touchless carwash: harmful or ok to your paint?

[phazeon]

it`s winter time.. and with my schedule basically packed except for 2 days off during mid-week, I have barely any time left to wake up early in the morning for self-serve wash with bucket (i could only be there in the morning, as they restrict using my bucket during the afternoon). As a result, I haven`t been able to wash my car frequently.. it`s been nearly a month since my last car wash, so I`m thinking of going to touchless wash instead.



I`ve heard that touchless uses strong chemicals that often strips car waxes.. but I guess a wash is better than no wash at all, right? what are your experience or suggestions to touchless carwash places?

[Accumulator]

phazeon- Welcome to Autopia!



This is a topic where it`s hard to generalize. It depends on how the wash in question filters its water (most reclaim and reuse) and what chemicals they use (and how they`re mixedd- what if Dumbo mixes `em wrong this week :think: ).



I sometimes run the beaters through our local touchless. No problems, it doesn`t strip the Collinite or the KSG on those vehicles. My wife runs her A8 through one in TN when she travels down south and it`s never hurt the #16 on that car. So *my* experiences have been posititive. And as you said, it`s better than nothing when they`re really dirty with winter [stuff]. And the undercarriage sprays aren`t a bad thing either- not like doing it right, but better than nothing at all.



Just don`t touch-dry, use their blower or leave it wet. The touchless won`t get all that much dirt off, and if you rub it to dry you`ll mar it up something awful.