Mechanical Car Washes

What to do to keep your car looking and running like new, inside and out.

Do you run your car through mechanical washes?

Yes, every time. Haven't washed my own car since 1986.
1
8%
Yes, some of the time.
4
33%
Not really, only once or twice.
0
No votes
No, but I'd consider it.
0
No votes
No, I go to hand-wash establishments.
0
No votes
No, I try to wash my car myself/have someone else wash it.
3
25%
No, never! What an abomination!
0
No votes
Wash my car? Why in the world would I do that?
4
33%
 
Total votes: 12

tankinbeans
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Re: Mechanical Car Washes

Post by tankinbeans »

comingbackdown wrote:Weather is starting to get a bit less...agreeable...
I don't know if anybody else feels the same way, but I have loved this summer. We had the week of sticky icky humidity, but otherwise it feels like Spring.

Homey doesn't like heat all that much.
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potownrob
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Re: Mechanical Car Washes

Post by potownrob »

oh meh; wait til the winter hits 8)
ClutchFork wrote:...So I started carrying a stick of firewood with me and that became my parking brake.
tankinbeans
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Re: Mechanical Car Washes

Post by tankinbeans »

potownrob wrote:oh meh; wait til the winter hits 8)
Oh, I know. I prefer the temperatures during the winter, but the roads suck. There are only 3 ways over the river and most of the jobs in the Twin Cities are north of the river.

UGH.
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rei
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Re: Mechanical Car Washes

Post by rei »

I pay for the auto washes pretty often, once a season I'll get it hand-washed, and at the end of winter I'll pay to get it detailed / waxed.
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Jastreb
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Re: Mechanical Car Washes

Post by Jastreb »

I avoid mechanical car washes with the rotating brushes/bristles, because I've seen them scuff up the clearcoat on my previous car.
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potownrob
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Re: Mechanical Car Washes

Post by potownrob »

rei wrote:I pay for the auto washes pretty often, once a season I'll get it hand-washed, and at the end of winter I'll pay to get it detailed / waxed.
i should hire you as my car cleanliness consultant :twisted:
ClutchFork wrote:...So I started carrying a stick of firewood with me and that became my parking brake.
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potownrob
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Re: Mechanical Car Washes

Post by potownrob »

Jastreb wrote:I avoid mechanical car washes with the rotating brushes/bristles, because I've seen them scuff up the clearcoat on my previous car.
amen. i won't even use the brush on a stick at the manual car wash anymore, even after rinsing off the dirt and rocks with the water wand. no wonder watkins didn't use it at the car wash at the 2010 ss meet (back then i thought he was just being lazy :? ). the vw dealer gives a courtesy wash with every service, but they bring it to a nearby carwash and must use the brush on a stick. i've brought this up to them, but they keep scratching up my paint :x .
ClutchFork wrote:...So I started carrying a stick of firewood with me and that became my parking brake.
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six
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Re: Mechanical Car Washes

Post by six »

The car washes you go to must be really old. Newer systems have self-cleaning scratch-less brushes made out of foam. The car washes I go to seem to do a pretty good job, and not a scratch can be found. I routinely find Mercedeses and Escalades, etc. go through them too.
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potownrob
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Re: Mechanical Car Washes

Post by potownrob »

six wrote:The car washes you go to must be really old. Newer systems have self-cleaning scratch-less brushes made out of foam. The car washes I go to seem to do a pretty good job, and not a scratch can be found. I routinely find Mercedeses and Escalades, etc. go through them too.
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no such thing around here, that i've seen at least. all car washes are either the ugly foaming bristled brushes, stupid giant cloth (i hope?) fettucine strips trying to flip your car over and bust windows, or touchless squirt and air dry jobs. no foam to be seen :evil: :x :o :cry: :?: :idea:
ClutchFork wrote:...So I started carrying a stick of firewood with me and that became my parking brake.
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potownrob
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Re: Mechanical Car Washes

Post by potownrob »

tankinbeans wrote:
potownrob wrote:oh meh; wait til the winter hits 8)
Oh, I know. I prefer the temperatures during the winter, but the roads suck. There are only 3 ways over the river and most of the jobs in the Twin Cities are north of the river.

UGH.
winter tires FTW :D :!:
i cannot WAIT to switch my winter wheels on and tear up some white powder :o 8)
ClutchFork wrote:...So I started carrying a stick of firewood with me and that became my parking brake.
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six
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Re: Mechanical Car Washes

Post by six »

potownrob wrote:no such thing around here, that i've seen at least. all car washes are either the ugly foaming bristled brushes, stupid giant cloth (i hope?) fettucine strips trying to flip your car over and bust windows, or touchless squirt and air dry jobs. no foam to be seen :evil: :x :o :cry: :?: :idea:
:( The fettucine-strip ones are scratch-free when they're new, but if they're not cleaned properly and regularly, the accumilated dirt causes scratching. The nylon brush ones are a nightmare, avoid at all costs.
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Shadow
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Re: Mechanical Car Washes

Post by Shadow »

six wrote:The car washes you go to must be really old. Newer systems have self-cleaning scratch-less brushes made out of foam. The car washes I go to seem to do a pretty good job, and not a scratch can be found. I routinely find Mercedeses and Escalades, etc. go through them too.

There's not a mechanical car wash in the world that won't put scratches in the paint every time you run a car through it. The kind of scratches I'm talking about are microscratches that show up as swirls & spiderwebs in the paint. They are more easily seen on dark colors or under certain lighting conditions. They are absolutely unavoidable unless you handwash (and even then you have to be really careful to not cause microscratches) or if you use a truly touchless automated car wash.

BTW, most expensive cars are leased (not owned) and the people leasing them don't really care about keeping the paint looking like new. The car will be returned and a new one will take it's place every few years anyway.
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Shadow
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Re: Mechanical Car Washes

Post by Shadow »

six wrote: :( The fettucine-strip ones are scratch-free when they're new, but if they're not cleaned properly and regularly, the accumilated dirt causes scratching. The nylon brush ones are a nightmare, avoid at all costs.

Even brand new car wash brushes (of any kind) will still cause microscratches in the paint. How? Easy--most of the scratches will be caused by the dirt that's already on the car. Go take a brand new microfiber towel, wet it, and wipe it down a dirty car and you'll put microscratches in the paint for sure.
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Re: Mechanical Car Washes

Post by Rope-Pusher »

Shadow wrote:Place one of these on your driveway and drive over it :lol:

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Tried that, but the underside of the Jeep didn't get any cleaner and then I had to go out and buy a replacement.
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Re: Mechanical Car Washes

Post by theholycow »

Obviously caused by inferior water. You should use distilled water with lawn sprinklers. Duh.
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