I decided to take my 04 TL to the local Automatic (non Scratch) carwash, The carwash is the kind where they send your car through the washing process on a track.
Being careful with my car, I asked the attendant if there was any chance that the carwash would scratch my rims.."Oh no sir, we never have problems". After the carwash I inspected my rims and they only scratched 3 out of 4..I wonder why they missed the 4th?)
The manager was called and was rude ( I would like to use some other words here but don't want to offend anybody) and claimed that it was impossible that the carwash did the damage. Bottom line he told me to take a hike and he would get the owner to call me next week. I guess I will actually get to meet him in small claims court.
So, Fu*k automatic carwashes and Acura should redesign the wheels so they are not so easily damaged. Lesson learned..
DO NOT TAKE YOUR 04 TL TO AN AUTOMATIC CARWASH..

 

it's a good time to upgrade your wheels

 

It's not Acura's fault. Other manufacturers supply low-profile tires as well. It's the carwash's fault. And yours to some extent for taking your car there in the first place.

I wish you luck on getting them replaced or fixed for free.

 

I took my new TL to the car wash for the first time last week...without incident. No visible swirling/scratching of the paint, no damage to my wheels. The place I use does a great job. The owner used to race for Ferarri and has been known to hang around to make sure things are running smoothly...a fellow car nut.

Unfortunately, it sounds like you just had a bad experience with that particular car wash. I hope they'll make things right for you.

As for the wheels, car makers have been making alloy wheels for a long time. I think it's safe to say it's a mature technology. If you want no scratch, indestructible wheels, I've got one word for you...steel. Go get you some heavy ass solid steel wheels with no covers. You can't possibly hurt those going through the car wash!

 

Acura's rims are nice, but it really pisses me off how they assed up the function following form. Its impossible not to get curb rash on them.

I had a similar experience as you since I was being real lazy and didn't want to wash, but luckily my car survived.

 

Every few weeks someone comes on and tells a car wash horror story. Our wheels have no protection from the tires which only stick out about 1/4" from the wheel. They are LOW PROFILE ultra-high performance tires. TL is a luxury-sport performance sedan. It cannot, IMO, be treated like a Taurus.

My own policy, and I recommend it to you, is NEVER put it through an automatic car wash. Even the "brushless" ones, use strips of outdoor carpet to pelt your body panels. There is debris in those strips that scratch your clear coat. The water is recirculated, smelly, and just plain nasty.

I am sorry about your wheels. But you are about the 4th poster here who has told the same story. The guy who recently installed my clear bra spends most of his time repairing wheels at dealerships. He does about 10 a day. The Acura dealer, and other exotic car dealers are his biggest customers. So, please be aware that there are guys out there who repair wheels like new. I suggest you go direct unless you want to pay the dealer's commission also.

Good luck.
XP

 

jazzpicker,

Do you have the 17" stock wheels or the 18" Aspec wheels. Many have stated that the 18" Aspec with 235s does not provide enough protection to the rims. I currently have the 17s and have not had any problems with automatic brushless car washes.

 

From what I have read here in the forum, and what little I know about wheels, I would say it is more the low profile tires, and the way they are made, that is the cause of the problem.

The stock EL-42's offer absolutely no protection for the wheels. If you hold a straightedge across the tire, you will see that there is barely 1/16" clearance between the straightedge and the rim, which means it won't take much of an indentation to damage the wheel. My LS-Z's which replaced my EL-42s have a rim protector, as do the Falkens and some others, but even this won't protect against a hard hit.

So, as many others have said before, and have also said above, be careful of your wheels. I am sorry you had to learn the hard way, but I hope someone else will benefit from your misfortune, and I also hope you can get it straightened out to your satisfaction with the car wash owner. Hope he doesn't have a little 2" square sign, tucked away in a corner somewheres where you can't see it, that says "Not responsible for wheel damage".

 

I would have called the police and had a report written out and then follow it up with legal action.

 

I have 17' stock wheels on my 04TL.
After taking the car home, I was able to compound out scratches on 2 of the wheels. I contacted Alloy Wheel Repair Specialists Inc. 1-800-518-3040, www.mobilewheelrepair.com (recommended by the Acura dealership) a company that does wheel repairs at your home or business.
Within an hour a man came to my house to look at the car and give me an estimate. They will complete the repairs on my car for $40.00 tomorrrow at my home. (I gotta see this).
For $40.00 dollars, I won't persue compensation from the car wash people but will never do business there again with my other cars. In the future I will get off my lazy ass and wash my 04 at home.
At least, this episode confirms another "urban legend" Automatic car washes will damage your 04's wheels.

 

Don't even begin to tell me that the design of the tire/wheel is supposed to keep the car sporty. The EL42s totally destroy that, you know that too. I don't see the big deal with the tire being a little thicker or the rim not coming out as far.

 

What I am saying is that car wash tracks were designed for normal passenger car and truck tires; not the low-profile 35 and 45 aspect ultra high performance tires. They were designed to steer the car straight by rubbing against those big baloon tires. The metal track doesn't even reach their wheels because of the HEIGHT of the tire.

And, Gale Force, FWIW, I like my EL42s (revised). I have had no problems with them. No flat-spotting. No vibrations. Good grip. If I drove more miles than I do with the TL, I would be buying up the take-offs from other members for spares.

Fact is - I won't be needing replacements for about 8 years.

XM

 

Dah!!

 

"vs." means "against"

 

Another way to prevent a similar sad, sad tale is to use a tire with a "rim protector". Such as Falkens, like I have.

 

Neuronbob,
I have tires with rim protectors..The problem is a carwash with brushes go above the low profile tire and contact the painted rims. Maybe some of the newer carwash designs compensate for low profile tires but unfortunately the one I used scratched the rim.
The guy from the wheel repair service says this is a common problem with new acuras and keeps matching paint in stock.
Oh well, I am out $40.00....Live and learn...

 

Ah, I see...how about a cloth carwash? Or, better yet, a "touchless" carwash with water jets? Any of those in your neighborhood? The local carwash I used during the winter had, instead of brushes, cloth. It didn't scratch my rims at all. I handwash during the warm months, so carwashes aren't an issue.

 

I saw the first "laser wash" in Milwaukee last week. It's touchless by using water jets. Driving car to the center of washing bay, then the robot arm will auto adjust its angle and locations to touchlessly wash your car...

Funny... new to me. I heard it but never tried it before...




http://www.autorific.net/laserwash.htm

 

I am going to WalMart and get a fricking bucket, a soft cloth and a hose....Get outside in the hot Florida sun and wash my acura by hand. No laser washers, magic bubbles, or other hokey shit...
I think that the acura wheels are going to be hard to live with..the slightest mistake and call the wheel repair man. This guy is going to get rich. I own 2 acuras, one with a tranny ready to blow and the other with eggshell wheels but I still stick with the product although it is getting harder with every new challenge..

 

I also had a bad experience with my second car at a "brushless" car wash. It's a Honda DelSol with Honda Alloy wheels and Dunlop tires, and had the same problem with the rail's in the car wash. In addition to scratching the rims, my front end was knocked out of alignment when the attendant who obviously wasn't used to driving such a small, low to the ground car, rammed the front wheels into the rails several times before he got it aligned properly in the chute. When I talked to the manager, he also was rude and insulting, and refused to pay for an alignment. I had to "eat it" since small claims court is more hassle than it's worth. They know this, and rarely pay for the damage their equipment or attendant's cause. I NEVER take my TL to the car wash, and the Honda won't be going back in the future either. Sorry to hear about your rims, I hope you get them fixed.

 

You wanna talk about hot Florida sun? Come on down!

But seriously, it's not good to wash your car in the sun. Find some shade or do it early in the morning or late in the afternoon. A lambs wool mitt is best for the horizontal surfaces and sides. I use a sponge for the lower part, bumpers, wheels.

The sun dries the water before you can wipe it off and can leave water spots that are hard to get off. I dry the car with an artificial chamois and then go over it with a dry waffle- weave microfiber towel to polish it up. At that point, you can use an Instant Detailer spray to really bring out the shine.

It takes me about and hour and a half every Saturday to clean the TL. I just did it this morning. If I Zaino it, add another hour. But I enjoy doing it. I solve a lot of problems while I'm cleaning my car.

XP

 

It's cool where I work. We have this company that comes onsite and you can leave your car with them. They have this large truck designed for washing cars (by hand under a shade) and other basic car serive (like oil changes, etc.). The cost for a wash is $20. I think it is called Service On Site (S.O.S.) and they do it right there in the lot so you can watch them, etc. They come onsite every other week for about 3 straight days.

I've not had a chance to use them yet as I am still waiting on my Acura (looks like end of August is best bet for me), but many a co-worker has used them and praised them mightily.

 

I just inspected the 3 cars in the garage that have high performance, low apspect ratio tires and the wheels to exploit them(that is, the wheel is wide enough so that it does not force the sidewall to bulge beyond the rim). Every one of them is susceptible to curb rash - none of them has any - that should tell you something.

This is not Acura's fault, it is the car wash's, and if there is curb rash, that is yours, or whoever was driving your car. Why not blame scraping the front air strake on parking berms while we are at it? My wife did that today on her Camry for the Nth time, so I just pulled the thing off. So her cD goes up .01 or whatever.

Now, the other 2 cars in the driveway (an Outback and a Camry) have narrow rims, and 70-series tires. The resulting tire sidewall bulge will make them less susceptible to wheel damage, but the sidealls will get scraped if poor driving or washing is demonstrated.

So while I suppose one can have one's cake and eat it too, my kitchen just doesn't work like that.

Now, it is possible to have a tire with a rubber rim near the joining area to the wheel, but it only slightly mitigates damage, if it doesd anything at all.

As the Bible says, "Cast ye not pearls before swine". Since there will be the inevitable "huh?", I mean that taking an A-class car with sporting intentions to a car wash, or driving it against a curb and expecting no consequencies, is setting oneself up for disaster.

I too hope you get satisfaction from he car wash place, but I sincerely doubt you will.

 

Living in Pennsylvania, I guess I will be washing my TL in the driveway this winter, LIKE WE ALL USED TO DO! Anyone out there besides me old enough to remember what we all used to do with a dirty car? Car washes are pretty convenient, but, they can't compare to the TLC we can do ourselves - it's such a great opportunity to count the dings and to blame the wife for parking to close too WalMart. I just wish the water didn't freeze in the hose - I really hate winter, btw.

 

Back in the day... when I was about 14, I had a thriving car wash business in our driveway. I got $2 for a wash and vacuum, and $5 for a wax job. And I loved to do it. Still do. But my prices hafta change!

I love winter! For about two weeks. Then I go home to Florida. I'm originally from near Buffalo, NY. We had four seasons there: June, July, August, and Winter.

XP