Do you take your car to the car wash?

[Matt89]

On a side note, my opinion is that how you wash a vehicle is irrelevant, provided you don't do anything blatantly dumb. If you keep your cars 'forever', who will care about a few fine scratches other than you? If you do care, more power to you but it will not make a difference in how long the paint does its primary function, that is to prevent the metal underneath from corroding. Personally, I find that idolatry leads to disillusionment in the end.

If you trade your cars in, a perfect finish (above and beyond what a car wash 'might' do to it) isn't going to command a nickel more. If you sell your cars privately, it 'might' make a difference, but you will likely eat up the savings in time, effort, and $ to keep it immaculate. The next buyer will more likely be interested in how much tread is on the tires, when the battery was last replaced, or whether there is evidence of hurl anywhere in the interior.

I 'nu finish' my cars 2x a year (if that), and wash them maybe twice a winter if the weather permits. I do a fine detailing spring and fall to keep crud from accumulating. They look awesome for years.

 

[GT11]

What about those touchless car washes that uses strong streams of water and soap to remove surface deposits?

 

[crw]

If it gets up to 36F on a Saturday here I wash all four vehicles. Why 36F? I dunno, just something I settled on. Even though it might not actually freeze before drying, it's just the point where I can do it without too much worry about creating an ice block and also to finish the job without too much discomfort to me.

Someone asked, "Why do this if it's just going to get dirty anyway?" Well, two reasons. One, if you wash your car in my area at a time of year like this, you're likely the only one on the street that has a clean car, and that's cool. Two, everyone knows that a clean car runs better and is more fun to drive. ;-)

Actually, it's more than that. I find that I can't just sit around and do nothing when there is work to be done. Maybe that's a topic for a therapist, I don't know.

 

[Patman]

Quote:

---

What about those touchless car washes that uses strong streams of water and soap to remove surface deposits?

---

If you own a dark colored vehicle, you'll quickly learn that those types of car washes are useless and the paint really does not get cleaned off at all, there is still a layer of dirt left on the car.

 

[Brogy]

I just took my car to the DIY carwash. $2.50 and a pair of frozen hands later, I had a nice clean shiny car. I was surprised, it looked very nice. 4 minutes wasnt enough for me to get to the tire shine or really spray the wax on, but it looked pretty darn clean to me.

Only gripe is my side mirrors were frozen over for the rest of the ride home, I guess next time I go wash my car it'll be in the day time when the suns shining, or at least when it's about 25*

 

[Brogy]

above 25 degrees I meant

 

[Patman]

I wish I had taken my car to the coin wash one day earlier this week, it's more dirty than I've ever seen it! But it was only 1F this morning when I left the house, so there was no way I was going to go to the coin wash! Luckily I've got my usual 10am appointment for a hand wash tomorrow, although we're supposed to get a couple of inches of snow tonight, so the roads will probably be a bit messy tomorrow morning.

(I'll still get it washed though, since I don't like leaving the salt caked on there for too long)

 

[doitmyself]

You guys in the rust belt that wash your cars regularly throughout the winter, even if it will get "salted" up the next day:

Do you consider that in the long run it could be potentially worse to follow this practice. Think about it.

1. That salt layer on your car is VERY abrasive. A bad car wash facility could literally sand paper your car every time it's washed. The more times you do it, the more damage is done - micro scratches etc.

2. High pressure brine solution coming from all angles could blast salt solution into "hidden" areas that other wise would not get this, i.e. - force salt water up into drain holes where it will stay forever and cause more corrosion.

 

[LouDawg]

Quote:

---

You guys in the rust belt that wash your cars regularly throughout the winter, even if it will get "salted" up the next day:

Do you consider that in the long run it could be potentially worse to follow this practice. Think about it.

1. That salt layer on your car is VERY abrasive. A bad car wash facility could literally sand paper your car every time it's washed. The more times you do it, the more damage is done - micro scratches etc.

2. High pressure brine solution coming from all angles could blast salt solution into "hidden" areas that other wise would not get this, i.e. - force salt water up into drain holes where it will stay forever and cause more corrosion.

---

In my area of the Midwest (Rust Belt), they don't use salt on the roads, so that part is not a factor. As for carwashes, I'm fairly selective about which ones I use. And if they do use recycled water, it wouldn't have road salt in it for the previous reason.

I've been washing my cars in the winter like this for many years, and I've never had a rusting problem or paint abrasion on any of my vehicles. Come to think of it, I've never had any visible rust on any of my cars that I've kept for years. And the paint has always looked clean and shiny.

Not saying what you're describing couldn't happen to some folks, but it's not been my experience.

 

[doitmyself]

Sorry Dawg, according to Wikipedia, you'r not a proud member of the rust belt:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rust_Belt

Not to dwell on definitions (I also misunderstood "rust belt"), it's obvious here at BITOG that we often don't comprehend conditions in other parts of the country, Florida vs. Minnesota, etc.. Your idea of winter is much different than someone in Fargo. This occurs on many topics.

Happy weekend to all, and to all a good night!

 

[Norm Olt]

My cars when in Oregon? NEVER. Don't use "quick lube" places, either.

When "on the road" or back in Ohio in the winter I will use the $1.25 for 5 minutes "Wishy Washies" with the wands, if I can't find a hose & bucket somewhere.

But if I ever did MY CAR would be taking ME to the car wash, wouldn't it?

Cheers!

 

[LouDawg]

Quote:

---

Sorry Dawg, according to Wikipedia, you'r not a proud member of the rust belt:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rust_Belt

Not to dwell on definitions (I also misunderstood "rust belt"), it's obvious here at BITOG that we often don't comprehend conditions in other parts of the country, Florida vs. Minnesota, etc.. Your idea of winter is much different than someone in Fargo. This occurs on many topics.

---

Dang! As the inimitable Don Adams used to say, "Missed it by THAT much!" (Holding fingers 1/2" apart)

 

[Auto-Union]

Powerwasher at self-carwash in winter. Hose down at home after it rains in warm conditions and also to abate salt build-up in winter. Handwash just in summer and when it will stay clean for a few days.
As for the wax at the self-carwash, it's usless if applied over anything less than sponge-clean finish. Sometimes doing 2 cycles there works good. Once to clean it and get it wet, leaving the soap on. Handwash with a towel after time expires and then another cycle: rinse and wax. $3.
I can't believe it when I see people using the foaming brush there. I won't even iuuse that thing on my wheels and they use it on the hood of their leased black BMW. ....a fool and his money...

 

[Brogy]

Quote:

---

You guys in the rust belt that wash your cars regularly throughout the winter, even if it will get "salted" up the next day:

Do you consider that in the long run it could be potentially worse to follow this practice. Think about it.

1. That salt layer on your car is VERY abrasive. A bad car wash facility could literally sand paper your car every time it's washed. The more times you do it, the more damage is done - micro scratches etc.

2. High pressure brine solution coming from all angles could blast salt solution into "hidden" areas that other wise would not get this, i.e. - force salt water up into drain holes where it will stay forever and cause more corrosion.

---

A little disclaimer im not on the rustbelt, but being a mile from the beach in NJ, how can they have it worse?

for #1 what do you do when you wash your car at home? You hose it off, not like you pick the pieces of dirt off individually. Just because the car wash is higher pressure isnt going to change anything, the water won't push down on the salt it'll carry it with the flow.

for #2 I like to live dangerously, and anyway in spring I like to take my car down to the local pool and let it soak in the shallow end for 20 minutes or so, that way I know I got all the winter salt off. I always wait an hour after filling her up with the 87 just to be on the safe side.

 

[wytstang]

I wash it on my own

 

[nysentra]

I run mine through the local touchless car wash every couple weeks during the winter, to remove any road salt build up.

 

[DragRace]

I wash my vehicles by hand. The only way if your picky about your ride

 

[mazduh30]

I use the coin operated hi-pressure wand to wash out my bed, underneath, and engine compartment of the truck.

 

[JustinH]

I think I have the new best deal in town. I gas up at the locally owned shop, whos prices are very close to the lowest in town. If you get a touchfree car wash, you save 10 cents per gallon.

I usually fill 25 gallons into the f150. Thus saving 2.50 towards their 6 dollar touchfree carwash.

So once a week I get a carwash for 3.50 with a fillup. Good deal, and I don't have to give any car dryer guys a tip either.

 

[wander2039]

I'm going to revive this thread I guess. I had a internal debate whether to use the auto car washes or not based on the bad stories i've heard, scrathes etc. Here in KS/MO it's been so cold that my truck hasn't had anything but a good wash off in about three months. I plan on keeping it about twenty years so I know this isn't a good thing. We take our work trucks and get them washed at auto car washes and most around here are brushless and do a fairly good job. It cost $4 for the basic so if you figure if you washed it every two weeks that way it's $102 a year. Not to expensive considering you're preventing rust etc. I think i'm going to start doing that and hand washing at least every other week when it get warmer if I have time. Underbelly wash is $6 so that's another option. I don't know i'd rather pay extra and not get sick. I've already had pnuemia once and it's no trip in the park.