lee

when im either too busy or if the weather doesnt seem to be able to hold up on precipitation for more than a day or two, i take my runner to this great car wash. its set up so you tell them what you want, they drive it up into the machine, get out and let it run through. you walk along and watch it get washed through glass windows. then you meet it at the other end where they jump in, take it out and wipe it down (and give the dash a quick rubdown).

its great and the truck comes out lookin fine after i do some touch up drying.

but is there a downside to their soap / scrubbers / chemicals?

i usually just get regular wash, but sometimes opt for their 'wheel bright' stuff.. is this bad for my rims?

thanks!

ALBPM

I wouldn't worry about it unless they have to wipe down the vehicle to dry it. That's where they can do the most damage - scratching the finish with dirty towels.

I take my 4-Runner to "Octopus" Car Washes here and just get the basic "Wash" for $6.99. They vacuum the inside and clean the windows inside and out. The vehicles are blow dried so they don't wipe down the outside and scratch the clearcoat.

I prefer to polish my Runner so I don't have their stuff put on it. I also don't let them use Armorall products on my tires or dash.

They have one of the Octopus places on my drive home from work so it's very convenient and saves me a couple hours.

GoudyMan

I have heard some of their wheel cleaners can be bad for the breaks...

also, pressure washers are bad over time for the breaks

lee

their towels have scared me in the past, but really havent noticed any scratches of any kind, so i assume thats not a problem.

i bought my truck used, so it has some scratches here and there that arent from me -- im planning on waiting out the winter (ice + salt + sand + rocks = scratches!) and then getting them all touched up professionally once and for all.

amusement

I have used the brushless car wash. There OK. If I just remember to take my CB antenna down. OOPS!

I like lots of wax on the front end before taking long trips.
It helps cleaning the bugs off alot easier. I even used PAM (the vegitable based cooking oil in a spray can) to protect the front paint a little.

Happy New Years!

FirstToy

Someone told me to rotate where you get your car washed so you don't have the same detergents on your paint. Go somewhere else to wash off the other residue. I have no idea if this is true or just an urban legend.

I don't use auto washes regularly so I have no experience. I like to do it myself.

If I do a quickie auto wash, it's always the "touchless" kind. They don't really do a good job but they get the big stuff off at least.

I just picture a fleck of metal stuck in those big brushes scrubbing at your car in automatic washes. No thank you!

lee

to be fair, the place i'm talking about tries REALLY hard. they get the 'best of boston' award almost yearly, and their staff tries their best to do a great job.

i'm thinking of getting it professionally waxed for its first time (in my care, at least!).. is it ok to do this now, or do i wait till the end of winter??

thanks.

amusement

I would vote to do it now but, that's me.

Sil23

I have been using Hoffman's touchless for the winter..and it's great...In the summer I do it manually...

Fink

I use a local chain called Dandy Spot...the high pressure wash bays. They work REALLY well for getting big chunks of mud and stuff off. But the end result isn't anywhere near a manual wash. But they're good for getting the salt and crap off. AND MAN DO MY WHEELS AND TIRES SHINE! I take the wand and hold it about an inch away from the wheel and tire and EVERYTHING comes off...other than the rubber and coatings on the wheels hopefully

I have never liked the automatic bays...I had a bad experience with those before...one of the scrubber thingy's broke off my brothers side mirror, he got PISSED!

Anyway, I'm gonna try and do a manual wash here sometime soon...just get all bundled up and do a quick one.

We'll see if mother nature cooperates!

Fink

Yoter

Being that my 4Runner will not fit into one of those drive through car washes I have to use the regular car wash bays. Its cool though. Its like a 5 step wash. You spray your rig with the super wash soap that losens all of the dirt, then soap it down that pressures it all off and then pressured water to take the soap off, spray the wax, then spot free rinse it. Its easy but $1.50 for 4 mins. Took me $5.50 to get it all done in 15 mins. Its the tards that keep spraying using the super wash soap that is low pressure thinking if they keep spraying it over and over it will clean the rig itself. Damn yuppies have low brain power.

lee

i dont trust that wax... i really got get my rig waxed though.. she's starting to dull out!!

ill take care of that when i take some time off work around new years i guess...

joez

If your rig has a "trick" to start it, then they cant start it, and usually look like idiots. I took the diesel to one right after school. it was right down the block so the motor was still cold when i got there. I tell the guy to keep it running, and what does he do, he shuts it down. Little did he know that an indirect-injection cold diesel needs GLOW to start. i had to run out waving my arms yelling at him to quit cranking it. He just sat in there cranking for about 15 seconds. I thought he was going to burn up my starter. Other than that experience i dont see any downsides to the car washes. I have head that you should use different car washes as well, but i dont buy into it. I think its just an old wives tale.

Mossback74

I've got a front bug guard so I am very weary about taking it to an auto wash. That blower at the end seems like it'll take it right off. I really like doing a hand wash. You can get up close and see every little thing that may be scratched, dinged or dulled. Not to mention the satisfaction of a job well done.

Nothing like seeing the smile in your own face as it reflects off the fender.

bobzemuda

I found this great spray wash near my new home that is only $3 for 15min if you buy a card for $20 and keep filling it up in $20 increments.

Nothing beats a manual wash, and when it's warm out, that's what I do, but this is great during winter to give it a quick wash to get the road salt off.

Bill

Supercharged

Just my experience that I want to share with everyone. I have not use an automatic car wash ( with brushes ) since 1989 due to an incident around here in the summer of 1989. Appearantly someone tied several nails to some of these brushes around town's car wash places, and you can guess what happened to cars that ran through these car washes. It ruined my brand new 1989 LX 5.0 and scores of other vehicles. The damages costed $3,000+ to repair the paint and dings. Fortunely, insurance covered all but $250 of the bill. As the result of this incident, I have been avoiding all automatic car washes with brushes- I rather my vehicles be dirty than damaged.

Fink

Those kinda people need to be lined up and all strapped to car...then run it through the car wash with the nails STILL ON THE BRUSHES...I don't think they'd do that again.

Well it supposed to be 65 out today so I MIGHT be able to make it out for a quick manual wash but I may not..if not then I'm gonna go round up all the quarters I can and head to the bays!

Hey BigBad - How does the wax work at those high pressure bays? I have never used it on my 4Runner and I have always wondered if it was worth it. What would you say?

Fink

hungryStu

I worked at a car wash in SoCal for almost a year in high school and it became pretty clear to me that I would never take my car to any car wash ever again. Granted, I am in CA where the winters you get a moderately warm day at east once a week to wash your car and there is no salt on the road.

Over the past seven or so years I have become pretty knowledgable in the art of auto paint care. I read a lot, ask a lot of questions and a local detailer has been very helpful in providing me with answers. More importantly, I spend around 15 hours a month with a Porter Cable, microfiber towel and foam applicator in my hand detailing autos which has provided me with experience.

It's my belief that Car Washes can only do harm in the long run. Aside from serious accidents like SuperCharged experienced, car washes can induce waterspots, swirl-marks, haze, and just plain leave your truck dirty.

For a small investment you can insure that nothing bad will happen to your ride. There are an immense amount of products for detailing you truck/SUV in the coldest months of any place. The more you wash your ride, the faster you will become with the same results. You can focus on different things; engine cleaning, wheels, chrome, rubber, carpets each time. . . . The list is infinite.

I hope you all don't feel as though I am tooting my own horn. Paint care is something I take seriously and take pride in. It seems that a lot of people put so much money into all aspects of their auto and neglect the most obvious part w/o even realizing it. Thats my opinion.

-Stu.

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

If you care about your rig's paint, never take it through a car wash as you have no idea what somebody put in their that they claim is soap or wax or whatever...I know too many horror stories.

If you have tons of mud on your rig or snow and ice, using a pressure wand to clean it off works wonders, but that is it and not at too close a distance.

Nothing can replace good old fashioned elbow grease and washing your rig by hand.

tenfourtyeight

I'd like to hear some of those 'horror stories...'