Drive Thru Car Wash, your thoughts?
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,939
Likes: 2
From: Danielsville Georgia
I'm long past being bothered or concerned by swirls in the paint of a car.Several vehicles I have owned I get compliment's on about paint and shine.Some when they are ten plus years old.Little do the people complimenting me know that how they have been washed all those years.A soft brush car wash and a few times a year I get them 'hand"waxed.LOL A couple of decades ago I got way to busy to do that myself and now I have the time but don't want to.
Last edited by Ketchum; Jan 30, 2011 at 11:11 PM.
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 132
Likes: 0
I know a guy who went through the carwash with his z06 and the wheels got scratched because they were wider than the track. It was late at night and he didn't notice until daylight a day or two later, which made it very hard for him to prove that the problem had occurred in the carwash.
Also, if you let the carwash guys hand wash your car, you need to watch them closely because they will use one towel to dry the whole car. One time I saw them drying someone's car, and they dried the door jams first, then dried the outside of the door, so any grit that came out of the jams would have most certainly scratched the exterior. (This is why I never let kids at junior high car wash sales wash my car....because they horse around and end up dropping their sponges and towels on the ground, and then reuse them on every car, as if this didn't matter.)
Also, if you let the carwash guys hand wash your car, you need to watch them closely because they will use one towel to dry the whole car. One time I saw them drying someone's car, and they dried the door jams first, then dried the outside of the door, so any grit that came out of the jams would have most certainly scratched the exterior. (This is why I never let kids at junior high car wash sales wash my car....because they horse around and end up dropping their sponges and towels on the ground, and then reuse them on every car, as if this didn't matter.)
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,381
Likes: 1
From: Forestville CA
Whether or not we use a car wash on our precious Vettes,
as car nuts we are all in need of a little counseling
My vote is for a more personalized hand wash
I just don't see how "Touchless" will get the job done.......
Yes, I chose black just for you Wolfdogs
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 29,085
Likes: 14
From: Cary IL and Parrish FL
St. Jude Donor '10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17
I only wash in a car wash... life is too short to be doing that by hand...
BTW I don't wash dishes by hand either... even the expensive china..
BTW I don't wash dishes by hand either... even the expensive china..
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Michael S. Palmer
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 16,069
Likes: 4,151
From: Bergen county NJ
My concern with car washes is the car will get hung up on the rails that guide the car so in the winter when I turn the water off (nov. through april) so the pipes don't freeze up...(been there done that) I wash the car at a spray car wash. I don't use their frozen brush but just wash with soap and rinse..
If its not too cold I use Eagle one wax as you dry product and the car looks great.
Come spring time...I use a high speed polisher once a season and then its hand wash and wax.
I am interested in the new products they have that don't require a hose to wash down though..
I'm going to check out the links mentioned in this thread. A buddy of mine with a viper swears by Griots garage products and one of them is a bucketless, hoseless wash system that also seem interesting.
Black is a tough color. Not sure I'd do it again. Next time Ill do red again.
If its not too cold I use Eagle one wax as you dry product and the car looks great.
Come spring time...I use a high speed polisher once a season and then its hand wash and wax.
I am interested in the new products they have that don't require a hose to wash down though..
I'm going to check out the links mentioned in this thread. A buddy of mine with a viper swears by Griots garage products and one of them is a bucketless, hoseless wash system that also seem interesting.
Black is a tough color. Not sure I'd do it again. Next time Ill do red again.
Advanced
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 73
Likes: 0
From: San Diego California
Three words... DON'T DO IT.
You could risk damaging your wheels since they are wider then the machine is made for, plus those washes suck, they never get the dirt and grime off and most of the time scratch your car (depending on car color). I have someone hand wash my car every week. I say only do a hand wash if you want the car to look brand new after every wash.
You could risk damaging your wheels since they are wider then the machine is made for, plus those washes suck, they never get the dirt and grime off and most of the time scratch your car (depending on car color). I have someone hand wash my car every week. I say only do a hand wash if you want the car to look brand new after every wash.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 21,631
Likes: 1,144
From: Below the bottom of Berby Hollow, NYS
Wow @ digging up a six year-old thread.
I take mine through a "touchless" car wash a few times a year when it gets some road grime on it; otherwise I wash it at home.
The touchless is fine, however my local one is a bit lame -- the nozzles still sperm out a bit of water while the dryer is running, leaving a few water spots on it. But not a big deal, they come off easily.
I take mine through a "touchless" car wash a few times a year when it gets some road grime on it; otherwise I wash it at home.
The touchless is fine, however my local one is a bit lame -- the nozzles still sperm out a bit of water while the dryer is running, leaving a few water spots on it. But not a big deal, they come off easily.
4th Gear
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
After reading all of these, and thinking about it for a minute, the conclusion I have come to is this: the automatic car wash I take my Yukon Denali to wouldn't hurt the finish on my C5, but the major issue is the ride height and the tire/wheel guides. Since the Denali has 22" rims and the tires are tall enough to buffer the alignment rails. My C5 is just too low and the tires are too low of a profile to absorb the guide. I'm going to stop by this week and talk to the employees just to get their final opinion but my mind is 95% made up its a bad idea simply due to that one issue. The car wash I use is very advanced and has really nice equipment, but the guide rails are what is killing it. So I will ask them just to double check but my mind is mostly made up not to do it. I will continue to run the Denali through. With that much black paint and the bug and elements are just too detrimental. I run it through every 3 days since it's unlimited with no problem (on the Denali). With that being said, I have a friend with a C5 that has a slaved/repaired title and has rough rims and I may pay for his run through it just to see what happens with the experiment.
Last edited by Bill Lewellyn; Apr 15, 2017 at 11:39 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 21,631
Likes: 1,144
From: Below the bottom of Berby Hollow, NYS
After reading all of these, and thinking about it for a minute, the conclusion I have come to is this: the automatic car wash I take my Yukon Denali to wouldn't hurt the finish on my C5, but the major issue is the ride height and the tire/wheel guides. Since the Denali has 22" rims and the tires are tall enough to buffer the alignment rails. My C5 is just too low and the tires are too low of a profile to absorb the guide. I'm going to stop by this week and talk to the employees just to get their final opinion but my mind is 95% made up its a bad idea simply due to that one issue. The car wash I use is very advanced and has really nice equipment, but the guide rails are what is killing it. So I will ask them just to double check but my mind is mostly made up not to do it. I will continue to run the Denali through. With that much black paint and the bug and elements are just too detrimental. I run it through every 3 days since it's unlimited with no problem (on the Denali). With that being said, I have a friend with a C5 that has a slaved/repaired title and has rough rims and I may pay for his run through it just to see what happens with the experiment.
Ten-twelve bucks, painless, no effort, to me it's worth it once in a while.
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,660
Likes: 138
From: Just passed you.
With the "touchless" there are no "rails" or conveyers. You just drive in until a light tells you to stop, and it does its thing from there. Your car is stationary on the floor the whole time. When it's finished a light comes on and you drive out.
Ten-twelve bucks, painless, no effort, to me it's worth it once in a while.
Ten-twelve bucks, painless, no effort, to me it's worth it once in a while.
There is a touchless wash a half mile from my house. It has an undercarriage option. I do the $12 wash then drive home and finish it with the blower and instant detailer. Looks like new.
CF Community Team
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From: Pittsburgh
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My car never gets dirty ( not a daily driver ) so it never gets wet...I wipe it down after every outing with Adams detail spray, put the cover on... done. I would wash the car by hand if I were you though
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