Quick Car Washes …

[TheRoushRanger046]

Thinking of doing those touch-less quick drive through automatic car wash’s .. found one that is highly rated .. but:

Which “monthly unlimited subscription” do I choose?

Should I do the high end on that has a wax and sealant .. or the middle of the line .. or he’ll just a basic wash membership?

I do clean my vehicle very thoughtfully and thoroughly with Meguairs (gonna try some Adams products too) interior cleaner and leather conditioner .. along with a spray wax once a month .. all with microfiber towels that I bring (of course).

but if I need a quick nice wash for the weekend and / or wanna have the wash done before doing a date night or whatever .. just thought it would be nice to have this kind of touch-less membership.

So if any of you guys have used these types .. do you know which is the better wash for keeping our cars in preying condition? Should I do the hot carNauba wax and sealant higher end ones or just the basic ones ?


thanks ya’ll ??

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[AzScorpion]

Personally I would only do the quick wash WITHOUT any added waxes. I'm picky on what goes on my paint and I'm sure whatever they're using is something cheap and won't last very long. AFAIC the added wax is just snake oil and a waste of money. Plus if you're detailing your own vehicle you're going to have a much better product on there to start with.

These touchless car washes are great for when you want to get the surface dust/dirt off and don't have time to do it yourself. I wish we had some near me because it's really hard to wash mine in the driveway when it's still 106 out at 10:00pm. ?

 

[TheRoushRanger046]

Personally I would only do the quick wash WITHOUT any added waxes. I'm picky on what goes on my paint and I'm sure whatever they're using is something cheap and won't last very long. AFAIC the added wax is just snake oil and a waste of money. Plus if you're detailing your own vehicle you're going to have a much better product on there to start with.

These touchless car washes are great for when you want to get the surface dust/dirt off and don't have time to do it yourself. I wish we had some near me because it's really hard to wash mine in the driveway when it's still 106 out at 10:00pm. ?

Ever heard of Superstar Car Wash? They are out here in San Diego .. and also say Arizona as well .. I don’t know if in your area but thought I would suggest and see. That’s where I’m thinking of going now and doing the new wash membership … touch less and also I am planning to come back to Arizona in 2-4 months.

 

[AzScorpion]

Ever heard of Superstar Car Wash? They are out here in San Diego .. and also say Arizona as well .. I don’t know if in your area but thought I would suggest and see. That’s where I’m thinking of going now and doing the new wash membership … touch less and also I am planning to come back to Arizona in 2-4 months.

Thanks Mack, I've searched everywhere around me and there are none. I'd get the membership but save your money on the extras. The spray waxes just don't have much if any protection for what you're paying for.

https://www.motorbiscuit.com/does-c...to tackle it yourself, these tips should help:

A wax job from a car wash probably isn’t worth your money. Consider saving those dollars and applying them to either a professional detail job or the supplies you need to wax your caryourself.

https://www.rickhendricktoyotasandysprings.com/extras-car-washes-worth/

Spray-on Wax
Many drivers upgrade their car washes with spray-on wax because it does a good job of making all that water roll off your car. Unfortunately, spray-on wax only lasts a few days and doesn’t provide any extra benefits. Stick with an old-fashioned wax job.

 

[Joeiconic]

Just do the basic wash. Touchless washes just get the loose soil off the truck, so you‘ll end up putting the wax over the film of dirt it leaves behind instead of your paint, so don’t waste the money.

 

[Motorpsychology]

At the risk of overthinking this, you want to compare the cost of each and how often you would actually use this car wash as opposed to washing it yourself. How often do you use it now? How much are you spending on washes each month now? Using two examples near me, the super cool Lava wash with salt buster/bug buster undercar spray, clearcoat protectant (nice cherry fragrance!), and category 7 hurricane dry- no kidding the roof panel flutters- I've seen it on others as thy exit. It costs $14 w/o a gas purchase. The unlimited/mo pkg is $40, so 3 washes a month cost $42, except I don't wash it more than twice at a car wash, so that's only $28 total.

The place where I go, Kwik Trip, has their top wash (same basic stuff as the previous one, plus a rotating tire/wheel cleaner) at $11 w/no gas. Soft touch or spray only. But they offer a reloadable card with 10 of this level of wash for $59.99, or $5.99 each. I can use the card at any KT store not just the one place. They have the same type of deal for all their washes not just the top one.

I might have Dave's hair standing on end with the mention of all the chems I get at the car wash, but come spring, both my vehicles will get a Dawn Ultra bucket wash and a coat of 303 Graphene and some Adam's detail polish if my shoulders are up to it.

 

[Motorpsychology]

always go high end....

i have a card, loaded with a bunch of washes for a place near me....but on any nice day....fml, the traffic is lined up 15-20 deep waiting. thats a 7 minute wash per vehicle....I dont love my truck that much to wait.

Same here, even in the middle of the day it's jammed. I go after supper.

 

[halligan1201]

Thinking of doing those touch-less quick drive through automatic car wash’s .. found one that is highly rated .. but:

Which “monthly unlimited subscription” do I choose?

Should I do the high end on that has a wax and sealant .. or the middle of the line .. or he’ll just a basic wash membership?

I do clean my vehicle very thoughtfully and thoroughly with Meguairs (gonna try some Adams products too) interior cleaner and leather conditioner .. along with a spray wax once a month .. all with microfiber towels that I bring (of course).

but if I need a quick nice wash for the weekend and / or wanna have the wash done before doing a date night or whatever .. just thought it would be nice to have this kind of touch-less membership.

So if any of you guys have used these types .. do you know which is the better wash for keeping our cars in preying condition? Should I do the hot carNauba wax and sealant higher end ones or just the basic ones ?


thanks ya’ll ??

Always choose the most basic wash at the auto-washes and apply whatever protectants or other stuff you want at home by hand (or let your detailer do it). And it goes without saying, always use a touchless one if you're going to an automatic wash. I only ever use the manual bays and only use the soap on the wheels, tires, bumpers, and rockers. Water only for the rest of the truck unless I'm hand washing it at home.

 

[AzScorpion]

At the risk of overthinking this, you want to compare the cost of each and how often you would actually use this car wash as opposed to washing it yourself. How often do you use it now? How much are you spending on washes each month now? Using two examples near me, the super cool Lava wash with salt buster/bug buster undercar spray, clearcoat protectant (nice cherry fragrance!), and category 7 hurricane dry- no kidding the roof panel flutters- I've seen it on others as thy exit. It costs $14 w/o a gas purchase. The unlimited/mo pkg is $40, so 3 washes a month cost $42, except I don't wash it more than twice at a car wash, so that's only $28 total.

The place where I go, Kwik Trip, has their top wash (same basic stuff as the previous one, plus a rotating tire/wheel cleaner) at $11 w/no gas. Soft touch or spray only. But they offer a reloadable card with 10 of this level of wash for $59.99, or $5.99 each. I can use the card at any KT store not just the one place. They have the same type of deal for all their washes not just the top one.

I might have Dave's hair standing on end with the mention of all the chems I get at the car wash, but come spring, both my vehicles will get a Dawn Ultra bucket wash and a coat of 303 Graphene and some Adam's detail polish if my shoulders are up to it.

For all the extra money you're spending on the "extras" you could have it professionally detailed with a much better product that actually has UV protection and lasts a full year. Then all you'd need to do is buy the basic wash on your monthly card to get the dirt and dust off.

I might have Dave's hair standing on end with the mention of all the chems I get at the car wash.

Just a little. lol

 

[TheRoushRanger046]

I appreciate the comments. I always use the wash to just do that .. wash. I then apply Meguairs leather, interior and black coat by hand in their vacuum bay when drying the car with my own microfiber towel.

 

[Langwilliams]

There's a youtube video of a guy that researched the auto car washes. Found out what chemicals and waxes they use an got the MSDS sheets for them. Taped plastic over sections of the car off an ran different levels of wash on various panels. Solid info. He used a magnifying device to inspect the paint after different washes an the higher priced stuff was marginally better but not really worth the extra. The "paint or clear coat sealant" was detectable but not very effective. You could see water bead up a little it didn't seem like much protection if any. I'm paying an extra $6 a month for the "sealant" because I never wax my truck. I can't really hand wash living in a condo since it's against the rules.

 

[Joeiconic]

I appreciate the comments. I always use the wash to just do that .. wash. I then apply Meguairs leather, interior and black coat by hand in their vacuum bay when drying the car with my own microfiber towel.

If you are wiping down the truck after a touchless car wash, you are rubbing dirt/grit into your paint. You cannot ”wash” a vehicle without touching it. Touchless car washes are only a glorified “rinse”.

 

[AzScorpion]

all these comments about using just the basic wash and adding all your protectants at home...come to fkn kanada man
where 6 months of the year your garden hose is coiled up under the deck, pretty much frozen, 2 more months of that year are spent dealing with copious road grime, and the last 4 months are spent with enough bugs on the front end to feed a swarm of starlings for a week.

ain't no one up here going home to put on some wax afterwards. Its a truck not a showcar.

Go with the full meal ticket....its your best value when your time isn't plentiful and your geographic location isn't ideal.

a large contingent of you guys will waste oil every 3000 miles, but then get stingy at the carwash...wtf is wrong with some of you?

This is exactly how I did my trucks when I lived in MA. If it was over 30 I would still hand wash them but below that I would take them to a touchless wash or one with the handheld wands. If you apply a good protectant BEFORE winter there's no reason to waste money of the cheap so called spray wax the carwash is giving you. There's absolutely zero UV protection in them and you're lucky if it'll bead up after a couple days.

Graphene will last up to one year and a professional Ceramic coating can go as high a 5 years. A bottle of Graphene is $20.00 and will last several years. I can apply a coat in under an hour and I do 3 coats because of our high heat and UV rays here. If you're pressed for time or don't like detailing pay someone to do it. At least then you'll have good paint protection on your vehicle. If you fell all warm and fuzzy wasting money on this then be my guest and keep on throwing it away. These are just a huge money maker for the carwashes and they love it when people add theses extras on.

 

[wanted33]

Personally I would only do the quick wash WITHOUT any added waxes. I'm picky on what goes on my paint and I'm sure whatever they're using is something cheap and won't last very long. AFAIC the added wax is just snake oil and a waste of money. Plus if you're detailing your own vehicle you're going to have a much better product on there to start with.

These touchless car washes are great for when you want to get the surface dust/dirt off and don't have time to do it yourself. I wish we had some near me because it's really hard to wash mine in the driveway when it's still 106 out at 10:00pm. ?

^^^^^^ This right here. Like brother Dave I'm picky on what type wax goes on my paint. So, stick to the cheap one.

The problem I have is all of the fancy smancy car washes in my area have those dang dig old straps of God knows what hanging down, and beating the paint. I don't like those.

 

[Jim C]

Personally I would only do the quick wash WITHOUT any added waxes. I'm picky on what goes on my paint and I'm sure whatever they're using is something cheap and won't last very long. AFAIC the added wax is just snake oil and a waste of money. Plus if you're detailing your own vehicle you're going to have a much better product on there to start with.

These touchless car washes are great for when you want to get the surface dust/dirt off and don't have time to do it yourself. I wish we had some near me because it's really hard to wash mine in the driveway when it's still 106 out at 10:00pm. ?

move here to michigan driveway not near that hot

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