Keeping my black E63 clean is particularly hard here in the south with all the bugs. I have a bad back, so the hand washing (which I have done twice in the last 4 days) is causing me some real pain.

Nearby, we have a nice drive through that washes using high pressure and an anti-spot solution. I have been using it for years with various cars. It allows me to take off the bugs immediately then go back and get the stubborn ones.

Will this have an adverse effect on the paint? The water does not stink, so I don't think it is filtered. It may be my only hope to avoid crippling myself.

‘Touch less’ carwash:
Hand washing is MUCH preferred, don’t use an automated car wash period, touch less or not, there are a variety of reasons: You should never, under any circumstances use a car wash that requires you to let another person drive your vehicle onto the ramps or into the wash, notice the disclaimer

“No responsibility for damage to customer’s vehicle.”

Local by-laws require car washes to re-claim or recycle water. This means they have two choices.
a) They can collect the water in tanks and pay to truck it away to a recycling centre.

b) They can filter and then recycle the water (dependant on how often the filters are cleaned/changed) will effect how much dirt content there is.

Recycled meaning re-use the same water, which may include any road dirt/grit that is not filtered out is used to high-pressure (1,000PSI) wash your vehicle (somewhat similar to sandblasting) the final rinse is usually twice-filtered re-cycled water, this is to give the appearance of a clean surface on the vehicle.

•To remove snow/sand/road dirt and grit without agitation (brushes etc) requires the use of very strong chemical cleaners.
•Probably the most important is that this type of automatic car wash use high-pressure water and strong alkaline detergent to clean vehicles that will strip the wax/polish
•You will also need to renew the vehicles sealant / wax to ensure the paint surface protection on a regular basis to counteract the effects of the harsh detergents.
•Also be aware of those that use ‘wheel guides’ as they will cause scratches / etching to the wheel surfaces, as many wash facilities will not accommodate either the tire width or the clearance, thus causing sidewall damage
•Vehicle with lower than ‘standard’ suspension (Corvette C6 and other sports cars) should also be aware the wheel guides could cause body damage
•As an alternative in colder winter months I would suggest using a waterless vehicle cleaning product Protect All’s Quick Easy Wash (QEW)
•If you get a chance, attend a car wash / wax vendors symposiums where they give demonstrations of the different soap products that these type of facilities use. You'll come away a convert to never using them again, on any vehicle.

Save your back and get a clear bra...keep the clear bra protected so the bugs are easier to get off.

Hey Cosmic, those bugs sure did come out this week in Georgia! I've found using a great sealant/wax combo really helps keep the surface clean, and makes splatters easier to clean up.

As Jon said above, touch or touchless, it's still not the best for your car. The high or low pH washings strip everything off your surface, and if the chemicals they are using are cheap, sometimes it can promote drying out of your clear, which leads to oxidation.

The "wax or sealant" they spray on your surface is made to fill in swirls and scratches, but you'll notice it only lasts a couple days...worse so when it rains, it melts off.

If you decide to continue the use of a touchless tunnel, use a good sealant following up for optimal protection.

Have a good Georgia summer

Nick

Thanks for the advice Nick and TOGWT. I guess I'll continue hand washing the front every couple of days and doing the whole car every week. I trade every couple of years, so even if I used the touchless, a good detail would bring out one of the 8 coats of paint that they put on the E63.

Thanks for responding.

Hey Cosmic, also look at a waterless wash, such as Poorboy's Spray and Wipe or Optimum's No Rinse car wash. Both are super effective and safe when not doing an all-out car wash.