Touch less car wash
All
1 - 20 of 20 Posts
the other thing to consider is the soap that touchless washes use are really hard on finishes, just think, they have to remove that dirt and grime from the paint with “touching“ the car, any wax you worked hard putting on will be compromised too. A body shop owner / friend of mine advised not to use these if you care about your cars finish, i now stay away from these with any of my vehicles.
I decided against doing it.
Joined
·
5,524 Posts
If you have a pressure washer, there is an accessory called an undercarriage pressure washer attachment (or something along those lines). Here's one from Amazon via a quick Google search. I believe Ryobi has an attachment as well.
Joined
·
424 Posts
I have taken mine through a touchless a couple times. I find the touchless washes completely useless though. Do they keep from paint getting micro scratches? Sure. . . but they don't clean anything other than dust off the car and need to follow up with spray detailer anyway
Joined
·
5,313 Posts
That is true, I use touchless on my vehicles for when I want a clean car, but I don't want to go to the trouble of doing it myself. If I want to use a waterless follow-up in the garage, I can work at my leisure back in my garage. About $6 to use the touchless about 2 blocks from my house.
I was used to running my old Mustang GT through them pretty regularly --- but I've avoided on the GT500 really because I didn't want high pressure directly into those front radiators.
When I wand it I can avoid them. I don't have stripes and I figure the ceramic coating will help with the severe soap. But, at least around here, that front end is a big bug-catcher.
I like that under-carriage item I'll have to look into that.
I've also been considering buying a filter for spot-free washing, since that's really the only thing I can't do at home.
I don't have the room to install a permanent one, so I was considering this one:
Amazon.com: CR Spotless DIC-20 1 Pack Simplest RV & Car Wash Kit, Spotless Rinse Works for All Vehicles, Motorcycles, Bikes, Boats, Planes, Yachts, Deionized Water System, Towel Drying Eliminated: Automotive
Anyone have any experiences?
When I wand it I can avoid them. I don't have stripes and I figure the ceramic coating will help with the severe soap. But, at least around here, that front end is a big bug-catcher.
I like that under-carriage item I'll have to look into that.
I've also been considering buying a filter for spot-free washing, since that's really the only thing I can't do at home.
I don't have the room to install a permanent one, so I was considering this one:
Amazon.com: CR Spotless DIC-20 1 Pack Simplest RV & Car Wash Kit, Spotless Rinse Works for All Vehicles, Motorcycles, Bikes, Boats, Planes, Yachts, Deionized Water System, Towel Drying Eliminated: Automotive
Anyone have any experiences?
Joined
·
8,355 Posts
My little electric pressure washer is amazing for that in Florida. I've had one of the Sun Joe SPX4000 washers off of Amazon for years and it's great. I usually stick with a 25 degree tip, too scared to try 15 or 0.
If you go that route, I upgraded hose, gun, and quick disconnects to make life easier since it comes out all the time in love bug season.
Well.... as luck would have it, along with Murphy's Law: No, I didn't take the GT500 through the car wash - thankfully. But what i did do was take the '19 4Runner, my daily driver, through one on Friday. No big deal, right? Well, Sunday afternoon I was in the garage and noticed something not-quite-right. The "shark fin" satellite antenna cover on the roof of the 4Runner was just a little askew. It wasn't flush with the roof. Which meant that the seal between the antenna cover and the roof was compromised. Not good. Any rain would find its way into the Runner and ruin the headliner and who knows what else. After work yesterday I took it by my Toyota dealership. They looked it over and made a recommendation. I drop it off tomorrow - which is good. It is supposed to rain Thursday. Not cheap, but definitely better than ruining a 4Runner. So, maybe I just stay away from automatic car washes for good.
![209886]()
Joined
·
8,355 Posts
............. BUMMER, man ............
Joined
·
6,703 Posts
Random thoughts/opinions...
* I would not equate the forces of a touchless car wash to a wand-applied high-pressure wash. They're not that aggressive. In other words, I do not feel that the Owners Supplement discourages driving a striped car through a touchless wash.
* I agree, they don't do much of a job. But sometimes they're better than "nothing". Like if you had to run down a dirt road in the rain, and you just want to knock the majority of the mud off your car for sanity's sake.
* I've never seen a touchless wash that used tracks to pull the vehicle through. All the ones I've ever encountered, you pull the car in, and the wash system itself is on tracks, moving over you.
* I also agree that the soap is likely pretty aggressive, given the job it is tasked with (cleaning a car without touching it).
* Near me, built about 2-3 years ago, we have an absolutely brilliant state-o-the-art traditional car wash, that has all of the whistles and bells, and sends you out the other end very clean, very dry, and totally un-harmed. I've never run my Shelby through it, but I would.. I've seen a couple different GT350's run through. My daily-driver (S550) probably runs through that sucker at least once per-week. And that's been for almost two years of ownership now. The paint finish is brilliant, show-worthy (and I know show-worthy). So whatever the old risks were with car washes (dirt in the system, micro-scratches, harsh detergents), there's at least one company that's worked it out pretty well. I pull out, where there's two long rows of strong (free-of-charge) vacuums, dry my door and trunk jambs, dry any random drips or misses, vacuum the car, use the slightly-damp towel to wipe down the dash and console and door panels if needed, and I'm down the road, shiny/clean car inside and out, with no more than 10-15 minutes expended. And I'm on a monthly-deal, all the car washes I want, so it's crazy-cheap on a per-wash basis. Love that place!! Considering how many times I've had to wash and detail a car in my lifetime (and the fact that I did it professionally when I was a kid to make my own dough), I embrace taking a break from it. Just with my daily-driver of course... Everything else gets the white glove treatment.
* I would not equate the forces of a touchless car wash to a wand-applied high-pressure wash. They're not that aggressive. In other words, I do not feel that the Owners Supplement discourages driving a striped car through a touchless wash.
* I agree, they don't do much of a job. But sometimes they're better than "nothing". Like if you had to run down a dirt road in the rain, and you just want to knock the majority of the mud off your car for sanity's sake.
* I've never seen a touchless wash that used tracks to pull the vehicle through. All the ones I've ever encountered, you pull the car in, and the wash system itself is on tracks, moving over you.
* I also agree that the soap is likely pretty aggressive, given the job it is tasked with (cleaning a car without touching it).
* Near me, built about 2-3 years ago, we have an absolutely brilliant state-o-the-art traditional car wash, that has all of the whistles and bells, and sends you out the other end very clean, very dry, and totally un-harmed. I've never run my Shelby through it, but I would.. I've seen a couple different GT350's run through. My daily-driver (S550) probably runs through that sucker at least once per-week. And that's been for almost two years of ownership now. The paint finish is brilliant, show-worthy (and I know show-worthy). So whatever the old risks were with car washes (dirt in the system, micro-scratches, harsh detergents), there's at least one company that's worked it out pretty well. I pull out, where there's two long rows of strong (free-of-charge) vacuums, dry my door and trunk jambs, dry any random drips or misses, vacuum the car, use the slightly-damp towel to wipe down the dash and console and door panels if needed, and I'm down the road, shiny/clean car inside and out, with no more than 10-15 minutes expended. And I'm on a monthly-deal, all the car washes I want, so it's crazy-cheap on a per-wash basis. Love that place!! Considering how many times I've had to wash and detail a car in my lifetime (and the fact that I did it professionally when I was a kid to make my own dough), I embrace taking a break from it. Just with my daily-driver of course... Everything else gets the white glove treatment.
Well....
My Jeep TJ gets washed when it rains. Doesn't rain here often. I believe we got less than 2.5 inches in 2020.
Would that be considered 'Waterless'?
Oh, ok, ok, it may get hit with the power washer when I may have it out.
![209909]()
My Jeep TJ gets washed when it rains. Doesn't rain here often. I believe we got less than 2.5 inches in 2020.
Would that be considered 'Waterless'?
Oh, ok, ok, it may get hit with the power washer when I may have it out.
The touchless around here vary in power, a few of them are pretty high.
I just didn't like the front radiator being directly blasted --- it has to be at least decently high to get the bugs off right? So I've never attempted the GT500, my '13 GT was quite often weekly.
RockChalk - I feel your pain --- we had the ceiling mounted DVD player in my wife's old Highlander ruined by the sunroof drain tubes getting clogged. It was a nightmare to clean up.
I just didn't like the front radiator being directly blasted --- it has to be at least decently high to get the bugs off right?
So I've never attempted the GT500, my '13 GT was quite often weekly.RockChalk - I feel your pain --- we had the ceiling mounted DVD player in my wife's old Highlander ruined by the sunroof drain tubes getting clogged. It was a nightmare to clean up.
1 - 20 of 20 Posts
Join the discussion
Join now to ask and comment!