Side view mirrors in Car Wash

[Deezy]

I just got the unlimited at the wash /vacuum across the street from me, and so far I haven’t had any issues either, other than not being able to see out the mirror down the road half the time lol. I haven’t seen anything messed up about my gloss black grill either, so hopefully it stays that way!

Yeah, I wear them out. I can be washed and back on the road in 5min. And the vacuums are bad ass.
One recommendation though. Don't trust the person guiding you into the wash. Stick your head out and make sure you're lined up with the track. If you have low profile tires and are too far over, you will bang up your wheel.

Even though it is free, I would not hit the wash 3 times a week. This will remove whatever wax left on the paint.

Check for swirl marks on your car. These car washes are notorious to add swirls to the car.

Trust me, I'm as anal about my car as the next guy. I keep it waxed and was skeptical at first, but I think the technology of car washes has improved a lot. I mean, they are in the business of washing cars, not scratching them, right?

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[shoegazer]

I only use the self-serve with the pressure wands. But I always wonder if the owners/managers just decide to save a few bucks and dump a gallon of Dawn into the tank.

 

[mis3]

Yes, they are in the business in washing the car but not protecting the car. Definitely, they are not using the best car shampoo.

Like I said, I too go to touchless washes in the winter when I have no choice.

 

[mis3]

I only use the self-serve with the pressure wands. But I always wonder if the owners/managers just decide to save a few bucks and dump a gallon of Dawn into the tank.

I visited a local coin wash a few months ago. Not knowing better, I sprayed the rear light assemblies with the pressures wands. This probably broke the seals around the lights and I ended up with inside condensation of the lights which would not go away.

Lesson learned.

 

[Civic17siYAY]

You basically doing the same thing when going through those brushes. Having swirls and scratches in the clear coat. Causing way worst damage physically.

Screwed if ya do screwed if ya dont Lol From what my buddy told me, as long as the wash have a pre wash that uses high pressure water jets, the chances of dirt and other crap being trapped in the brushes is very slim. They are being constantly lubricated with soapy water and spin so fast that most debris get thrown right off. Made sense the way he explained it.

The place he works at warranties the wash so any damage done will be paid for. If the brush wash left noticible physical damage to the paint they would be out of business in no time. I think the damage done by car washes has always been exaggerated for that matter. And it should be noted that I've seen way more people screw up their paint washing by hand than by automatic washes. Food for thought.

 

[Rickmeister 48]

I use the bays with the pressure wands also, but I use my own car wash and two buckets. Then dry with a waffle weave towel. No scratches and no water spots.
The paint is so crappy on these cars, if dust in the air left scratch marks all over it, which it did, then any kind of brush slamming into it is going to do the same.

 

[swah_fk7]

Yeah, I wear them out. I can be washed and back on the road in 5min. And the vacuums are bad ass.
One recommendation though. Don't trust the person guiding you into the wash. Stick your head out and make sure you're lined up with the track. If you have low profile tires and are too far over, you will bang up your wheel.
Trust me, I'm as anal about my car as the next guy. I keep it waxed and was skeptical at first, but I think the technology of car washes has improved a lot. I mean, they are in the business of washing cars, not scratching them, right?

2 words. Micro Scratches. This isn't something that is noticed right away. It's something that accumulates in the long term and then you have cars with crazy swirl marks.

 

[Civic17siYAY]

I only wash my car in a sterile environment with water that is 4x distilled and purified using reverse osmosis. Only way to avoid scratching the clear coat. Oh and I only drive in a pure vacuum on days of 100% humidity to avoid dust scratches and other paint demons.

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