Do it yourself carwash

F

Fobia

New member
Do you think it is bad if i spray my car down *from a distance* with soap and water @ one of those do it yourself places. Than not dry, or use a mit to wash it. and just roll away with the water droplets freezing to my car. because it is like 5 degree's out.



If i do this repeatedly will this harm my paint? i just want to get the salt off and dont have time to wash it by hand
 
Fobia- You have the right idea (avoiding touching the dirty paint), but I dunno if that'd do anything other than get all your doors/windows/etc. iced shut.



From a distance, I doubt the spray would clean it very well. And I'd want to get most of the water off, especially if it's cold.



I'd find a touchless with blow-drying and run it through that instead. Just don't expect it to get all *that* clean.
 
Yeah im scared of touch less as well.. because i think it sprays to hard .. i dont know..



But is the water freezing on my car that bad? i have a heated garage so..



it unthaws but evaporates on the paint.. *water is softened at the carwash*
 
No it probably won't get all the salt off. It is better than just leaving it on there though and running it through a touch-less is fine. No, it's not as good as hand washing but I know how it is when it's freezing!
 
First, when it's only 5 degrees forget it. Wait until the temperature is at least in the mid twenties. Then use the coin-op to get the major crud off. Finish the job in your garage with QEW or ONR.



Tom
 
Fobia said:
Yeah im scared of touch less as well.. because i think it sprays to hard .. i dont know..



But is the water freezing on my car that bad? i have a heated garage so..



it unthaws but evaporates on the paint.. *water is softened at the carwash*
Click to expand...



I've never encountered any problems from the spray pressure at a touchless, even on the Volvo wagon, which had some pretty loose trim pieces.



I guess the water freezing won't be *that* big an issue as long as it thaws/melts in the garage, but I'd still rather have as little water left on the vehicle as possible. Even if the water itself is deionized/etc. so it won't spot, it's still gonna dissolve residual salt and other stuff that might make for a mess. And if enough water doesn't evaporate after it thaws you could still get icing (door locks/etc.) issue later.



I dunno...I'd just lean towards a good touchless with the blow dryer; the ones my wife and I have used sorta surprised me by being better than I'd expected. Guess every place will be different though, and if something about your local one just gives you the willies I guess you'd better listen to your insticts and do what you think is best.
 
Accumulator said:
I've never encountered any problems from the spray pressure at a touchless, even on the Volvo wagon, which had some pretty loose trim pieces.



I guess the water freezing won't be *that* big an issue as long as it thaws/melts in the garage, but I'd still rather have as little water left on the vehicle as possible. Even if the water itself is deionized/etc. so it won't spot, it's still gonna dissolve residual salt and other stuff that might make for a mess. And if enough water doesn't evaporate after it thaws you could still get icing (door locks/etc.) issue later.



I dunno...I'd just lean towards a good touchless with the blow dryer; the ones my wife and I have used sorta surprised me by being better than I'd expected. Guess every place will be different though, and if something about your local one just gives you the willies I guess you'd better listen to your insticts and do what you think is best.
Click to expand...



I would guess I've been to over 20 different touchless washes in my area, and they are all *very* different in their cleaning abilities. Out of all of them, only one cleans up to my expectations.
 
I use the self serve car washes in the wintertime. While no the ideal option, it is better than leaving road grime/salt/etc on the car. I basically resign myself to doing full details in the Spring. I have occasionly use the "no-touch" car wash with the the blow dryers. Again, not ideal but better than the alternative.
 
Every time this year all the washers come out of the wood work worring about their cars going through car washes. Keep it clean and don't be concerned about your paint. I don't think I've ever witnessed a car that was damaged by a DIY/Touchless car wash.
 
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