I was wondering if any of you guys ever ran your car through the tunnel.
There's a fairly new car wash close to me where I take my vehicles.
I was thinking of just getting the wash and then wiping it down in the garage.
There are water restrictions here in the subdivision so washing it out side is not possible ( my neighbor already received a warning, next time it's 300 bones).
The manager of the car wash said he could only apply the soap/foam and then the pressure wash. He can actually turn off the brushes.
Any ideas???

 

Nope... Never.

 

As an alternative, you might consider one of the self serve car wash places.

 

+1
Would never ever take through an auto car wash after the damage that they did to one of my old cars. Go to a self serve coin op and bring your supplies.

 

I will ocassionaly run my car through a touchless car wash. At that point it is really just getting rinsed off, and there is nothing actually touching the car. I will NEVER run through a car wash with brushes etc, or one where they clamp the tires to a conveyor belt and pull the car through the tunnel...

 

Only thing to note about the touchless washes-I was told by a friend who worked at a touchless wash in high school that they use very aggressive cleaners in the wash to make up for the lack of a brush etc. These cleaners will strip wax right off. Just an FYI!

 

you can look into some waterless car wash products like what Chemical Guys sells or find a good local detailer.

 

Thanks for all the replys guys.
Guess ill be taking my buckets and and quarters to the coin op wash.
That makes the most sense.

 

most carwash places offer a hand wash service now, its usually 1.5x-2.0x the price but its much safer and less harsh on the car.

 

Touchless gas station wash = acid bath

Handwash @ carwash joint = clearcoat butchery

 

Optima no rinse, a bucket, a gallon of water + 2 micro fiber towels (one to wash one to dry while spritzing with optima spray wax) = game changer

 

Under no circumstances do you want to use an automatic car wash. Between the very harsh solvents they use and/or the brushes caked with dirt and grime, you're doing more harm than good.

The car will look clean but the finish will be rubbish.

Same goes for the coin-op Self Serves. As someone above mentioned, bring all your own supplies (Grit Mat, 2 buckets, wash shampoo, wash mits) DO NOT use their wand brush for anything but the wheels - and even then make sure to give the brush head a good 10 second clean-out with with the pressure washer before touching it to your vehicle.

 

Is Optima like a meguiars final detailer?

 

No. Optimum No-Rinse is specifically designed for waterless washing. Quick Detailers can't be used in that manner (they are good for shining an already clean or minimally dusty car).

Maybe I'm a Luddite but I can't bring myself to use waterless wash products. I just can't see how they can be as safe as using water, although some detailers swear by them (especially where there are water restrictions).

 

Waterless washing - which is a bit of a misnomer, it should be called Reduced Water Washing as the "waterless" products still require the solutions to be diluted in gallons of water for the wash, a separate spray bottle of water mixed with solution for the pre-mist lubricity and spot treatment, and another bucket of water to rinse your wash mit of the grit however, there's no rising afterwards needed - works through an encapsulation process. The solution acts as a surfactant and captures the dirt then, to a small extent, emulsifies it and suspends it in the solution and carries it up off the clear coat surface.

If you have ever shaved with a straight razor using shaving oil instead of cream, this is sort a poor man's interpretation of the process.

Now do I trust it ... sigh ... scientifically they work, but I just cannot bring myself to wash a dirty (not dusty or waterspotted, but dirty) car without a pre-rinse and post rinse.