Word to the wise:

My dealer put the new EL42's on my TL today, during which the tech showed me a problem with my rims. The entire inside edge of my drivers side rims (front & rear) were ground down considerably! He could not determine the reason, but I speculate that this marring is being caused by the push tracks found at almost all drive-thru style car washes. The metal guiderail that guides the car through the car wash has inflicted quite a bit of damage and moves the rim weights around the perimeter of the rim...which throws off the wheel balance (if the wheel did not balance at 0).

I do not make it a habit to frequent these type of car washes, but in my area there are little options in the winter. Needless to say, I will be avoiding ALL of these car washes like "the plague".

I would strongly advise everyone other TL owner to take heed of this issue as well.

 

Thanks for the heads up and sorry to hear about the rim!

 

Just for clarification, when I say "inside edge" of the rims, I mean the side of the rims not visible when looking at the wheels (inboard side of vehicle). It was not evident until the car was on the hoist, and we could get underneath.

 

yeah if it can scratch the outside edge it will scratch the inside edge. avoid car washes if you can.

 

OMG!

First of all <crossing himself feverishly>, NO car washes. And no excuses! Your car and I won't tolerate it! <hyperventilating>

That said, there are lots of spray washes that you can use if you don't have a driveway to get the winter grundge off. Take your own wash mit, bucket, and specialized car wash soap.

Be aware that the rim is not protected by the tire on our TLs. It's worse on the 02 and 03 CLs. The rim on those actually is wider than the tire. Beaucoup problems.

 

The car washes do not have them on the driver side, only passenger side. I had a scratched rim and went there to have them pay for it, but nothing on drivers side. Check and you will see nothing.

 

GET WIDER TIRES LIKE I HAVE BELOW

 

Wow, thanks all for the heads-up here. This is something that should be mentioned in the manual, no? As a warning about drive-thru car washes?

I live in a condo in the city and park in a garage. I have no access to a hose or anywhere to wash the car. The nearest spray-style car wash is a half-hour drive away, and all the local car washes use those tracks. I have my cars professionally detailed every 6 months or so, but what the heck do I do with the TL in between?

 

I only wish I knew sooner because after a run in with a bird on a very cold day I took it through a touchless carwash and you guessed it...gouged rim! Never again