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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum
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Do you go to touchless car washer for you 3?
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01-30-2011, 08:14 PM | #45 | |
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You are correct about wash media...which is why I said make sure they are using freshly washed media. Even then, its not 100% just as it may not be in your own home when you do your own wash. But I will take my chances with the occasional surface scratch that can be addressed in a detail then my entire paint finish wearing sooner than expected. Do what you want, OP asked for opinions. I gave him mine and he is free to listen or not as he feels fit. Its not my car and its not yours.
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01-30-2011, 08:59 PM | #46 | |
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Dish soap strips wax right off your car, but it doesn't hurt your clear so removal of dirt or wax does not automatically equal harm to clear coat. Up here in the northeast our cars get coated with salt. The salt is going to do much more harm than a touchless wash. |
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01-30-2011, 09:14 PM | #47 |
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Yes, but that's only the ones that have the rails that guide your car through. There are touchless car washes out there, like the one I go to where you drive in - put the car in park, and the laser guided system powers the wash system around the car. Nothing physically ever touches your car.
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01-30-2011, 09:34 PM | #48 | |
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01-31-2011, 01:10 AM | #50 |
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If you don't want to wash your own car using the proper two bucket method with proper wash mitts and drying towels, I would take the car to a professional detailer who may offer just a car wash because in the past I've taken my previous car through a gas station car wash with the brushes and it left fine scratches on my paint. I think it's common knowledge for anyone who cares about their car to avoid those types of car washes.
When I first got my bmw, I took it to a couple different "fancy" looking hand car wash places that charged $30 for just a wash. I read the yelp reviews and they were mostly positive so I said why not. You would see porsches and bimmers and other expensive cars there but after the wash I could see hologram swirls on the paint. That's because they didn't always use clean towels after each car, so trapped dirt particles in the fibers of the wash or drying towel would scratch the paint. So since then I avoided these hand car wash facilities. Think about it. They have to get through many cars throughout the day, so I'm sure they are not going to put all their attention and care into your car when there are cars lined up after yours. The best way to prevent any swirls or holograms is to wash it yourself ESPECIALLY if you have a dark colored car. A quality detail ending with a good layer of wax/sealant will prevent scratches/swirls in between washes as long as you use the correct wash procedure When I know that my car will need a full exterior detail in the near future, and if I get lazy and don't feel like washing my car, I'll take my car through a laserwash gas station car wash. There is a Chevron near my work that has a laserwash and it does a decent job at getting most of the dirt off for $10. There's no track on the ground, so I don't have to worry about damaging my 19 inch wheels, and as you enter a high pressure blast of water hits both lower sides of the car. The car goes through two stages of foaming which covers the entire car followed by the high pressure rinse and timed air dry as you exit. But let me remind you that you shouldn't go through a laserwash or other similar types of car washes if you recently had a coat of wax or sealant applied to the car because the harsh chemicals will strip the wax eventually. Hopefully this information helps out some of you. |
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01-31-2011, 04:55 AM | #51 |
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I used a soft cloth auto car wash with tracks on my last e90. Needless to say, there were fine scratches in the paint. This winter, we have had more salt and sand than I can remember. I hit up the laser touchless every couple if weeks. Sure there is still a very thin film on the car and it is not completely clean, but it does seem to get most of the sand and salt off. I think this is the way to go in the winter, and handwash in the summer, especially with JB!
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01-31-2011, 06:20 AM | #52 |
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I used the touchless by work the other day before I opened up. Got it to work, used some Adams QD to get the remaining residue off then put a coat of Einzette Glanz Wax on. Looked great and will get me through until Spring when I put my summer wheels back on and do a full clay/polish/wax.
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01-31-2011, 08:40 AM | #53 | |
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01-31-2011, 08:43 AM | #54 | |
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01-31-2011, 08:49 AM | #55 | |
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My take on it is this. 1. Do a good detail and apply sealant/wax in November 2. Use touchless wash a couples times/month during winter to remove salt as best as possible 3. Hope my sealant/wax holds up until warm enough to hand wash 4. Hand wash once I get a warm day an do a full detail |
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01-31-2011, 09:25 AM | #56 | |
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01-31-2011, 05:07 PM | #57 | |
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The car was in my body shop under fairly unforgiving lights and it didn't look scratched up.
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02-03-2011, 10:36 AM | #58 |
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Might I suggest instead of the QD substitute a waterless wash (ONR or PB S&W) then something with a wax or sealant boost like Optimum Spray Wax or Aqua Wax or a QD with a wax. That way you will get in clean and mimizes the scratches (the ONR or PB have more lubricating agents and cleaners in them) and add a boost of protection with the spray wax addition. Of course this is all based on you polish and seal right prior to winter. Will take you 20 minutes instead of 10 but seems safer in the long run but heck I don't live where there's a real winter so 20 minutes may be too long.
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02-03-2011, 12:06 PM | #59 |
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i get free car washes at a soft-cloth wash cause i use to work there and the owners are cool with me. i get to park my car to the side and grab the clean towels to dry my car myself!
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02-03-2011, 12:13 PM | #60 |
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Anything that uses cloths in the wash is going to do small amounts of damage over time. The cloths might be soft but the sand caught in them is not.
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02-03-2011, 01:29 PM | #62 |
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Its surprising how many people I see messing up their paint when I goto car washes.
I see people pull out of the touchless, pull out some old tiny microfiber then dry down the whole car, then apply tons of sprays to the car. I ALWAYS see someone with paper towels drying their car with it:| or their windows. The stuff you see on a nice day in winter at the car wash is amazing.
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02-03-2011, 09:13 PM | #63 |
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There is so much bad or misleading information in this thread I don't know where to begin. I'm not even sure what to comment on.
Every time you touch your clear coat, you're putting it at risk to be damaged with marring, swirls, and scratches. It doesn't matter what products or tools you use: higher quality products help to reduce risk, but there's no such thing as completely eliminating all risk. Touchless washes strip your protection, which allows for etching damage and water spots to happen much more easily. Their harsh chemicals also aren't good for plastic and rubber trim. Even air can cause damage much like touching your car can: it's not the air/microfiber/car duster/water blade/jelly blade/etc itself - it's what happens if there's any single grain of dirt. A single grain of dirt causes pitting type damage to your clear coat when it meets your vehicle at any velocity. Don't believe me? Drive 150 miles and hour and have a bucket of sand throw at your vehicle. At 70 miles an hour the damage is greatly reduced...but not completely eliminated. The answer to car care is what is "better" not what is "best" as there isn't a best. There isn't perfect. There is only what level of damage and how many imperfections are acceptable to you. The only perfect is in a sterile air-free environment of protection in which your vehicle isn't moved after being perfectly polished. |
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03-10-2011, 11:33 AM | #64 |
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your car will get scratched if you don't know what the fuck you are doing. even if you wash your car at home and dip your wash cloth in the soap bucket, EVERY TIME, without washing off the residue of grit into another clean water bucket. It is common sense and it WILL happen. Just be cautious, and patient. As for the "touchless" car wash it really depends on the soap compounds they use in the wash. Some use very friendly soaps and others use more commercial, and abrassive soaps( with a lower pH levels, making it more acidic, thus more of an enemy to your precious clear coat.) Conclusion: Wash your own car if you can. If not, go to a "reputable" touchless, i guess??? lol
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03-15-2011, 09:56 AM | #66 | |
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Brilliant response. Also, I think people need to take the environment into account. Personally I use a touchless wash here in Massachusetts quite often. It leaves the car cleaner than I can do myself (not a detailer at all) and more importantly there is no chance of anything being scratched. If you are worried about the clearcoat, that's what sealant and waxes are for. Here in MA I'd take my chances with it "ruining my clearcoat" (something that is yet to happen on any car I've taken there) rather than letting salt and sand build up under the car. I'd rather have my clearcoat at 95% original strength or whatever slight reduction you MAY get from using supposed harsh chemicals, than letting sand and salt eat away the bottom of my car, something that has been proven WILL happen if left there to cake in. |
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