Hi-Pressure Self Serve Dollar Car Washes

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phil7533

New member
Ok... Drive thru Car Washes are a DEFINITE NO-NO..



But how about those HI-Pressure Quarter Self-Serve car washes??



I must admit, sometimes when i'm lazy, I wash my car there and drive for about 6 miles on the freeway to get the water off.



Is the hi-pressure of the water bad for the paint...
 
Not unless you have Chrysler paint. haha just teasing you Chrysler fans out there. sort of.



For real, just don't use the brush! It will leave scratches. I like to go thru those touchless washes that you drive in too, that way I don't have to get out in the cold and they have dryers that blow the car dry as you leave.
 
A lot depends on the water pressure. If it is high, dont spray at 90 degrees or you will simply be blasting dirt into the paint. Try 45 degrees as far from the car as possible. Also many of these machines use strong chemicals, therefore there is a high risk to any wax you may have applied.
 
Yeah, I never, ever use those brushes... I used it once like 4 years ago and it left all this black stuff on my windows that I couldnt even take out.... I had to break out a razor blade and scrape it off...
 
During the winter I use a automatic high pressure touchless wash. Some tips:



1. Dont buy a wash that uses that multi colored paint conditioner junk, that just stains the paint.



2. Dont dry the car afterwords without the help of a waterless wash or QD.



3. Use a polymer or something underneath any wax. One or two trips trough one and carnuaba wax is long gone. A sealant though and its there for much longer (even Poorboys EX in my experience)
 
I use these occasionaly in the Winter. I always take a bucket and a couple of my good mits, brushes etc. I wash it and soap it up good and then use my supplies to clean it. Then put a few more quarters in to rinse it down. You have to make sure there isn't a line at the car wash. People could get really upset when they see you drag out your own washing supplies. I know this isn't the best way but sometimes getting a hose out and doing it in the driveway when it's 35 degrees outside and snow on the ground just doesn't work. I usually follow up with a quick quality "wet wax". My vehicles are always well sealed and I feel that this helps me justify using these harsh cleaning methods on occasion. :shocked
 
GearHead_1 said:
I use these occasionaly in the Winter. I always take a bucket and a couple of my good mits, brushes etc. I wash it and soap it up good and then use my supplies to clean it. Then put a few more quarters in to rinse it down. You have to make sure there isn't a line at the car wash. People get really upset when they see you drag out your own washing supplies. I know this isn't the best way but sometimes getting a hose out and doing it in the driveway when it's 35 degrees outside and snow on the ground just doesn't work. I usually follow up with a quick quality "wet wax". My vehicles are always well sealed and I feel that this helps me justify using these harsh cleaning methods on occasion. :shocked
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You couldn't do that in the car wash bays in my area.. Huge signs saying you can only use their equipment... also the owners tend to prowl from bay to bay periodically.
 
I still usually end up spending $7 or $8 bucks when I go this route. That's $7 or $8 the owner wouldn't have if I didn't use their facilities. The way I look at as long as I'm not stopping someone else from spending money (and I never do) they've got no gripe. If someone ever pulls up behind me I'll pull out and get back inline once I've been over the vehicle. Course what do I know?:rolleyes:
 
GoodnClean said:
During the winter I use a automatic high pressure touchless wash. Some tips:



.....2. Dont dry the car afterwords without the help of a waterless wash or QD........
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Could you explain this step a little more. Do you get much smearing? This just might be the answer to removing the residue that always remains after the wash and rinse.



Tom :cool:
 
GearHead_1 said:
I still usually end up spending $7 or $8 bucks when I go this route. That's $7 or $8 the owner wouldn't have if I didn't use their facilities. The way I look at as long as I'm not stopping someone else from spending money (and I never do) they've got no gripe. If someone ever pulls up behind me I'll pull out and get back inline once I've been over the vehicle. Course what do I know?:rolleyes:
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Same here. I also put in enough quarters so the water is running the whole time, so actually, it is cheaper for the owner since I pay for my time and only use water, no chemicals.



I don't use a bucket though, just one of my wash pads and car wash soap---keep rinsing the wash pad and pouring a little more soap on it works fine.
 
tguil said:
This just might be the answer to removing the residue that always remains after the wash and rinse.



Tom :cool:
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Tom:

Last winter I went to a drive through touchless wash several times. We have one here that does not use recycled water.

It really doesn't do a very good job of getting the vehicle clean, but it does get most of the mud, slush and salt off. After the touchless, I go over the entire vehicle with either QEW or Poorboy's Spray & Wipe. Didn't seem to harm the finish at all. One vehicle has AIO with Platinum UPP over it, the other has AIO with S100 over it. Both vehicles got an additional coat of either the UPP or S100 each month. Once during the winter, both received another coat of AIO. Spring cleanup required very little extra work for swirl removal. A quick once over with Meg's #9 and all was good. Sure beats the bucket wash at 30 degrees.



Charles
 
I use them when needed and also bring my supplies and two buckets of hot water with me. I rinse with the spray wand, hand wash with my hot water and supplies and do a final rinse and a spot free rinse as well. I usually wash early morning hours and the place is empty.
 
tguil said:
Could you explain this step a little more. Do you get much smearing? This just might be the answer to removing the residue that always remains after the wash and rinse.



Tom :cool:
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I know this is almost a month old but I was doing a search gathering info on QEW and noticed that I never responded to Tom's post.



I never get any smearing using the S&W after the touchless wash. If you keep the finish well protected (waxed sealed whatever) there will be so little residue left that you could theoretically even use a QD, but to be safe I use the S&W. I can see a direct correlation to the protectant degrading and the amount of road grime left on the paint.



The reason I'm searching for QEW now is that I'm concerned with the introduction of salt to what I need to clean off of there, QEW may be safer than the S&W step after the touchless wash.
 
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