Gas Station Car washes for Prius?

Have you guys ever heard of Laser Touchless Car Wash? No brushes or anything to touch the car.
You have the option of under carrage wash.
and
High Pressure. Rinse, Soak, Soak High pressure wash, Clear Coat application, clear rinse and Blow Dry.
It does a very good job. Not perfect like the warm weather hand wash but it does do the under carrage and the wash and blow dry. It sure takes that salt off the car.
Here in New England we get a lot of salt on the roads and this wash puts my mind a ease.
Not a bad deal for $8.00.

 

Yes I agree. When its sub-zero week after week: what can you do.

The last time I washed ours it was about +4 centigrade (it's now getting up to 9 Centigrage, global warming central). Even though nothing was freezing it's was still pretty miserable go. What helped:

1. Use fairly hot wash bucket. Not hot enough to start screwing up the paint, but enough to keep your hands warm.

2. Then when clothing off the water, again use hot clear rinse water to help in wringing out the cloth.

3. Dress for success: waterproof boots, vest, toque, etc.

 

I did once and as a bonus came out with 20-20 vision.

 

I've used a cheap, electric pressure washer before just to rinse off the car. However, I need to figure out a fix for my outside hose line because the shark-bite elbows keep breaking. I might just solder it next time I fix it.

 

I run mine through a local auto wash if I don't have time (or it's too cold) to handwash it myself. The wash is new and I see them rinse the cloth strips first thing every morning, so I try to be there just as they open. They tape down the rear wiper and use a high-pressure hand sprayer to wash mud and grit from the wheel wells and undercarriage. I put the transmission into Neutral and the wash machine has a track that pulls the car through the system.

 

I'm pretty green at this. With your year is it possible to have it in Neutral with engine off? Or do you leave it running? Far as I know, at least with 2010, when you turn it off it puts transmission in park. Can you leave it running (in neutral) going through the carwash?

 

I believe it needs to stay running.

 

Regardless of type of automatic car wash, the bottom rear window never gets clean.

 

I love using Mike's Car Wash in the midwest.
I haven't washed the Prius yet but will use the touch me all over car wash when winter slows down a bit. I'd probably be more worried about it if I had a Mercedes or the like, but really, a mid-priced Toyota, not something to worry about too much.

 

I would never let my car go through one of these. Two bad things happen.

1) If they use brushes it will destroy your paint over time. It is like sandpaper on the cars surface. Everyday those brushes attract salt, rocks and other bad things from other cars. Then they grid it into your car.

2) The brushless washes always seem to put a coat of bad wax on the car. They do a partial job of removing salt and dirt than seal the remaining salt and dirt under a coat of wax.

I never let a dealer wash my car. They have the worse car washers of all. They have special sings they put on the dash for those that do not want a wash.

 

Very sound advice...dealer wash bays are terrible...

 

nothing in my case. Just removing the antenna.

 

+1

Ever since moving to an apartment complex, I've had to give up hand washing and detailing altogether.

The local car wash has a newer 120' tunnel with the cloth-like strips that is in great shape. They do the same prep that you mention-- power wash only, no hand brushing.

I think the drying that they do at the end of the tunnel is most damaging, not the wash itself. That's why I wouldn't let them dry the car-- just let the blowers do most of the work and be sure the tunnel uses a spot-free rinse.

For $7, the results can't be beat.