I can't go to car wash??

darkmatter0

New member
As you can see I'm a total newbie here. After looking around this forum I obtained wealth of information and i'm excited to apply my new knowledge on my car. I already ordered some wax and detailing stuff. My problem is the regular biweekly car wash. I always took my old car to local hand-wash place and I thought they did a pretty decent job. But it seems like doing so is big no-no here. I never knew I would get scraches on the paint by taking it to a car wash. I live in a condo and there is no self-car wash place near here. I will do the wax and interior myself but what do I do when my car starts to collect dust?? any suggestions? can I give high quality microfiber towels to use at the car wash? would this insult them? please let me know.
 
That could be tough. Any chances of you having access to running water so that you can pour buckets for yourself? If not, then the hand car wash is the next best thing. Just keep an eye on them and tell them to be careful. It will be nothing near as bad as going thru the automated washes (even the "brushless" ones).



The scratches and swirls come from a combination of dirty towels, rushed strokes from washers with bad attitudes, the brushless spinners in the wash tunnel, and the harsh detergents used in car washes.
 
darkmatter0 said:
..what do I do when my car starts to collect dust?? any suggestions? can I give high quality microfiber towels to use at the car wash? would this insult them? please let me know.



I wouldn't worry about stuff like dust; I'd only get it washed when it's dirtier than that (but not *really dirty).



If you go about it right, I don't think the guys doing the hand washes would mind if you brought stuff for them to use. Just explain that you're off the deep end and that you understand that they can't use this stuff for everybody. Think of it as "working with them" to achieve what you want. Giving them a tip wouldn't hurt either ;) You could become a "special customer", as opposed to just "the picky guy".



IMO just providing the right mitts and towels might go a long way towards minimizing any wash-induced damage.
 
"....I live in a condo and there is no self-car wash place near here...."



All winter I have been limited to the coinop wash and QEW bucket washes. I live 25 miles from the nearest coinop wash. I'm sure that you live no farther than that.



If I had too, I'd use the coinop year round. I've found that with good sealants and very careful use of QEW after a wash, I get tremendous results. I use NXT tech wax. It has held up very well to the coinop soap. By following up the coinup wash with QEW there is absolutely no marring.



Tom :cool:
 
Back
Top