GenIII washing

I always use a touchless car wash. Less risky to put scratches on the car.

 

I'm on the same page.

 

You are not! I once went through one of beater type car washes and little did I know a yellow plastic rope wrapped around the wheel. probably from a prior truck beat the h--- out of my Mercedes. Never again! I will drive a dirty car before I do that again.

 

If it rains in the Sonoran desert it tends to rain mud. You should see the guy at the spray wash place scraping up the piles of chemical laden soil out of the bays.

I have been going with pressure wash only to try to gently clean the bugs and coliche off my blizzard pearl baby. What I really need is a garage or carport.

 

Purists...or people who might simply be right- will tell you to avoid mechanical car washes like the plague.

Here's my thoughts. I tend to make a judgement about the quality of the operation. In other words, I look for one that seems well maintained.

Secondly, before ever going through a mechanical car wash, and periodically, more during the summer, I will hand wash my vehicle and keep a good protective quality wax.

But during the winter? As long as I feel I have a that coating of wax? I will use a drive through car wash.

This is with a black vehicle. It's a routine I've followed for years, with previously owned black vehicles.

And honestly? It seems to work. I really think the key, is maintaining a protective, sacrificial layer of wax and using a drive through that is well maintained.

I know some people will tell you, NEVER use a drive through...but I think there is almost no way to totally divorce yourself from risk, even hand washing comes with some risk.

I think the key is minimizing the risk by never allowing the vehicle to become too dirty..and by maintaining a minimun of wax coverage. I've had good success using this method.

 

I tend to use whatever is convenient in the winter, especially after all the salt and sand they throw down here with a threat of bad weather. I will typically just get the basic wash. I haven't noticed any more scratches on the car than what it usually ends up with in parking lots after a year or two.

I do prefer the partial automated ones - you know, the ones where they towel dry the car, wash windows, and vacuum the inside.

Speaking of car wash, I need to get mine done soon. I haven't had time over the nicer weekends to do it this month, so will probably just do the drive-thru one at the Shell gas station next time I fill up.

 

That's where I am! I don't even want the dealer to wash and they offer me FREE washes. Got one there once and it was horrible. Now when I take my car to dealer I at least let them clean the windows. They use the spray foam and usually do a good job. However, I ask them to stay away from paint.

 

I noticed that the owner's manual for 2011 says to wash with water and a soft cloth. It further says that if there are spots that are hard to remove, then apply wash soap. Any thoughts on washing with water vs. using a car washing solution?

 

My personal Golden Rule:

Watch what most people do, then do the opposite.

I only wash my cars by hand.

 

I use a hand wash car wash out my way when pressed for time. Otherwise I use one of the self service car wash stalls so I can do it the way I want.

 

All of my cars go to the the car wash -- I go to the softouch (cloth).

I keep my cars a long time - they look great .....even the black ones.


I hate a dirty car - my two primary ones get washed once a week at the car wash

 

Get a bucket of warm water, a soft cloth, and just wipe it down. You really would be surprised at how well just doing that will make your car look clean. It works on the windows and wheels as well. It might take a little more elbow grease, but it really does work.

For the most part, you don't need a soap to get the car clean. If you're going to use a good wax, then I'd say use the soap to help remove any extra hard-to-remove stuff off the car first.

I use my automotive car wash soap, only because I bought it years ago and don't want to throw it out and feel like I wasted money on it. Darn impulse purchases....

 

There's no way I would try to wash any of my cars with water only. You need an auto shampoo (not dish detergent, for example, which is too harsh), which will lift the dirt particles from the paint surface and suspend them so they're less likely to scratch the surface.

 

What do the folks recommend for cleaning the front bumper? I note various bug carcasses and such there. Will the car detergent take care of that as well?

My last truck had a chrome bumper, so I knew what I could do with that. With the plastic finish, I want to be careful.

 

Depending on the size and age of the debris, you may need to let them soak for a while to soften up, and in extreme cases I've had to carefully remove using an old credit card. There's also bug & tar remover available at auto parts stores, but the last time I needed that was when I lived in south
Florida during the love bug season.

 

Are you all comfortable with a non-Prius driver moving your car into the carwash?

 

When I first got mine, since it was a new gen (with different gear selector), I put the yellow instructional card with the elastic band around the gear selector when I took it to the car wash. I only did that for the first few months--now there are enough of them on the road that yours won't be the first one they've tried to drive.