OK, I know the consensus here is NO on Carwash, BUT...

car wash...never...ahhh..the auto spa .. hand wash of course..watch your baby being babied..sit by the fountains...or enjoy a massage.(they have a very attractive women giving massages on a portable massage chair)..you cant make this stuff up

many high end cars there...the guys dry with directional wipes..not circular..

for 10.99 when i dont have time to wash her myself..baby goes to the "spa"

wolf

No - never - ever, unless of course you just drove through some toxic waste and there happens to be a car wash around the next corner, or you lease it.

Anyone who would charge me $20 to detail my car, and do it the way I do - and want it done - would be bankrupt in a short time.
No kidding - when I joke to people about "dropping out" they always ask me why I don't open a car wash. When I explain to them that the hour or hour and a half they see me in the driveway actually washing the car is followed by at least that much time in the garage drying and detailing it if it's just a quickie "regular" wash, or followed by 6+ hours if you wax it and 8+ for a full detail, I ask them who is going to pay me $500 a day to detail thier car??!!!!

Water with accumulated contaminants and salts, wash and dry rags used way beyond their safe life and washed and dried in batches with caustic cleaners. Unknown soaps...

makes me break into a sweat just thinking about it...

sure, lots of high end cars - but money doesn't mean they care or know...just means they can...

Originally Posted by wolf

car wash...never...ahhh..the auto spa .. hand wash of course..watch your baby being babied..sit by the fountains...or enjoy a massage.(they have a very attractive women giving massages on a portable massage chair)..you cant make this stuff up

many high end cars there...the guys dry with directional wipes..not circular..

for 10.99 when i dont have time to wash her myself..baby goes to the "spa"

wolf

Originally Posted by rsjean

Water with accumulated contaminants and salts, wash and dry rags used way beyond their safe life and washed and dried in batches with caustic cleaners. Unknown soaps...

makes me break into a sweat just thinking about it...

sure, lots of high end cars - but money doesn't mean they care or know...just means they can...

true ... but ... los angeles "air" plus that i live by the beach makes carwash water mild by comparision...compensate by waxing monthly and quarterly clay/polish..

FWIW the auto "spa" will not last long..the do care..they dont use "rags" but microfiber towles..at 10.99 they cant make a profit...so once the novility wears off...the massuse goes..the fountains go..and wolf leaves to wash the car himself...but it is a nice break for the time being..

wolf

My mom lives by the water in Carlsbad and I know what the salt air does to everything around the house - and to her car. You probably want to keep fresh water washing the salt off as often as possible.

Too bad they aren't making money. I'd take my '87 535is that has bad paint anyway just to get the massage...

Originally Posted by wolf

true ... but ... los angeles "air" plus that i live by the beach makes carwash water mild by comparision...compensate by waxing monthly and quarterly clay/polish..

FWIW the auto "spa" will not last long..the do care..they dont use "rags" but microfiber towles..at 10.99 they cant make a profit...so once the novility wears off...the massuse goes..the fountains go..and wolf leaves to wash the car himself...but it is a nice break for the time being..

wolf

it makes swirly scraches on the paint
u can see it in the sun and itys annoying

+ no one will do it better than you

invest in some Zaino stuff and do it yourself. it'll be far better than any car wash will make you car look.

-Ken

Don't let the car own you... if you loathe washing your car, then don't end up hating your car and yourself by forcing yourself to wash it all the time.

No one ever washes my car except me. Plain and simple.

you guys are a bunch of pansys, no offense but come on
the only cars i would think twice about send through a brushless car wash would be an exotic or any non metallic black car
a reputable brushless carwash is perfectly fine for the car....
i understand that taking pride in your car is good and i'm not knocking it but come on - don't be the cars b*tch...

Well damn, I guess I hit a sore spot.

If I had an '05 M3 I would right where you guys are coming from.

I have a 6 year old '99 328i. I bought it off a lease. It's probably been through a carwash 1000 times. I have swirl marks and I don't like to look at my car up close. It's not terrible, but you get the idea.

It has not been through the carwash since I got my 18" rims.

The question I was asking was weather anyone had any experience putting their 18" inch rims through a carwash with the track that they pull you through on (like most carwashes).

So my apologies to all the true fanatics who responded (I guess I am a poser).

And a big thanks to yayopwr -- you cracked me up.

Thanks all.

...What you are saying is that anyone who might own an exotic cares more than an E46 Fanatic does? Why should that be? Is pride associated with a dollar sign? Is passion triggered by 'collectible'?

Are you an expert in brushless carwashes?

Or are you the real pansy? - not that there's anything wrong with that...

Originally Posted by yayopwr

you guys are a bunch of pansys, no offense but come on
the only cars i would think twice about send through a brushless car wash would be an exotic or any non metallic black car
a reputable brushless carwash is perfectly fine for the car....
i understand that taking pride in your car is good and i'm not knocking it but come on - don't be the cars b*tch...

I'm with that other guy... I have a 2001 325... I know its not in MINT condition paint wise... generally i'd give the paint a 9 out of 10 but it has some swirls and normal wear... who the hell cares about driving through an automated car wash... I go through them fairly often... even the "hand car wash" chain company around here sends it through an automated thing for the main wash then does a lil bit more and a dry by hand... yes they use probably not the cleanest rags..

but honestly, the car wasn't perfect when it went in... and another 5 years of this arent going to do much of anything more to the paint... I have never seen my car come out of one of the car washes with visable scratches that wern't there when it went in... and I use the ones with the draping curtain ones (the touchless ones just dont get off half the dirt)...

honestly safety wise... the consensus is probably right not to use automated ones... but if you must, its cheaper, it does a half a** job, and it'll save you a lotta time...

if you have some time and dread using an automated... go to a coin one.. pop in about $8 worth of quarters... that should get you about 15-20 mins of car wash time (around where I live atleast)... use the presoak... go around the car carefully with the soap one... use the rinse... use the cheap wannabe wax spray... use the freshwater spray... pull out of the bay... dry it with a chamois (sp?) and be done with it... total time bout 30 minutes.

I would stay away from the "spot free rinse" crap... it doesnt really work and from what i've seen it just smears and looks greasy on your paint... and if you have a great desire to use the foamy brush thing... make sure you use the "soap" setting and spray the hell outa the brush with the wand before you use it to get out some of the dirt from the guy before you who decided to clean off his boat and 4 wheeler with it...

This post has been edited in the interest of humor - and to fit your TV screen...

Originally Posted by minig0d

who the hell cares about driving through an automated car wash... I go through them fairly often... ... yes they use probably not the cleanest rags.. the car wasn't perfect when it went in... and another 5 years of this arent going to do much of anything more to the paint...the consensus is probably right not to use automated ones...who the hell cares about driving through an automated car wash... I go through them fairly often......

If you're inclined to go to a carwash, atleast pick a quality well run and well maintained establishment (yes, there are a few out there)...
However just be aware that damage IS possible...
Be it rims, paint, trim, whatever.
When carwashing on your own, you definitely can eliminate those concerns.

Good luck.

Originally Posted by rsjean

...What you are saying is that anyone who might own an exotic cares more than an E46 Fanatic does? Why should that be? Is pride associated with a dollar sign? Is passion triggered by 'collectible'?

Are you an expert in brushless carwashes?

Or are you the real pansy? - not that there's anything wrong with that...

yes i'm the real pansy
and yes i am an expert in brusless carwashes - a good friend happens to own one and drives his 04 sl500 through it daily and i am still trying to find swirl marks on it

I like to wait for it to rain.

Originally Posted by yayopwr

yes i'm the real pansy
and yes i am an expert in brusless carwashes - a good friend happens to own one and drives his 04 sl500 through it daily and i am still trying to find swirl marks on it

Ah perfect the expert is here. And I call bs on the no swirl marks on your friends sl500. To those saying "well the car already has swirls and it is 5 years old so f-it" don't be discouraged. Have you seen what a professional detailer can do? All carwashes do is ruin your cars finish and strip your wax from use of very harsh chemicals. Basically if you care about your car, you will take the time to treat it right.

Originally Posted by yayopwr

i am an expert in brusless carwashes - a good friend happens to own one

I would just question whether all of us who know people in other fields, businesses or know people who own businesses become experts in those fields. My neighbor is a surgeon. Anyone want to volunteer to let me operate on them?

Originally Posted by stax

u expect your car to put you in another league from minivans and SUV's out there... then why are u putting it in the same league as them when it comes to cleaning

exactly. ive used a touchless twice and it still makes me uncomfortable