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I’ve had my 2015 S class for quite a while now. I’ve always been of the thought to avoid drive through car washes and that hand washing is the only option. However, during the winter months I do occasionally see some MB owners using drive thru car washes. I’d like some feedback/opinions on this. I.e are auto car washes really such a bad option? For anyone that’s used them, since the car still has to be running, how do you deactivate the various alarms that would sound during the wash? All responses will be appreciated
I run my S Class through a carwash every week. I pay monthly and I can wash both cars as much as I want.
Are they bad for the car? Yes. Thats why I drive light colored cars. Carwashes will always cause scratches and wear to the paint and trim. My Pacifica is dark blue, and the paint is beat.
I just reach over and turn off the parking sensors.
I hand-wash my car. I don't like scratches on it, or using harsh chemicals (i.e. what the touchless car washes have). I had my car's paint corrected when I bought it, then had ceramic coating applied and since then I only wash by hand. Whilst the ceramic coating can resist a few passes through a car wash, I don't want to weaken it more than I have to, plus I enjoy allocating a couple of hours whenever I decide to wash the car*.
* no waxing though! Thanks to the coating, I only need to apply a bit of a ceramic detailer afterwards which takes much less time compared to a wax procedure.
On both my Cayenne and S550 strictly they only see hand car washes - I hate the marks from the rubber / textured brushes maybe not at first but over time you'll see those swirl marks/scratches from the brushes applying pressure as they adjust high and low depending on vehicle height and size etc. I have yet to do a mobile car wash which are probably the best because your paying someone to strictly just clean your vehicle for $40-$50 starting?
I also detail my cars so i'm next level OCD on appearance lol
I'd love to hand wash, but I don't have the time or energy. There was a time in my life when I never would have used a carwash, but that was many years ago
I do the drive through car wash anytime it is needed. Pay once for unlimited wash/vacuum and wax every few months. I have never been one to hand wash my cars; except when I hire the detailer to do the dirty deed.
Last edited by JohnLane; Feb 12, 2023 at 11:32 PM.
I'd love to hand wash, but I don't have the time or energy. There was a time in my life when I never would have used a carwash, but that was many years ago
Lol - Im probably 20 years younger then you (33) and I don't even have the energy to hand wash lol - I just google hand car washes in my area I pay $15 dollars for exterior only, - They hand wash the car and i'm done in 20-45 minutes depending on the car wash line. Your in Maryland too - on a sunday morning pay $50 bucks have them come to your house in there little Ford van with the powerwash in it and scrubbies and let them wash.
It's actually nice to do cause you don't have to sit there for X minutes then get out pay and wait some more then go back home with that tire shine that comes off in 2 seconds whereas you sit home watch TV have your coffee and never move the car.
I handwash my car with all the proper techniques (ONR, 2 buckets, pre-soak with pressure washer) and I still have tons of swirls and RIDS.
I don’t use them, but I think a drive-through carwash is fine if you detail the vehicle —2x/year. If you just use a carwash and never get the car detailed it will look haggard fast.
I’ve had my 2015 S class for quite a while now. I’ve always been of the thought to avoid drive through car washes and that hand washing is the only option. However, during the winter months I do occasionally see some MB owners using drive thru car washes. I’d like some feedback/opinions on this. I.e are auto car washes really such a bad option? For anyone that’s used them, since the car still has to be running, how do you deactivate the various alarms that would sound during the wash? All responses will be appreciated
I use a hybrid of that - a car wash that does hand washing. They spray and soap the car by hand then it goes through the tunnel where it is rinsed and air dried followed by hand drying and interior cleaning by hand with micro fiber towels. The water they use is filtered and the towels are laundered after each use. I have a monthly contract and can get my cars washed as often as needed. So in a way it incorporates the best of both worlds.
Lol - Im probably 20 years younger then you (33) and I don't even have the energy to hand wash lol - I just google hand car washes in my area I pay $15 dollars for exterior only, - They hand wash the car and i'm done in 20-45 minutes depending on the car wash line. Your in Maryland too - on a sunday morning pay $50 bucks have them come to your house in there little Ford van with the powerwash in it and scrubbies and let them wash.
It's actually nice to do cause you don't have to sit there for X minutes then get out pay and wait some more then go back home with that tire shine that comes off in 2 seconds whereas you sit home watch TV have your coffee and never move the car.
The problem is nothing like that exists around here. There is one tunnel hand wash, but its 25 miles away. As for somebody coming to the house and washing the car, thats fine but I want a clean car on demand. If we have a rainy weekend, I want to get it washed Monday, or Thursday, or whenever I want, I don't want to have to wait until Saturday when the guy comes, and then what if its raining Sunday, I have to drive a dirty car until the following Saturday. What if I want to do something else Saturday? I just want to roll into the carwash whenever I want and get it washed.
Those of you who use a paid car wash, do you have issues with the brushes knocking the hood ornament out of place? I have a couple of washes near me with reasonable monthly rates, but the brushes displace the hood ornament and I imagine it's only a matter of time before they would damage it. It springs back when I adjust it after the wash with no apparent damage, but for how long?
I vacuum every now and then; doesn't need any more than that, but I apply a leather cleaner and sealer every three months. That, I easily dread more than hand washing once a week. It's back breaking and takes 3 to 4 hours to do properly.
Those of you who use a paid car wash, do you have issues with the brushes knocking the hood ornament out of place? I have a couple of washes near me with reasonable monthly rates, but the brushes displace the hood ornament and I imagine it's only a matter of time before they would damage it. It springs back when I adjust it after the wash with no apparent damage, but for how long?
It depends on the car wash. Mine doesn’t bother the hood ornament. You also can push it back towards the hood and it will snap down and hold itself back.
Originally Posted by Quenthel;[url=tel:8720611
8720611[/url]]So what do you do with the interior?
I vacuum every now and then; doesn't need any more than that, but I apply a leather cleaner and sealer every three months. That, I easily dread more than hand washing once a week. It's back breaking and takes 3 to 4 hours to do properly.
The carwash does the interior too. I let them do the Pacifica because it’s a disaster, but I just vacuum my own and wipe down the wheel, etc because it stays very clean inside.
I handwash my 2017 (granted it is only a C-Class but still...) unless I really have to, I go to touchless washes when it is super cold or I try to hold off a week or so, if there is too much salt used on the road, I would use touchless. I mean it is still better than salt on the vehicle.
If you really have to use touchless, I recommend picking the least expensive option but at a state of the art facility, mainly because the least expensive ones use the least harsh chemicals and the state of the art ones at least hopefully don't use bad water/or badly recycled water.
The problem with all the soft-cloth/brush automatic washes is that it washes all kinds of vehicles, some full of mud or some with unsecured cargo that can get wrapped in the brushes which then damages your vehicle, for example this (this video might be painful to watch, it was for me so I placed it in a spoiler if you do indeed want to watch it, you may click it)
Spoiler
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHNXmWEVYV0
Last edited by W205C43PFL; Feb 12, 2023 at 06:56 PM.
The problem is nothing like that exists around here. There is one tunnel hand wash, but its 25 miles away. As for somebody coming to the house and washing the car, thats fine but I want a clean car on demand. If we have a rainy weekend, I want to get it washed Monday, or Thursday, or whenever I want, I don't want to have to wait until Saturday when the guy comes, and then what if its raining Sunday, I have to drive a dirty car until the following Saturday. What if I want to do something else Saturday? I just want to roll into the carwash whenever I want and get it washed.
Steve is correct. We live in the same county, and there is no drive-up hand wash available to us. If there was I would gladly pay the premium for a hand wash. The ONLY option we have is drive-through or mobile detailers, which require advance scheduling. Frankly, it sucks. I often think that if something like that opens up in our county it could do quite well.
Also depends on where you live and if you have PPF. Here in dry and sunny California I don't need to wash my car very much, especially since I don't drive it every day and it's garaged. No salt on the road or other harsh environmental factors and if it rains I can just choose not to drive. I used to hand wash my cars back when I drove more and was more nitpicky, but I have better things to do. I take it through a state of the art touchless near my house once every few weeks. Mainly to wash the dust off. It hasn't seen rain in 3 years.
BTW, a German university did a study on hand washing vs. commercial car washes and they found that handwashing leaves more and deeper scratches even if done properly. The study was later confirmed by the University of Texas. Handwashing is not all what it's cracked up to be. Now it all depends on what kind of commercial car wash you are using. I wouldn't go to those gas station car washes. While I was in Europe on my European Delivery trip it was raining a lot for the first month and I took it to a car spa several times. Those are state of the art automated car washes combined with some hand pre-wash and then a station where you can do final drying using clean towels and vacuum the interior etc. Once the car arrived in the US I put PPF on the front half and the rear bumper, so the most exposed parts are protected and the PPF is self healing.
Ultimately, UV light and harsh weather does much more damage to the paint than an occasional wash.
I run my S Class through a carwash every week. I pay monthly and I can wash both cars as much as I want.
Are they bad for the car? Yes. Thats why I drive light colored cars. Carwashes will always cause scratches and wear to the paint and trim. My Pacifica is dark blue, and the paint is beat.
I just reach over and turn off the parking sensors.
Same for me. Been using car washes for years and no problem. I don't even think the scratches are worth mentioning. I'd rather have a few minor unseen scratches than a filthy car.
Those of you who use a paid car wash, do you have issues with the brushes knocking the hood ornament out of place? I have a couple of washes near me with reasonable monthly rates, but the brushes displace the hood ornament and I imagine it's only a matter of time before they would damage it. It springs back when I adjust it after the wash with no apparent damage, but for how long?
Every time I drive through Costco’s car wash the star is off to the right after. The full service car wash I use with a once monthly fee does the same a third of the time. Relax. The hood star is designed to do this, and even if it fails a replacement is inexpensive and easily installed. I’ve been driving MB since 1994. Never had a hood star fail. Had one taken in the ‘90s. Seattle. Figures.
Oh wow, this is an eye opener, this thread. I never go to the car wash and even have a separate hose in my garage which is heated. Don't hate, but I simply spray water on my car with a hose, for a while, then wipe it all off with a yellow Costco microfiber cloth. I know, you think i'm an idiot not using soap, but my cars look amazing years and years later doing it the lazy man's method. Yep, no soap. I'm a lazy bum, I know. I just don't have time for it, no inclination to do more than this. The result is crazy good looking. Incredible that just water, works. If it's 20 degrees out, I still water it down with the heated garage hose, then bring it into the garage to melt since it freezes as soon as it stays on the car, then wipe down.
No offense to car wash people, I just don't want to risk it, the swirls, but mostly, have to drive to one, wait in line, maybe for a longer time than I'd want to, and hope nothing goes wrong with the wheels getting messed up or the car getting messed up. Instead, I can wash my car at 11pm at night in the dark using the garage lights... it's fine. I'll be dead soon, I'm 62, in 38 years or less, I won't live forever, and this method works for me. I had the front PPF's and the whole car ceramic coated 5 years ago, still looks... new.
Spraying a car with just water and wiping it down with a costco microfiber is going to swirl the paint for sure, unless you only do that when the car is already clean. Put some bright halogen lights on that and I guarantee it. If you don't want to use soap you need to use a waterless wash solution like Optimum No Rinse.
I putz around with my cars in the garage at night too, detail them etc...washing is just more work and mess than I want to deal with. I go around the car with some QD and a spray ceramic booster and detail the wheels and the interior and all after I've gotten it washed and it comes out perfect. But, if you shone a halogen light on it its swirled and all, but...thats why its white.
As to driving to a carwash, I stop on my way to and fro, thats the point.
Car wash type matters and mostly paint matters.
A light paint will hide defects a lot better than a dark paint, metallic paints will also hide defects better than solid.
A solid black car going through traditional brush carwash will look pretty bad after 2 yrs, same treatment on a metallic white car will be hardly noticeable.
Of course wax/coating help prevent and hide swirling, effectiveness varies by product.
Hand wash is only as good as the method, single bucket-sponge water only wash is probably as bad as a traditional carwash.
I only hand wash with 2 microfiber mitts (1 for upper panels & 1 for lower) using 2 buckets, each with Grit guard. Water is treated with water softener and sediment filter in line.
Separate bucket for wheels. Car is washed in garage to prevent water spots. Dry with Makita leaf blower. No swirls since purchase. Re-polish and seal with Sonax Polymer Net Shield every 6 months.
Black car needs special care. It is a full time job!
Last edited by blackbullit; Feb 20, 2023 at 07:59 PM.
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
