Car Washes - I'm Weakening

[rhud]

When I got my brand-new A Class in November I swore that it would never go anywhere near automatic car washes. However as the years roll on (mine,not the car's) I find car cleaning an increasingly onerous chore.

There is local auto car wash which seems one of the better sort - ie it has flat, wide,soft brushes as opposed to the ones that look nylon string.

So I am wobbling a bit. Are auto car washes really as bad as most people think?

 

[wemorgan]

IMHO they are better than some local hand wash places that use dirty old sponges in gritty water, that also use the same sponge for the bodywork as for the wheels. (an extreme example I admit).

If you must use an automatic car wash it might be worth treating the car to a professional hand wash, polish, wax once a year before the winter.

 

[Mic]

I think modern car washers in conjunction with modern paint are perfectly acceptable and in particular for occasional use during the winter months when it is desirable to remove as much salt as possible from areas that cannot be reached by hand.
I use them almost exclusively on my two older cars with no apparent damage to the coachwork and I used them pretty much exclusively on my SL until about a year ago when the b'tards on this Forum shamed me into predominately hand washing.....and even polishing.
I am, however, convinced of the merits of being more close up and personal with the coachwork of my car but I can report that using a car wash has most definitely not been detrimental to the coachwork.
I acknowledge that I am in a minority regarding the positives of using a car wash.

Mic

 

[Mercedes-2010]

When I got my brand-new A Class in November I swore that it would never go anywhere near automatic car washes. However as the years roll on (mine,not the car's) I find car cleaning an increasingly onerous chore.

There is local auto car wash which seems one of the better sort - ie it has flat, wide,soft brushes as opposed to the ones that look nylon string.

So I am wobbling a bit. Are auto car washes really as bad as most people think?

Don't give in! It's a part of your fitness regime, good for aerobic fitness you know

 

[horgantrevor]

i know were you are coming from

near me their is a automatic brushless wash great finish just like the normal bush wash but no brushes just high pressure jets 6 euro for wash

also an other local has a americian style car wash drive in several guys attack the car and in you go to a cloth type brush wash and the guys are at other end too finish the job great finish , about 10 euro for wash

only thing is im based in ireland

and yet again i love too wash the car by hand as i can get all the little thing and places that machines can do

 

[JEZ.S320L]

...........Are auto car washes really as bad as most people think?

Oh yes - and probably worse IMHO.!

I have just had the Navigator treated with 'Toughguard' (there are other similar treatments) and will only require the services of a jet wash and a polishing chamois leather, for at least the next 5 years.

The guy who did it for me, showed me a car which had had regular auto-car washes. The paintwork was trashed. It was full of tiny scatches and swirl marks where the dirty nylon bristles had scoured the lacquer. It was a total mess.

For pictures of the treated Navigator - see the thread here

 

[danger bollards]

My auntie used a drive in car was on her fiesta and it slammed down on the back of the car smashing the rear window and denting the boot lid....I always do mine by hand with clean sponge...If i drop it i go to the shed and get a fresh one.

OR

I use a high pressure wash at a safe distance as to not take off the paintwork.

 

[Pjbracer1]

Hand Wash all the way for me I am a little bit like MONK when it comes to cleaning my car and even the expensive hand washes can not put the same detail into it as me such as running a small cloth along all the seems on the bumpers etc to get the ground in dirt out, I also quite enjoy the work out, the guys at MBS always comment on how clean my car is if I have to take it down there.

During winter this year I have use a local hand wash for about £12.00 inside and out and they are pretty good just tell them not to use the soft blade before the shamois as I find this is what causes hazing on the surface of the paint but if it has at least 2 coats of polish a year shouldnt be a problem.

Wheels are another thing AMG wheels look great but I find if I take them off once a year and clean the inside and give a coat of polish they are easy to clean as the brake dust doesnt stick as easy.

On another note I think if the car is kept clean and shiny it has to slip through the air better (I fly and we polish the planes up) also in the summer the bugs have less to stick to!

You cant beat wahing your car yourself as you can stand back and admire the effort at the end (and that is a couple of hours not sat infront of the TV).

Tips use an absorber http://www.the-absorber.co.uk/ shamois its great no smears takes alot of water and doesnt leave any bits like a leather its good for the inside as well unless you like the secondhand car dealer sillicone shine effect.

Cheers

P

 

[orbitalegg]

Car washes are indeed getting better and the brushless ones with the fabric do not leave swirls on the paint work.

The guy who did it for me, showed me a car which had had regular auto-car washes. The paintwork was trashed. It was full of tiny scatches and swirl marks where the dirty nylon bristles had scoured the lacquer. It was a total mess.

I am not surprised some one who wanted to sell you a protective coating showed you a worst case scenario.

 

[mrsdoyle]

Might interest you...
http://link.brightcove.com/ser...73001

 

[Developer]

I find that using a proper car washing sponge (they are usually around 200mm long and 100mm wide) lets you makes real progress.

Good aerobic exercise too.

 

[Mercedes-2010]

i know were you are coming from

near me their is a automatic brushless wash great finish just like the normal bush wash but no brushes just high pressure jets 6 euro for wash

also an other local has a americian style car wash drive in several guys attack the car and in you go to a cloth type brush wash and the guys are at other end too finish the job great finish , about 10 euro for wash

only thing is im based in ireland

and yet again i love too wash the car by hand as i can get all the little thing and places that machines can do

This is not on!!!

It should be girlies in t shirts.... :Oops:

 

[orbitalegg]

Might interest you...
http://link.brightcove.com/ser...73001

link not working

 

[mrsdoyle]

link not working

i've had too much splosh this afternoon, don't know what happened there. try this one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZjWkB_q2lE&playnext=1&list=PL86599067B4F41DEF&index=11

 

[Chrishazle]

For the real car cleaning anoraks, there's always detailingworld.co.uk - but they have good idiots guides to the basics as well as the anorak photos of water beading on the bonnet!

I've certainly noticed the difference switching from normal cellulose sponge and chamois to merino wash mitt for the top, microfibre wash mitt for below the waist line and the wheels (it can go in the washing machine, which the merino can't) and microfibre drying cloths. I also use 2 buckets - one of clean water, the other with the soap, but have not (yet) got grit guards in the buckets.

A previous car - Rover 820 turbo vitesse - was ruined by car washes - admittedly 13 years ago, microscratches as reported above - so I will never use a car wash. Then I got swirls on the 968 and put it down to a machine polisher having been poorly used - that may have caused the first few, but it's most likely that using a cellulose sponge was the real culprit.

 

[JEZ.S320L]

Car washes are indeed getting better and the brushless ones with the fabric do not leave swirls on the paint work.




I am not surprised some one who wanted to sell you a protective coating showed you a worst case scenario.

Agreed, they may be getting better - but the majority still use swirling nylon brushes.

The sale had already been done and agreed. I was watching the application on the Navigator when I saw the car and asked about it.

In any case, this doesn't happen in a Hand Wash..!

 

[dieselman]

that may have caused the first few, but it's most likely that using a cellulose sponge was the real culprit.

Agreed. Cellulose sponges are killers for paint, they are scratchy themselves and trap grit incredibly well.

 

[oxtailsoup]

Do car (roller) washes damage the star on the bonnet? Thats always been my worry!

 

[dieselman]

^ No, it's sprung to allow it to move about.

 

[Frontstep]

Some car washes clean underneath as well good for removing salt !