SEC1939

I have always hand washed my cars. Even in the winter in Chicago. Perhaps not as often in the winter though. I use quality car wash a few mitts and can knock it out in 20-30 min if not too dirty. I use a California water blade then micro fiber towels to finish.
How about everyone else?

belarus27

during spring and summer try to hand wash it as much as i can , sometimes get lazy and go to a carwash.
but fall and winter carwashes only.
one time a week , usually fridays lol

SEC1939

I've been doing this 1976 when I started driving. I find it kind of relaxing. More so in summer than winter.

Abrown3mtg

I always hand wash in summer due to the width of my rear wheels and the stupid metal tracks in automatic car washes. I think I'm going to buy an unlimited wash plan for the winter when my stock wheels are on so I can more easily keep it clean and avoid rust. That said, I feel a hand wash is the only effective way to really take care of your vehicle.

et350

I pay $15 for a hand wash in Houston
I took my car to MB Sugarland last week and their free wash (run it through the machine) doesn't get the (stock) wheels totally clean like the hand wash does.

cetialpha5

Take care of it for what? It's not a child.

I just take mine to the car wash, when you live in the city, that's sometimes the only option.

Munich77

Hand wash only - dealership knows better than to wash it. I wash year round.

ilovemaui1

I hand wash year round. I use a master blaster on the 040 and hand dry the silver W212.

designzio

Life is too short to hand wash your car. (Just saying.)

Abrown3mtg

The chemicals used to treat the roads in the winter is almost greasy. A drive through was will not fully remove it. (Touchless).. a drive through with brushes will scratch the heck out of your car.

Oh yeah. And my car is my baby

Peachy

Sometimes I handwash, sometimes I don't.

PatrixUSA

I prefer to hand wash if I have time, that way you know it's being done right and the car is being treated right. Also, I've noticed on the track feed car washes that are popular out here in SoCal, the inside lip of the wheels get marred if they grind against the track due to not being aligned on the track properly. I have a neighbor that swears by blow drying his cars with an electric blower, seems to work great on his cars, and not touching the paint, I may have to give it a shot.

iGeorge

I'm unabashed about my car being my baby. That being said, I do take the car to a machine wash, but I also hand wax and polish the car to both protect the finish and gives me a chance to catch and correct anything the car wash missed. For me it counts as a low impact exercise for the day.

E430_4MATIC

I too only hand wash my Palladium Silver S212 which fortunately hides the dirt well. I find myself hand washing the wheels more frequently to avoid the buildup of brake dust. The 5 spoke 17" wheels are ridiculously easy to clean with a Speed Master Brush and still look new inside and out. When the wheels are done, I wipe them down with a detailing spray.

As for drying, I've heard the water blades can scratch (?) so crazy as it sounds, I too have been using a leaf blower then finish it off with a microfiber towel.

Zavato

same here

SEC1939

in the past I was really particular on technique washing and rinsing one panel at a time. Now days I start on the roof and pretty much wash the entire car in one shot before rinsing. I use two wash mitts though exchanging often in the process. Of course a good hose wet down prior to any washing and I do my wheels last. In hot weather I may rinse more frequent. Always wash in the garage, I have a nice pitch out the drive so the water goes away quick. I do find the W212 pretty easy to wash.
In the ole-days I was a wax fanatic too. Modern paints really have nice gloss and hold up well. Maybe wax 1 to 2 x per year.

Munich77

I switched to coatings and top off the car with a wax layer before winter.

Pghbenz

I have been detailing cars on the side for approx 17 years. I have always used the two bucket hand wash method. However, I also use a pressure washer of my own to foam gun a high quality high foaming soap onto the vehicle, of which I let sit for 5 minutes to loosen the dirt before hand washing it. This of course is done as a maintenance wash and also as a prep for clay barring...scratch removal....polishing....sealant application....and carnauba wax top off. What is nice is that with a quality sealant on the car and mild dirt on vehicle, a sealant enables me to foam gun it and not even hardly have to mitt the car. Just rinse and dry with a leaf blower and apply wheel dressing and off I go! Just my 2 cents worth on the topic.

SEC1939

electric leaf blower? With a nozzle or just the big tube?

Pghbenz

I use a gas blower with a long handle. I just make sure there are no small stones and debris on the ground surrounding the vehicle and let the blower go crazy!

Airmousam

Hand wash when I can, otherwise spray booth or touch less. Never ever track machine wash or the dealer wash ever

need2speed

M-B recommends not using touchless car wash due to the unique chemicals added. I had to research this to claim repairs on my dealer-installed 3M when they tried to say use of any mechanical car wash invalidated the warranty. Not true of course.

PS, anyone clay bar? The feeling afterwards is almost erotic ;-)

Pghbenz

PS, anyone clay bar? The feeling afterwards is almost erotic ;-)


Best thing you can do for your car!

jylee

Why pay and wait. I always wash my cars.

PeterUbers

I try to avoid handwashing it myself only because I keep finding defects in the finish from wear and tear, and get a big depressed, LOL!