Automatic car washes - are they that bad?

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marc777

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Location
Oxfordshire
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E270 cdi Avantgarde; Wifes car Yellow VW Beetle (new shape)
Automatic car washes have a bad name from those wanting to retain the factory finish to their paintwork - but with changes in technology are they really that bad?

A garage near me has just fitted a new washer with differnet material on the brushes which look softer -

What are everyone's thoughts? Steer clear? Or "life's too short to be out in this temperature with a sponge and bucket!"

Marc
 
I personally dont trust them.I have seen chrome trim ripped off cars and thrown out the back of the wash before now landing in front of my car,scaring me slightly.Also I would be affraid it will rip the bonnet star off,even though my local dealer uses one of the said car wash's at the back of their compound.
 
I can't think of a word powerful enough for what the last brushwash did to my paintwork.

I will never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never use one again.

It is going to take a lot of weekends and elbow grease to restore the paintwork.
 
So you dont like them then Scott

THe only thing I will say is that they are great for finding out where leaks are (or infact creating them)
10 years ago I had a Renault 9 and it was fine, no problems at all.
Took it through a car was and then found a small swimming pool in the boot and a really nice waterfall in the front pasenger footwell.
Never used one since.
 
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They really do bad things to paint… I Know the hard way!

Don't do it!!!!!!!!! I went into one with my 'V' some years ago when I was in a hurry to get the car clean before going somewhere important. Unfortunately, the dickhead who had used it earlier had gotten his ariel ripped off when he had forgotten to lower it…… (I bet you can see where this is going!). Needless to say, said dickhead didn't tell the station owner and just drove off leaving the ariel snotted up in the brushes.

Muggins goes in and had the front of the wagon flailed by said ariel. £800 of damage before I could jump out and hit the emergeny stop… and that WAS an exciting experience… interesting but rather dangerous. (The Shell paid out of their pocket for it, the damage to the car that is, not my wet clothes and brown trousers!!). Chipped up bonnet, front wing, A pillar and smashed windsreen.

Never again… ever!
 
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Thanks for the feedback - there seems to be a concencus there!!!!!!!!!!!

Sponge and bucket it is (and hose).....just wish it wasn';t so bloody cold though.........

Marc
 
Originally posted by scotth_uk
I prefer to keep my local Albanian employment club going anyway. :)

How True is that :)

Up here about 40 of them work on your car :D
 
They also use recycled water :rolleyes:
 
I wont let most 'supposed valleters' wash my car having seen the state of their water and rags/sponges.

I use three sponges and about four or five microfibre cloths and many many gallons of water each time I wash my car to make absolutely sure they are not scratching the paint.

These Albanian type car washes use one bucket of water per 2-3 cars, a dirty sponge/rag and also think that Fairy liquid makes for a good car shampoo. :eek:
 
DO NOT EVER USE A CAR WASH ON A CAR YOU CARE ABOUT!!!!!!

I used to use a car wash at the local supermarket back when I drove japanese cars and didn't worry too much about its overall condition until one day it decided to take an intense disike to my rear wiper, ripping it off and banging the boot lid with it a few times. The best the supermarket could come up with was to point me to a sign stating that the car wash was used entirely at the owners risk. I did finally get some recompense, but I had to fight for it and it didn't cover all the damage.


Now it's a bucket sponge and hosepipe job, unless it's too cold in which case, same as others on here I let my local immigrant community have the fun of washing and drying it for £4 or for £15 they also steam clean the engine bay, wax it, vacuum it and clean the windows inside and out. Oh and provide a cup of coffee while I'm waiting.
 
Car wash. Yes, I think somebody told me about these legendary engines of Satan late one night. Would that be one of those things that flail innocent automobiles with the embedded grit of a thousand previous victims using fast rotating brushes, employ recycled water, hugely aggresive detergents and sometimes vomit forth a "wax" treatment that manages to coat everything (windscreen included) in a horrid low grade wax emulsion?

Now let me think if I should use one.....................
 
I'm afraid I fall in to the "life's too short" camp. If it were the middle of summer and I had absolutely nothing to do then I might consider washing it myself, actually I'd still probably go and sit outside the pub instead. Apart from that it's car wash every time, though it is one of the new soft brush ones. Doesn't seem to make much difference to silver, though I'd probably do it less often if it were a flat paint finish or a dark colour (still wouldn't wash it myself, just put it through a carwash less often)

I do finish the wheels off myself though if the weather's fine

I'll duck now then shall I? :D

Cheers
Andy

PS And yes I do put the roof up!
 
well in oxford we dont have a immigrant community (unless you count me as i am indian) that will wash the car!! so i always use a car wash, either tesco or the a chain that just does car washes, cant remember the name, but it's blue and yellow.

£7 for the works (wash wax etc) comes up a treat even cleans the fussy wheels and you get three colour foam...........but both cars are silver so that does help

cheers

kenny
 
Originally posted by Aswall
I'm afraid I fall in to the "life's too short" camp. If it were the middle of summer and I had absolutely nothing to do then I might consider washing it myself, actually I'd still probably go and sit outside the pub instead. Apart from that it's car wash every time, though it is one of the new soft brush ones. Doesn't seem to make much difference to silver, though I'd probably do it less often if it were a flat paint finish or a dark colour (still wouldn't wash it myself, just put it through a carwash less often)

I do finish the wheels off myself though if the weather's fine

I'll duck now then shall I? :D

Cheers
Andy

PS And yes I do put the roof up!


I must agree with you , ive got better things to do than get frozen out with a bucket and sponge in this weather. Ive got an attachment for my Karcher which washes and cleans the car a treat ..

I don't intend to keep the car long enough to notice any dulling of paint anyways. :)
 
At my workplace, a colleagues brother-in-law has come up with a great idea. Pay the guy a fiver and your car gets hand washed during the day. They did a pretty good job too.
 
LOL

Here at my work we have the same only the top wash is £95 :eek:

Thats reason enough to DIY.

I kinda like washing the car anyway - there's a great amount of satisfaction when you do a good job.
 
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There's a similar service at our workplace. . . . although much more than a fiver unfortunately, so I have never used it !! (don't trust 'em anyway !) Sounds like a good business idea though !

Some of the newer drive through american conveyor belt style car washes are pretty good though . . . jet wash by hand first to remove all the stubborn dirt, and then the full works . . . brushless if required . . . use them occasionally if I don't have time to wash the car myself.


S.
 
Originally posted by Sp!ke
LOL

Here in at my work we have the same only the top wash is £95 :eek:

Thats reason enough to DIY.

I kinda like washing the car anyway - there's a great amount of satisfaction when you do a good job.


Have to agree with you there Spike. Theres nothing more rewarding than spending a few hours washing, drying and then Zymoling your car on a Sundy afternoon. But a pain in the backside when the weather is crap like at the mo where the car gets dirty before you've got out of the drive!!!
 

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