self serve wash questions

[bcwang]

I have a couple of questions about self serve washes if you guys have experience using them.



-Is the pre-soak feature as harsh as the ones on touch free automatics? meaning do I have to worry about it stripping LSP?



-Should the high pressure sprayers be safe for your paint at any distance?



-Can this setup actually get the car completely clean without touching with the brush or your own washmitt?

 

[PerroneFord]

1. Not sure about the pre-soak



2. No. High (enough) pressure water can cut steel. Maintain some distance.



3. If this were so, pro detailers would all just pressure wash their way to clean paint without the chemicals and hard work.

 

[GS4_Fiend]

I have a couple of questions about self serve washes if you guys have experience using them.



-Is the pre-soak feature as harsh as the ones on touch free automatics? meaning do I have to worry about it stripping LSP?



-Should the high pressure sprayers be safe for your paint at any distance?



-Can this setup actually get the car completely clean without touching with the brush or your own washmitt?

This question I have been wanting to ask a long time. For years already, I've been Only using self serve car wash without any hesistant. I first use High Pressure soap all around the car, then High Pressure Rinse, then spotless free, then complete. I Do Not use the Cleaning Brush because it may scratch the car. And you will be fine.

 

[GS4_Fiend]

1. Not sure about the pre-soak



2. No. High (enough) pressure water can cut steel. Maintain some distance.



3. If this were so, pro detailers would all just pressure wash their way to clean paint without the chemicals and hard work.

As long as you keep a good enough distance and constantly moving it, there shouldn't be any problem. The only reason why you shouldn't use is either a high pressure washer not from a self serve car wash, instead of the home type. Those are stronger. And, when you just got your car re-painted. It will chip it off.

 

[GoudyL]

I have a couple of questions about self serve washes if you guys have experience using them.



-Is the pre-soak feature as harsh as the ones on touch free automatics? meaning do I have to worry about it stripping LSP?

SS pre-soak is generally going to be much weaker than what you find in touchless automatics. It Either way its pretty strong stuff as it should be.



Touchless pre-soaks tend to be very strong, since the touchless wash is much shorter than your typical SS wash. Touchless presoaks are often a two step process using an acid and alkaline presoak.



Also don't forget that in a touchless automatic the customer is safely inside the vehicle, vs having employees/customers in contact with the chemicals.

-Should the high pressure sprayers be safe for your paint at any distance?

Define any distance? Use common sense and you'll be ok.

Can this setup actually get the car completely clean without touching with the brush or your own washmitt?

Yes, provided the car is not extremely filthy, or covered with hard to remove dirt (e.g road tar, cement dust etc).

 

[eddie926]

I can't comment on the pre-soak.



NO, the pressure wash is NOT safe at ANY distance. I've had the experience of damaging non metal parts on a car by getting too close with it. As noted, use some common sense and stay back several inches. Also note, pressure varies from one car wash to another and sometimes even between bays at the same car wash so act accordingly.



I don't car what anybody says about the brushes at the car wash. I would NEVER use one. I've seen too many off roaders scrubbing down their mud and rock encrusted 4X4s at our SSs to trust putting one on my paint. If you're going to use a brush, take your own.



IME, no, you cannot get the car completely clean without touching it. Might just be my technique, but any time I pressure wash alone, without following with a hand wash, I can easily see that there is still a film on the car. As such, I NEVER wipe my car down with a towel after just pressure washing because there is still stuff on the surface that can mar the paint.



So, I use a pressure wash A) as a pre-wash before a hand wash on a really dirty vehicle, or B) as a wash with no towel dry when I can't hand wash i.e. in winter weather, etc.

 

[bcwang]

I guess I'm hoping the pre-soak will help with getting the car clean without taking off the LSP. I wonder if it's actually more effective than the HP soap, because the time will be counting down while the car is just getting soaked in the low pressure solution. Any idea on how long to let the pre-soak dwell?



Also, with the spot free rinse without a dry afterwards, does it actually result in a totally spot free car? I don't know how much dust the water drops can pick up just from the air around it before it finally dries, or from runoff from the crevices and picking up hidden dirt. But I certainly don't want to be touching the car after a non contact wash to wipe up water spots.

 

[eddie926]

Also, with the spot free rinse without a dry afterwards, does it actually result in a totally spot free car? I don't know how much dust the water drops can pick up just from the air around it before it finally dries, or from runoff from the crevices and picking up hidden dirt. But I certainly don't want to be touching the car after a non contact wash to wipe up water spots.

That's when you need one of these tucked away in the trunk...



Makita USA - Tool Details - BUB182Z

 

[GS4_Fiend]

I can't comment on the pre-soak.



NO, the pressure wash is NOT safe at ANY distance. I've had the experience of damaging non metal parts on a car by getting too close with it. As noted, use some common sense and stay back several inches. Also note, pressure varies from one car wash to another and sometimes even between bays at the same car wash so act accordingly.



I don't car what anybody says about the brushes at the car wash. I would NEVER use one. I've seen too many off roaders scrubbing down their mud and rock encrusted 4X4s at our SSs to trust putting one on my paint. If you're going to use a brush, take your own.



IME, no, you cannot get the car completely clean without touching it. Might just be my technique, but any time I pressure wash alone, without following with a hand wash, I can easily see that there is still a film on the car. As such, I NEVER wipe my car down with a towel after just pressure washing because there is still stuff on the surface that can mar the paint.



So, I use a pressure wash A) as a pre-wash before a hand wash on a really dirty vehicle, or B) as a wash with no towel dry when I can't hand wash i.e. in winter weather, etc.

The pressure washer from the self serve are safe. Like you said, it damage the non-metal parts was because you "put the pressure washer too close." That's why you use it at a distance. In addition, their pressure washer is not Super strong like you think. It just strong in medium. Plus, if there are problems using the pressure washer From the self serve place, I don't think people be using it at all. There reason why people use the self serve car wash is because it's easy and fast. :xyxthumbs

 

[bcwang]

Using a carwash brings up another concern. It's recommended to not spray water on hot disc brakes. Well, you have to drive your car to the carwash, unlike at home where it can all be room temperature when you start your wash. So unless you sit there doing nothing for half an hour, it's gonna be hot.



Do you guys have any problems with brakes warping from spraying them during the carwash? Especially problematic would be trying to use wheel cleaners which want you to spray onto a cool and dry wheel.

 

[GoudyL]

Do you guys have any problems with brakes warping from spraying them during the carwash? Especially problematic would be trying to use wheel cleaners which want you to spray onto a cool and dry wheel.

Do you have problems with warped brakes in the rain???

 

[Poordude]

The company I work for manufacters these chemicals & I have been selling them for 25 years.Most of my customers do not use the proper dilution or proper water temperatures. Not enuff won,t do the job & too much will strip your finish.

The newer presoaks are buffered. That means it starts as a high ph & gradually tones down to a near nuetral ph after it contacts soil.

Many good quality car wash detergents are near nuetral ph at recomended dilution ratios.

Detergents should be applied at low pressure then rinsed off at a slightly higher pressure. However; many customers see a lot of foam & pressure as a better ability to clean. Many of my customers add dish detergent to get more foam out of their wash wands so customers percieve they are getting more product.

In general...these products are safe & work well when properly mixed at the right temperature/water hardness & gun pressure.

 

[DetailnByDustn]

I have a couple of questions about self serve washes if you guys have experience using them.



-Is the pre-soak feature as harsh as the ones on touch free automatics? meaning do I have to worry about it stripping LSP?



-Should the high pressure sprayers be safe for your paint at any distance?



-Can this setup actually get the car completely clean without touching with the brush or your own washmitt?

The presoak at our car wash wont strip your lsp off of your vehicle



To much pressure is bad but from safety regulation you dont have to worry about it at most of the car washes, anything over 1500 psi is overkill.



I can usually clean my car pretty good at our car wash if it doesnt have road film, I use presoak, high pressure soap, rinse, triple foam, rinse, and dry, I wash my car about everyday or every other day.

 

[bcwang]

Do you have problems with warped brakes in the rain???

Rain isn't exactly like dumping a rush of water onto the hot rotor. It'd be like comparing sprinkling some water on a hot pan to test for readiness vs dropping it into a sink full of water. Besides, I'd think rain barely touches your brakes based on the angle of things.