Touchless car wash OK for winter washes?

Z

Zune

New member
<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:verdana, arial, geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Hi guys!


<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:verdana, arial, geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;">I hope I don't make myself a dartboard for asking this question, but just wondering what everyone's opinion is on touchless car washes. I have a new (Glacier metallic white) SQ5, & really want to keep it in tip-top shape. I generally do almost all detailing myself, with frequent hand washes, paint sealant, etc. Here in Canada though, it just gets near impossible to do any exterior detailing work in the winter (i.e. I don't have a heated garage, & hence don't have a water supply that isn't frozen!) I realize that touchless car washes often don't do a superb job, but in the winter time I've relied on them with my previous vehicles to rinse off surface salt & dirt when I'm not able to do a hand wash. Is this a non-no, or a suitable alternative when a hand wash just isn't available?

<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:verdana, arial, geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;">P.S. - I stay away from "soft scrub" car washes, as I don't trust them not to scratch my clear coat.

<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:verdana, arial, geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Thanks!

<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:verdana, arial, geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Al
 
I don't have any scientific data to back it up, but IMO its better than doing nothing at all. I live in northern Illinois, so I know what you're dealing with. As long as you do a good winter prep with a quality sealant I think you'll be OK. The chemicals of the auto wash will most likely accelerate the deterioration of the sealant, but thats better than just letting the salt sit on your car.

This is all just my opinion though....
 
If the soap in the touchless wash is not set right it will dimisish your sealant life by a lot. I goes two time un one locally last year and it ate my sealant i was apply a month before.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
 
IMO don't change how you because of the season. Sure, its more work but at the end of it all you will spend far less time behind a polisher fixing it in the Spring. 


I keep a cheap expandable hose for the winter (easy to handle and packs up small). Treat it like any other time of year (but dont use hot water if its freezing out, you risk causing glass damage that way). 

Only thing that changes for me is the speed at which I work.....if its cold out you can bet I will be working faster ;P
 
I'm watching this topic, once November hits where I'm at it will drop to below freezing temps until the end of March. Most times we are lucky to get to 10 above freezing. Now I do have a garage that isn't insulated well that does allow me to ONR which is great. The flip side is we take a long vacation a couple states away and by the time I'm done the vehicle is "caked" with salt. Top, bottom, under carriage. I wouldn't think of using ONR in that situation and have had to run through an automatic brushless to get it off in a pinch. The vehicle is FAR from autopian levels but still mine :)


 


Unless someone has spent a winter here I am not sure they understand completely or are way more of a man then me. I just can't see standing in the driveway in 5* weather washing the wife's car. People would call the cops and say I've gone crazy.
 
If it is an option go through the touchless, then go home and do a rinseless wash in your garage to get what the touchless misses. 
 
I hear you screeby!  We live in Canada, in Southwestern Ontario (not far from Detroit).  Although our winters can be fairly mild by Canadian standards, the streets are covered in salt in the winter to keep them bare.  As you can expect, this is a nightmare for your paint job.  As well, it's hard to simply have a hose at the ready to do a quick hand wash as it is typically below freezing from Christmas to mid-March.  There's a convenient detailing place around the corner from us that will do a hand wash without an appointment, but it's still not as convenient as a quick drive-thru touchless wash.  I certainly don't expect a pristine wash by any means, just a rinse to remove the majority of this toxic stuff.  After all, the car usually gets dirty again after driving a couple of miles!  I just wanted to get people's opinion of the touchless car wash as to whether they were harmful in any way.  I completely understand that a complete hand wash is far superior, but many times that just simply isn't an option where we live.


 


Cheers,


 


Al
 
Touchless are OK for paint but hell on trim. I've seen too many cars that frequent touchless washes with serious rubber/plastic issues. My preference to knock salt off is a self serve coin-op wash.
 
About 2 months for me (from mid-DEC to mid-FEB down to 20-25 degrees F), I exclusively use the manual PW's. If the roads are salt-free and temps 25+ I drive home and may do a RW. My coin-op uses warm water. A great break for us in CT.
 
Salt is an abrasive. 

That being said, do you feel that the waterless wash gives enough lubrication between the paint and the salt to prevent any kind of damage?

In my experience (upper BC area) it is not enough and will result in some work being needed come spring to correct the scratches that result. 


Coin PW and then waterless if you cant wash at home. 
 
I use a touchless in the winter months. I've been doing this every winter since 2004. Winters in WI are bitter cold, frequently well below zero, the roads are sloppy and covered with salt and caustic melting chemicals including cheese brine last season. :(


 


I don't have a heated garage so I negotiate a bulk purchase of wash codes from my local LaserWash and run my daily driver through at least weekly.  I run it home and do a M135 wipedown followed by D156.  Both products seem to work well even in the cold garage.  The D156 refreshes my sealant and this approach keeps the paint and the trim protected through the entire winter season.  The result... my DD looks great all winter with no swirls being added.
 
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