Any Bad experiences with TOUCHLESS Car Washes?

[Ronnie Sikh]

Ok I know this should be in the Washing and Detailing section but it wouldn't get as much notice there, so for the sake of attention purposes I put it here (sorry lol)

But I just got my 128 a few weeks ago and washed it once about 2 weeks ago (its white). When i washed it I noticed that some dirt wash lightly still well stuck on the door about half way down ...it wasn't like noticeable but a foggy dirt residue (came off after i scrubbed it harder)

figured this time i would go to a touch less wash....any bad experiences with those? I usually prefer to wash it myself but i work two jobs and have too much going on to give it those nice long detailed washes myself....

im def staying away from regular car washes just thought touch less would be safe and keep my baby mint =D

[ken1137]

Yeah, I went through a touchless wash that had a high pressure wash. Long story short...moisture got into the drivers side headlight and killed my adaptive light. My gasket was old and did not seal properly, but BMW replaced the headlight so I was lucky. I now go to a touch less wash that is not high pressure, rinse with my pressure washer at home (from Home Depot) and then follow that up with Meguiars Quick Detail. I also have my car detailed twice per year. GL.

[ksparks]

pop for the extra few dollars and get a hand car wash, you are working 2 jobs and all

[ZIPNBYE]

Speaking with a detailing guy about touchless, the chemicals used are so harsh, they're quite bad for your plastic, rubber, and other soft surfaces, and they'll strip the wax off your car. Avoid at all cost.

[bmw1racer]

It's sacrilege to do anything else but wash your car yourself, IMO.

[BrokenVert]

Originally Posted by bmw3racer

It's sacrilege to do anything else but wash your car yourself, IMO.

yeah but when its -10 in syracuse and I need to get the salt off of my car at 3pm in the dark with 5 feet of snow on the ground with a 40 mph wind im not going to wash it myself.

[Greenkirby21]

Originally Posted by BrokenVert

yeah but when its -10 in syracuse and I need to get the salt off of my car at 3pm in the dark with 5 feet of snow on the ground with a 40 mph wind im not going to wash it myself.

here in texas we are in a drought so we arent even allowed to use a water hose : <

[bmw1racer]

Originally Posted by BrokenVert

yeah but when its -10 in syracuse and I need to get the salt off of my car at 3pm in the dark with 5 feet of snow on the ground with a 40 mph wind im not going to wash it myself.

That's illogical, since wherever you get it washed, it'll get dirty/salty once you drive it home... And would any car washes be open with those weather conditions?

[ken1137]

Originally Posted by bmw3racer

That's illogical, since wherever you get it washed, it'll get dirty/salty once you drive it home... And would any car washes be open with those weather conditions?

Well, when it is 20-35 F it is still too cold to hand wash your car. Let alone the fact that all my hoses are stored in the shed for Winter. Yes, car washes are open so I do a quick detail aftwerwards in my garage with heaters Spring, Summer, and Fall are for hand washing.

[Golden3ye]

I use the power wand car washes from time to time, not very often since I discovered Optimum No Rinse, but sometimes I need to head up to the car wash to blast off some stubborn bugs. What I really need to do is get some sort of product designed to get the bugs off that way I dont need to blast my paint with high power water to remove them.

Havent had my car during winter, I dont know what I will do when it is 10 degrees out and my car is covered in salt and road sludge. Gonna get a propane heater for the garage I guess

[BrokenVert]

Originally Posted by bmw3racer

That's illogical, since wherever you get it washed, it'll get dirty/salty once you drive it home... And would any car washes be open with those weather conditions?

you've obviously never lived in a snowy place

[Section147]

What would be illogical would be to allow layer upon layer of winter's deposits to accumulate on your finish, just
as it would to not wash you car for weeks to remove whatever it is that stockpiles on your paint there in SoCal...

[bmw1racer]

Originally Posted by BrokenVert

you've obviously never lived in a snowy place

You're right.

[BrokenVert]

Originally Posted by bmw3racer

You're right.

I can tell. If you had youd know that you always get the salt off, you dont let it cake up

[doublevanosrc]

Go to one of those places where you put in quarters and you wash it yourself. I've had only one issue with touchless carwashes in the past, most of the time the car has to be lined up and put on a rail type system. Since our cars has low profile tires the rim might get small scratches on them.

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by ZIPNBYE

Speaking with a detailing guy about touchless, the chemicals used are so harsh, they're quite bad for your plastic, rubber, and other soft surfaces, and they'll strip the wax off your car. Avoid at all cost.

^ +1. Not to mention the chemicals will do wonders to your shadowline trim(IF your car has M-sport). I always go to a self service wash bay with a high pressure hose. I bring my bucket(& soap) and in ten minutes I am done. Then just a simply wipe down is needed.

[J0E]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

^ +1. Not to mention the chemicals will do wonders to your shadowline trim(IF your car has M-sport). I always go to a self service wash bay with a high pressure hose. I bring my bucket(& soap) and in ten minutes I am done. Then just a simply wipe down is needed.

I've always hand washed all of my cars until this one... now I do this same thing. High pressure wash, use my own bucket and mitt, and use spot free rinse...

I thought I was pretty good at washing cars after doing it countless times on a weekly basis until I got my first black car... Spot free rinse is my best friend...

[Ronnie Sikh]

yeah i think ill use self service bays instead of my driveway, well until i get a better pressure washer for my car and better detailing tools....i don't want to damage my car with any thing from a tocuhless wash

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by Ronnie Sikh

yeah i think ill use self service bays instead of my driveway, well until i get a better pressure washer for my car and better detailing tools....i don't want to damage my car with any thing from a tocuhless wash

You might also want to try the No Rinse Wash stuff out. I was really blown away with how well it works. I use it mainly in the winter months though.

[1911A145]

I dont use them unless the car is just stupid dirty and has been at least 3 weeks between washed and I can find zero time to hand wash. Still, 10 bucks for a self service touchless wash sucks because it gets the majority off the car but the wheels and paint still end up with a thin coat and dirt or grim. I hate to use them and have tried several different places and always get the top one around 10 bucks or so.

[soday19134@civikli.com]

Hello all. I use to run my vehicles through a touchless car wash in the snowy winters to get the road crap and de-icer off the paint. One day I was reading on the Lexus forums that the chemicals used in these bags could be harmful to the clear coat. I have pretty much always had black vehicles and car detailing alexandria va, so I am asking you guys if this is true. I figure you would know better than some random Lexus owner. When I googled it, I found the main concern was the pressure of the sprayers in these potentially causing issues. As I mentioned in other threads, I have a black 2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon. I am really trying to protect the paint as much as possible. My 1990 Jeep is my crawler/toy, just in case some ask why I’m so concerned with a Jeep. I also wonder if the chemicals used in these bays would remove or damage any ceramic spray coating I apply. Thank You for any input.

[cjb762]

I would kind of be surprised if the chemicals were actually harsh enough to do any damage to the paint, especially considering how fast they are washed off.

I use Bilt Hamber Touchless, which has ph of about 12, as a pre-wash and have never had any issues. Sometimes during the winter, I just fill up a pump sprayer with 5% Touchless and pre-treat the car at a self service bay, then pressure wash it off. It is crazy how much crap it gets off all by itself.

Forensic Detailing Channel on youtube has a few really good videos on it.

He also has a video showing how paint sealants (wax, ceramic, etc) aren't really affected by a high alkaline wash.