Can you take the Type R through a car wash?

[Harlaquin]

Seems like @ctrmofo treats his CTR as well as his Lamborghini.

I like treating my CTR like it's special and means a lot to me... because I think it is special and it also means a lot to me.

I do too, i just thought them saying the wash could fail as a reason not to use it was funny. I mean at home nozzle could fly off or pressure washer tip fly off or dirt could get in sponge and not be seen... guess shouldn't hand wash either. My point is touchless is safe no idea why the hate on it.

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[ez12a]

get a pressure washer, clean source of water, buckets, foam cannon, wash mitt, leaf blower. My car will never be touched by a machine.

 

[ctrmofo]

I do too, i just thought them saying the wash could fail as a reason not to use it was funny. I mean at home nozzle could fly off or pressure washer tip fly off or dirt could get in sponge and not be seen... guess shouldn't hand wash either. My point is touchless is safe no idea why the hate on it.

Happened to me twice when I didn’t have nozzle on tight for my power washer wand and had to do paintless dent repair on couple cars. Case in point...oops lol

 

[s2kdriver80]

The last time I went through a car wash place was when I was a kid. My dad used to take me to the local car wash on Sundays to get his car cleaned. They were definitely not touchless and those brushes used to freak me out as a kid.

So how does touchless work after your car is sprayed with water and chemicals, and then rinsed? Does the chamber blow air on the car to dry it? Or is there a team of people waiting just outside the tunnel to dry the car with their questionable rags? If the latter, then it kind of defeats the purpose of avoiding scratches/swirls by choosing touchless. Though I'm hoping it's the former, and that the term "touchless" applies to both the washing and the drying.

Just curious on how the drying aspect works with these touchless car washes.

 

[jontron5000]

The last time I went through a car wash place was when I was a kid. My dad used to take me to the local car wash on Sundays to get his car cleaned. They were definitely not touchless and those brushes used to freak me out as a kid.

So how does touchless work after your car is sprayed with water and chemicals, and then rinsed? Does the chamber blow air on the car to dry it? Or is there a team of people waiting just outside the tunnel to dry the car with their questionable rags? If the latter, then it kind of defeats the purpose of avoiding scratches/swirls by choosing touchless. Though I'm hoping it's the former, and that the term "touchless" applies to both the washing and the drying.

Just curious on how the drying aspect works with these touchless car washes.

For the touchless wash I go to, an overhead machine rotates above the car. The first cycle is water, then soap, then rinsed with "spotless" water again. The drying process is driving the car slowly under a giant fan blade for 90 seconds to get the excess water off (the car never comes out completely dry). Since it is touchless, some of the caked on dust and dirt still remain on the car, especially on the windows. Brake dust? Forget it, its staying on your rims with touchless.

Since I am ceramic coated, they recommend to wash by hand or touchless only wash (and no wax) to protect the finish. I love how the car looks after a hand wash, especially with ceramic coat, but sometimes I get too lazy or don't have time for a hand wash. But a $6 basic touchless wash is decent enough to remove some dust and dirt, but if you're expecting hand wash quality, I would say look elsewhere

 

[StanMan]

Touchless is fine but you will need to take a water squirt bottle and a microfiber cloth(or 2) to spot dry and rinse water spots after- it is a solid enough choice for a quick clean if you don't have time for a full hand wash + wax.

Do not under any circumstance take your Type R to a car wash that has brushes or other pieces that will actually touch your car. You will end up with scratches/spiderwebs/swirls all over the entire paintjob- you may not see them in your garage or outside on a cloudy day but they will be very obvious on a sunny day with no clouds. These companies will claim people with Maseratis wash their cars there- don't believe the lies as they won't do jack when you complain to them about the damage.

 

[s2kdriver80]

Thanks for the replies.

Yes, I'm aware touchless will never completely clean the car. Just mainly concerned if there is a team of dryers waiting just outside the tunnel, anxious to get their rags on your car. Or if the fans are all there is to the drying process.

 

[NapalmEnema]

You can potentially go through a touchless carwash and not take damage. But you could also wash your junk in a blender and not take damage.

I'd skip either one as the convenience and clean fresh scent, while intriguing, is not worth the risk.

 

[TheGreekFreak]

Obviously nothing beats a proper hand wash. But alot of us drive these cars in cold climates where cold weather + salt and winter road grime = dilemma. I don't care how much you love hand washing your car, doing so during the 3-4 months out of the year where its cold out generally isn't happening.

My solution is a thorough decon + sealant to prep for winter, then those coin operated self-serve power wash bays once a week throughout winter. Mostly to knock off as much salt as possible + hit the undercarriage. I would do this over other touchless options as you control the pressure washer and every step yourself. Not ideal but beats leaving salt on the car until the weather warms up enough for me to use my pressure washer at home.

Seriously though.....NEVER go to one of the automated brush ones. I don't care what they claim, you will 100% get swirls in your paint. Maybe minor enough where you won't notice at quick glance but the swirls will be there if you look close enough in proper lighting.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Obviously nothing beats a proper hand wash. But alot of us drive these cars in cold climates where cold weather + salt and winter road grime = dilemma. I don't care how much you love hand washing your car, doing so during the 3-4 months out of the year where its cold out generally isn't happening.

My solution is a thorough decon + sealant to prep for winter, then those coin operated self-serve power wash bays once a week throughout winter. Mostly to knock off as much salt as possible + hit the undercarriage. I would do this over other touchless options as you control the pressure washer and every step yourself. Not ideal but beats leaving salt on the car until the weather warms up enough for me to use my pressure washer at home.

Seriously though.....NEVER go to one of the automated brush ones. I don't care what they claim, you will 100% get swirls in your paint. Maybe minor enough where you won't notice at quick glance but the swirls will be there if you look close enough in proper lighting.

Yeah, this. ^^.

Even my Honda dealer, which is a four-brand dealership with the other three being Mercedes, BMW, and Mini, won't take the CTRs through the car wash. They just pre-empt any issues by simply not doing it. The stated reason is the wing, but it's probably just as much the paint issues, etc.

 

[Slapshot]

Resurrecting this discussion because I recently purchased a Type R.

While, during the 7 months a year, I would always plan to wash my Type R by hand, in those other months, that is often not possible. I live in northern Michigan. It gets very cold (and snowy) here, and stays that way for months on end. There is no way to continue to hand wash your car. You have to turn off any outside water lines at your house, before winter hits in November, because they will freeze and can break. Likewise, the pay car washes, where you wash it yourself, close because, again, of frozen water lines that can burst or crack. There are also no touchless car washes located within even an hour of me, if that.

In addition, due to the use of salt on the roads, going through a car wash and getting the undercarriage done is critical at least ever other week or so in the winter, assuming you are driving the car.

In short, for the above reasons, taking any car you drive that time of year into an automatic car wash is the only real option. Will the Type R, specifically the rear spoiler make it through an automatic car wash?

 

[NapalmEnema]

Resurrecting this discussion because I recently purchased a Type R.

While, during the 7 months a year, I would always plan to wash my Type R by hand, in those other months, that is often not possible. I live in northern Michigan. It gets very cold (and snowy) here, and stays that way for months on end. There is no way to continue to hand wash your car. You have to turn off any outside water lines at your house, before winter hits in November, because they will freeze and can break. Likewise, the pay car washes, where you wash it yourself, close because, again, of frozen water lines that can burst or crack. There are also no touchless car washes located within even an hour of me, if that.

In addition, due to the use of salt on the roads, going through a car wash and getting the undercarriage done is critical at least ever other week or so in the winter, assuming you are driving the car.

In short, for the above reasons, taking any car you drive that time of year into an automatic car wash is the only real option. Will the Type R, specifically the rear spoiler make it through an automatic car wash?

With the spinning brushes? Hell no man it'll destroy the wing at bare minimum. What about taking the car in the garage and hand washing it that way with a spray bottle and such.

 

[tinyman392]

Resurrecting this discussion because I recently purchased a Type R.

While, during the 7 months a year, I would always plan to wash my Type R by hand, in those other months, that is often not possible. I live in northern Michigan. It gets very cold (and snowy) here, and stays that way for months on end. There is no way to continue to hand wash your car. You have to turn off any outside water lines at your house, before winter hits in November, because they will freeze and can break. Likewise, the pay car washes, where you wash it yourself, close because, again, of frozen water lines that can burst or crack. There are also no touchless car washes located within even an hour of me, if that.

In addition, due to the use of salt on the roads, going through a car wash and getting the undercarriage done is critical at least ever other week or so in the winter, assuming you are driving the car.

In short, for the above reasons, taking any car you drive that time of year into an automatic car wash is the only real option. Will the Type R, specifically the rear spoiler make it through an automatic car wash?

Find a touches automated car wash that doesn't use brushes and other stuff.

 

[scoobysnack]

If you can afford it have your CTR ceramic coated asap. Not only does it make the car look amazing but it makes washing it 200% easier and faster. I wash and then a leaf blower dries it in 2 min. Once ceramic coated the wheels will be the only thing that takes more than 10 min.

 

[tinyman392]

If you can afford it have your CTR ceramic coated asap. Not only does it make the car look amazing but it makes washing it 200% easier and faster. I wash and then a leaf blower dries it in 2 min. Once ceramic coated the wheels will be the only thing that takes more than 10 min.

A lot of people ceramic coat the wheels too. Can make cleaning off brake dust a lot easier from what I’ve heard. I kind of wish I did the PPF + ceramic coat when I got the car, it’s filled with rock chips now though so I’d want to fix that before I would do a ceramic coat.

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