touchless car wash
 

would any of you use a touchless car wash system on your new z, like ones found at gas station? honest opinions please...thanks

It's not recommended. They use lots of harsh chemicals that will degrade your clear coat over time. If you have to use one, get the most basic wash and make sure you are going to give the car a proper wash after. I've only used them for a pre-wash when the car is extremely dirty or for the undercarriage wash. But always hand washed at home after.

Honestly it appears cool and everything but it does a bad job. Does not remove the dirt that well. I prefer hand hash using the 2 bucket method

I agree with JARblue and schellingr. It's good as a pre-wash when the car is very dirty but not something you want to do all the time. As per JARblue, use the most gentle settings with the fewest chemicals (ie, just a good rinse) and follow up with a proper cleaning. See Junkman2008's paint care videos for some great tips. Edit: Junkman2008's threads Edit 2: The Junkman answers your question

The car wash automated tire tracks/drive system will f-up your alignment, big time. Plus all of the harsh chemicals that are used are not that good for your cars finish.

:eek:

I run mine through those things fairly often as a matter of convenience. They do an OK job as a quick means of getting the big chunks of dirt off, but don't do much for the bugs on the clear bra. I won't use the ones where the car gets pulled through, only the ones where you drive it in, no guide rails. The "harsh chemicals" thing....I'd have to see some data. I suppose it's possible they use less-than-optimal detergent, and maybe some of that other crap they spray on, but I've not seen any bad effects on my paint in the many years I've been washing Nissans -- Z's, Murano's, Cube -- using those car washes and frankly in the absence of actual data I'd be inclined to say that such a characterization falls under the heading of "internet lore". Sort of like most of the stuff I read online about engine oil.

here in CA I believe they are mandated to recycle their water by filtering etc. Who knows where that water has been

I've seen the effects personally if you use them over and over. I know a guy who used one near his house approx 2 times per month - never touched the car other than those washes. Over the course of 10 years that car wash completely destroyed the clear coat on two brand new Honda Civics with the end result being the sun-damaged paint in just 3-4 years very similar to this:

A nice embedded layer of highway grime is the most likely reason they do not affect some cars' paint. It provides a protective barrier to the clear coat because the car wash can't clean that layer. But a brand new clean car that doesn't get driven often and doesn't get very dirty and gets cleaned a lot with those chemicals will suffer.

Back in the mid-1980s I was selling computers and one of my customers built commercial/industrial car washes and ran a chain of them in the area. I had a chance to tour his plant and some of the chemicals they were using were very corrosive, even when diluted. I don't remember the chemical names (other than sodium hydroxide, which is very "harsh", especially to aluminum). There's a good chance that the car wash industry has changed to different, less corrosive, chemicals since then but I still try to avoid them. YMMV

Yeah...I'm going to go with Internet lore.



;

Never.

Give that girl the love she deserves... wash those curves by hand. Use 3 buckets. Junkman is the authority if your looking for guidance.

I used to go to touchless when Im lazy, but recently was introduced to chemical guys lol
Bought everything for interior and exterior along with a foam gun!! Everything adds up and gets pricey, but from the reviews, it's best for our cars or any cars.

GOAM Gun FTW!! Never 2 bucket again! I simply fan and scrub a panel at a time while dunking the MIT in a water bucket between panels. I use the big green turtle soap from the local car store. They usually have online coupons when I buy online and pick up the supplies in 15 minutes; all at a discounted price.

YzGyz

:iagree: :iagree: :iagree:

Sorry, its no myth - its a well known fact that automatic car washes touchless or not, use very harsh soaps and detergents.

The foam gun is supposed to be used in conjunction with the 2-bucket wash, NOT in place of. If you are using one bucket and the foam gun to wash your car, you're doing it wrong. That's not what the foam gun was designed for.

:iagree:

Do as the junkman says... Foam first, then 2 bucket wash (hell, I add a third just for the wheels!)

:rock:

Let me get this strait, in the two bucket method you use one bucket with soap and one with rinse water. You spray car down with hose then dunk mitt/sponge or whatever you use and clean the panel. Once you do clean the little area, you dunk the dirty mitt in the rinse bucket (not all the way down as to not puck up more dirt). You then dunk the clean rinsed off mitt into the soap bucket and repeat. Correct? Does this not mean the first bucket is to simply hold clean soapy water which you wash the car with?

My method is spray the whole car with pressure washer. fill 2 gallon bucket with rinse water. Foam gun my car on 1 side, then use my mitt to wash the car's 1 side with intermittent rinsing of the mitt as I wash the car. Once the car is washed, I pressure wash the rest of the dirt, soap and junk off the one side I just cleaned and along with the rest of my car. I like to keep my car wet at all times until time to dry. Then I move to another side of the car. I repeat the process and when I spray off the junk again, I re-rinse the whole car. I repeat the process 4x. Once for each side.

Can you explain why I would need the first bucket? I guess I'm missing some point and don't know it. Or maybe I'm not. I know how to clean my hands really well as I wash my hands over 50x in my 12 hr shift each night I work.

In case I never said it before, Thanks for the DIY vid on polishing the car. It was good brain food (the standing on car dance was cool). I polished my car for the first time a few months back with instructions from your video.

YzGyz

And that paragraph right there shows that you completely have no understanding of the 2-bucket wash and how it is done. I suggest that you watch my 2-bucket wash videos so that you can get a THOROUGH understanding of WHAT is done, HOW it is done and WHY it is done that way. The fact that you don't even mention the most important part of the buckets (the Grit Guards), tells me that you have either never watched MY videos on the process or misunderstood what you watched. Every part of MY 2-bucket wash has a purpose, from what is done to the equipment used. Leaving out ANY part of it spells damage to your paint.

I have been fooling with this field since the late 70's and have been trying to figure out the SAFEST way to touch my paint. I sleep this stuff so you can bet that I've put a ton of thought into my processes.

:owned:

Will do. Thanks again. I have no problem admitting fault or ignorance. All part of life and lessons learned. As for owned? Nah, I don't think he was blasting me or anything. Just pointing out specifics. ☺

YzGyz

I definitely wasn't blasting you. Not at all.

Ok I watched it again. It's been a long while since I seen it. I wash my car very similar to you but not exact. I dingy have the grit guard. I do intermittently use the power washer and blast junk off my mitt after a few wash/rinse cycles. Mayhap that is why I figured I don't need a soap bucket as I figured the foam gun and pressure washer rids of taped grime. The other difference is I use a pressure washer. I blast junk out of rims, tire wells and under carriage like you. I just don't have the gutter attachment and end up on my knees trying to angle the stream upward as best I can.

Anyhoo, good brain food. Guess I need more stuff.
YzGyz

The problem with a pressure washer is it still doesn't remove all of the grime attached to the paint. You have to PHYSICALLY touch that dirt in order to remove it. This is why at a touchless car wash, they use not only pressure to clean the car, but some of the harshest chemicals on your paint. Those chemicals are not good for your paint or your paint's protection (wax). Pressure alone will not get the job done and once you start drying the car, you grind all that matted dirt into your paint, creating damage. This is why I don't use a pressure washer to wash my car. It doesn't get it any cleaner, especially if the car has been driven in inclement weather.

If you are rinsing a wash mitt in your hand, you will never remove all of the dirt and grit like you will by submerging that mitt underwater. Submerging allows ALL of the grit to be released at once. Rinsing it leaves the opportunity for some grit to remain behind, no matter what amount of pressure you use. It also is more of a waste of water.

I bet most yellowed headlights are from these autowash's harsh chemicals too. UV alone does not do it. i know cause my dd's are parked out doors 24/7 and they never had dat yellowing even after 7yrs.

That's an interesting hypothesis. I've never thought of that.

My headlights yellowed a little bit. I just redid them a few days ago. I own a 2010 and have not gone threw a car wash since ownership at 17k now at 49k. But I'm with you on the chems.

YzGyz

I ONLY use touchless car wash rarely in the winter to wash off the harsh salt on the car if I can't get to wash. It will strip carnuba wax and some lighter waxes off no issue. Sealants you can go through about 4 times before it will strip it.

No blasting intended... just being funny. (I always laugh at JM... love his conviction!)

:iagree:

thanks all for the informative detail, especially @Junkman2008 and your videos. i will be getting my grit guards soon and foam gun. as for now my ride is under a car cover and...outside...i guess my only thing left is ti wash my car straight under the sun or should i was it under a canopy.? but thanks again guys

If it can be helped, NEVER wash your car in direct sunlight. That's just asking for a trip to water spot hell. If you had soft water, you MIGHT be able to get away with it but if you have very hard water, some water spot can be hell to remove if they stay on your paint long enough.

If we're betting, I'll bet that UV and road exhaust is solely responsible for yellowed headlights.

Anyone ever use the two bucket method at the car wash? Reason I ask is because I live in an apartment and thats how I have to wash my car. I bring my buckets, my soap, mit......everything! Been working for me.

I did it for years when I lived in an apartment.