Are any auto car washes good and safe?

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mycarmycar28582

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So I've been washing my car in my garage for a few months & I get outstanding results but I'm usually very limited on time now and wanted to know if any of the auto car washes out there are safe, if so then which types of washes? My car's paint still looks good but not excellent, even though I clay bared it, polished, & carnauba waxed, it doesn't appeal as much it would. I know that auto car washes are bad for your paint but I mean I got to keep my car looking good one way or the other. Thanks
 
if you don't have time to do a traditional soap/bucket wash, why not do a rinseless/waterless wash. i would stay away from car washes, they will instill swirls marks and who knows what else...
 
Touchless washes are better than the swirl machines. However the chemicals they use can be very strong and strip the wax or sealant that you use. Rinseless washing is super easy and once or oerfect your system it only takes 15-20 for a quick wash, including wheels. I would grab multiple good quality microfibers for rinseless wash and get some black ones for the wheels. Never wash your wheel towels with your oaint towels. The brakes can produce small metal particles rendering your paint like a swirl bird wash would.
 
You can use a touchless car wash or one of the self serve coin operated washes. I'd stay away from those rotating machines 'swirl & scratch' automatic car washes.

I use a self service car wash often and use my own shampoo and just use their water and pressure sprayers. I also do rinse less and waterless washes.

I go to a self serve when I need to do my wheels and tires mainly and use that opportunity to do a full wash.
 
VISITOR said:
if you don't have time to do a traditional soap/bucket wash, why not do a rinseless/waterless wash. i would stay away from car washes, they will instill swirls marks and who knows what else...
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Not if its a touchless. I'm lucky to have an amazing car wash down the street that I totally utilze in the winter months. It gets about 85% of the junk off the car, the wheels and under carriage too and it's touchless!

So how could a touchless make swirls? It can't.

This is the only place I know that totally advocates waterless ( which it's far from waterless) washes 12 months a year.
 
Detailsbydaniel said:
Touchless washes are better than the swirl machines. However the chemicals they use can be very strong and strip the wax or sealant that you use.
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So this is how I feel as well and the only draw back for me during winter. However why then are there threads on here saying the only way to remove LSPs is by polishing ?

For example someone did a test and used s ton of different stripping agents in their soaps and says it doesn't remove LSP. So I'm s little indecisive but I lean towards soaps can infact remove LSP. CG clean slate def removes older sealants with ease. Same with citrus red etc.

Why is everyone so careful not to use too much soap or the wrong soap that will strip LSPs yet the majority feel only way to remove waxes and sealants is with polishing. And I'm not even talking coatings either.
 
mycarmycar28582 said:
So I've been washing my car in my garage for a few months & I get outstanding results but I'm usually very limited on time now and wanted to know if any of the auto car washes out there are safe, if so then which types of washes?
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As others have already mentioned, touchless is the only way to go if you want to use an automated car wash and avoid any paint damage. While a touchless is convenient, I have found they don't come even close to getting the vehicle as clean as a bucket wash. There is always a slight layer of grime left behind. In the winter they are the only way to keep vehicles clean, so I just deal with it and wait for Spring to get things back to rights.
 
Desertnate said:
As others have already mentioned, touchless is the only way to go if you want to use an automated car wash and avoid any paint damage. While a touchless is convenient, I have found they don't come even close to getting the vehicle as clean as a bucket wash. There is always a slight layer of grime left behind. In the winter they are the only way to keep vehicles clean, so I just deal with it and wait for Spring to get things back to rights.
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Same here. I don't expect the touchless to get the surface clean during winter but it does a great job of blowing off all the garbage on the roads that stuck to the car. And it won't swirl or scratch the paint.
 
Find a local touchless car wash and use this.

Then when you have time, do your own hand wash and spend some extra time on the wheels and include enough time to apply a fresh coat of wax or a paint sealant.


I coated a Toyota 4-5 years ago and told the owner to ONLY take the car through a touchless wash to avoid swirls and scratches and last time I looked the paint still looked amazing.



:)
 
Maybe a dumb question but what exactly is a touchless car wash?
 
It's an automated car wash that only has jets of water and spray heads for applying soap and other product. There are no brushes or anything else that touches the car; hence the name.

Depending on where you live, you may have never seen one. In my area, they are easy to find, but I've traveled/lived in other areas of the US where they are rare, if non-existent. On more than one occasion, I've pulled up to the side of a car wash site and actually stuck my head into the bay to see if it is "safe" because the signage was unclear.
 
So there are some that seem to have 2-3000 psi jets firing a few inches from the paint.

That doesn't scratch? I always assumed it would just blast debris particles across the surface and scratch. Good to know Mike's anecdote about the Toyota though. So I won't feel as bad in a pinch.

But since finding D114, it takes me 15 mins and 6 microfibers, with a gallon of water to do a full wash on a coated van. Love the stuff.
 
Ahh...we have the Scottsdale Car Spa which is where I take my truck during the summer - it is like that...they do use wash mitts by hand when they take it through, but they seem to do a decent job of keeping them clean
 
Hantra said:
So there are some that seem to have 2-3000 psi jets firing a few inches from the paint.

That doesn't scratch? I always assumed it would just blast debris particles across the surface and scratch. Good to know Mike's anecdote about the Toyota though. So I won't feel as bad in a pinch.
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The jets are not that close to you vehicle because they are on a rig that moves all around the vehicle, while you sit in one place. Swirls and scratches typically result from something dragging across the paint. The water coming out of the jets simply blast the grime off the surface and it floats away on the flow of water just like anyone who uses a pressure washer at home. Since nothing touches the paint, it's actually the safest way to clean a car...it doesn't clean as well, but it's safe.
 
CC268 said:
Ahh...we have the Scottsdale Car Spa which is where I take my truck during the summer - it is like that...they do use wash mitts by hand when they take it through, but they seem to do a decent job of keeping them clean
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I wouldn't go there since you never know what their wash mits an drying towels are like. We have two sites like you describe near me, but their mits and towels are filthy. They go from one car to another; no washing, no rinsing, no swaping out for a clean one.
 
Detailsbydaniel said:
Touchless washes are better than the swirl machines. However the chemicals they use can be very strong and strip the wax or sealant that you use. .
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It can do more than that.

Here is a service alert from Honda about car was chems.


touchless-1.gif




Besides the glass, it can also strip/etch the moldings, strip LSP's etc.
 
Depending on the weather, doing a rinseless/waterless wash isn't going to do the job, period. Not unless in wintertime, you're going to crawl underneath your car raised up with something and wash your undercarriage like this. In the winter months in salty roads, you have to do the touchless for the undercarriage spray for the salt removal. Realistically, even if you got a few swirlshere and there from the touchless wash, it's a choice between that and a rusty undercarriage.
 
CC268 said:
Maybe a dumb question but what exactly is a touchless car wash?
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if you use a touchless car wash, it won't completely remove all the dirt/contamination. you can use one of these then first, then do a rinseless/waterless wash after...
 
I use a touchless wash that's in the next town, all the time. But, I use their high pressure wand with NO soap, just on the RINSE cycle to clear off all (or most) of the loose debris. Then I drive home, for two miles, on the highway (70MPH or so) so the car is 99% dry by the time I get home.

The next step is a 15 minute WW with ONR and I'm left with a shiney clean car. I use this procedure when the car is too dirty for a first step ONR wash.
 
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