Do any of you use Local Carwashes???? Or Power Spray Washes????

[socal2fast]

I have been for years and now with new wheels it looks like the track in the carwash and messed up the front driver side wheel. I'm pissed as I know it will keep happening after I get it fixed if I go back.



I have been going here for year $32 a Mth. for unlimited full service carwashs.


I like to wash the car about 2 days a week. So I don't know if I should just start using the local Power spray place and doing it myself.


Have any of you guys run into this? What do you guys do?

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[Nagare]

After seeing the work you put in making your car look so perfect, I'm kinda surprised you take in a drive through car wash unless it is one of those 100% touchless laser ones. They're known for putting light scratches/swirles all over the paint.

If there was a power spray place near to me, I would probably do that though. Instead, I just do bucket washes in my apartment lot.

 

[NC85]

Car Washes are nothing but recycled bacteria traps with dirty water and brushes “washing” your car.

Use the hose and bucket at home.

 

[michail71]

I find the power spray places kind of fun. But if you are super picky about soaps and stuff like that you don't get to choose whatever is used.

I avoid their waxes and coatings and just do the power wash and rinse.

 

[Braski]

I use the spray ones all the time but hand wash when it's gets road grime on it after driving in the rain.

 

[Joe 5.0]

OP, do some research on "Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine" which I have linked below. All you need is a capful or two of the product, half a gallon of distilled water in a bucket, and a few microfiber towels to SAFELY clean your car.

https://www.amazon.com/OPT-Optimum-...pID=41WdIGCZK1L&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

 

[w3rkn]

Off hours power wash and your own bucket... microfiber towels and your own soap.

Wet the car, wash by hand, powerwash…. a quick way to wash your car when you don't have time on a full detailed wash, or while traveling.

 

[jenksdrummer]

Yes; if I let my OCD drive me to hand-washing my car and keeping it as perfect as possible, it will end up sitting the garage not being driven because that's far easier than dealing with it.

So I go through the automated brushes-and-hanging-rags. Yeah it might put some hair-lines on my car. but, I can also pay a(n ideally reputable) detailer to make it look like new and if the paint falls off, it's not me eating it.

Plus with all the construction dump trucks hauling dirt/gravel and other crap that ends up pelting my vehicles, it won't look new forever no matter what I do.


In fact, when I had my Nissan Frontier a few years ago, I went 3 years sitting outside without washing it. It had a pretty dull looking patina to it. Finally took it to this non-touchless car wash and it looked BRAND NEW. Yep. No damage from rubbing it with microfiber mitts all the time and not being militant about making sure there's no grit in the mitt. In fact, when I traded it in, the dealer thought I was a fanatic with keeping it clean. Nope.

 

[ahl395]

I have a local car wash place that washes completely by hand but runs the car through a "track" down the assembly line of people. I pay $100/mo for unlimited top-tier washes. I'm about to cancel that though and switch to a ceramic coating on my car to hopefully just be able to power wash the dirt off the car most of the time.

Great place and they do a pretty good job, no automated nylon dirt spreaders. I just made sure the track was wide enough for my wheels before bringing it through and I've had no problems. The sides of the track are rubber so they don't scratch.

Try contacting the car wash company and see if they will cover the damage or at least look into fixing the problem with their car wash?

 

[rebellovw]

Off hours power wash and your own bucket... microfiber towels and your own soap.

Wet the car, wash by hand, powerwash…. a quick way to wash your car when you don't have time on a full detailed wash, or while traveling.

Exactly - here in AZ - I use the buckets and sprayer in the shade at the carwash. After hours as not to look like a jerk.

 

[Nomadic]

I have been for years and now with new wheels it looks like the track in the carwash and messed up the front driver side wheel. I'm pissed as I know it will keep happening after I get it fixed if I go back.



I have been going here for year $32 a Mth. for unlimited full service carwashs.


I like to wash the car about 2 days a week. So I don't know if I should just start using the local Power spray place and doing it myself.


Have any of you guys run into this? What do you guys do?

Yup, same thing happened to me going to a car wash with a track where the wheels have to fit in. I used a polish with light abrasive and my wheels looks a lot better now. You have to really look now to see the scratch. Will never take the Mustang there again. But I will take it to a wash where there's no narrow track for the wheels.

 

[socal2fast]

Yup, same thing happened to me going to a car wash with a track where the wheels have to fit in. I used a polish with light abrasive and my wheels looks a lot better now. You have to really look now to see the scratch. Will never take the Mustang there again. But I will take it to a wash where there's no narrow track for the wheels.

I would like to see how to find a carwash without a Narrow Track. I only have 9.5" wheels in the front and 11" in the rear.

 

[ahl395]

I would like to see how to find a carwash without a Narrow Track. I only have 9.5" wheels in the front and 11" in the rear.

They do exist. The one I use has a 12.5" wide track. Wide enough for 305s but not 325s lol

 

[socal2fast]

They do exist. The one I use has a 12.5" wide track. Wide enough for 305s but not 325s lol

The front wheel that is getting damaged is a 20x9.5 with a 275/35/20 tire.


My rears are 315/35/20 on a 20x11.


The front wheel tire is a little rounded of a fit and not boxed/square as much as I would like and I think that would have help. But it's not stretched just not as square as I like.

 

[whalesalad]

I would never go anywhere but a touchless wash. If you're going to one of those places with an unlimited monthly membership and the rollers/hanging cloth things you might as well drive your car through a sand paper factory.

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