Automatic car wash & my new car?

[dja4260]

Local to me is a automatic car wash for $3 bucks. Place is always busy and they have free vacuuming stalls etc. I used to take my old car there bi-weekly with never any issues, however the paint was faded etc. This particular facility isn't a touchless wash. It has the big spinning cloth contraptions.

I can't always wash the car by hand myself and this is EASY.

Am I being paranoid?

 

[hypervish]

No, you aren't being paranoid, those brushes will do harm. Don't go there!!! Wash it by hand, or find a touch less place.

BTW: $3 is darn cheap! lol

 

[John_K]

Many years ago, after having a wiper and mirror ripped off and having to fight about it, I quit going to car washes. The time I "saved" on those trips resulted in hours of hassle. Wash it myself or use a spray-it-yourself type.

John

 

[dparm]

I'd take it to a DIY place with the power wash wands. Should be sufficient to blast whatever's on the surface. Avoid anything that touches the paint...morons go there and get gravel or whatever in the brush.

 

[pcoxe]

If you are going to clean it twice a week, a wipe-down with some quick detailer spray and towel wouldn't take very long. Heavy mud or road tar will take more work though.

 

[dja4260]

During the winter I'd go to this car wash, get all the salt and crud removed and never leave the car......

 

[Scorch]

Originally Posted By: dja4260
During the winter I'd go to this car wash, get all the salt and crud removed and never leave the car......



It's your vehicle so do whatever you please, but we are simply warning you there will be swirls, scratches, bent antennas and it would be worth your time to simply wash by hand.

 

[Bgallagher]

Originally Posted By: hypervish
No, you aren't being paranoid, those brushes will do harm. Don't go there!!! Wash it by hand, or find a touch less place.

BTW: $3 is darn cheap! lol


+1 Do yourself a favor and avoid it. Wand self service and hand washing is what I would recommend

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: dja4260
I can't always wash the car by hand myself and this is EASY.

If you don't want to accumulate swirl marks, I'd avoid it. Find a touchless car wash if you have to or one of those self service bays. I used to bring my own mitt and bucket to one of those, but I think it may be illegal in some places.

I sometimes during the dead of winter take my car to a place that hand washes cars, but it's not $3, and even then, you never really know how dirty their wash mitts are, so you might get some swirl marks there. Figure on doing some paint polishing every few years anyway.

 

[tenderloin]

I have had good luck with this system. A note of caution with most auto washes. If you have low profile rims be very careful the approach putting you inside the rail. I have seen several rims scratched by not being loaded properly (operator not paying attention)

Car Wash

Some of these places have unlimited washes for $20 month for a basic wash

 

[lexus114]

In the winter I go to car washes. There is no way I`m doing it by hand in 30 degree weather.

 

[BrownBox88]

Originally Posted By: dparm
I'd take it to a DIY place with the power wash wands. Should be sufficient to blast whatever's on the surface. Avoid anything that touches the paint...morons go there and get gravel or whatever in the brush.


I must be a moron

 

[07Wolfie]

Add another to the chorus of "Noooooo!"... those things really do screw up paint. I only do a good hand wash at home once every month or so, but I use the DIY spray-bays for the frequent clean-ups in between- it doesn't get it perfect, but close enough. I still have marks in my paint from the few times I went through the automatic washes that will take some seriously aggressive polishing to remove, so I'm just leaving them there.

 

[4x4chevydude]

I am not too particular and have gone to the $3 washes in our area and never had an issue....I also had a lighter color car and you couldnt notice imperfections that well...now I have an older car with scratches and dings so I also dont mind...I just like a clean car not perfect so for me it does the cheap job when i cant hand wash

 

[Eddie]

I use a DIY car wash. Unfortunately when I needed the underside washed in ILL. this type will not. I lived in Tinley park so I feel your winter pain but, try the self wash with the hand wand and take a warm hat and waterproof gloves in winter. Ed

 

[hemitom]

Years ago, before touch- less there was a esso that had these huge spinning soapy brushes . Two cars in front of us was a toyota 4x4 truck, this thing had a inch of mud caked on the entire body from top to bottom, even the windows were caked with it honestly when i think about it now i don't how he could see to drive the bloody thing. So seeing this i thought there is now way the brushes will be clean after he pass through, and why i never thought of this before is beyond me. I can just imagine what some people have put in these car washes. So i slipped out of the line never to venture near one of these again.

 

[bepperb]

I'd find a good touchless that doesn't cost much more. I'm always surprised at how well they do, and the stall with a pressure washer never does a good job for me.

And fwiw, the only time I do the brush style automatic wash is when our older car is covered with mud/dirt.... so I guess I'm "that guy".

 

[BTLew81]

Touchless wash or hand wash. I should add that a bad hand wash can be just as bad as an automatic. Type of wash mitt and drying towels needs to be considered. I would suggest microfiber.

Do some research on autopia or autogeek online.

Good luck

 

[Win]

I prefer to hand wash cars, but I've used the automatic car washes with no guilt.

They're just cars, and even an expensive car is just a car.

 

[BrownBox88]

Originally Posted By: Win
I prefer to hand wash cars, but I've used the automatic car washes with no guilt.

They're just cars, and even an expensive car is just a car.




Exactly