Is it bad to go to a normal car wash?

[FearoftheNight]

I've heard this from someone before. Is this the case? If so, what's the reasoning for this? Seems to me all the cleaning materials, buckets, and time adds up to quite a bit. Why not get an exterior wash for like $8 at the car wash??

 

[Kaido]

Depends. My dad used to paint cars when he was a kid and would never use anything but water to wash the cars, same with washing the windows - apparently Windex eats away at the weatherstripping over time or something. So if you really value your car and plan on keeping it for a long time, doing it yourself by hand might be the way to go. OTOH, I usually lease my cars and just use the car wash and it works just fine. Most of the time, the rain is my car wash :biggrin:

 

[iamwiz82]

Depends. My dad used to paint cars when he was a kid and would never use anything but water to wash the cars, same with washing the windows - apparently Windex eats away at the weatherstripping over time or something. So if you really value your car and plan on keeping it for a long time, doing it yourself by hand might be the way to go. OTOH, I usually lease my cars and just use the car wash and it works just fine. Most of the time, the rain is my car wash :biggrin:

Windex eats rubber due to the ammonia, same with window tint. I use Invisible Glass for my windows.

Regular car washes are basically swirl factories. After time your paint will be no where near as shiny and bright as it once was.

 

[Ketchup]

It will also eat away at wax, if you treat your vehicle to such, that is.

 

[jaedaliu]

It's a risk to your car's paint job. You get to decide if you want to spend the time under a car port to do the job right, or spend a few bucks for someone else to do it for you (maybe wrong)

If you do pay the $8, and end up selling the car later, polish and wax it (yourself or pay for it) before selling. Nobody will know the difference (if they don't read this thread)

 

[ProchargeMe]

The only car wash I'll use is the touch free ones where it just sprays a little water and soap on there, otherwise I wash and wax my car myself. I will NEVER use a car wash with brushes.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

Never use ones with brushes or anything that touch the car.

I only use the touch-free ones on my beater-ish cars.


If it's a nice car with dark paint I literally don't let anyone else wash it. Not the side of the road hand washes, not even the dealer.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I usually wash it myself but sometimes I'll go to the hand wash places too. When you factor in the drive to the car wash place and the waiting around it is probably quicker to just wash it yourself. Whatever you do, don't go to those gas station washes with the plastic brushes. Those are not good for your paint.

I also use invisible glass to clean my windows. Works great and doesn't leave streaks.

 

[NutBucket]

Even if you wash the car yourself its almost inevitable that you will end up with some light swirls.

I have two car wash places I go to. One is a hand wash and the other has soft microfiber "brushes" that move slowly.

I'm done with apartment living.....

 

[Pray To Jesus]

I haven't washed my car in over 2 years. All I do is clean the windows and mirrors when I get gas. Going well so far.

 

[NutBucket]

Why do you hate your car?

 

[railer]

eh....my wife has been going to one of those automatic swirling-brush $10 car washes for years, and her car looks like new. I think the suns uv breaks down weatherstripping about 1000x faster than Windex does. I know everyone also hates the $1.50 high pressure spray do it yourself washes....but honestly unless you're holding hte nozzle 1" from your paint I really don't see the issue wiht those either. I'm not anal-retentive about my cars I guess.

 

[mmntech]

Last time I went to a mechanical car was was shortly after I got my car. It put a big scratch down my door. By the time I noticed it, it was too late to go after then. Problem with the mechanical washes is the brushes trap grit in them so it's like rubbing your car with sandpaper.

Touchless washes do a rubbish job but are good enough for getting the salt off when it's too cold to do it by hand.

 

[Midwayman]

Nobody will take care of your car like you will. However there are places around here that charge like $20-30 a wash and do it all by hand with detail techs. Its the sort of place people with exotic cars go. I'm sure they do a fine job.

However unless you're super anal I think a regular hand wash is usually fine. Just polish your car a couple times a year or hire someone to detail it who can correct paint once in awhile.

 

[Baked]

I used to wash my car by hand once a month, then wax. I stopped when assholes scratched up my car to hell. This is what happens when your car's not garaged at all times. My next car will be babied, and this time around it will be garaged at all times.

 

[hans007]

If you go to a brush less car wash and don't let anyone dry it its probably fine. The ones with brushes and random guys wiping your car down do mess up your clear coat eventually

I don't even like it when the dealer washed my car during the included maintenance.

I also don't wash my car very often though. I generally do a water and soap pressure style wash only every 2 month at a gas station that has it. I don't know I don't care that much if its spotless or not but I still love my car. If you don't want to hand wash it or can't ( say live in apartment) it should get most bad stuff off

 

[ViviTheMage]

I used to wash my car by hand once a month, then wax. I stopped when assholes scratched up my car to hell. This is what happens when your car's not garaged at all times. My next car will be babied, and this time around it will be garaged at all times.

I have been defeated, I no longer want to own a nice car, other people jut fuck it up and it stresses me out .

 

[Raduque]

I generally hand wash my truck and dry with a chamois or microfiber cloth, but sometimes I will take it to a DIY high-pressure sprayer wash. The one near my house has a soap brush with very soft bristles, and I always clean the hell out of it before I use it. I still hand-dry it, but not in the wash stall. The owners are very anal about that.

My truck's almost 10 years old and when it's clean, the paint still looks pretty good. I've also got one of the few F150's in town who's badges aren't faded and peeling. I must be doing something right.

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

Windex eats rubber due to the ammonia, same with window tint. I use Invisible Glass for my windows.

Windex, et al haven't used ammonia in years. They have "AmmoniaD" which if you look up the MSDS on is just an ammonia fragrance they add.

 

[Dumac]

So I"m clueless at car care, but I am planning on buying a new car soon and want it to look nice.

Most people say to wash it yourself, but I live in an apartment complex so I don't think I can do that.

Is a car wash place like this really bad? it is cheap, so I figure I could go there everyon 2-weeks to a month and then get a more detailed wash with wax every 3-4 months.

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

Is a car wash place like this really bad? it is cheap, so I figure I could go there everyon 2-weeks to a month and then get a more detailed wash with wax every 3-4 months.

Yes. You're taking all the dirt off someone else's car and using and using it to grind swirls into yours.

Disclaimer: I don't wash my car. I assume the layer of dirt it's covered in acts as a barrier against scratches and foreign objects...

 

[Midwayman]

Is a car wash place like this really bad? it is cheap, so I figure I could go there everyon 2-weeks to a month and then get a more detailed wash with wax every 3-4 months.

Worst type of wash. Spinny brushes, check. Rail to scratch up rims, check. Avoid at all costs.

 

[Drako]

Windex, et al haven't used ammonia in years. They have "AmmoniaD" which if you look up the MSDS on is just an ammonia fragrance they add.

LOL, it has Ammonium Hydroxide in it, which is commonly referred to as ammonia.

From SCJohnson:

"Ammonia-D® is the trademark name for the ammonia in Windex®. The 'D' is part of the trademark name."

 

[Jumpem]

The only car wash I'll use is the touch free ones where it just sprays a little water and soap on there, otherwise I wash and wax my car myself. I will NEVER use a car wash with brushes.

This.

Touch free is fine. Brushes are forbidden.

 

[BeauCharles]

So I"m clueless at car care, but I am planning on buying a new car soon and want it to look nice.

Most people say to wash it yourself, but I live in an apartment complex so I don't think I can do that.

Is a car wash place like this really bad? it is cheap, so I figure I could go there everyon 2-weeks to a month and then get a more detailed wash with wax every 3-4 months.

I lived in various apartment complexes for over a decade and had a 2002 Mazda Protege (with decent Borbet wheels) that when through a car wash in Monterey, CA like that from day one. Got rid of it in 2010 and after eight years of that once a month its finish still looked very good. Better actually than the previous car when I had a home where I could do it myself in the driveway. Did it have light swirl marks? Yep - and so did the car washed in the drive way regardless how careful I was. I guess if you have some show car it might be an issue, but judging from all the Mercs, Bimmers and Lexuses (Lexi?) at that car wash I don't think even rich people worried about it.