For the first time ever yesterday, I took my truck through an auto car wash. I'd been telling myself every weekend this summer that this was the weekend I was going to wash my truck. Well, I never got around to it - just too much other stuff going on. So yesterday I took it through the auto carwash. $9 for the wash, did a good job, and the guy even asked me about the rig (body and suspension lift).

I'd do it again, especially after a wheeling trip, but I still prefer to wash it myself by hand.

 

$9? Holy Cow.

 

probably one of those upscale ones where they dry it too and they vacuum and fragrance and wipe everything down and put on tire dressing.... they say ots brushless, and intead of using the gas station brushes, they prerinse the car and then use fabric reams hanging down and scrub that way

 

move to boston, guys, and youll cry over how expensive it is to wash your car.

you have 3 options:
-nice place where you get out of your car and watch it make its way through, then you watch as they hand dry the car top to bottom; you can pay more to get them to do full interior w/windows... thats 10.95 for basic exterior, 13.95 for exterior & wheels, 18.95 for full interior & exterior.. tire dressing is an extra $3

-decent place where you stay in your car and its dried at the end by a rotating thing of giant blue towels that does a terrible job of drying... thats 8.95, i go here and then fully dry & detail it myself afterwards most times

-a place where you can put quarters in the machine (min. $4.00) and use their hose for soap / high pressure rinse, their brush, also has waxing options etc which i would never touch. it runs on a timer, and $4.00 doesnt get you much time, so i usually put in $5 and wash it with just the high rpessure rinse and soap, then dry and clean everything else myself.

so each has its advantage / disadvantage... but none are cheap!

 

Yea... they hand wash the hood, lights, grille, windshield, wheels, and tires, then let the auto part of the automated car wash do the rest.

 

$9 is cheap in SoCali for a hand wash... and that's without the tire dressing and all the extras!

 

I go to one here in Albuquerque all the time for $6.99 the (Standard wash) they clean the floor mats, windows in and out and vacuum the interior. It's totaly brushless and blown dry so no swirl marks on the clear coat.

http://www.octopuscarwash.com/

 

I use a garden hose and bucket. Doesn't cost much, it's convenient, and I usually do it in the grass on the front lawn so the water gets double duty. Figuring how long a bottle of soap lasts and water usage etc, maybe a dime a wash... plus the cost of a beer...

 

The wife did that on Sunday...washed off all my nice dirt. Then she put BABY POWDER scent in it. Now it stinks like a baby's butt.

 

Those brushless car washes are REALLY bad for your paint. The way they work is they spray on a 2 part soap. The first part is an acid and the second part is a base. The result is an exothermic reaction that "heats" the dirt off your paint.

 

when your up north and water is frozen .. you have no choice but to go to those car wash places or let the salt eat your paint

 

i like those lazor washes.....no contact with the paint so they wont scratch it up with worn brushes and it does an excellent job, esp since nothing actaully touches the truck.....it cost 5-8 bucks depending on how good of a wash you want.....

 

that's scary...i took my truck into one of those after a wheeling trip it was nice to have something else wash your rig...but that 2 part soap is not settling well w/ me