Car Washes - Good or Bad ?

[Jed]

From Autopia, a renowned detailing forum. Of course, there are arguments to support "touchless" but they usually come from its own advocacy groups.

Nice info, but I still think I'm better off chancing it with a touchless car wash than I am just letting road salt sit on the paint all winter. Like I said, this is my sixth winter in a row using the touchless car wash and I don't have any signs of damage to my finish at all.

I hand washed my 4Runner this afternoon because the temperature got up to the mid-40's here in NY. I must say it looks like a brand new vehicle right now!

 

[LWN]

Many years ago I ruined the paint job on a Nissan by regular runs through a car wash with brushes made of plastic bristles. Since then the only wash I'll use are those with cloth on the contact surfaces. But my 98 T4R has been through thousands of those washes because I never hand wash her, and 12 years later the paint still looks incredible, almost like new. Touchfree washes just don't get it clean, imo, but I have no problem with car washes as long as the brushes are cloth.

I think the secret to keeping a good finish is 1) keep it out of the sun - my 98 was garage kept, both at my house and at work, and 2) use a high quality protectant a few times a year - I've always used Liquid Glass.

 

[RonMAIDEN]

Also factor in where you live since the guys in the southern states or you see zero snow and never get doused with salt or sand makes a big difference.

In Colorado they sand the roads and use MagChloride so at least within a few days of driving in the snow I use the local touchless (and have been for the last 12 years) but only to do a simple spray down and undercarriage wash and it costs me $9 and does a surpisingly good job for a quickie wash and my paint is in very good shape considering the off roading it sees and I don't get to use the garage.

 

[MikesToy]

Also factor in where you live since the guys in the southern states or you see zero snow and never get doused with salt or sand makes a big difference.

In Colorado they sand the roads and use MagChloride so at least within a few days of driving in the snow I use the local touchless but only to do a simple spray down and undercarriage wash and it costs me $9 and does a surpisingly good job for a quickie wash and my paint is in very good shape.

Same here. x2

 

[rclangelan]

Yeah, I use a touchless wash in the winter about once or twice a month to get the salt off it. I too use the undercarrige spray option. Runs between 9 and 11 bux depending on where I go. Otherwise, when it's nice out, I'll wash it by hand.

It takes a few hours to do a real quality job though, I like to do the interior the same session. Love the feeling of a nice clean car.

~ Ryan

 

[imwjl]

I'm thinking about trading my trusty 4Runner for the new model and have to bite tongue on this topic. So far mine has spent 11 years of professional guiding, service vehicle work and trail building and I still have paint. I don't understand why somebody buys a 4Runner and worries about surviving a car wash unless they're no longer the good vehicles they have been in the past.

Painted bumpers would be my only concern. I got the model with bare bumper and chrome thinking they would take minor abuse. I think that's the trail edition now.

 

[westwind77]

I'm thinking about trading my trusty 4Runner for the new model and have to bite tongue on this topic. So far mine has spent 11 years of professional guiding, service vehicle work and trail building and I still have paint. I don't understand why somebody buys a 4Runner and worries about surviving a car wash unless they're no longer the good vehicles they have been in the past.

Painted bumpers would be my only concern. I got the model with bare bumper and chrome thinking they would take minor abuse. I think that's the trail edition now.

Not all of us use our 4R's in the wilderness, but are not stuck to the pavement at all times either. If you see above in one of my post my local car wash DID damage my NEW 4R! They call it touchless but at one point brushes come out to clean the wheels physically. Well due to the sand/salt on the road my rims are now etched with scratches. Already spoke to the owner, they were very nice, saw the issue, their insurance will cover the new rims. My rims were clean going in, previous ones I am sure were not. The sand gets left on the brushes, they make contact and spin, resulting in damage.

Still having paint, and still having nice paint and two very different things We all know scratches and chips are not avoidable, but if you can knowing avoid it....why not?