-a lot of folks with 50k+ cars around here get mobile detailing. Filtered water, hand washed with decent car wash soaps, and they pay attention to a lot detail, even for a basic wash. You won't find waterspots on the car if you get a good one. You will pay extra for stuff that is normally included, like vacuuming.
-Others go through the 100% car wash places, where the car is on a moving track, but you got a few people washing it by hand as it moves along. They are dried by a giant blowing machine, and then they walk up to the mirrors and crevices and dry it out with a compressor. They park it in a queue, and they dry the rest of the car with terry cloth, along with window cleaning and tire/interior dressing.
-at home. hand wash. Sponge with car soap. soft, 100% cotton towels do fine too, as well as a decent microfiber cloth. Dried using an "Absorber" or a deer skin chamois. Some people use old beach towels, but this can be bad. Some also make the mistake of using dish soap. This is bad, it will strip all wax. Remember wax is like a grease to detergents, and all dish soaps attack grease. I only use dish soap to remove old wax, and start fresh with a claybar, polish and finally wax.
-DIY coin ops are cool. Pretty much the same as washing at home, except it might provide you with the car soap dispensed with the water. The pressure washer is cool too, much more effective then most consumer pressure washers. But these are starting to disappear around me.
I prefer washing my own cars, but I will resort to the 2nd option if I don't have time.
I never liked the gas station or machined car wash option. I don't like the sound of my car getting pummled by a high speed cloth driller, that is probably never cleaned.
