Has anyone taken their cab through a touchless car wash and had any damage to the top? I recently purchased an E550 cab and hate all the crap that gets on it in the winter. Normally I would hand wash, but that gets difficult in the winter.

 

 

it says on the manual don't, the seals gonna fail and any automatic carwash will damage the pain no matter touchless or not

 

I have run my cab through the touchless car wash probably three or four times in the course of a year. I see no evidence of damage and in fact the top looks much better than when I hand wash it. I think it is much better to have a touchless car wash than to leave all the "crap" that gets on a car during the winter. Street salt and sand, air pollution, dirty snow etc... I would not over do it but during the winter, sounds like a good idea to me.

 

I've done it several times without issue. Living in Massachusetts, it is a necessity sometimes, especially to get under carriage (winter s**t, road salt). Sorry, but I cannot accept any car, even a luxury car is so delicate, it cannot survive occasionally going through a touchless car wash.

 

I do it all the time, no problem at all.

 

 

I use whatever brushless car wash there is (they're all brushless now). Been doing it a couple of times a month for 3 years at least.

My dealer runs them through a local car wash after service so I don't worry too much about it.

 

The important thing to remember is to defeat the auto trunk option with the foot. If you don't, the undercarriage sprays could falsely open your trunk as it's being washed.

 

Jumping in here even though ours is a a205 C 300 Cabriolet. I read conflicting info, but do recognize the overall is to avoid. We will occassionally drive between our home and cottage in the summer. Being in Michigan, it will get hit by bugs. Unavoidable.

We have 1 good touch-less car wash near each home. Normally I go through it with our other vehicles upon arrival to clean off the travel related mess - dirt, dust, bugs, etc.. I had originally planned to do the same with this, but otherwise hand wash it. This would result in going through a touch-less car wash a few times a season April - Oct. Curious, has anyone ever had a problem doing this? I know the recommendation not to so as to help insurance seals, prevent leaks, etc… However, with limited use of a touch-LESS car wash, has anyone ever had an issue in rela life? Likewise, has anyone done this long term without issue (4-8 times max per year)?

Thanks everyone!

 

Car wash owner here, I wouldn't. Touchless washes require high pressure and harsher/less diluted chemicals. I wouldn't trust the owner or the equipment to be perfect everytime, and even if perfection was attainable, the risk is too high.

 

Appreciate the reply from a car wash owner. Appreciate your expert input.

 

I've been taking my 2015 E400 Cab to the local car wash since I bought it in late 2018. During the winter months, I would go at least once a week, then less as the weather became warmer. However, I didn't really drive it much. Shortly after the pandemic, the local car wash was bought by a PE-backed owner and started pushing subscriptions and jacked up the individual prices quite a bit. I figured out that with a subscription giving me unlimited washes, I was actually saving money, almost 50%.
My subscription gives me:

• Interior Vacuum
• Windows Cleaned
• Air Purge Dash, Console & Cupholders
• Wheel Cleaner
• Rain Repel
• Tire Shine
• Undercarriage Flush
• Clearcoat Protectant
• Foam Polish
• Spot-Free Rinse
• Soft Cloth & Foam Wash

All this to say, I take my 2015 cab to the wash often and have done so for several years now. I don't get the highest package with all the chemicals, but I do get the second highest package. No leaks, no issues. I do treat the top annually and condition the seals as well.