Hi guys,

I was wondering since its Winter n all, its impossible to wash the car by myself in the cold. Where do u guys go get ur car wash from? I know I would want a Touchless car wash, and the Mobil near mine is not touchless nemore!!

Nethin with scrubbin brushes, wont that damage our GPS Navi antennas???

Regards,
Ash ...........

 

I do it myself, in the garage. When I built the house, I made sure I specified to put a drain in the garage, as well as hot and cold water. It's also heated, just like the rest of the house, so I can literally go out in the garage in the dead of winter and wash the car in shorts and sandals if I want. It's nice, I don't trust automatic car washes, too many POS cars go through there and get crud all over the brushes. The touchless are a better alternative, but they don't do that great of a job. All in all, I would say the touchless is better than not doing it at all, but I would avoid any wash with brushes like the plague.

 

I have a highly trusted hand wash guy near my house. He uses a power washer so I know all the grime and salt will be gone.

 

Which area of Chicago do you live in? The only automatic car wash I trust is the ones that says Touchless Laserwash 4000. I usually go to the one by my office in Northbrook inside a Mobil gas station. Definitely avoid the brush ones.

axleback

 

damn...i am not that rich to have such a nice house~~!!!

touchless is gd...but only the new ones are gd...at shell...most powerful touchless...soft cloth is ok but not recommended...although it's cleans better than touchless...

 

hey Axleback ... check ur PM !!!!!!!!!!!

 

The dealer will wash your car for free any time you want it. I go at least once a week.

 

My dealer as far as i know will only wash it when its in for service

 

I just ware long sweat pant, and thick jacket when i wash my car ( only when it is really cold ), doesn't matter if out side is cold or not, as long as my babe is nice & clean, then it is worthed

bythe way, I clean her by hand ofcourse

 

Has anyone else ever substantiated this?

 

My dealer will wash the car, but they do a horrible job. I wouldn't let them wash it if I was you, unless you aren't that picky.

 

One of the new ACURA DEALERSHIP in WASHINGTON D.C. area had a TV add. They say they will wash your car for free if you buy from them. My dealership always offers to wash mine when I take it in for service. I always decline the offer when I am there for service.
I never go to an automatic car wash I only hand wash it. Its cold here now with snow on the ground. My poor car has not been washed since the end of September. It does look pretty good for it not being washed fro so long. The car is black in color & stays parked outside all the time. I put ZAINO polish on it & it has held up pretty well. I will get it to a place were I can wash it myself by hand with ZAINO wash & hose it off.

 

yea I always ask the dealer not to wash the car while in service, cuz I want wash my car at home with free water

 

Nothing will ever touch your GPS antenna, because it is located underneath the cloth like area right above the DVD NAV unit. That antenna that you are referring to is for ONStar.

 

I use a guy in Downers Grove. He does a great job (even does the door sills). 630.769.2525

I don't use touchless washes as that high pressure can eat away the wax and damage the paint.

 

How much does he charge? What kind of machine does he use? I don't really agree with your comment about high pressure water damaging the paint. Although our car's paint ain't exactly good quality, it'll be able to tolerate high pressure water. What it can't handle is those brush kind car wash. A friend of mine has a TL-P and he uses those brush car wash all the time. When he's parked under some streetlights, you can really see all the scratches caused by those damn washes. That's why I'm very religious when it comes to avoiding those brushes.

axleback

 

Is it touchless? and why is handwashing better?

 

Does anyone know if the dealers in Toronto do this?

Or if there is a good handwash place to go to here in T.O.?

There used to be a 'topless' car wash joint here, I don't know what happened to it. It must have been a while ago because I wasn't driving yet, otherwise I would have gone!

 

Hi,

The dealer where i get my TL S serviced claims they will have a car wash with a card reader access. Implying you can go there 24 hours a day and swipe ur card to get an auto car wash. I dont know how good its gonna be and still its too far from where I live neway.....

Wuurrrd

 

Is that right Ash? Damn. That'd be awesome! But I bet you it's the brush kind isn't it? Which dealer is it? Maybe I'll call them up and ask.

axleback

 

my dealer wash it for me when i take it for service...it's at aurora...

handwash place...i can't afford to pay 15 dollars for a wash...i usually go to the self service car wash to wash myself...if it's too cold...i will go to the shell's touchless...they have the best touchless...i don't go soft cloth...

 

Allen, its McGrath of Acura. Wonderful waiting area, they have a mini golf range and plazma tv for ur viewing pleasure. Not to mention a place to stretch and a private office desk to make calls while u wait... international calls from wut ive heard

Not to shabby EXCEPT they put all that cost in the price of the car ..

Wuuurrddd!!!!!!!!!

 

My dealer has a wash bay in the back and uses a handheld wand to do the washing. (no different than I would do at a Superwash, since I don't have one of those fancy garages). Then they dry the car by hand, vacuum it and Armor all the tires. They don't do a great job, so I have to do it myself once a month, but it should help keep the rust down without me having to shell out too much $$$.

 

Although there has been much comment here on the type of equipment used (brushes vs. brushless) etc., another hazard is the metal tracks your car travels through. When entering the car wash, your car is automatically aligned. In the process it may be moved abruptly sideways, causing one or more alloy wheels to contact the side of the track. Oftentimes I've noticed areas of roughness or even minor dents on the edge of the wheels after using these types of car washes. I try to wash my car at home whenever possible. And the remark is true about the Washington area Acura dealer giving free car washes anytime if the vehicle is purchased there. The only problem is the quality of the wash leaves something to be desired. Plan to spend another 15 min. or so going over the car and cleaning the areas missed by the dealer's wash job.

 

Very True !!!!
My brother has done it numerous times on his Accord. I think some car washes make it soo hard to enter the friggin bay especially if the car ur driving is new to you, its impossible without going on to the bay liners. Oh wellll ... Good Luck


Ash ..............

 

I'm in North York. Went to touchless last night because my trip to Casino Rama on Sunday left my brand new baby looking like she just got dragged through the mud.

Touchless at 7/11 at Wilson and Bathurst- great wash job, crappy dry job. Way too much water left on the car after the wash. The good thing is that its relatively cheap and you aren't on a track, and it's open 24 hours a day 7 days a week (the whole thing is automated).

The best place I ever went to get a car wash was surprisingly in Brooklyn, NY, where there are a ton of them. They wash and vaccuum your car for about 10 bucks everywhere.

 

i live in north york too...pretty close to ur place i believe...

the shell touchless at yonge and wilson is much better...the most powerful touchless around...

i did a soft cloth wash for only 6 bucks at steeles and bathurst last week in my aunt's caddy catera...awesome cleaning and worth the money...but it's soft cloth...

 

Yonge and Wilson, eh? Thanks for the advice. We live very close to each other, I'm at Lawrence and Bathurst. Where are you?

 

yonge and shepperd~

u can go try out that soft cloth if u dont mind...it's just 6 bucks~
very clean

 

axle,

he charges $10/$12 for the exterior only. I believe $15 for exterior & interior.

 

http://www.marquote.com/spotfree/

Spot Free Filter claims that you do not need to dry your car leaving it spotless. Im not sure how good it works, It's about $350 for the 1000 gallon. All you do is water, and let it dry naturally. This might be an alternative, and it will cut down time by a lot.

 

Next time I need a wash (next week) I'ma gonna check out the place at Yonge and Wilson (York Mills) and I'll tell ya what was up. Thanks for the info!

 

I wanted to try out the place at Yonge and Wilson but that must be a really good place, because there was a line of cars that snaked around the entire service station!

I'll tell ya what happens when I go next. Usually I go to the automatic touchless next to the 7/11 near Bathurst and Wilson but the big problem there is they don't dry the car properly so you end up with spots.

I hate spots.

 

For all you guys in the DC area, are you talking about Chevy Chase Acura giving free washes? They always offer it to me, but I always decline.