[Dezine]

Its Friday night and the forecast looks great, you have zero time for a hand wash and wax! The wife and kids are giving you the "that doesn't look dirty to me" look, but you know better, the hours of washing, polishing, sealing, and waxing leads you to believe that all dirt must be banished for the driver of a shiny new Q50!
So the question is: car wash for a quick clean, or h*ll no! Hands only!

 

[Vancity808]

touchless wash if you're honestly out of time, even that doesnt do justice though. hand wash for my baby only

 

[Razorburn26]

Touch less Only. Watch out for a stuck jet. Thought the paint was going to be powerwashed right off the BMW. I watch a car go through before the Q gets a bath.

 

[Rick_vdl]

This morning, I had a car full of bugs after a long haul yesterday - best solution I could come up with was find one of those coin operated washes and use the low/high pressure gun to soak, soap, and then rinse. Worked in a jiffy and no risk of dirty brushes touching the paint

 

[Soon2Q50]

I know it's hard for me to make time for a hand wash every week, so I don't mind going for a touchless car wash just to loosen up some road grime, bugs and get the dirt and dust off the car until I can give my baby boo a good hand washing. Better than letting the dirt sit on your car, in my opinion. I don't think I would risk a non-touchless car wash, though. I don't trust those! It's like taking a shower with a bunch of stranger's used wash rags for your car!

 

[Gandhi]

Six of one ...

Can Automatic Car Washes Damage Your Car?

... Half a dozen of the other

http://www.libraryoflogic.com/10-ways-you-unknowingly-ruin-your-cars-paint/

http://voices.yahoo.com/the-pitfalls-using-touch-less-other-automatic-11051782.html

 

[Q50Aggie]

I have the monthly pass to bubbles express car wash. It's fully automated and brush free. Only cloth. I pay Lee monthly fee and can go as often as I want. Works pretty good, and includes free vacuum. I always have a Terry cloth I use right after to dry any remaining wet spots

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App

 

[cvipgo]

I also use Hand Car Wash near by and its worth the $20/wash, vacuum, dry all by hand.

Luckily, my dealer offers free wash, vacuum and it's on the way.

 

[brianch]

there is nothing wrong with those touchless washes.

they do use aggressive soaps that might decrease the durability of your wax or sealant but its not the end of the world.

 

[boone]

I just use touchless washes in the winter to get any road salt off of the car before I do it by hand.

 

[afrosheen]

Touchless is fine but won't get a car really clean. You have to physically interact with whatever is on the clearcoat. I used to wash my G35 at touchless washes then dry with a white terrycloth...and the terrycloth always got dirty.

Hand washing with the 2 bucket method is the best, but second best is touchless. 3rd best is mechanical washing with the silicon bristles that whip your car all over the place. The biggest danger to a mechanical wash is the brushes hanging onto dirt, grime, and grit from other vehicles and smashing it onto yours.

My dealer uses a mechanical wash and it scratches the clearcoat, so from now on I'm bucket washing only. Although, I did have a Bentley/Mclaren dealer wash it and it was 100% perfect inside and out. I bet it was touchless with lots of hands-on drying there, especially considering the cars they sell.

One last thought. Before you go on a road trip where you know grime and bugs will be a problem, you should put extra coats of synthetic wax on the forward facing surfaces as well as the vertical part of the trunk and the rear bumper. Synthetics tend to have a short life but are generally hydrophobic, which means water and wet things (bug guts) tend to roll off rather than stick. Plus when you go to powerwash the bugs off (or pretreat and carefully remove them), they will come off easier since they're not adhered to and etching the clearcoat.

 

[maddsiick]

I go to a hand wash place nearby my home. No brushes at all, they do a great job and an alternative to spending a day cleaning and polishing the car. I wouldn't take mine to any other type of car wash.

 

[chris2k5]

A lot of the touch less car wash places now have packages that include some sealant, wax, and other stuff that they use.

Do you guys suggest I opt for those more expensive ($15) washes or just choose the basic one ($10) when I go to the touch less car wash place?

 

[misterba]

Have you seen the guys at the wash station dropping the cloth on the ground and then continuing to dry your car? I did. Also using the same towel on the tires and body... I used to have jet black BMW and you could see any tiny scratch on it. It becomes a sandpaper. They did that twice and since then I don't go to the washes. Either at home or jet and dry off with my stuff. And no more black color. Unless it is interior.

 

[Infinitard]

If its a lease, have at it. Otherwise, if it's a black car I wouldn't, especially if it's not brushless. Any other color Once in a while ain't gonna kill it.

 

[MattJB]

Hey, there's nothing wrong with the occasional rough use of an old Brillo pad and ACE Hardware acetone to let the bugs know who's boss, right?
But really....
Only touch-less and hand wash for this baby.

 

[SnowItch]

car wash for a quick clean

I use Several different brands of waterless car washes. I can clean and vacuum the Q in less than 10 minutes. They do a terrific job when used with the very thick microfiber towels that keep the dirt and grime away from the paint. The one I have been using recently includes carnuba wax and puts a beautiful finish shine on the car. Much better for the paint that any car wash, faster and far cheaper.

If the car is extremely dirty and the temperature is too low, I will use the two bucket method and hot water to get the dirt off and will follow up with a spray wax to keep the paint protected.