MANUFAKTUR Selenite Grey Magno and car washes

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Aug 30, 2022 | 11:24 AM
  #1  
Does anyone have experience taking a car with MANUFAKTUR Selenite Grey Magno to a car wash?

Advice? Thoughts? Warnings?
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Aug 30, 2022 | 11:32 AM
  #2  
.
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Aug 30, 2022 | 11:32 AM
  #3  
There are two schools of thought prevailing here on car washes -
1. DON'T EVER TAKE ANY NICE CAR TO A CAR WASH,
2. I DO IT ALL THE TIME - NO WORRIES.

FYI - I belong to the second school. Have put my manufaktur Cardinal Red 450 through a car wash many times, and have no concerns about it whatsoever, I did have the dealer do a protective coat on my car; Something they felt was very reliable.
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Aug 30, 2022 | 11:42 AM
  #4  
Quote: There are two schools of thought prevailing here on car washes -
1. DON'T EVER TAKE ANY NICE CAR TO A CAR WASH,
2. I DO IT ALL THE TIME - NO WORRIES.

FYI - I belong to the second school. Have put my manufaktur Cardinal Red 450 through a car wash many times, and have no concerns about it whatsoever, I did have the dealer do a protective coat on my car; Something they felt was very reliable.
I also belong to the second school, however isn’t it not recommended to wash matte paint cars in an automatic car wash, touch-less may be another story.
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Aug 30, 2022 | 12:50 PM
  #5  
Quote: There are two schools of thought prevailing here on car washes -
1. DON'T EVER TAKE ANY NICE CAR TO A CAR WASH,
2. I DO IT ALL THE TIME - NO WORRIES.

FYI - I belong to the second school. Have put my manufaktur Cardinal Red 450 through a car wash many times, and have no concerns about it whatsoever, I did have the dealer do a protective coat on my car; Something they felt was very reliable.
1. DON'T EVER TAKE ANY NICE CAR TO A CAR WASH, (if paint imperfections such and scratches and swirl marks bother you then... DON'T!)
2. I DO IT ALL THE TIME - NO WORRIES. (if paint imperfections such and scratches and swirl marks don't bother you then... No Worries!)
Reply 1
Aug 30, 2022 | 01:04 PM
  #6  
Quote: 1. DON'T EVER TAKE ANY NICE CAR TO A CAR WASH, (if paint imperfections such and scratches and swirl marks bother you then... DON'T!)
2. I DO IT ALL THE TIME - NO WORRIES. (if paint imperfections such and scratches and swirl marks don't bother you then... No Worries!)
This is my second Selenite magno car. I took the previous one to the car wash every week for FIVE years (mostly touchless). The paint looked like I had just driven it off the dealer. There is only one abbsolute NoNo with magno paint: never never use wax on it EVER. You can use spray wipe on "sealers" of you want glow and water repellency. It is the easiest most durable paint ever devised.
Reply 0
Aug 30, 2022 | 01:09 PM
  #7  
Quote: 1. DON'T EVER TAKE ANY NICE CAR TO A CAR WASH, (if paint imperfections such and scratches and swirl marks bother you then... DON'T!)
2. I DO IT ALL THE TIME - NO WORRIES. (if paint imperfections such and scratches and swirl marks don't bother you then... No Worries!)
This is my second Selenite magno car. I took the previous one to the car wash every week for FIVE years (mostly touchless). The paint looked like I had just driven it off the dealer. There is only one absolute NoNo with magno paint: never never use wax on it, EVER. You can use spray wipe on "sealers" of you want glow and water repellency. It is the easiest most durable paint ever devised. Thats why I got again!
Reply 0
Aug 30, 2022 | 01:23 PM
  #8  
Quote: This is my second Selenite magno car. I took the previous one to the car wash every week for FIVE years (mostly touchless). The paint looked like I had just driven it off the dealer. There is only one absolute NoNo with magno paint: never never use wax on it, EVER. You can use spray wipe on "sealers" of you want glow and water repellency. It is the easiest most durable paint ever devised. Thats why I got again!
I do not use car washes, but agree that it is the most durable paint. Light scratches don't affect matte paint, in the way that gloss paint will show swirls and microscratches after a carwash. Deep scratches will require a repaint no matter what paint you have.

BTW Hertz has machine car washes with rotating brushes, and some of their AMG rentals are matte grey. You will find that those cars show no more wear than the others. Actually they look better.
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Aug 30, 2022 | 01:40 PM
  #9  
Quote: 1. DON'T EVER TAKE ANY NICE CAR TO A CAR WASH, (if paint imperfections such and scratches and swirl marks bother you then... DON'T!)
2. I DO IT ALL THE TIME - NO WORRIES. (if paint imperfections such and scratches and swirl marks don't bother you then... No Worries!)
My previous car (2019 S450) which I owed for three years was selenite gray. I never once washed it by hand. There were absolutely no scratches or any swirls on it after 3 years of using a quality car wash.

Now, I own a cirrus silver EQS580. I always bring it to the best car wash in the city. No problems whatsoever.
Reply 0
Aug 30, 2022 | 02:18 PM
  #10  
As I wrote, there are two schools of thought.
One is positive; one is negative.
Pay your money and take your choice.
Reply 0
Aug 30, 2022 | 02:39 PM
  #11  
Newsflash! Unless you tell them not to, your car goes through a car wash each time you take it in for service. No dealer hand washes. Be that as it may, I'm one of the guys in the first camp, and always tell the dealer not to wash my car. No one washes my car but me....at least as long as this 72 year old can continue to wash them. YMMV.
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Aug 30, 2022 | 02:45 PM
  #12  
Quote: Newsflash! Unless you tell them not to, your car goes through a car wash each time you take it in for service. No dealer hand washes. Be that as it may, I'm one of the guys in the first camp, and always tell the dealer not to wash my car. No one washes my car but me....at least as long as this 72 year old can continue to wash them. YMMV.
Me too. Although some Mercedes dealers will hand wash your car on request.

BTW My Porsche dealer hand washes all cars.
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Aug 30, 2022 | 09:58 PM
  #13  
I have a selenite grey as well, and fall into the first camp. I generally do a rinseless wash unless really dirty - try to conserve water when I can.

With that said, I do think the magno paints are more robust than other company’s matte finishes from what I’ve seen/heard.
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Aug 30, 2022 | 10:10 PM
  #14  
Quote: Newsflash! Unless you tell them not to, your car goes through a car wash each time you take it in for service. No dealer hand washes. Be that as it may, I'm one of the guys in the first camp, and always tell the dealer not to wash my car. No one washes my car but me....at least as long as this 72 year old can continue to wash them. YMMV.
I made a big “Do not wash” placard I hang off the rear view mirror anytime mine visits the dealer.
Reply 1
Aug 30, 2022 | 10:16 PM
  #15  
Hand wash is usually (but not always) better than an automatic car wash.
But, if hand washing is not performed properly (eg by someone lazy and/or careless...even a dealer's service is not immune from this), it can just do some paint damages too.
Reply 0
Aug 31, 2022 | 08:14 PM
  #16  
I use a carwash too, but I would not take a car with Magno paint through a carwash. Reason being if you ever do have a scratch or something, it can't be polished out. Touchless washes are different, I'm talking about an automatic tunnel wash with cloth mitters that wipe along the car.
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Aug 31, 2022 | 10:54 PM
  #17  
If you are worried about magno paint in a car wash, there is another solution.

Buy regular Selenite Grey (which costs $3500 less than the Magno) and add the satin XPEL Stealth PPF wrap for about $5k. You will then have a wrapped car which is largely scratch resistant thanks to the self healing film, and if the surface is damaged, you can peel it off and replace it with another panel of PPF.
Reply 1
Sep 1, 2022 | 10:00 AM
  #18  
Quote: If you are worried about magno paint in a car wash, there is another solution.

Buy regular Selenite Grey (which costs $3500 less than the Magno) and add the satin XPEL Stealth PPF wrap for about $5k. You will then have a wrapped car which is largely scratch resistant thanks to the self healing film, and if the surface is damaged, you can peel it off and replace it with another panel of PPF.
Thats 100% what I would do if I wanted that look.
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