Touchless car washes...

[Nebraska99]

Just curious about how many here use touchless car washes? Im in the midwest which pretty much precludes outdoor washing. Or is using a car wash a cardinal sin around here??? :)

[spotter]

Touchless car washes are using harsh chemicals and don`t do a very good job even with the chemicals.



I assume you can`t wash your car due to water restrictions? Do a search and check out Quik and Easy Wash (QEW) and Poorboys Spray & Wipe. Both of these options are far superior to touchless car washes.

[Nebraska99]

..but its early and Im not caffiene induced yet.



I meant to refer to winter conditions when its too cold to wash.

[spotter]

Anything is better than salt on your car. I would still follow up with QEW or the Spray & Wipe.

[Nebraska99]

GO RAMS!! :bow

[G Money]

I use a touchless wash about once a week to keep the dirt and debris off the car when I`m really pressed for time. Some nights after work I need to mow lawn up until darkness.



I`m still good about hand washing on weekends and waxing often, so I`m not concerned if auto washes use harsh soaps. I`d rather have a clean car any day.



Also:

I`ve also noticed this notion about the harsh soaps at these places to be OVERstated. I can easily get my waxes to last 8 weeks even if I use these places exclusevely, like in the winter months.



It doesn`t seem to matter much for me...S100, Souveran and Blitz all last at least 2 months.



The only time I`m concerned about durability is winter. Perhaps this year I`ll try this Eagle One, Wax-as-you-dry between washes on some nice winter days.

My daily driver is garage kept which helps some.

[evor1]

I use them all winter long, and even in the summer when I can`t get to washing a car.



Zaino seems to hold up real good. Makes it from fall to spring with no loss of beading, etc...

[chris0626]

Nebraska99, I agree with the majority here -- that in winter touchless car washes are better than nothing. At least they reduce the amount of salts and debris on the car (especially if you find one that has an undercarriage cleaner). But they won`t really get all the dirt off. I lack a garage, so last winter I tried looking for not-hideously-cold days when I could use Poorboy`s Spray&Wipe (others use QEW too) to get the film that carwashes miss. And I agree with sveet that Zaino holds up very well against the harsh winter.



But ... more to the point ... it`s been near 100 degrees for days on end here in Mo. What the dickens has you thinking about winter????? :D

[imported_edschwab1]

There is no subsitute for a good bucket hand car wash. In winter conditions a touchless helps keep the car salt and debris free.



Eric

[GoodnClean]

By touchless I assume you all mean something like a laser wash where only soap and high pressure spray touches the car, as opposed to a full tunnel soft cloth wash?



I`ve found that these vary greatly by what brand the equipment is. There`s one in Ocean City that has one wand that moves around the car at fairly close proximity to the car. This one does an awesome job, almost too good to believe for something like it. Unfortunately I can`t find anything around here like it.



Then there`s one in Gaithersburg that is touchless, but as opposed to a want the spray is in the walls and you drive through. That one is terrible....



Then I used on in Germantown a couple of weeks ago that had two wands, one for each side. Much better than the one in Gaithersburg, but nowhere near as good as the laser wash in Ocean City...



To answer the question though, I do use them in the winter also, followed by a QD or S&W or something of that nature.

[imported_CBX Carl]

During the Winter months I use the wash bays with the power wand to wash and rinse my truck down. The are times when it is like a Winter Wonderland in the bays, everything is covered with foam ice, looks pretty neat. I keep my distance with the wand using it indirectly if possible not spraying directly in.

The salt is horrific here in Phila with piles of it all over the streets. It is funny they close the Touchless down but leave the bays open.

Works fine for me.

[phatphob]

I agree with Home Run Hero, if you wash and wax regularly, a few trips to the car wash shouldn`t be much of a problem. Recently, here in Toronto it seems that they`ve switched to some sort of powder substance instead of salt. Its not as harmful to the car but it still looks pretty darn ugly! Anyways, this past winter, I was still washing, polishing and waxing up until christmas eve and the shine held up and came back after every wash! Its nice to see that my efforts has contributed to a long lasting shine.