HacksawHilliard

After looking at my new 18" wheels and tires, I've concluded that I can't run the risk of using the drive thru carwashes. I'm afraid the wheels will get chewed up by the guide rails. Damm!!!!:banghead:

zima76

I never ever trust car wash services. The reason is simple. I take my own /bath/shower. Not paying someone to do it for me unless I am paralyzed....

VtecMW

Why would you ever run a car like this through a car wash? Especially with the upgraded wheels? That's sin!

HacksawHilliard

Many of the carwashes around here have gone brushless.

I knew I should have put the Michelins on there instead of the Toyos.:yack:

Sherlock

We use the nice 10-12 step brushless washes.. they do pretty damn well unless it's really not been washed in a while and it's stuck on dust and dirt.

Nothing touched, no rails to rub into you, unless you hit them on the way thru.

DMZ

Brushless, shmushless. Some where, some how, some way, something will get scratched or missed in an automated car wash. That's why I pay the extra few $ and only go to completely non-automated car washes that do hand jobs.

Sherlock

And they clean the car ?? Sorry, had to.

04SSMTLCanada

Best is to get the car hand washed and chamois dried. If the guy does it right, no streaks, water droplet marks etc. and the car looks great. Touchless washes use a very strong detergent that hurts the car's original shine and after several washes, the car will definitely look dull compared to a new one.

prelude

I actually prefer the touchless carwashes myself as well. If any fragments of dirt, sand, etc. get into the sponge, then you're basically scratching the sh## out of your car.

A touchless car wash simply blasts water and soap at the car.

HacksawHilliard

The place I normally take it to does a mini detail of the car inside and out. When it exits from the wash, they hand dry it, clean the windows inside and out and clean the interior. They vacumm before the wash. They do a great job and my cars have never looked dull using that. Now if only I had bought those Michelins..............

HondaOnly

http://www.waterworkscarwash.com/research.htm

Starbie

HondaOnly: interesting article, but it may be biased. "Waterworks" and The International Carwash Association working through a special Carwash Research Foundation Grant certainly benefit from convincing consumers to head to the car wash.

Another alternative: A friend of mine only used a compressor and hi-pressure water to wash his car. Years later, it was as glassy as the day he brought it home from the dealer. What does anybody think of this?

ScotTLTypeS

Hhhhmmmm.....

I guess you would have to pay extra for that!

gregory28

That's why I pay the extra few $ and only go to completely non-automated car washes that do hand jobs.
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DMZ is a fan of happy endings.

The car washes in NJ don't provide this service. If one goes to a massage parlor I understand one can pay extra for this service.

gweempose

Yes, I believe they refer to it as a "happy ending". :facelick:

neuronbob

I handwash with Z7, even in the middle of the winter. I simply can't trust anyone else with touching my car in this way, and during the winter it's the only way to get ALL of the salt dust off the car--the brushless washes in my area leave a sheen of dried salt on the lower door panels.

vothsc

I'd never trust any machine or other person to take the care washing my car that I do. I n the winter, carwashes just recyle the salt water and salt just goes right back in every nook and cranny.

vtechbrain

In winter I wash my car every week in a touchless. I have a local wash that has a specific saltbester setting which essentailly washes the car twice. That is usually sufficient to clean most of the salt. No, its not as good as a hand job (with or without the "extra") but up here its the best you can do aside from driving to the power pressure place and suffering in the cold. Before winter starts I give it a double coat of new finish which lasts at least 6 mths. I redo it in spring and that will last me through fall. Bugs here are muder in summer! Ever gone through a cloud of mayflys 20 miles long? I ussually wash by hand in summer. I never let anyone wash my car! Who's paranoid around here???????

vothsc

The best solution for those of us who have to deal with white stuff (Snow and Salt) is park it in the garage if you can and drive a beater or better yet a truck. It's surprising how chip-free you can keep your car if you do this and because trucks are high in the front, they get very few chips too. I have hand washed my truck in the Winter when the water froze (and my fingers) it was so cold but it beat driving around a salt incrusted vehicle. Around here (PA) they have switched to a liquid salt mix on the roads and it beats cinders for chips but it really cakes up things fast.

Bear2Day

It`s hard to beat a good old fashion, HAND JOB!

automophile

HOW can anyone put a nice car in a CAR WASH????

1. The brushes and pads rub the dirt from previous cars into your paint.

2. The "no-touch" one touch your car with very high-pressures, rubbing YOUR dirt into the paint and damaging rubber seals around the windows and doors.

3. The detergent will strip ALL your wax off instantly. It has to be REALLY strong to be sure to get all cars clean in one pass.

4. The towels used are POLY/cotton and scratch your paint even further.

NO WAY - I would rather be dirty than go to a car wash.

stargate

To : HacksawHilliard

Hello, I am new to this forum and I am trying to gather some info. before purchasing a '04 TL and was wondering why would the Michelins make a difference (are they a higher profile)? Which Michelins would you have picked for those 18" rims. BTW your car looks really good.

This is my first post, so I hope this is the correct method to reply.

rick955i

I wouldn't do it, the car wash destroyed the 19" wheels (outer edge all chewed up and paint chipped off) on our first 745i...luckily iDrive consumed the rest of the car so BMW replaced it along with new wheels....no car washes for us

manteuffel

The TL goes to a car wash that has no rails, no brushes and cleans fairly well for a touchless car wash. I've used it with my 2 previous daily drivers and I've never had a problem.
I hand washed the TL the 2nd day I owned it and it was a h*ll a of a job to do it often for a daily driver. So I decided to take it to the car wash. Then I finish the wheels at home. 5 bucks every week and half is not that bad.

Now, the Vette is a different story, tho. Since I drive it only for special occasions, then it gets hand washed and dried with a leaf blower every time I am done driving it, or no longer than 3 days, whichever comes first.



G.

rets

May I know what is touchless car wash? How can they clean the car? By high-pressuer water spray?

Thanks.

manteuffel

Yes, its a mobil 1 station car wash.
You drive the car and has an arm that rotates around your car and cleans using high pressure water. yes. hence 'no brushes'


G.

HacksawHilliard

Instead of the rubber being flush with the wheel, the Michelins stick out a little (by design) near the edge of the wheel to give some protection. Other brands have that also like Continentals etc. More expensive, but certainly worth it in my opinion for the convinience of driving your car thru the car wash.

Z Factor

Yes, but most of them have a railing that you must drive through to activate the system, which the OP want to avoid with his rims.

svtmike

I dinged one of my rims in a gas station's "touchless" car wash. Those spray-it-yourself washes are very rare around here; I might need to get a set of winter rims or leave the car completely salted all winter (not my preference).

Mike

NOX 3.2

some touchless Laser car washes don't have rails at all, those are the best.

I learned how to drive through the rails by moving the car towards the right a little, and I never had a problem in 3 months.
you just have to "learn where the wheels are" ... it's a skill many people don't have.

I used to compete with my brother on "precision" driving, placing plastic cups on the ground, and driving between them for $100 if he lost. !

many truck drivers can back-out with a double piece truck in between cars on a curve in a single lane without damage!

master your TL, it will pay off!

casooner90

Car wash in winter is no problem in So Cal - sorry to all you northerners, didn't mean to boast.

I am curious about how to keep my "Nighthawk Black Pearl" in new condition without having to frequently wax it. It's already hard to keep clean and I've only had my '04 TL for one month. But, when the car is cleaned, it looks great!