sosh

I usually have my cars washed at the auto washes seen all over the place but use only the soft brush variety. Even these in the long run do place the microscopic scratches on the paint particularly dark colors. Found a new wash that just opened a few miles from my home, TOTALLY BRUSHLESS. Used it and was very impressed. Did an excellent job and the ML was perfectly clean including the wheels. Not one brush in the entire place, car is dried after coming out by towling off with each guy using fresh, clean very soft towels. Cost ranges from 10 to 16 bucks depending on level of wash. Was so impressed went home and got my 01 E320 and took it out there also even though its not a dark color (Silver). Only downside is that they did not do the quick interior vacuum, dust and window interiors. In speaking with them they are planning to implement this in the future. They did give a free coin so that you could vacuum the interior yourself using their coin op machines.

curtrich

More cars have been scratched by dirt caught in a terrycloth towel or by the nylon stitching on same than ever done by a brush with enough water pressure on it.

The owner of a car wash chain with brushes but with high pressure and with lots of illegal aliens, er, undocumented immigrants with lots of clean towels convinced me of that. He got his car washed daily and wouldn't let them make 2 swipes with the same towel. It was pristine at 5 years when he traded it in.

I predict unless you do it yourself using about 25+ clean, specific use terrycloth towels with cotton stitching, working from top to bottom and never using for a second swipe, the car will get scratches. That is life in the big city. You can either go crazy trying to avoid it, or take reasonable measures to mimimize it and live with the results. A good body shop can make it all go away before you sell the car 10 years from now.

Gustav M.

... and the mention of "illegal aliens" is pertinent because...

sosh

These people claim that the towels that they use are specially made to avoid any scratching. The towels were changed for each car and there were 5 people toweling, each took a small area. Do not believe that there were any illegals among them. Appeared to be clean cut young people, articulate and well groomed!

Gustav M.

It sounds like those people were unemployed PhDs. They probably had degrees in automotive engineering, hence their lack of knowledge on how to detail a car. Makes total sense to me!

To this date I have not found an automatic car wash that doesn't put scratch marks on cars.

You can theorize all you want, but the bottom line is that if you care enough about the paint on your MB, either you hand wash it yourself, or you find a good car-wash outlet where they do it by hand. If little scratch marks here and there don't bother you too much, a good automatic car-wash will do indeed.

I live in Manhattan but go to Queens to have my car washed. The guys who wash it and dry it always leave the car as new and they are extremely detail-oriented. I haven't interviewed each fellow who works there so I don't know about their diction, nor have I checked their papers to see whether they are foreigners or not, but they sure know how to use those towels, and yes, they use them by the dozen.

-- Gustav

Gustav M.

Most of the 19 terrorists who hijacked and crashed the planes on our country were "clean cut young people, articulate and well groomed!". They even traveled first class and were probably all polyglots.

curtrich

Gustav,

Apparently my dry, cultivated sense of humor is lost on you, and you seem bent on following me around this website, stalking me so to speak. It is indeed fortunate that this is an electronic medium. Were someone to follow me around in real life I would feel threatened.

As I seem to offend you whenever I write something, may I suggest you simply don't read my responses. It might be better for your blood pressure.

If you expect me to be politically correct in order to please you, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. To quote Popeye, I yam what I yam. Each of my posts has been helpful in intention, and I'm only here because one or more of the moderators asked me here. I was reluctant to do so because of expectations of posts like yours. So far I've spent some time looking up part numbers and discussing problems with technicians in order to come up with informed, helpful answers. Misinformation abounds in these forums. I'm here to minimize same. It is quite unlikely that anything occuring at this website will aid me in my business as I have enough trouble filling orders from local clients to worry about selling Mercedes to Canadians, Californians, or New Yorkers. Thus I'm here just to be a good guy, just as I answer e-mails several times a day from people far out of my usual sales area.

Starting now I will try with all of my not inconsiderable might to ignore your posts. I humbly request you do the same.

Gustav M.

Curt,

Sorry you feel that way.

I am not sure what you are referring to since I have not been "offended" by any of your posts, but clearly you have been bothered by mine.

Limiting ourselves to discussing MB-related issues will be the best way to keep any nascent (or imagined) arguments in check. Your posts (contrary to what you believe I think) have mostly been informative and helpful in that regard.

As to what you will read or not, that's your business, not mine.

-- Gustav

sosh

How did my post about a car wash turn into a political nightmare?? Perhaps this is what goes on in DC!!!

dasMafia

good lord I wish I had that much free time... to worry about such minor things... I am SO buying silver this time around!

poppi68

Where do you go in Queens? I went to yellowpages.com and found around 4 promising handwash places. Thanks in advance.