Car Wash? Bad Idea? Safe on the Paint?

[d232799]

waxing is a waste of time IMO.  I've used it all over the years.  My new F350 has a ceramic coating,  the only way to go.  I live in upstate NY,  salt is on everything October till May.

My new Audi has Adam's Graphene Ceramic its still super shiny and clean.

[road turtle]

I put on a short stub antenna on my SD.  Just keep in mind underbody wash is not usually done with clean water, but instead dirty water.  Where this really becomes a problem, in snow belt where that high salt content water is sprayed under high pressure into your underbody.

[Forderorder]

15 minutes ago, road turtle said:

I put on a short stub antenna on my SD.  Just keep in mind underbody wash is not usually done with clean water, but instead dirty water.  Where this really becomes a problem, in snow belt where that high salt content water is sprayed under high pressure into your underbody.

Wait, what?!  

[road turtle]

14 minutes ago, Forderorder said:

Wait, what?!  

wait what, what?

[Forderorder]

I can’t believe the underbody wash would be done with dirty water. 

[road turtle]

It is

[danielj]

3 hours ago, road turtle said:

I put on a short stub antenna on my SD.  Just keep in mind underbody wash is not usually done with clean water, but instead dirty water.  Where this really becomes a problem, in snow belt where that high salt content water is sprayed under high pressure into your underbody.

Your entire underbody is covered and sprayed with all the dirt and water and SALT on the road way. so your underbody would make since for them to have a basic filter for the large partials and just spray the used water from the car wash to save on water. Your only going to add salt and dirt to it seconds later when you exit the car wash. You are still knocking down a large amount of salt and dirt buildup compared to the amount used to get rid of the amount of buildup you have. 

 

The build up is what causes the majority of damage. Anything that stays wet for extended amount of time will start to rust or corrode. If it is allowed to dry then it will take longer before it will rust or corrode. 

 

*or the car wash just does not care and they are still doing as advertised* lol 

[FirstFord22]

Ok boys, let me ask you this: is it necessary, beneficial, or a waste of time to clay bar my truck after I take delivery? 

[akirby]

4 hours ago, FirstFord22 said:

Ok boys, let me ask you this: is it necessary, beneficial, or a waste of time to clay bar my truck after I take delivery? 

Its certainly beneficial as it can pick up contaminants from the train ride including rail dust.  But it’s certainly not mandatory in most cases.

[khansen]

On 2/10/2022 at 8:03 AM, danielj said:

I have a membership for car wash on my 05 truck. Paint isn't great so don't really care. But for my 2022 F 350. I'm alittle more concerned about keeping the paint nice. 

 

How does everyone feel about automatic car washes? What's been your experiences? Should I use some kind of paint protection? Or doesn't matter? Or avoid at all costs?

I take my 2022 leveled super crew F-250 4x4 with 34" tires thru PDQ all the time, it just fits and does a nice job. In fact I go thru it at least once a week. I have used PDQ on all my trucks and never had a problem. Not saying it could not happen, but so far it seems they maintain the wash pretty good, so that probably helps

Edited February 12, 2022 by khansen

[IUEC135ELEVATOR]

23 hours ago, Forderorder said:

Wait, what?!  

 

23 hours ago, road turtle said:

wait what, what?

Huh?

( maybe more euphemisms....?)

Edited February 13, 2022 by IUEC135ELEVATOR

[danielj]

19 hours ago, khansen said:

I take my 2022 leveled super crew F-250 4x4 with 34" tires thru PDQ all the time, it just fits and does a nice job. In fact I go thru it at least once a week. I have used PDQ on all my trucks and never had a problem. Not saying it could not happen, but so far it seems they maintain the wash pretty good, so that probably helps

Do you wax or any other protectant? 

[khansen]

12 hours ago, danielj said:

Do you wax or any other protectant? 

I use a spray bottle of, Mequiar's ultimate Detailer and a damp cotton towel. I wipe it down every time I wash it. I just mist it on lightly and wipe it down with that damp towel, I'm not saying it's the best,  but it's what i come to like. I used it on my 2016 F-150 and my 2020 Chevy Trailboss. and it kept them looking good. 

[Brandon966]

Previous detail company owner here.

 

Put me in the camp of dont take it through a brush wash unless you are desperate. Brushes scratch the paint, the soaps they use are harsh, and they dont do a great job anyway. 

 

Brushless is ok for a few runs a year, but otherwise I like to just hire a detailer or do it myself.

[Marshmallow]

The guy who does my ceramic coating begs his customers to get them their new vehicles unwashed. I’ve seen the difference it makes for their starting point. 

[BigUnixGeek]

On 2/12/2022 at 5:39 AM, FirstFord22 said:

Ok boys, let me ask you this: is it necessary, beneficial, or a waste of time to clay bar my truck after I take delivery? 

 

I have no idea what this is, but definitely sounds like something you should do, and the sooner the better.  Please post before & after photos!

[danielj]

18 hours ago, Brandon966 said:

Previous detail company owner here.

 

Put me in the camp of dont take it through a brush wash unless you are desperate. Brushes scratch the paint, the soaps they use are harsh, and they dont do a great job anyway. 

 

Brushless is ok for a few runs a year, but otherwise I like to just hire a detailer or do it myself.

I really don't have time to schedule with a Detailer as often as my trucks get cover in mud and dirt. I move dirt a lot to raise parts of my property. So my truck gets dirty aften and looking for a good solution to keep it clean without damaging the paint. 

[danielj]

I wonder if anyone has ever built a home made quick wash for there house? One that doesn't do soap. Lol

[Streetking]

On 2/12/2022 at 6:39 AM, FirstFord22 said:

Ok boys, let me ask you this: is it necessary, beneficial, or a waste of time to clay bar my truck after I take delivery? 

Put a plastic bag over your hand and lightly rub your truck's surfaces, you'll feel it grabbing if it needs clay barring.

[Brandon966]

6 hours ago, danielj said:

I really don't have time to schedule with a Detailer as often as my trucks get cover in mud and dirt. I move dirt a lot to raise parts of my property. So my truck gets dirty aften and looking for a good solution to keep it clean without damaging the paint. 

Unfortunately a easy way to keep the truck clean without damaging the paint in some capacity are exclusive to each other. Now minimal damage corrected easily can be achieved, but thats a known risk. I'm in construction and don't always have time for a proper wash on my truck, so I foam it with my power washer and rinse which does a decent job. I really try not to run through a brush wash, but it may get done once or twice a year when its really bad. In the case I do a brush auto wash, I always power wash the truck myself first to make sure its as dirt and grit free as possible.

[danielj]

42 minutes ago, Brandon966 said:

Unfortunately a easy way to keep the truck clean without damaging the paint in some capacity are exclusive to each other. Now minimal damage corrected easily can be achieved, but thats a known risk. I'm in construction and don't always have time for a proper wash on my truck, so I foam it with my power washer and rinse which does a decent job. I really try not to run through a brush wash, but it may get done once or twice a year when its really bad. In the case I do a brush auto wash, I always power wash the truck myself first to make sure its as dirt and grit free as possible.

I definitely understand the idea of getting the majority of dirt off before the auto wash. I'm sure the dirt turns the soft brush washes turn to sandpaper with alittle dirt. 

[akirby]

Are “brush” washes really that common?  All the ones I’ve seen in metro Atlanta use cloth strips which do not cause swirls.

[Brandon966]

33 minutes ago, akirby said:

Are “brush” washes really that common?  All the ones I’ve seen in metro Atlanta use cloth strips which do not cause swirls.

Cloth strips still cause swirls. Swirl marks are caused by improper washing which would be a cloth strip in a car wash. Even with the perfect wash system (2 bucket method, foam first, rinse etc) you can induce swirl marks. 

 

The issue in a auto car wash isnt the strips or brushes themselves, its the fact that they aren't cleaned after each use and have dirt from 40,000 previous cars on them grinding into your paint. Each car that goes in a auto wash isnt rinsed correctly first hand, so grit transfer is an issue.

 

Swirls are pretty easily corrected if needed and you may not care about them. For keeping a vehicle long term, correcting the paint multiple times will cause thinning of the paint layer over time which will lead to clear coat failure.

 

[akirby]

You can’t get swirls from strips that move linearly so I assume you just mean scratches.

 

Here is the wife’s 2016 MKX in Luxe metallic.  This vehicle has never once been waxed or had any protectant other than the car wash treatment at the car wash.  It is garaged but for the last 6 years has only been washed by running it through a car wash with the cloth strips every couple of months.

 

if there are scratches I certainly can’t see them. Maybe the metallic hides them but we’ve had non metallics with similar results.  Still looks brand new to me.

 

 YMMV.

[having trouble posting pics - stand by]

[bbf2530]

3 hours ago, akirby said:

Are “brush” washes really that common?  All the ones I’ve seen in metro Atlanta use cloth strips which do not cause swirls.

 

Hi Allen. I think a lot of people mistakenly still refer to the spinning cloth strip units as "Brushes".