[SunBurn721]

Whats your guys' take on these things? Are they ok for your car. We have a couple in town that only use high pressure water to clean your car. People say they are great. But I've heard that high pressure water actually "force" the dirt into your paint. Only $5 and no use of brushes.

 

[Gator]

I think my dad uses one of these on his car.

He says that it cleans it well enough to get the dirt loose, but isn't the same as washing it yourself.

Hey...like all of the new smiles :thumbsup:

 

[Gator]

Oh cool...now I get the newbie smiles too!

Sorry...this is my first time on the board in about a week

 

[XSR]

Whats your guys' take on these things? Are they ok for your car. We have a couple in town that only use high pressure water to clean your car. People say they are great. But I've heard that high pressure water actually "force" the dirt into your paint. Only $5 and no use of brushes.

Yes, high pressure water will force any dirt and debris into your paint and scratch the surface. That's why you should always use low pressure running water first, so that any debris will flow down to the ground. In general high pressure is only good for your wheels, wheel wells, underbody, windows and side mirrors.

 

[ENDLESS]

NO, bad for your car. Any automated car wash place is bad for our car. Some places call it Touchless Car Wash. What these places do is instead of using a brushes, they use high powered water to remove the dirt and grime. Though this may seem good that it is touchless, it actually pushes the dirt into the paint. The regular car wash places have dirty bushes that can scratch your paint. Always wash your car by hand.

 

[dysonl]

Where do you live? I live in the region where snow was born, a.k.a. Canada. So, it's not really practical for me to wash the car myself in the winter with snow, freezing temperature, etc. What would you recommend then?

NO, bad for your car. Any automated car wash place is bad for our car. Some places call it Touchless Car Wash. What these places do is instead of using a brushes, they use high powered water to remove the dirt and grime. Though this may seem good that it is touchless, it actually pushes the dirt into the paint. The regular car wash places have dirty bushes that can scratch your paint. Always wash your car by hand.

 

[alex2364]

You can go to a detailing place and pay them to wash your car for you...but that's kinda pricey.

 

[XSR]

Where do you live? I live in the region where snow was born, a.k.a. Canada. So, it's not really practical for me to wash the car myself in the winter with snow, freezing temperature, etc. What would you recommend then?

dysonl: IMO touchless isn't all that bad, especially when you're in a hurry but need to wash the car in the winter -- but there are good and bad places for touchless, too. Good touchless facilities usually start off with a gentle rinse... it's not like as soon as you drive in, you'll immediately get bombarded by hundreds of high-pressure jet streams. Many places even have a staff to do a pre-soak as your car is pulling up slowly into the facility.

I've been using only touchless for the last couple of years on a few cars, and I have yet to experience anything negative. Don't let people throw you off. Sometimes we tend to believe in what other people say without experiencing ourselves and we blindly jump to conclusion.

Having said that, however, bottom line is that doing it yourself is still the "safest". At least if you screw up you can't blame anyone. If you must do it yourself, find a local coin-op car wash. Some gas stations in Canada also have facilities like this, although you don't have to pay until you actually finish and leave the facility. There is no time limit so you can "take your time". Of course they charge you by the minute, which can easiliy add up.

 

[dysonl]

XSR, thanks for the helpful info, I appreciate it.

dysonl: IMO touchless isn't all that bad, especially when you're in a hurry but need to wash the car in the winter -- but there are good and bad places for touchless, too. Good touchless facilities usually start off with a gentle rinse... it's not like as soon as you drive in, you'll immediately get bombarded by hundreds of high-pressure jet streams. Many places even have a staff to do a pre-soak as your car is pulling up slowly into the facility.

I've been using only touchless for the last couple of years on a few cars, and I have yet to experience anything negative. Don't let people throw you off. Sometimes we tend to believe in what other people say without experiencing ourselves and we blindly jump to conclusion.

Having said that, however, bottom line is that doing it yourself is still the "safest". At least if you screw up you can't blame anyone. If you must do it yourself, find a local coin-op car wash. Some gas stations in Canada also have facilities like this, although you don't have to pay until you actually finish and leave the facility. There is no time limit so you can "take your time". Of course they charge you by the minute, which can easiliy add up.

 

[Guest]

Those high pressure car washes are certainly not the best thing for your car. Some cars can't even go through them, like jeep Cherokees. My friend took her car through one of those things and it ripped her antenna off... I don't touch them. They are good if you don't have time, but I would try and make some.

Another thing, those car washes that you do yourself they aren't good either. I've been told you can actually put more dirt on your car, since everyone uses the brushes, and no one ever rinses them off you just keep getting dirt. They are certainly a lot better that the drive through car washes.

If wax is squirted on your car, including your windows, its just not as good.

 

[koala]

i only use the "wand wash" type thing when I dont have a lot of spare time. I do a low pressure wash first, which loosens everything, then a high pressure wash, then rinse, then a low pressure "spot free" final rinse.

I don't use those brushes, they're a waste of time anyhow.

I've only used the brush on my windshield when there are a lot of dead bugs on it.... but that damn thing never touches my paint.

hand wash is of course the only way to go for a good job.

but i cant do a hand wash when it's -20 degrees.

 

[XSR]

Those high pressure car washes are certainly not the best thing for your car. Some cars can't even go through them, like jeep Cherokees. My friend took her car through one of those things and it ripped her antenna off... I don't touch them. They are good if you don't have time, but I would try and make some.

Another thing, those car washes that you do yourself they aren't good either. I've been told you can actually put more dirt on your car, since everyone uses the brushes, and no one ever rinses them off you just keep getting dirt. They are certainly a lot better that the drive through car washes.

Well, they do remind you to turn off your radio if your car has power antenna. If your car has a fixed antenna or if you don't follow their instructions, what else do you expect anyway? It's not like they don't warn you in advance.

And brushes? LOL... Go to places that have brush-less wands of course.

 

[604Nighthawk]

If im too lazy to wash my car, all that is needed is to take it to my dealership, chances are they will wash it for me (not all the time, but a good majority)... but then again, i'm never too lazy to spend time with my car. even if that means washing it :spin:

 

[ZoBe]

allright, here it goes.

If you are taking your girl out and you have the time to wash it by hand, dry it, clean your rims and whatever else, you should just DO IT.

If you are taking your girl out and you have been working all day, it's 100 degrees in the shade, and you just want to kick back and have a beer, you should say piss on it and run it through the automatic before you get her.

HOWEVER, you better have it clean if your looking to get a piece.

 

[Johnny Navs]

Only if your girl is that materialistic that she wants only you for your car and how clean it is (i.e. how SHE looks in it). I gaurantee you that I can get a piece from my girl even if my car's a little dirty.

:spin:

 

[asiatic]

take it to your Acura dealership and say something is funky with it.. they'll wash it when they're done lookin or fixing the problem

i am pretty sure if u went to the dealership and asked for a free car wash, they'd give u one anyways

 

[Homer2]

oh man . . . i would be very careful about the dealership washing my car.

in fact, i have them put a large note on the work order - NOT to wash it.

ive seen what they do, and seen their facilities . . . not nice to the finish.

maybe the dealer you have is better, but most dont care - they just want it to be clean when you get it back, not very concerned about swirls etc . . .

 

[geogerf]

I second that... When I was waiting for my car from the dealer, I saw the how they were washing the other cars... all they do is run a hose on it and have a "used too much" mitt to wipe excess dirt off.. just DIY!