Spood - Auto car washes generally only cause fewer scratches than washing the car with rocks, this is something that has been shown over and over again.
You only need to take a look at the Detailing World forum for evidence of the damage that auto washes inflict on cars, one very mild example is at:-
www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=13...7
I have seen much, much worse damage than that done by an auto wash.
You're quite right it's all down to personal choice, but if you want to have a swirl-free vehicle then an auto car wash isn't the way to achieve this! :-)
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I agree with Blue. Several TV shows recommended that we stay away from auto car washes.
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I once saw a Rolls Royce being put through an auto car wash behind a prestige main dealer, I cringed at that one! Bet the owner didn't know, "all part of the service sir".
Edited by Old Navy on 03/01/2010 at 22:38
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If a local tyre fitter is prepared to skulk around a car wash and get soaking wet to to put a screw in just the right place he deserves all the trade.
Nah the real reason is because carwashes damage, and rip bits off, cars. Thats why you should never use one.
Plus you get punctures:)
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You only need to take a look at the Detailing World forum for evidence of the damage that auto washes inflict on cars one very mild example is at:-
Anal ! It's a machine..it lives in the rough tough world of the highway. scratch it on a roadside bush and I see tears swelling.
Scratch mine and I don't give one !
Each to his own, but in a 100 years will anybody care ?
Ted
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well actually ted, yes.
Use a carwash on your nice new black metalic car and it will look like the swirls of the celestail glaxay in the right light.
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I too was about to say Yeah, but so what?
I've treated nice cars badly and horrible ones with insane tenderness and devotion in my time.
It's nice to be able to see something in the mirrors even with the deckled muddy edge. I suppose I could open the window and use my hanky to wipe it off, but I seem a bit short of those at the moment.
There are cars I wouldn't put through a wash, but I've only ever had one of those. Unhappily, in those days I was capable of anything.
These modern things are designed to slip through without major damage. Who cares about a few blue whiskers sticking out from ill-designed panel joins? I don't even bother to pull them out. I figure nature will do its work.
I'd love to have a car too superior for the wash. But I haven't got one.
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I'd love to have a car too superior for the wash. But I haven't got one.
I wouldn't take the Jowett through a car wash, but that's not for risk of swirls, whatever they are. It's 'cos she has a roof aerial, a proper wing mirror and a bonnet mascot.
No other reason.
And my metallic black Note will have the same trade-in value in a couple of years, with or without ' swirls ' .
I really can't be bothered about having the shiniest calipers on the block, red brake drums or tinsel round round the prop-shaft !
Ted
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Each to his own but in a 100 years will anybody care ?
It sure is, I spent a fortune on car cleaning kit because I get a lot of pleasure from having my car spotless, some people don't bother washing their car at all as they aren't interested.
The 100 year comment could apply to almost anything that people get excited about these days though, if everyone thought that about what they do we'd mostly just sit in the house staring at the wall :-)
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I must say that sitting in the house staring at the wall appeals more and more as I get older !
As long as it's warm , of course.
Ted
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IIRC a TV programme did a survey of car washing techniques and auto car washes came out the best!
I still do mine by hand 'cos I'm too mean to pay the £1.60 my local one charges.
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Yeah, I think I saw that, it was a useless comparison IIRC, even I could do a bad enough job on a car to make an autowash look like the better alternative if that's what I was trying to prove!
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There are some Somalis or such up in the Sainsbury's car park, but I never see them when I want them.
My impression from a time my wife got them to wash my daughter's car was that they are about three times as good as a car wash, and only a fiver last I heard.
Perhaps I may spot them if I go and hang about there myself. But I don't fancy it somehow.
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IIRC a TV programme did a survey of car washing techniques
It was 5th gear:-
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZjWkB_q2lE
And I thought their report was rubbish.
I stopped using car washes years ago. It wasn't so much the damage the brushes caused to the paint, but the damage caused to trim, mirrors, aerials, etc.
The above report shows a silicon squeegee blade being used and the damage left behind by using it. I've used one of these for several years on various cars and have yet to see any scratches or marks left in the paint.
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OP: "Twice in the last year I've had front wheel punctures while using a local automatic car wash"
Maybe this is the only time you look at the tyres ?
The screws may have been in the tyres for weeks or months, and you have no way of knowing when they were picked up.
As conspiracy theories go, this one needs a bit more work ;-)
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Just read that Detailing World thing. I can't believe anyone can a) have that much time on their hands and b) find nothing better to do with it.
I have to book two hours to give mine a wash and polish about a month in advance.
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Its good to have a hobby, DP, and thats all that detailing "thing" is, I prefer model railways myself, others spot buses, everyone to their own methinks!!
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There was a car wash in St John's Wood, London, years ago which dragged the car through the wash process.
I used it now and again, but always worried the machine would do some damage when it hooked up to the underside of the car.
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If its like our local one it has a moving belt with little "ramps" on them which you drive onto and, the wheel sits just in front of the "ramp" and you then get pulled through. It doesn't "attach" to any part of the car... and no, I've not yet come to a stand half way through yet!
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Our local one's are IMO, the wheel sits on a U shape groove on the converor belt and takes the car through. Not a great lover of carwashes, but use them if too cold to wash car like now -6c. or to give the kids a laugh sitting in the car while the brushes whizz around. I only use the track ones now, they seem to do a good job and no damage, and cheap for the job they do, certainly less than a fiver. Few years back, while engaging in some night shift naughtiness, mate ripped the blue light off the panda (long story), drove the car to the station car wash where the poor machine got the blame. :))
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The old Chesterfield Tesco had a team of visibly ethnic car washers. They were always very polite in asking me if I wanted the car washed. I always declined as I like a hose to be used to rinse the car off. No idea what they did.
The new Tesco has, as SWMBO spotted, a visibly 'white' team now.
I have used car washes for decades to clean my cars, even on the Hyundai black metallic. Usually when it is too inclement for a DIY hand wash. At 140k miles I could not say my old VWs paint was in any way visibly damaged. A**l indeed is my opinion of car detailers.
Sorry guys just my personal experience......
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I noticed that the old car washes used to have nylon bristles on a rotating drum, which my kids used to call "The Dougal Machine" a la Magic Roundabout. Nowadays they seem to have what I can only describe as long sponge strands, about the thickness of a pencil. If they are sponge rubber I think they would be pushed to scratch a car as much as the old nylon efforts.
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There was a car wash in St John's Wood London years ago which dragged the car through the wash process. I used it now and again but always worried the machine would do some damage when it hooked up to the underside of the car.
Blimey, I remember using that myself. I used to work at Bedford College in Regents Park and I took our Ford Escort Estate up there once for a clean. I wasn't too worried about what happened to it, it wasn't in wonderful condition anyway, and it wasn't my car.
I remember the chap shouting at me to take the handbrake off once the car started moving! It was certainly a very unusual car wash, and when you came out there were a couple of blokes there holding leathers to clean the water off the windows. Very labour intensive, I can't beleive such a set-up would be at all cost effective today!
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...Blimey, I remember using that myself. I used to work at Bedford College in Regents Park...
The wash was in Avenue Road, on the left as you headed towards the park, if I recall.
I'm nearly certain that machine did somehow grab the underside of the car, rather than you parking on pads which then moved.
As Galaxy says, you got shouted at if you pulled on the handbrake, which supports my recollection the car was dragged through somehow.
I think the wash was quite dear, about £5 when others were half that or less, but it did have wheel wash brushes, which not all did at the time.
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