows (and salt on the road) and a day when I can at least get my power washer into action enough to clean my understructure. If your climate is similar, that is what I would recommend. If you have gone into winter with a good wax job (you did, didn't you?), you needn't worry about your topside, and can preserve your understructure in this manner in the future. Sams sells a power washer with a "dial down" function on the pressure so you can use it to wash the rest of your car in better weather for less than $100. A darn good investment.

Chazmo

^ I was thinking about the same issue today. I've had salt on my car for over a week now, and temps are staying too cold for me to do a personal wash. I do have access to the sprayers at a self-wash...

I think I'm going over there this morning just to hose the sheet metal and undercarriage down. But, I'll skip the foamy brush except for the wheels. . It's true about the seals, but at this point I'm more worried about salt/rust than water damage.