What do you guys think about those touchless car washes?
 

They seem to work pretty good but you might run into a problem if you have a CAI or SRI. A couple of weeks ago I went to one for the first time and I didn't realize that there is a spray that comes from underneath your car. If you have a CAI or and SRI it could get wet and cause your car to stall or even do some damage to your intake. Luckily my car just stalled. I don't know if this has been posted before but be careful anyways. Anyone else had good or bad experiences with them let me know.

I've only been to a touchless once so far... Personally, I don't like it as much as doing it by hand in a DIY carwash.

The undercar spray soaked my engine compartment and since I'd just driven for 1 hour with 3 friends in the car, my engine was totally hot and there was steam pouring out of my engine compartment... other than that no complaints here.

now dont get me wrong, i do like the undercar spray - especially in the winter when they use so much salt and such on the road.

Oh and next time I've gotta remember to turn the recycled air on in the car - lol oops!

Anywho yeah - I plan on doing the DIY carwashes more often, and when it gets nice n' sunny and summerish I'll do it in me driveway [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/IMG] I got a bunch of car cleaning products for xmas should make things nice n easy later on [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/IMG]

I'm pretty much with, Brill.

I like the touch less wash for the under spray, like when I had to go on a little gravel, mud, snow/salt. But other wise I like to hand wash my car, gets it cleaner. Ppl think I'm nuts when I'm outside hand washing and drying my car in 35-45 degree weather. Sometimes I'll take it to the carwash and spray it off with the high pressure if there's anything that needs to be sprayed off but there’s so much water deposits in town that it actually turns Mr. Absorber* black. Kinda nice to know that what they're drinking there (live out in the country). hehe

Touchless car wash is pretty much the only choice I got in the winter. I would much rather do it myself, but that's just not possible when it's below freezing. And DIY car wash stalls are a pain in the butt with all the money you gotta keep feeding it...

I hear ya on the feeding money bit... the one i go to here in town accepts $2 coins so they last pretty long.

a thorough wash:
$1.00 - presoak
$2.00 - soap and wash out foam brush
$2.00 - foam brush
$1.00 - rinse

a quick wash:
$2.00 - presoak & soap, wash out foam brush, foam brush
$2.00 - foam brush, rinse

But yeah, I do much prefer doing it myself... and I will do it more often in my driveway when spring/summer hits.

I dont use any type of automated car wash. If I cant wash the car at my house I will bring my car to a car detailer and have him clean it by hand. I have a place by my house that charges $15 for a wash, including the rims and tires, and tire shine, vaccuming and doing the windows in and out.

that's cheap, any sort of detailing around here starts at 50 dollars and up[IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-frown.gif[/IMG]
I used to use automatic, then my friend told em they were useless, which it is kinda, it couldn't even remove the glass chalk I had on my car. is that why i stalled yesterday? not enough air, my sri is pretty dirty...

Just a wash shouldnt cost you $50. Most detailing shops offer specials for washees. You just have to find a relaible shop that does good work and give them a call. Im sure they offer washe specials.

I like the car wash that use 100 % hand wash there are couple in our place

I use a touchless car wash all winter and like it. The only problem is that the undercarriage wash has a tendency to blow the salt up into the engine compartment since there is so much space between the frame and the engine. Its not a big deal. Usually I go to the DIY wash bay and spray down the engine compartment to get rid of the salt that sticks under the hood and the engine.

hey fogbow, u r not alone. im also a car wash freak... my friends also think im crazy cleaning my cars on a cold cold day... but hey, i like driving clean and shiny cars... i couldn't stand driving a car filled with dirt all over... makes me want to puke... hahahahaha...

i dont mind driving around in a dirty car when everyone else's car is just as dirty. my big beef is getting in and out of the dirty car it never fails that i hit my legs on the car on the way in or out though heheh

I hear ya brill, can't touch the car in the winter. haha.

anyhow, touchless washes are alright. i like the DIY wash places myself. There's one here in town that you simply take a ticket at, and pay after which is much simpler. Another option is a Detailer, I excersize those three, but will probably wash it myself in the spring and summer, if i still have this car.

i use the touchless washes during the winter when it's too cold to wash it in my driveway. The touchless usually does a pretty good job

i dotn really like touchless car washed....or washes at all.....im all about spending time with my car and cleaning it no matter if its cold or hot out.......but ya if im desperate they are alright....Nuthing like TLC tho

I think that car washes in the wintertime are worth it, mostly for the undercarriage wash. I'm heading to the car wash again today. Luckily I got a bunch of gift certificates for Christmas so I'll be all set for a while. But truly I can't wait until the warmer weather when I can be out there washing my Civic by hand.

my buddy's dad owns a gas station, and he was telling me stuff about the soap they use in touchless carwashes

since there is little friction from your car and the brushes, they have to make the soap extra acidic to clean properly
enough of these carwashes will strip the clear coat right off your car

I would think that if you keep your car waxed then the extra strong soap wouldn't do much damage to the clear coat. Whenever I go to a car wash I always get the wax. Hopefully this will protect my Civic!

i dunno
i dont trust anyone except me handling my car
u never know what people do

<< i dunno
i dont trust anyone except me handling my car
u never know what people do >>


It's a touchless though, so technically nobody is handling your car.

<< I would think that if you keep your car waxed then the extra strong soap wouldn't do much damage to the clear coat. Whenever I go to a car wash I always get the wax. Hopefully this will protect my Civic! >>



that brings up another question i had... what about that wax , clear coat protectant , or spot free rinse and everything like that they offer at the DIY or auto car washes... is that stuff good for the car? I jsut don't know if it might be some ghetto brand of chemical and do worse for my car than good.

I like to wash the car myself but it isn't very often that i have time. I do run by the DIY place from time to time and I haven't been brave enough to do the auto one cause I don't know what quality of stuff they use.