How many use car washes?

[tayjenn]

It is winter and way to cold to wash my ride by hand. I have gone through the automatic car wash twice to rinse the grime off. In your opinion, is this a safe practice? What do you look for at a car wash?

[2RedV's]

Definitely only go to a "touchless". The others can leave swirl marks and small scratches. Otherwise, if you use a "spray it yourself" type, make sure you do not get the high pressure too close - keep it back at least 1.5 feet.

[tayjenn]

I only use touchless. I just don't like having a dirty car....plus the fact that it is black doesn't help (but it is a beaut when it is clean!) Can't wait for warm weather so I can clean her up right.

[connermt]

I use the touchless if I really need to, but if I am at home, & it I am not out, I have a couple products I have used on my last car. One is a water-less car wash & another is a car wash that you only need a 5 gallon bucket for. As long as your car isn't coated with hard mud or the like, the bucket car wash works great. It was engineered for people who live in condo/apartments or have a lot of bad weather (rain, snow, etc). And as long as you don't "scrub" the wash mit, it won't scratch your paint or clearcoat.

[hardcore zac]

haha i do it i our heated barn in the winter
its nice

[Dana]

If I don't have time to wash the V then I'll go though a "touchless" car wash only. I never take the G35 though any car wash because it's super low and I don't want to scratch the wheels on the little thing you have to drive on.

[WanderingBrit]

I haven't been through a car wash in 10 years. I find hand washing a good opportunity to check the bodywork for damage. In the late fall I make sure the cars have a good coat of real wax polish for protection and just let them get dirty if it's too cold to hand wash.

Kevin

[sleeksilver]

If I don't have time to wash the V then I'll go though a "touchless" car wash only. I never take the G35 though any car wash because it's super low and I don't want to scratch the wheels on the little thing you have to drive on.

My lowered CL never has an issue in car washes, and if your G35 is stock ride height I am postive my vehicle is lower...

I would NEVER use a car wash where anything but water touches my vehicle.

[fatboyslim]

I never use auto car washes, bad for paint work
They have a nickname in the UK...
Whip'n'Strip wash:D

[Badgerland]

My lowered CL never has an issue in car washes, and if your G35 is stock ride height I am postive my vehicle is lower...

I would NEVER use a car wash where anything but water touches my vehicle.

X2

I never use auto car washes, bad for paint work
They have a nickname in the UK...
Whip'n'Strip wash:D

I use a great one that only had water touching...the nice thing is that it uses "rain-x" as the foaming cleaner and wax so it stays nice in the winter.

Not all car washes are bad...

[rdorman]

Use them all the time and have for years, no problems. But, I only use touchless one or high 'quality' ones. If what is touching your car looks like a huge wire brush, I look elsewhere. Lots of the cheaper ones at gas stations used to be that way.

[irwinje]

The only car washes I ever use are the Do It Yourself ones, and that is only during the cold months.
During warm months, I find a driveway or some place in the park to hand wash it myself.
I never use any of the crappy washes they have at gas stations. I figure, better safe than sorry...

[T Mac]

In the driveway or touchless. I was surprised recently when I was at a dealer and saw them running new ones through a wash that looked like it would strip away the paint with the rollers. Uggh.

I'm way too particular, so I usually wash on my own. My neighbors think I'm a bit over the top. :)

[rdorman]

Watch your towels, a cautionary tale. 100% cotton and cotton thread. Most are bound with polyester thread that will scratch. You can tell because they thread melts when lit. Don't use fabric softener when you wash them, they won't be as absorbent. Have a set just for the car. Not a fan of chamois either. I have had to buff out a few 'perfectionist' cars that never use a car wash but always use a chamois. Probably more the fault of the care of the product rather then the product itself. But in this day of quality, machine washable microfibers, why bother. Always wash and clay bar before waxing. Never put a car cover on a dirty car.

[James]

I never take the G35 though any car wash because it's super low and I don't want to scratch the wheels on the little thing you have to drive on.

[Mac81]

I have one of these babies in our family company Karcher 895 (http://www.karcher.co.uk/product.php?pr=248)

I don't even use a detergent :D :cool:

The only part of the car that I actually touch in order to clean it are the glass surfaces

[diverseCRV]

it depends....if you got a d/d car you can do a test run with it to see how it goes....the dealer I purchased the crv through has one and never had any problems and here j-ville we have several car washes and there is ONLY one that I trust ( I tested them using my wifes old car which is now my d/d for work ) and have been using it since may 07 on the crv and never had any problems

[jpod]

Yesterday the touchless car wash I know and trust was socked in with construction traffic so I went an another one of the same brand. This one had different newer equipment and when the wax cycle started it looked like the wax was tinted to be about the same color as my car. Then I noticed some barrels, valves and tubing off to the side that looked like some sort of dye mixing apparatus. And I also noticed what looked like optical sensors on the car wash gantry itself.

Is Big Brother in the car wash too? (If so, I'm probably in trouble again.)

Do some of the automated car washes put "custom mixed" tint into the wax?

If they do, is it good or bad?

[jpod]

Just checked Itachi-san's "tinted wax" carwash, out in bright sunshine and in deep shade. It looks better than the shine I usually get at my regular brusheless car wash. Smoother and more liquid and the metal flake shines more.

I'll probably take it back to that carwash again but I'm still wondering if the tinted wax will hurt the finish in the long run.

BTW on my monthly trip to WalMart I Noticed they carry products by Meguiar's and Mother's. Bought some Back to Black, which I think was mentioned in one of the other threads.

JPO