Touchless CarWash On Protected Car

[crobinso]

In another thread, on another forum, I swore I'd never use a touchless carwash. My mindset was on the poor results I've experienced with an older car that had not been detailed. Not all of the dirt came off, and the automatic dryer left all sorts of spots on the finish.



But upon reflection, am I right in presuming that with my new, protected (detailed) car, I could go through the touchless carwash and expect a decent job?



Now I realize that washing the car would just be a start, and I can't just drive away without hand-drying the car (the automatic dryer is never thorough). But the car would at least be clean enough for me to go home and begin my detail, right?



As I am rather large and getting older, hand washing AND detailing would be a chore for me. And I know better than to go to any other type of automatic carwash.



So, would touchless be a viable alternative for me?



Charles

 

[Eliot Ness]

A well cared for paint finish (sealed and/or waxed) will come out cleaner than one w/o wax in a "touchless wash".



I have two concerns with that type of wash.



1. The high pressure from the water jets could induce some minor swirls/marring from forcing dirt (grit) off your car.



2. The soap used (if harsh enough) will most likely remove more wax than the car wash products we normally use at home.



If you're going to detail afterwards, and because of the problems you stated it may be a viable alternative for you to consider. If your car has a few good coats of sealer and/or wax on it then that will reduce the risk of the problems mentioned above.



In the winter if my daily driver is caked with road salt and dirt I would rather run it through a touchless wash than let the corrosive salt sit on the finish until it's warm enough to wash by hand.

 

[Corey Bit Spank]

My friend works at Delta Sonic (car wash chain around here). She worked in the store and would park next to it--but behind the spray booth. Soap collected on her car.



Now her car is a 2004 Cavalier, and I had put 2 coats of EX-P and a coat of #16. I washed it after 1 week and the front of the car, which was pointed towards the booth and had the most...soap fallout....suds up with just the hose. I asked her and she said "oh....oh, that's not good is it...that's from work"...the rear did not suds up like that.



Now, looking at the car, the front of it with the most soap did not bead at all (it's important to remember the car only recieved the soap and not the "KISS wax 'rejuvinator'" The rear beaded up in typical #16 fashion. Now, granted it sat on it for a week fairly undiluted, but still...they put this on every car. Then add more soap in the wash.



So this is probably why they put some type of spray wax on it at the end. oh well.

 

[Accumulator]

I have mixed feelings about the touchless washes. Accumulatorette generally takes her A8 through one in TN when she's visiting her family. The car's always freshly detailed and it comes out of the touchless looking OK. When she gets home the post-trip cleanup is always a lot easier than if she hadn't used the touchless. And in the summer, even if it doesn't get all the bugs off, it certainly dilutes the enzymes/etc. and helps minimize any problems from such contaminants.



*BUT* recently the clear anodized trim on her A8 has clouded up- yep, the anodizing has been compromised and I'll have to eventually get it all replaced I dunno if it's from the touchless or not, but the car has not been aggressively polished and I can't think of any other reason why the anodizing would've failed. This is the only vehicle of ours that gets run through the touchless and it's also the only one with this problem. The thought of something getting through the freshly applied LSP and attacking the anodizing sounds pretty unlikely, but again, I can't think of anything else to explain it.



To be fair, my wife has been taking cars through this touchless for ages and we never had a problem before. But this is gonna be a big job to fix. So maybe give it some thought before you use one; I wouldn't hesitate to take some vehicles through one, but I sure wouldn't take a late-model Audi through one any more.

 

[a.k.a. Patrick]

Strong detergents are my concern. Your assumptions are correct, with a properly detailed car, you could expect average results going thru a touchless car wash, not Autopian results, but obviously cleaner than if you had selected not to do it at all. As Accum said, it will help neutralize any harmful chemicals or enzymes which may be forcasting damage to the finish. Also consider using rapid waxes and quick detailers for additional time between washings.

 

[Setec Astronomy]

*BUT* recently the clear anodized trim on her A8 has clouded up- yep, the anodizing has been compromised and I'll have to eventually get it all replaced I dunno if it's from the touchless or not

That anodized trim can be kinda flaky (no pun intended). How old is the car? UV has a big effect on anodize.