View Poll Results: How does your car get washed?
Hand Wash Yourself
55
72.37%
Car Wash
20
26.32%
I let rain do the dirty work...
1
1.32%
Voters: 76. You may not vote on this poll
Acurazine Members: Do you Handwash or go to a Carwash?
12-25-2004, 10:32 PM
#5
OCD in the OC
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
Age: 44
Posts: 784
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
Originally Posted by members78
i use touchless car wash, anything wrong with that?
and what about in the winter, do u wash the car outdoors?
and what about in the winter, do u wash the car outdoors?
12-25-2004, 10:34 PM
#6
I kAnt Spel guD
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Chicagoland, IL
Posts: 1,319
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I hand wash, but sometimes in the winter, like now, I use touch less "super wash" to get the salt off the car every few day and spray the under carraige. But I never dry the car or touch the paint unless I hand wash the car. Touchless wash never gets all the dirt off for me.
My areas touchless is just a bunch of spray jets that go around the car it's automated and has no dryers at all. It takes about 2mins tops.
My areas touchless is just a bunch of spray jets that go around the car it's automated and has no dryers at all. It takes about 2mins tops.
Trending Topics
12-25-2004, 11:02 PM
#8
Tuxedo Cat
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Venice Beach
Age: 60
Posts: 739
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hand car wash which I've used for years and who do things right, or at least as "right" as I'm likely to do myself. ie, not perfect, but "very good."
I really have neither the time nor the place to wash myself. My current condo complex has a prohibition on car washing, and no accessible hose connections. Increasingly common around here.
LA water supply is pretty bad for getting a clean rinse with, regardless of who does the washing.
I really have neither the time nor the place to wash myself. My current condo complex has a prohibition on car washing, and no accessible hose connections. Increasingly common around here.
LA water supply is pretty bad for getting a clean rinse with, regardless of who does the washing.
12-25-2004, 11:05 PM
#9
Tuxedo Cat
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Venice Beach
Age: 60
Posts: 739
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by ccarbajal08
I hope nobody goes to a car wash. Car wash = swirl marks.
Truth is, almost anything with LA DWP water (chock full o' minerals) tends to leave some kind of drying marks or deposits. The only time my car gets perfectly clean is immediately after I wax it. I have found no solution to that around here. I guess a water softener or something might do it, if I had that option.
12-26-2004, 12:54 AM
#10
Instructor
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: bc canada
Age: 44
Posts: 222
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
try to handwash whenever i can but somtimes i use the carwash when im short on time.I can never do a good job at the carwash cuz of the time limits+ theres aways lots of mud chunks around from people spraing off there 4x4s
12-26-2004, 02:13 AM
#13
6MT Snob
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Chicagoland
Age: 49
Posts: 2,276
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by Jack Slate
I hand wash religiously EVERY week. If it rains, I will wash the day after if it's sunny.
12-26-2004, 02:48 AM
#14
Racer
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Stockton, California
Posts: 397
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I used to live at an apartment complex and they prohibit washing cars due to water usage restrictions. Well, I washed my car there anyways... but I only used three gallons of water and a bottle of quick detailer. Here's some more info on what I used:
http://www.autopia.org/forums/showth...h&pagenumber=1
EDIT: this was for the person that talked about living in a condo..
http://www.autopia.org/forums/showth...h&pagenumber=1
EDIT: this was for the person that talked about living in a condo..
12-26-2004, 06:57 AM
#15
Moderator Alumnus
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Windsor-Quebec corridor
Age: 47
Posts: 7,709
Likes: 0
Received 6 Likes
on
4 Posts
I handwash most of the time, but it may happen that if I'm really in a hurry, I'll resort to touchless car wash.
But I've been told that the solvents used in a touchless car wash were so strong they could literally wash away the wax coating you have on your car. Is there any truth to this?
But I've been told that the solvents used in a touchless car wash were so strong they could literally wash away the wax coating you have on your car. Is there any truth to this?
12-26-2004, 09:36 AM
#16
teh Senior Instigator
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Huntington Beach, CA -> Ashburn, VA -> Raleigh, NC -> Walnut Creek, CA
Age: 42
Posts: 44,090
Received 957 Likes
on
328 Posts
if you are going to go to a car wash, atleast go to a touchless. However be prepared that the chemicals they use are very strong and will strip off any kind of wax/protection you have on it, but you won't get the swirls
I hand wash
I hand wash
12-26-2004, 11:35 AM
#21
Old fart
all three...
Handwash...before I wax/Zaino
touchless car wash when I don't have time and when its friggen cold outside
and when it rains, I can't complain about a free car wash
Handwash...before I wax/Zaino
touchless car wash when I don't have time and when its friggen cold outside
and when it rains, I can't complain about a free car wash
12-26-2004, 12:08 PM
#22
Go Giants
I mix it up yo. Hand wash few times a year, pro detailer 2 times a year and touchless car wash in the cold.
12-26-2004, 01:42 PM
#24
Photography Nerd
Originally Posted by cmf
I don't care how cold it is outside. I'll let my hands turn into ice cubes before running through a car wash. I handwash the car everytime. 
12-26-2004, 01:51 PM
#25
Go Giants
Originally Posted by Dan Martin
Dude, you live in texas!
44 degrees in El Paso TX
32 degrees in Princeton NJ
18 degrees in Toronto CA
12-26-2004, 02:45 PM
#26
I kAnt Spel guD
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Chicagoland, IL
Posts: 1,319
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by cmf
I don't care how cold it is outside. I'll let my hands turn into ice cubes before running through a car wash. I handwash the car everytime.
The second the water leaves the hose it's frozen you can't hand wash up here in the winter. Plus, road salt will eat your car far worse then any car wash period.
I'd gladly hand wash all year if it weren't for the -15 windchill factor and 2" of ice in the driveway...oh and my frozen solid water line outside.
If you live in the snow belt you have to car wash unless you have a heated building to wash inside of and dry inside of and pray the car locks don't freeze after you get done washing and drive outside.
12-26-2004, 03:02 PM
#27
Racer
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Arlington, VA
Age: 45
Posts: 432
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I believe that touchless car washes actually touch your car. Plus, when they dry it, they use terry cloth towels--those definately create swirl marks. I'm lucky because I live in sunny southern CA. If I were you, I'd do the car wash outside and then detail in your garage. Make sure that you have plenty of lighting though. Good luck!
i love my car, but not enuff to handwash it. ill either get it detailed or touchless wash, with air dry and clear coat protectant.
12-26-2004, 03:03 PM
#28
Tuxedo Cat
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Venice Beach
Age: 60
Posts: 739
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by tehCOW
I used to live at an apartment complex and they prohibit washing cars due to water usage restrictions. Well, I washed my car there anyways... but I only used three gallons of water and a bottle of quick detailer. Here's some more info on what I used:
http://www.autopia.org/forums/showth...h&pagenumber=1
EDIT: this was for the person that talked about living in a condo..
http://www.autopia.org/forums/showth...h&pagenumber=1
EDIT: this was for the person that talked about living in a condo..
The condo complex I'm about to move out of has a shared garage with a prohbition on ANY kind of work on the car on premises. Rarely enforced, but it would probably prohibit even that kind of wash. Truth is though, that kind of thing could even be done in the street.
12-26-2004, 03:09 PM
#29
Tuxedo Cat
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Venice Beach
Age: 60
Posts: 739
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by cmf
I don't care how cold it is outside. I'll let my hands turn into ice cubes before running through a car wash. I handwash the car everytime.
Not to say we didn't get lots of winter days in Connecticut when the temp was high enough to wash the cars ourselves. They happen, and we certainly would take advantage of them as much as practical. But you can't count on them happenning when you need them most.
Fortunately, Connecticut didn't use salt on the roads, but we were close to the NY border. The rule was that the car went through a car wash immediately every time it drove across the border in winter.
12-26-2004, 03:10 PM
#30
I kAnt Spel guD
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Chicagoland, IL
Posts: 1,319
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
A buddy of mine lived at a place that had no spicket for washing...it was banned.
He lived on the 2nd floor, we purchased a ton of hose and hooked it up to the washing machine facet.
Then ran it outside down the railing and washed our cars at school. His nieghbors were cool with it...sometimes we would wash their cars too since they were so cool to us.
He lived on the 2nd floor, we purchased a ton of hose and hooked it up to the washing machine facet.
Then ran it outside down the railing and washed our cars at school. His nieghbors were cool with it...sometimes we would wash their cars too since they were so cool to us.
12-26-2004, 03:53 PM
#31
Old fart
Originally Posted by cmf
I don't care how cold it is outside. I'll let my hands turn into ice cubes before running through a car wash. I handwash the car everytime.
12-26-2004, 05:32 PM
#33
6MT Snob
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Chicagoland
Age: 49
Posts: 2,276
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Did you guys hear about this
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-clim26.html
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-clim26.html
Winter wallops Texas with foot of snow
December 26, 2004
Folks in Victoria, Texas, just off the Gulf Coast, weren't dreaming Saturday when they woke up to a white Christmas. They had one -- the first in 86 years.
Almost a foot of snow fell overnight to give Victoria a taste of what the country's midsection has been dealing with the last two days: winter weather.
An arctic front that swept through the Midwest hit Indiana and Kentucky particularly hard, bringing record snowfalls that snarled holiday travel and stopped last-minute Christmas shoppers in their tracks. More than a dozen traffic deaths and thousands of auto accidents have been blamed on the storm so far.
'It's a miracle'
The last time Victoria saw a measurable amount of snow was in 1973, when a tenth of an inch fell. That's the same amount that fell on Christmas 1918, said Tony Merriman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
''It's a miracle,'' proclaimed Hailey Koronczok, who was watching the snow fall as she worked at a Denny's. ''Everybody's excited and shocked that it is snowing down here.''
A few of Koronczok's co-workers -- outnumbering their customers 2 to 1 because of the bad weather -- ventured outside, wading into what turned out to be knee-high snow in some areas.
''Everybody's freaking out,'' said Megan Gohlke, 22, who gave her own traffic report: no closings or tie-ups, only a stranded car here and there.
And they weren't going to be stranded long: The forecast called for a fast melt, with highs in the 50s.
Other states looking up
Conditions on Indiana highways were improving Saturday, two days after a winter storm dumped up to 2 feet of snow in some areas, followed by subzero temperatures.
Indiana State Police said Interstate 65 near Seymour was still slick in spots Saturday, but traffic was moving. They said almost all highways in southern Indiana were still covered by snow or ice.
Some Indiana churches canceled Christmas services to keep people off the road after much of the state was buried in up to 2 feet of snow.
''We were not asking parishioners to be out when police say to stay in,'' said the Rev. Dave Ferry of Englewood Baptist Church in Bedford.
In Downstate Normal, wind chill readings below zero compelled Epiphany Catholic Church to warm the camel, goats and sheep in its live Nativity scene with king-size electric blankets. The wise men, Mary and Joseph were given battery-powered heaters to carry, and Jesus was played by a doll instead of a baby. ''That we wouldn't want to risk,'' Monsignor Eric Powell said.
December 26, 2004
Folks in Victoria, Texas, just off the Gulf Coast, weren't dreaming Saturday when they woke up to a white Christmas. They had one -- the first in 86 years.
Almost a foot of snow fell overnight to give Victoria a taste of what the country's midsection has been dealing with the last two days: winter weather.
An arctic front that swept through the Midwest hit Indiana and Kentucky particularly hard, bringing record snowfalls that snarled holiday travel and stopped last-minute Christmas shoppers in their tracks. More than a dozen traffic deaths and thousands of auto accidents have been blamed on the storm so far.
'It's a miracle'
The last time Victoria saw a measurable amount of snow was in 1973, when a tenth of an inch fell. That's the same amount that fell on Christmas 1918, said Tony Merriman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
''It's a miracle,'' proclaimed Hailey Koronczok, who was watching the snow fall as she worked at a Denny's. ''Everybody's excited and shocked that it is snowing down here.''
A few of Koronczok's co-workers -- outnumbering their customers 2 to 1 because of the bad weather -- ventured outside, wading into what turned out to be knee-high snow in some areas.
''Everybody's freaking out,'' said Megan Gohlke, 22, who gave her own traffic report: no closings or tie-ups, only a stranded car here and there.
And they weren't going to be stranded long: The forecast called for a fast melt, with highs in the 50s.
Other states looking up
Conditions on Indiana highways were improving Saturday, two days after a winter storm dumped up to 2 feet of snow in some areas, followed by subzero temperatures.
Indiana State Police said Interstate 65 near Seymour was still slick in spots Saturday, but traffic was moving. They said almost all highways in southern Indiana were still covered by snow or ice.
Some Indiana churches canceled Christmas services to keep people off the road after much of the state was buried in up to 2 feet of snow.
''We were not asking parishioners to be out when police say to stay in,'' said the Rev. Dave Ferry of Englewood Baptist Church in Bedford.
In Downstate Normal, wind chill readings below zero compelled Epiphany Catholic Church to warm the camel, goats and sheep in its live Nativity scene with king-size electric blankets. The wise men, Mary and Joseph were given battery-powered heaters to carry, and Jesus was played by a doll instead of a baby. ''That we wouldn't want to risk,'' Monsignor Eric Powell said.
12-26-2004, 08:55 PM
#35
Suzuka Master
I'm good with my hands...just ask the wifey...
Blue Coral wash with a chenille mitt, dry with a natural chamois, tires with Black Magic Tire Wet, vacuum everything inside and in the trunk, leather with Maguire's wipes.
Blue Coral wash with a chenille mitt, dry with a natural chamois, tires with Black Magic Tire Wet, vacuum everything inside and in the trunk, leather with Maguire's wipes.
12-27-2004, 09:05 AM
#37
Tuxedo Cat
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Venice Beach
Age: 60
Posts: 739
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by fatcat
Hmm, what does a touchless wash usually consist of?
It's a good way to get grime, salt and other road debris off a car. Not really much more.
12-27-2004, 09:09 AM
#38
6MT Snob
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Chicagoland
Age: 49
Posts: 2,276
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by fatcat
Hmm, what does a touchless wash usually consist of?
And I dont know what you guys are talking about with swirl marks, all the "touch" washes by me now use the soft brushes that are like wide "fingers" of soft brushes that have yet to leave a mark on any of my cars.
Now back in the 80s, early 90s where there were still plenty of those NASTY ones that had brushes that were the same consitency of the bristles on a snow brush.. that was like washing your car with low grade sandpaper...
12-27-2004, 09:13 AM
#39
whoever said "lease = carwash" is absolutely right
Though I'm finding that the carwashes here in VA are expensive and do a terribly shoddy job. At home in Cali, there is a great place in Palos Verdes, across the street from the PV Library, that is a hand wash (the literally wash your car by hand, as you would) and will do a full detail job if you want to pay for it. I see all kinds of pricey cars (have seen a few RR and Bentleys) that get washed there. Great thing is, the basic wash is pretty inexpensive ($7, but the guy usually gives me a discount and most of the time I go for the wash and basic wax package at $12) and they do a really good job. On top of that, the area where they dry the cars is covered, so you don't have to worry about the sun causing water spots.
Nowadays, the weather dictates when I get my car washed. Since it rains so often here, I usually just let the rain do the work.
Though I'm finding that the carwashes here in VA are expensive and do a terribly shoddy job. At home in Cali, there is a great place in Palos Verdes, across the street from the PV Library, that is a hand wash (the literally wash your car by hand, as you would) and will do a full detail job if you want to pay for it. I see all kinds of pricey cars (have seen a few RR and Bentleys) that get washed there. Great thing is, the basic wash is pretty inexpensive ($7, but the guy usually gives me a discount and most of the time I go for the wash and basic wax package at $12) and they do a really good job. On top of that, the area where they dry the cars is covered, so you don't have to worry about the sun causing water spots.
Nowadays, the weather dictates when I get my car washed. Since it rains so often here, I usually just let the rain do the work.
12-27-2004, 09:32 AM
#40
ATCer
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Houston, TX
Age: 49
Posts: 3,146
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by VeniceBeachTSX
A real "touchless" one consists of high pressure spray and a blower to dry.
It's a good way to get grime, salt and other road debris off a car. Not really much more.
It's a good way to get grime, salt and other road debris off a car. Not really much more.
That wouldn't be too bad. I heard that even "touchless" washes still have some sort of brush or something that actually touch the car. What you explain sounds like it's a good idea, especially to remove salt from roads.
I wonder how good that is for the paint, to have water with a high enough pressure to remove dirt?
