[335is]

Why? Is it good or bad for your car?

[accel]

Always

[JayReplay]

If you want something quick...better than having layers of salt on the car

If time isn't an issue, I would go for a hand wash. Its been said the touchless washes use very harsh chemicals compared to other automatic washes which may be harmful to the clearcoat/paint.

[ww007]

I always go for the hand wash. Not sure what the diff is between that and a touchless one though.

[ChasVS]

Originally Posted by ww007

I always go for the hand wash. Not sure what the diff is between that and a touchless one though.

Hand wash scratches your clear coat, touchless doesn't. So the myth of hand wash being better continues!

[ww007]

Originally Posted by ChasVS

Hand wash scratches your clear coat, touchless doesn't. So the myth of hand wash being better continues!

Huh? This is the first time I've heard this. The clear coat lies over the paint, and every car has it?

So does this mean you should never wash your car yourself, since you'll need to touch it?

[John 070]

We don't have any topless car washes in our area, but even if we did, I'm not sure it's worth the extra money

[michaelthepsycho]

Originally Posted by ChasVS

Hand wash scratches your clear coat, touchless doesn't. So the myth of hand wash being better continues!

I'll second that. I don't give a crap if it's a high-end place. The first time I did a hand wash = scratch. $8.99 Shell touch-less FTW!

[Ricer X]

Never do a touchless car wash unless you are desperate. There are acidic chemicals that WILL eat away your clear.

Hand washes CAN scratch your car IF the washers do not use new mits and towels with each wash.

Its not the act of hand washing that scratches your car it is any residue left on the materials from prior washes. So I always go to a hand wash place where I can see them get new mits and towels before each car and can see them dispose of the old ones into a dirty bin to be washed after....just like at home.

[BMWsky]

I've read that touchless car washes are actually better since the water is reused and filtered. That process supposedly makes it softer and much better. Personally, I'll take the touchless over salt; nothing a nice detail in the spring can't fix.

[Thud]

I hand-washed my car yesterday. But only because the auto car wash I like to use is near work, which is 20 miles away.
IMO the soft-touch car washes are fine. I'm not talking about the gas station washes, but the dedicated car washes, where washing cars IS their business, that have the strips of cloth that hang down and the air blowers at the end.

I washed my 135i at that automatic wash every month for 2 years and the paint still looked great! No noticeable scratches or swirls even in flourescent light.
No problems taking my 3-series through it. I just go with the basic wash, since the "protectant" is useless. I just put a new coat of Zaino CS on every few months and it works great.

[2kaccordocoupe]

Make sure it's touchless and trackless
It's part of life living where it snows, nothing you can do about it except move. Get a good detail in the spring and you will be ok, also a late fall waxing also helps to protect you over the winter.

[dday]

Originally Posted by AFV335i

Never do a touchless car wash unless you are desperate. There are acidic chemicals that WILL eat away your clear.

Hand washes CAN scratch your car IF the washers do not use new mits and towels with each wash.

Its not the act of hand washing that scratches your car it is any residue left on the materials from prior washes. So I always go to a hand wash place where I can see them get new mits and towels before each car and can see them dispose of the old ones into a dirty bin to be washed after....just like at home.

That is such bogus info. Show me a source proving that. I've heard people say it can wear down your wax before but you're the first to go so far as to say "it WILL eat away your clear"



As for comments on hand wash, the problem is if someone else is doing it for you you are trusting their wash media is completely clean, which it often is not, so that's why a handwash can cause damage.

These carwashes would go out of business immediately if they were disolving peoples paint. Come on now.

Long ago touchless washes did use some harsher acids but at worst they would remove your wax over time. Modern washes are much more mild. I run my car through a local one and after 8 washes my wax is still holding up.

[BRAISKI]

Winter time I do touchless.

[Ink330]

During this salt filled winter, I take my car to the soft touch car wash twice a week (have a $30/month unlimited car wash pass). I have no issues. Rather risk some light scratches as opposed to having a salt caked car; and if there are some superficial scratches, nothing a good coat a wax won't fix this coming Spring.

[Kowboi]

Originally Posted by 335is

Why? Is it good or bad for your car?

I wash my car myself at the place where you drive in and wand / pressure wash yourself. They have that brush that foams up (I call it the scratch-creator 2000) because that will 100% give you nice deep scratches as dirt from the previous user is left behind.

Just wand pressure wash with soap and then rinse with the pressure rinse formula (it's not wax but it's not just water) and then I dive out. I use my own drying cloths and window cleaner to shine up the car. In the winter I drive home and complete the detailing process in my garage.

As a rule of thumb, I don't "scrub" the dirt off. I just use the water, however I wash it once a week. And I don't have a problem with much dirt or grime on the car between washes.

Monitor your car, and if you see scratches forming, quit what your doing!

Also, if you wash your car yourself, it's a good 20 minute workout!

[07GraphiteXI]

x2 rather have tiny scratches i can buff out in the spring than risk rusting from salt...

[cotmfk]

No trackless washes near me that I know of. So, I wash the car myself all the time. Saves more money for mods! ha..

[RobNH]

I just ran my 335xi through a touchless car wash last night. Where I live, it rarely gets above freezing during the winter and my driveway is a slope, so I really don't want to turn it into a skating rink by trying to wash the car in the driveway.

I would rather take my chances with a touchless car wash, than to let caked on sand and salt sit on the car for months on end until we properly thaw out and I can hand wash it.

[RobNH]

Originally Posted by John 070

We don't have any topless car washes in our area, but even if we did, I'm not sure it's worth the extra money

That's unfortunate. The topless ones are worth every penny!

[ZoomZoom]

Originally Posted by Kowboi

I wash my car myself at the place where you drive in and wand / pressure wash yourself. They have that brush that foams up (I call it the scratch-creator 2000)

Happened to me today...I'm so pissed two scratches that I hope I can buff out. I normally hand wash but got lazy today.

[jmen11]

I've heard the touchless will strip the wax of your car pretty quickly, kind of makes sense because of the strong soap it has to use. Also if your car is pretty dirty it might not clean it completely. I always hand wash my vehicles. It can cause swirls if not done properly. I've had my e90 for almost six months, wash it every one or two weeks and no swirls to date.