Touchless carwashes?
 

I know this was posted somewhere in the forums in the past but can't find it....what is everyones thought on touchless car washes? I know they are not compareable to a good detail but just to keep the car clean on more of a daily base?

Also what would you recomdend when you go though a touchless there is always left over water drops on the car, what would be the best to clean these up with? and would touchless at all leave swirl marks?

Heres my 2 pennies worth -

For the mostpart theres nothing wrong with the wash itself. From what research I've done the touchless washes get their cleaners from the same chemical sources with a few exceptions. Theres no way to know whos using what so don't stress over it. The few exceptions to the rule can be using some pretty harsh detergents (obviously if it cleans w/o agitation its probably a pretty gnarly chemical) worst case these are going to strip your wax or sealant / degrade their durability.

Where you have to be careful is the post wash dry... a lot of people just grab a towel or chamois and dry the remaining water DON'T DO THAT!!

The touchless system is not very thorough and you can be left with a sizable amount of contamination on your paint. By towel drying your dragging that contamination (grit) all over the paint.

If you're going to go that route use a paint safe towel like a waffle weave microfiber and a drying agent like detail spray or waterless wash. I recently moved and my garage is still in shambles while we get organized again. All my wash supplies are burried so to clean my truck this last time I ran thur the local Chevron touchless wash, pulled out and saturated every surface with our waterless wash and with a couple of towels wiped everything down.

This method isn't perfect... by wiping an only semi-clean paintjob you run the risk of swirls. If you insist on going this route at least minimize the potential for damage by using a drying agent and the best quality towels you can.

some of the chemicals those places use wears off the wax so i dont use carwashes for a reason. but in the winter for my dd's i have no choice (too lazy to wash with a bucket in the cold) so run it through those manned touchless wash places where they vac and wipe down the car after the wash.

dont do it, learn how to properly wash and dry and save yourself many scatches, and swirls. plus you'll be using better products.

:iagree:

What's the need for one of these car washes? Usually, a lot of the places near me will have a car port for a self-wash right next to it....if you're unable to do your own cleaning at home. The self wash will at least allow you to apply the pressure and ensure a good, safe cleaning.

If you're mobile a lot and need to clean on the go, you're better off carrying some quick detailer (I've had fantastic results from Maguires) and some MF towels with you.

keeping it clean day to day is easy. Like stated, invest some quality instant detailer spray and equally as good microfiber towels. The touchless washes are not that great, and your better off buying $15 worth of product that you can use for a while and know its safe and helps protect the vehicle.