touchless carwash

[SchnsAuto03]

Before I get flamed for this one, I know that nothing can beat a handwash. During the warmer months, I wouldn`t even thing about using an automatic carwash, but the winter months make it hard to spend extended periods of time out working on my car.



I found one of those laser touchless systems near by, so no brushes or anything that could scratch the paint is involved. My biggest concern is the Blue Coral products that are used and how good they are for my paint.



Until the weather warms up a bit, is this a legit method for keeping the road slime off of my car? I try to get out on any of the warmer days to do a handwash, but some times that could be a month away. So, leave the car dirty or run it through a touchless system and then just hand dry and do a quick spray detail???



Thanks

[imported_kgb]

I use one of the touchless washes all the time, even in the summer. I have never ran into a problem. They are great for the winter cause they have under spray to get all the road salt off too!

[SchnsAuto03]

Thanks. Anyone else have experiences/input/suggestions?

[bjwebster]

If they recycle the water, i question how clean the water is. I ran my car through the touchless several times last winter, and come summer, I had alot of imbedded contaminants on the side.

The hard spray, questionable cleanliness of the water, and extremely hard pressure worries me.



I still use it sometime, but try to do it as infrequently as possible.

[SchnsAuto03]

Yeah, those things worry me as well. I`m just not sure which is worse...the possible issues w/ a touchless car wash or whatever crap gets caked onto my car from the winter months.



Thanks for the reply...can`t wait for warmer weather!

[Accumulator]

SchnsAuto03 - You seem well aware of the compromises involved, either way, you`re taking a risk. MY opinion is that the touchless is *FAR* better than leaving it dirty. Accumulatorette runs her A8 through touchless washes when she`s travelling, and for us, it`s a LOT better than just leaving it grungy. We`ve never had a problem from it, at least nothing that could compare to having a bunch of crap touching the paint/trim for an extended period.



One thing to remember is that if you let crud build up, anything that touches the car (people`s clothing, etc.) will be MUCH more likely to mar the paint.

[stevet]

It`s not just the recycled water being blasted against the paint that I worry about. I wonder about the chemicals that they use and what it will do to any wax/sealant you have on the paint.



I haven`t used one yet with my car but there have been a few times that I have been tempted. We have had some very cold weather recently, too cold even for QEW in the garage, and It was driving me crazy to leave the car dirty.

[SchnsAuto03]

I figured as much. It just seems like the bird crap, road slime, and other environmental contaminents would be harmful that the touchless system.



I still prefer the hand wash over the touchless system, but during the colder winter months, the touchless is better than nothing, I guess.




Originally posted by Accumulator

SchnsAuto03 - You seem well aware of the compromises involved, either way, you`re taking a risk. MY opinion is that the touchless is *FAR* better than leaving it dirty. Accumulatorette runs her A8 through touchless washes when she`s travelling, and for us, it`s a LOT better than just leaving it grungy. We`ve never had a problem from it, at least nothing that could compare to having a bunch of crap touching the paint/trim for an extended period.



One thing to remember is that if you let crud build up, anything that touches the car (people`s clothing, etc.) will be MUCH more likely to mar the paint.

[ntoddalbert]

The only thing I worry about is those damn rails that keep the car centered, our local touchlass washes are tunnels. That means the car rolls through, I have seen others where the car stays stationary and the equipment moves around you. With my tires being low profile I worry my rims will be dragging along those rails.



With my previous vehicle, a SUV, that was never a concern.The thing that did drive me nuts then was the guy at the end with that shop rag trying to dry my vehilcle by rubbing harder and harder never seeing to get the idea that he needs a dry towel!

[gb387]

The only thing I worry about is those damn rails that keep the car centered, our local touchlass washes are tunnels. That means the car rolls through, I have seen others where the car stays stationary and the equipment moves around you. With my tires being low profile I worry my rims will be dragging along those rails.



That is my worry to... Just for that reason when weather doesn’t allow washing your car out side I stick to the wand wash and do it myself some of the new ones being built are heated!



Another concern I have is the soap they use, from what I understand it is a mild acid of some kind. Is there someone out there who knows about the soaps?



I do know I washed my old truck at a wand wash a couple years ago and the window was open just a little and some of the soap ran in the truck on the inside of the window. I closed the window and finished washing the truck. Then I went in and wiped the soap off the window inside several minutes later (it was nearly dry) and it was permanently stained where the soap had ran down. I tried every cleaner that I could find and nothing would get the stain off the glass. It was there till the day I sold it, the windows were not tinted.

[Accumulator]

Whether the soap/water/tracks/whatever is gonna hurt *YOUR* vehicle will always be an individual-case situation, determined by the wash and your vehicle. That`s the risk, so this is something you should really THINK about.



The touchless that my wife uses doesn`t even hurt the wax any. Their stuff must be pretty mild, it only gets the wheels clean if I`ve detailed them recently. FWIW, that one is located in Old Hickory, TN.



She *NEVER* lets them dry the vehicle! The only times I`ve ever used a touchless, I didn`t let them dry it either. I shooed them away, misted some QD on it, and dried it with a WWMF. Yeah, they probably thought I was nuts..



But really, if there`s any way you can do a proper wash, that really IS the right thing to do. The touchless ones only seem to work well if you have a good wax/sealant on there.

[CwestinFD]

Originally posted by FalconGuy

The only thing I worry about is those damn rails that keep the car centered, our local touchlass washes are tunnels. That means the car rolls through, I have seen others where the car stays stationary and the equipment moves around you. With my tires being low profile I worry my rims will be dragging along those rails.







In my area, I found two places that do not have the piece that you wheel falls into you just pull in and it tells you when to stop. I had to do some surveillance in the area to find such places but it was worth it. Moreover, in our area most of the places that you have to get out of the car and send it though there are guys waiting at the other side with various bag-o-rags to pick up of the pavement and dry the car off for you.