Automatic car wash
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 1,252
Likes: 48
From: Lake Saint Louis Mo
Automatic car wash
Sorry if this has been beat to death, but, I couldn't find it with search.
Just got 2015 and had to drive it with salt on the roads,
What is the consensus of automatic car washes?
I did it with my 1999 and 2005 with no problems.
I can hand wash, but, how do you get the salt off the bottom?
This is my daily driver and on occasion will need to be driven in bad weather.
Larry
Just got 2015 and had to drive it with salt on the roads,
What is the consensus of automatic car washes?
I did it with my 1999 and 2005 with no problems.
I can hand wash, but, how do you get the salt off the bottom?
This is my daily driver and on occasion will need to be driven in bad weather.
Larry
Racer
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 485
Likes: 167
From: South Florida
Anther problem is that the Vette is not really an average size and shape of car, and the auto washes are not quite set up for it. Things may contact your car in weird ways. I would avoid them all and use touch less if possible, but hand wash is obviously preferable. Also of concern is what salt does to the metal parts of the chassis and under the hood. No auto wash will help with those.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 1999
Posts: 9,661
Likes: 1,680
From: Fort Worth Texas
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I believe the owners manual states to avoid them. I think the reason may be that many of them can't accommodate the wider tires and/or may damage ground effects. Each car wash is different and some may be fine.
Race Director
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 15,323
Likes: 2,077
From: Guelph, Ontario
The harsh detergents they often use can strip the protection off your paint pretty quickly, but I think it's a better alternative than to leave the salt on there. I wouldn't go through any automatic car wash that actually touches your paint or your wheels in any way, but there are automatic washes where you drive into the center of the wash bay and it's completely touch free, the unit moves around your car and sprays it with soap and water. That's the only kind I would consider using, and only if you've gotten some salt on your C7 and it's still too cold out to wash it properly by hand.
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 12,245
Likes: 4,740
From: SE WI
The harsh detergents they often use can strip the protection off your paint pretty quickly, but I think it's a better alternative than to leave the salt on there. I wouldn't go through any automatic car wash that actually touches your paint or your wheels in any way, but there are automatic washes where you drive into the center of the wash bay and it's completely touch free, the unit moves around your car and sprays it with soap and water. That's the only kind I would consider using, and only if you've gotten some salt on your C7 and it's still too cold out to wash it properly by hand.
Pro
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 616
Likes: 156
From: West Lafayette Indiana
NEVER!
Always adhere to the Corvette Owners Ten Commandments.
Commandment II
II. Thou shall not bring a Corvette in to an automatic car wash.
I have never had any of my Corvettes in an automatic car wash.
Always adhere to the Corvette Owners Ten Commandments.
Commandment II
II. Thou shall not bring a Corvette in to an automatic car wash.
I have never had any of my Corvettes in an automatic car wash.
Last edited by repo czar; Feb 6, 2019 at 08:27 AM.
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 2,195
Likes: 479
From: Bonita Springs Florida
I would hit a wash with the hand wand you use yourself. If you can find touchless/brushless wash, maybe....but always concerned with the guide rails messing up the rims.
I lived in the rust belt for years and would use the wand to get the salt off the body during the winter months and then hit the bottom hard w/ it in the spring. The conditions are going to be $#1tty as long as you live where you live. Try and keep it as clean as you can (w/o freezing your a$$) using the power wand and wait till spring for a serious undercarriage.wash.
I lived in the rust belt for years and would use the wand to get the salt off the body during the winter months and then hit the bottom hard w/ it in the spring. The conditions are going to be $#1tty as long as you live where you live. Try and keep it as clean as you can (w/o freezing your a$$) using the power wand and wait till spring for a serious undercarriage.wash.
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 226
Likes: 54
From: Hill country, TX
Sorry if this has been beat to death, but, I couldn't find it with search.
Just got 2015 and had to drive it with salt on the roads,
What is the consensus of automatic car washes?
I did it with my 1999 and 2005 with no problems.
I can hand wash, but, how do you get the salt off the bottom?
This is my daily driver and on occasion will need to be driven in bad weather.
Larry
Just got 2015 and had to drive it with salt on the roads,
What is the consensus of automatic car washes?
I did it with my 1999 and 2005 with no problems.
I can hand wash, but, how do you get the salt off the bottom?
This is my daily driver and on occasion will need to be driven in bad weather.
Larry
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 135
Likes: 134
From: Alabama
Try the old trick of using a garden sprinkle under your car. Let it run 10-15 minutes then pull the hose 3-4 feet so everything gets drenched. Not sure if your climate will allow this to work or not. Good luck!!
Pro
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 655
Likes: 114
From: Orange County, Southern California
Just do not do it. The risks of various types of scratches and other potential damage is too great. The Corvette is just sized wrong for most car washes, both tire/wheel size and body height and width.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 6,800
Likes: 2,653
From: Down south in Dixie
The harsh detergents they often use can strip the protection off your paint pretty quickly, but I think it's a better alternative than to leave the salt on there. I wouldn't go through any automatic car wash that actually touches your paint or your wheels in any way, but there are automatic washes where you drive into the center of the wash bay and it's completely touch free, the unit moves around your car and sprays it with soap and water. That's the only kind I would consider using, and only if you've gotten some salt on your C7 and it's still too cold out to wash it properly by hand.
Racer
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 395
Likes: 194
From: Goderich, ON
This is by far the best answer. Its the steel and aluminum parts underneath that need to be de-salted. Long highway drive on a very wet road will rinse it properly.