Is Brushless Car Wash Okay?

wilsonp

What's the difference between a coin op and brushless?

The brushless wash (sometimes laser wash) has nothing touch the car except water and detergents.

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2014 Cayman S PDK Sport Chrono White/Black
Was 2009 370Z Touring Sport+Nav 7AT Metallic Black/Persimmon
Was 1991 NSX Auto Black/Black

Dreezy562

I dunno but I just watched mine roll thru a sprayer and had 4 mexican guys wash it while its rolling then it came out and got hand dried and now its sitting the shade getting waxed.

Cmike2780

It's basically a powerwasher you use yourself. There's setting for soap, rinse, brush etc. I don't use the brush, just the powerwasher to rinse the salt and loose dirt off in the winter. The water is heated and you basically roll into a semi-enclosed heated garage. The brushless is basically the same except a powerwash machine moves around the car with a wall of water. I've never been to one of these though, so I can't comment on exactly how it works.

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[09][MB][6-Spd MT][Touring][Stillen Gen III][K&N][Borla CBE][Evo-R]

wilsonp

Ah, ty. I just use my garden hose in that case.

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2014 Cayman S PDK Sport Chrono White/Black
Was 2009 370Z Touring Sport+Nav 7AT Metallic Black/Persimmon
Was 1991 NSX Auto Black/Black

OldGuy

I've used the touchless machine often. You stay in the car and it's ok if the car is just dusty---then you finish the drying yourself with your own shammois on the lot. If the car is really dirty, it's no good----it just removes the outer layer of dust and when it dries, the car is still dirty. It's probably no better than the powerwash wand, which is a lot cheaper and what I use, as my Z is only a summer only, fair weather car and only gets dusty. But I'm getting lazy and thinking of using the automatic brushless washes with the crew that dries the car, etc. The opinions on those are mixed. With our delicate paint, I'm very hesitant and I'll probably continue to hand wash with the power wash wand and dry off myself. It does make for a nice job if the car's not too dirty and you're willing to make the effort.

kenchan

when i lived in an apartment way back when, i had to resort to carwash places.

when my car was only dusty i took it to the local gas station with the touchless (hand dried myself), and if it was rained on or wat not, took it to the manned handwash places and told them no tire dressing.

Nismo_Q

I use the brushless wash as my main method of washing my car because hand washing with a sponge will give my car swirl marks. Then I use a detailing stray to clean and dry off afterwards; no water spots. Then I polish and wax. Paint is like new and baby a$$ smooth. I also claybar every 3 months. Dusting it regularly helps a lot.

nicknick

it does not matter what brand of car it is. to some people it is their pride and joy. hope you can understand that.

BalanBro

Touchless washes are relatively benign for the paint. The problem is during drying. Water pressure alone will leave behind small particles on the paint, especially if the car is really dirty. These will get caught up in the towels while drying and lead to swirl marks. If you have to use a touchless wash, it may be better to limit the drying to high pressure air. It won't get all of the water off, but will prevent surface contaminants from getting dragged all over your clearcoat.

I realize the above may be a bit OCD, but it's true and I am OCD about paint.

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2012 Mercedes C63 AMG P31 Sedan, ROW, aFe, Eurocharged Dyno Tune. 438WHP/415WTQ
2010 SOLD: 40th Anniversary 370z

AllForTheCash

I have used it on the Z and Previous cars when the weather is too cold. Sprays the undercarriage and blows the car dry. Never had any issues with my paint. But I hand wash/wax once the weather is warmer.

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2010 370z Brilliant Silver/Frost - Touring - Sport - Navigation - 6MT

rj45

On the odd occasion that I use a self spray wash place (usually only in the winter to remove road salt), I don't dry the car off. Spray washes don't remove all the grime, and wiping it around with the towel (even MF) is going to mar the paint to some degree.

Plus, most spray washes I've gone to hardly have any soap coming out...it's almost a total waste of time.

Regarding the touch-less automated washes, my pop uses them on occasion and the result is poor-to-fair...not worth the money, IMO. Properly hand washing it yourself (or by a professional) offers the best results.

For those who want to avoid doing a traditional hose wash, check out Optimum No-Rinse. When used properly, it cleans dirty cars safely. Heavy grime or debris should be rinsed with a hose or pressure washer before using ONR. There are plenty of threads on Autopia about using ONR properly. There are also some videos on youtube. No Rinse Wash and Shine

kenchan

for drying after touchless washes i too agree that one would benefit using spray-on type car wash sprays while drying.
this provide the lubricity needed to lift remaining grit with minimal scratches.

i use Griot's SprayOn CarWash on my hobby cars as i rarely wash them with a bucket... (only drive on nice days).

Brutal 370Z

in my experience, touchless washes are ok. its just important to use a 100% cotton towel afterwards to finish the drying job. if you buy a cheaper towel, chances are its not 100% cotton and has nylon weaving. The nylon can damage your clearcoat.

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Stillen G3/CBE/HFC, Nismo S-tune Front Chin Spoiler, 20% tint, Password JDM V2 Shift Knob

brakedrift12

I've also used brushless car wash several times whenever I feel lazy and running out of time, and it worked fine, you just need to dry them with soft cloth afterwards cuz the air dryer is not gonna dry your car 100%, and try to wash your wheel before entering the car wash.

VCuomo

I've been taking my Z to an automatic "handwash" (i.e., "brushless") car wash every week for over 2 years. There's no damage to my paint, no staining on my rims.

Some of you guys worry too much...