Commerical car washes???

[Chain]

Guys,

Is it completely taboo to utilize commerical car washes during, say, the cold winter months when it's impossible to hand wash at home?

The big buck places in town are truly touchless, but cost over $20 for the full service wash & dry.

On the other hand, there are automatic car washes that cost about five bucks apiece and use "soft cloth" equipped wheels and what I'll call "soft cloth drapes" to get the dirt off your vehicle.

Are you actually better off NEVER washing your car in the winter than to take it to one of the soft cloth commerical car washes???

I could toss in one of the expensive touch-free jobs every couple of weeks when I've got a spare twenty...

I'm just curious what everyone does here. I'm talking about a daily driver, not something I can hide under a cover in the garage.

[rusty bumper]

Given the choice to leave corrosive salt & chemicals on my finish, or take it to a commercial car wash?.........I think that I would opt for a car wash, but only as a last resort.

Unless it was of the touchless variety.

I guess it's one of those "pick your poison" type of situations.

Maybe some of the others will come up with some better ideas here.

[Pete-FWA]

Sure is a tough call

Most of the spray-it-yourself washes as well as the "touchless" automatics use fairly harsh detergent soap that strips LSP's and polishes.

One of our local "touchless" washes didn't wash too well, but their manager showed me his "secret for success": teenagers armed with moist towels at the end of the drier tunnel. They had weak air driers and countered with the opportunity to let the towel people "dry" the car and make the customers happy.

They were out there rubbing the dirt in circular fashion onto the finish all day long. WOW that place made a lot of business for our shop

[Slats]

I hate the idea of any big "soft" things slapping my baby's finish. If it's over 32 degrees I still hand wash all winter. Then again, I'm a little OCD. Also, when I get salt on the car I use a pressure washer to get under the car and in the wheelwells.

Slats

[Don]

Originally posted by Pete-FWA

Most of the spray-it-yourself washes as well as the "touchless" automatics use fairly harsh detergent soap that strips LSP's and polishes.

When it's too cold etc, for me to hand wash the car, I use the 'rinse' feature in the self serve bays to get at least most of the grunge off my car...no harsh soaps that way.

[Shiny Lil Detlr]

Originally posted by Don
When it's too cold etc, for me to hand wash the car, I use the 'rinse' feature in the self serve bays to get at least most of the grunge off my car...no harsh soaps that way.

I've been known to take a bucket, wash soap, and MF wash sponge/pad to the spray-bay in the winter, too....

[LiquidBlack]

In my opinion, if it's above 32 degrees, wash it when it gets dirty.

If it's above 32, but your butt is freezing off, then just pressure wash all the nast off your car as best you can, and use a leaf blower to get most of the water off.


2003 STATISTICS Lincoln, Nebraska
TEMPERATURE PRECIPITATION
Month -- Avg. -- Max -- Min.
Nov. -- 37.8 ---- 73 --- 11
Dec. -- 30.5 ---- 56 --- -2
Jan. -- 24.3 ---- 70 --- -13
Feb. -- 24.6 ---- 59 --- -6
Mar. -- 40.5 ---- 85 --- 3
Apr. -- 52.7 ---- 91 --- 21

[Jeff Smith]

Re: Commerical car washes???

Originally posted by Chain
Guys,

Is it completely taboo to utilize commerical car washes during, say, the cold winter months when it's impossible to hand wash at home?

The big buck places in town are truly touchless, but cost over $20 for the full service wash & dry.

On the other hand, there are automatic car washes that cost about five bucks apiece and use "soft cloth" equipped wheels and what I'll call "soft cloth drapes" to get the dirt off your vehicle.

Are you actually better off NEVER washing your car in the winter than to take it to one of the soft cloth commerical car washes???

I could toss in one of the expensive touch-free jobs every couple of weeks when I've got a spare twenty...

I'm just curious what everyone does here. I'm talking about a daily driver, not something I can hide under a cover in the garage.

I use a Touchless CW but do try to keep it to a minumum. I learned a valuable lesson a couple of weeks back.

I usually wash/wax on Monday's. The forecast was bad for Monday so Sunday I figured I would knock it out a day early. It had rained a few days before this so I figured the truck was reasonably clean, and I took it through the touchless CW. Then drove straight to where I work where I was going to wax. Once there, I figured I had better QD it before starting. It had such a bad dirty film on it that I went through 3 QD pads and all were filthy. Granted the previous rain had left a road film but I was completely surprised to go through 3 pads after having put it through the car wash. I was kind of aggrivated. I almost skipped the waxing but I figured it should be clean enough after all the QDing. So, my lesson learned was "Do not expect one of these places to do a good enough job if you are trying to wax right after".

I tend to only use them if I know I am getting ready to wax in a few days. I still handwash prior to a wax though.

I now have the grit guard set up and hope to use those buckets this winter. Fill them up with hot water and go to the spray bay. Wash using my water and rinse using their wand. Theory is good anyway.

[Djmigs]

i agree it a tough call....

i hear that all car wash including touch free wash all have reclaimed(recycled) water..imagine someone prior to you have all this mud and dirt on there car and get recycled with the water and get used on your car and cause scratches plus the harsh detergent ....not a good scenario....

[Chain]

Thanks for the good advice, fellas. The theme here is, stay away from anything that touches your car or truck other than your own two hands!

[LiquidBlack]

Or water from your own house, unless you are completely sure that it is just what it is: water.

[Shaun Carollo]

I have been working at a gas station/quick lube/car wash/detail center for the last 6 weeks. We prep the cars real good then take em through the wash. I probably take 4-5 cars through the wash every day, and it is absolute torcher. The sound of all those flaps rotating at high speed, GRINDING their dirt incrusted selves into the cars makes me cringe. On some occasions the rotating brushes will actually move the car so much that my head gets jolted a little bit.

Car Washes = devil

PS - I get a free works ($10) car wash with every paycheck but im sure you know where those end up (garbage.)

[Shiny Lil Detlr]

Originally posted by Djmigs
i agree it a tough call....

i hear that all car wash including touch free wash all have reclaimed(recycled) water..imagine someone prior to you have all this mud and dirt on there car and get recycled with the water and get used on your car and cause scratches plus the harsh detergent ....not a good scenario....

Honestly, though, I've never seen anything worse than micro-marring from using a pressure washer stocked by reclaimed water. Maybe I'm just lucky to have someplace that filters the water well, but I don't really think it's a big deal. Just hit the finish with some M80 or M82 when spring gets here, and you're back in business.