"No-touch" car washes, safe or death?
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Joined: Nov 2001
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I wouldn't use them on a regular basis, but I did use one three times during the winter to get the salt off when it was too cold to hand wash the car. I don't see anything wrong with the paint from the no-touch wash. The free wash at the dealer when I had the oil changed, however, left a nice streak of scratches down the middle of the hood. I didn't realize they were going to wash the car because they don't offer free washes. They won't ever wash it again.
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Joined: Nov 2001
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From: Laguna Niguel, CA
My dealer hand washes the cars for free anytime and any contact with my black car will leave swirls. I just buff out the swirls every 6 months when I can't stand it anymore and wax with Klasse All-In-One and that does a good job of masking the swirls in between the buffings. It takes 20-30 minutes to wax the car so it's no biggy.
Touchless car washes are like power washers pointed at your car. I used power washers to strip the paint off my fence once. It's amazing what water at high pressure can do. Now take a dirty car and use that pressure washer to force the dirt against the paint a high speed. Almost like sandblasting except the grit is already on your car. It doesn't sound pretty. I always mist my car before washing it to lubricate the dirt so it's not dry dirt against the paint.
Touchless car washes are like power washers pointed at your car. I used power washers to strip the paint off my fence once. It's amazing what water at high pressure can do. Now take a dirty car and use that pressure washer to force the dirt against the paint a high speed. Almost like sandblasting except the grit is already on your car. It doesn't sound pretty. I always mist my car before washing it to lubricate the dirt so it's not dry dirt against the paint.
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Joined: Nov 2001
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From: Sitting behind thing freakin desk of mine. Dreaming I was playing my Taylors, and driving my Benz. Long Live The VRAA!!!!!!
C230 Sports Coupe
The brushless carwash near my house doesnt use high powered water. It allmost looks like a waterfall. They soak the car very well, plus they use only meguiers car wash stuuf too. They soak the car with the soap, and let it set for 3 or 4 minutes then they rinse it with the "waterfall" thing. Its similar to taking the nossle off the hose pipe and you get a sheeting action. I've only used it about 5 times, since it only takes me 45 minutes to handwash mine I'll usually do it myself unless:
1 its too cold
2 I need a clean car but no time to wash
The dealer washes by hand anytime, and will wax it at service a b etc.
And dont get me started with the brush car washes that spin those big brushes around, can you say scratched!
1 its too cold
2 I need a clean car but no time to wash
The dealer washes by hand anytime, and will wax it at service a b etc.
And dont get me started with the brush car washes that spin those big brushes around, can you say scratched!
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 444
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From: Lincoln, NE
2000 BMW Z3 2.3 Roadster (hardtop current ly attached)
on silver/gold colored cars, the auto washes are pretty safe... BLACk is a no-no. I use one to get grime off, but that is it...
and at the dealer they will wash it whenever I stop by, for whatever reason... the guy in charge of their clean-up crew went to HS with me and we worked a summer gig at a dealership our senior summer... now I have a new Bimmer and he washes it for me. I must be doing something right.
and at the dealer they will wash it whenever I stop by, for whatever reason... the guy in charge of their clean-up crew went to HS with me and we worked a summer gig at a dealership our senior summer... now I have a new Bimmer and he washes it for me. I must be doing something right.
Last edited by dasMafia; Apr 11, 2002 at 07:22 PM.
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Member
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 81
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From: Kalamazoo, MI
Ive been taking my brilliant silver coupe to those do-it-yourself bays for washes, as I really dont have the patience for sitting down in my driveway to do it by hand. What do you guys think of those places? For some reason I just cannot get my car that clean at the place. I spray it with a soap/water mix, then i spray it with straight water, then spray with wax, then spray with water again.. still, as soon as i pull out of the bay and am in direct sunlight i can see streaks of dirt which easily comes off to the touch but apparantly the water didnt move (maybe it put it there?)
Sometimes I use the "foaming brush" but I am wary of it causing scratches, when I do use it i spray the brush down with the hose first to get rid of any dirt in there.
Sometimes I use the "foaming brush" but I am wary of it causing scratches, when I do use it i spray the brush down with the hose first to get rid of any dirt in there.
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