I always took my C4 through the car wash it had less than perfect paint but not beat or anything and never noticed any problems. What about C5's I can see maybe turning the mirrors first but is it safe to run it through the wash I want to get the underbody cleaned off?

 

That is a sin, I might take mine to one of those car wash with a low pressure wand and hand dry it, I tried a drive through once, Never again...lol
Mr.Bill

 

No car wash, ever...don't even use water on it, only, polish, quick detail and wax. If you are going to wash it, stay away from an automatic car wash, no brushes, only a hand wash.

 

I hear ya I would get all paranoid the first time like I did in my C4 but after I was done and no damage I kept doing it. I can never get the windows as clean as a car wash does either.

 

Unless you don't care how the paint looks than go for it. But if you paint is in reasonable shape, I would stay away from an automatic carwash. They use recycled water, the brushes and all of the other materials that touch your cars finish are full of dirt and grit from every car that goes through the wash. You will end up with fine scratches and swirl marks.

If you want to wash the underside, get one of those flat hoses that have all the little holes in them. lay it out and drive your car back and forth a few times.

I hand wash mine only and use three buckets. One bucket for wheels, tires, exhaust and wheel wells. The other two buckets for teh body. The first bucket is plain water and the second is a bucket is the wash bucket with a grit guard. I first flush the car with that hose to remove all the loose dirt. Then I will take my wash pad and the soap and start at the top. I then dip the pad in the plain water bucket then the soapy bucket making sure I run the pad over the grit guard well to remove and grit before I apply it to the next area. I will do this untill the car is completely washed. I than rinse the car completely. That is the best way (in my opinion) to keep the paint finish at its best.

 

If you are not into hand washing your car find a local that does hand washing, I have a guy here that hand washes the car, blow dry and does the inside when I don't have time to do it, He charges 20 bucks, But is looks great when he is done, He even washes the tires.

 

They also sell really cool hose/sprayer attachments that have flexible spray nozels that you can form in an L-shape and actually clean underneath your car. It also works great in wheel wells!

 

What kind of polish and wax do you use ??

 

I always hand wash myself, Never a car wash. I have spent the last two days waxing (liquid Glass only) my C5, Looks great, hate to get it out now,LOL,, The Liquid Glass is the best thing that I have found that puts a barrier down against grime and bird droppings. Great stuff.

 

Generally I do mine by hand, but will occasionally take it to a self wash with the pressure wand. Since I started tracking the car, I've picked up more chips and the scuff marks from marbles take an hour or so to clean off after an event. So I'm not as meticulous about the appearance as I once was.

 

When home I only wash mine by hand, once or twice I have used a wand self-wash place with my own wash mitt when traveling. Never use a car wash, brushless or brush..

"GeneT"
I only use C-Magic detail spray and polish products on my C5. I have not had to compound, or clay, no scratches or swirls yet. If and when I do, will only use Menzerna compounds. I love their products. Auto detailing products are so diverse with options and so many good products to choose from.

 

For me it's always a home job to wash the Vette -

Because when I do I am able to look the Vette over real good!

As far as the underbody goes I have jacked it up used soap and water and a hand wash brush for the fender wells etc. or for the tuff areas you can use a degreaser (Simple Green is good for all around underbody cleaning) then rinse with water hose and nozzle!

I don't like others to wash the Vette because generally it is just another car to them and don't have the care I take with mine -

If you have a mobile detailer/wash come through then you're better off - because that is their business to do a "GOOD" job

Thanks,Matt

 

I only use a carwash with a pressure wand to clean the tubs and
the undercarriage, but bodywork is always done by hand. The brushes at a car wash can be loaded with god knows what, and besides that I find hand washing "fun and relaxing" (right!!).

Happy NewYears Ladies and Gents, I wish the best 2011 for each of you.

 

I've been involved with the design of 20 auto car washes in my area. While we know a C5 can go thru without injury to rims and the brushes don't rotate, just wiggle back and forth, I would never take mine thru them.

 

In the summer I generally hand wash mine, but still will go through the carwash up the street that I trust from time to time.

Now that it's winter I drive through the car wash about once week or so to keep the salt and road dirt off.

I have never had a problem and as for the mirrors, they fold back and forth as the machine's "thingy's" go over them.

The DIY car wash sprayers don't do anything to get all the little stuff off, and I do not trust the brushes there (as a teen, a buddy and I used a car wash brush to stripe a hood bare, needless to say that there was paint stripper involved. Can't imagine what happened to the next car that used it. Since then, I realized that nothing can be trusted).

If my car never got this dirty, I'd only hand wash it....


DIRTY:

 

You can certainly use water on your car to wash it. Just make sure to follow the good advice on this thread- high quality car wash and wash media, high quality drying towels and two buckets (at least) to prevent scratching.

 

I will not take mine through an automatic car wash - it sits too low and the wheels are too wide to safely do that IMO. But I do use the self service wash bay and spray the car off - it does a good job and I've never noticed any damage to the paint.

 

You've had it for a day and you want to run it through a car wash?
Back to the C4 for you!
J/K, but no car wash for me.
Congrats on the new car.

 

Make sure to use distilled water when hand washing your car, as the minerals in tap water will cause the paint to bubble and peel off!!!!

These cars are nothing special, the have the same paint as other cars and can withstand a car wash. Just wax and polish them regularly and they'll remain bright and lustrious.

I like the certain car wash that I use, because it does a great job and it is the stationary type that cleans around the car vs pulling the car through on tracks. After I get it to the garage I use Turtle Wax Ice products to finish detailing it, giving me a chance to look the car over for any scratches.

Mind you, be reasonable, if your car physically cannot make it through a car wash don't go through it.

*I don't advocate auto-wash over hand washing.

 

$20 buck, holy crap........