RedlineAZ

iTrader: (5)

Hey guys, theres a drive through car wash by my house that uses absolutely no pads or spinning cleaning devices to wash the car. It uses high pressure water and basically goes through a few cycles of foaming the entire car and then spraying it clean, then it rinses and you air dry it with a blower at the end of the wash. I was really surprised at how well it cleans my black IS-F and drys it extremely well too, without ever having to touch the car with a dirty mit or rubbing it with a towel.

My question is, how safe is this for the paint? Any negative repercussions from using this method as opposed to a two bucket technique? I have had 3 black cars up to this point, and all have been lightly swirled with even the most careful techniques of washing and drying with high quality products. In AZ, our cars get DUSTY. There is a ton of dust/sand floating around here any your car literally dusts over in an afternoon while parked outside. Would the high pressure water create any type of swirls or damage the paint at all? I imagine its less abrasive then using a mitt or towel to dry the car. Even without visible dust or dirt and essentially no pressure applied to a mitt or towel, the weight of the semi-damp towel while drying a car is potentially pressing dirt thats trapped in the towel fibers into the clear coat.

What do you guys think? Thanks for the input!

revolut1on

Definitely not going to scratch or swirl your paint, good option compared to the ones with brushes. If you are a detailing freak like me then it's not going to get it clean enough to my standards.

Only downside I may see is with that much pressure from the water, it's going to wear off any type of wax/sealant you may have on the car at a quicker rate?

roswell

^^ I agree, those touchless car washes wont be clean enough if you are **** about how clean your car is. I prefer the old fashioned bucket cuz a car is never clean w/o a good chamois dry in my opinion.

kbtoiz

iTrader: (4)

Thats what I use between hand washes. Also you can use rinse-less washes to keep it clean.

ap2s2k

iTrader: (3)

I'm a detailing freak and I never use those touch less car washes on my isf. I use them on my sienna once every blue moon though but just bc it's a 'working' van . The reason I will not use it on my f is that most of those car wash places recycle their water which means that all the dirty water after car wash goes thru filter/filters and is used again. Now imagine what happens when any % of the dirty water sneaks thru. You will basically sandblast your paint, each time you go thru the car wash. I don't think they clean this used water to the drinkable stage lol. Filters get dirty, clogged etc. Sure I will use it onece in awhile on my van, but I also polish the paint to perfection once a year on it too. My F gets a 2 bucket treatment pretty often, nothing cleans better then some elbow grease.

ap2s2k

iTrader: (3)

Oh and to dry my car I use electric leaf blower. After you have a wax on your car from a previous detail, it takes just few minutes to blow water off from it. You are saving a lot of time when you blow dry your rims too, plus rotors are not rusting so fast like after every wash.

roswell

^^ blowing dry ur car? Wow I never tried that. Lol

ap2s2k

iTrader: (3)

You should try it sometime lol, your not 'installing' swirls or scratches

RedlineAZ

iTrader: (5)

I know what you mean about not being clean enough, realistically though in between details (about once a month I like to have a complete interior and exterior detail), I think it does pretty decent given the circumstances. It obviously doesn't get the door jams or completely in between the spokes of the wheels. When I say black cars here appear dirty in an afternoon outside, I'm not exaggerating. My main concern is if this has any negative effects on the paint, or if its a great way to stay "clean" in between monthly details. I've left my car in the garage for a couple of days after a fresh detail and its had a layer of dust all over the car, as if it was never washed lol.

MYISF

So you just use a power blow dryer like for your yard I am assuming (electric or gas) and just walk around the car blowing all the water off (even the wheels)...hmmm...any down side to that? I may have to try it...

RedlineAZ

iTrader: (5)

Careful man you might blow that Toms diffuser right off your car lol

roswell

LOL I was thinking the same, hope the air pressure is not strong enough to rip smth.

But yes, to answer ur question touchless car washes will work just fine between detailing. I still think u will need to dry the car after the touchless car wash to prevent water stains, especially on a black car.

Cronic

iTrader: (1)

I personally don't use those either. I don't trust the water or the soap they use(strips wax, etc)

I have an De-ionization Tank that produces about 750+ gallons of nearly distilled water before needing to be swapped out/element changed. I will just do a quick 3 bucket wash, and dry. Takes very little time. I am picky so I fully dry it/spray wax it each time, but as long as you get all the soap off, the water will dry perfectly clear. So you can just wash it real quick, and let it dry, and be done with it. Worlds better than a touch-less car wash and cheaper. It is pretty reasonably priced honestly. Our water sucks out here, as I am sure you know..lol

RedlineAZ

iTrader: (5)

Dude the water is so hard out here that I get a kidney stones just thinking about it. haha

I do have a water loop installed in my home so I can get one attached very easily!

I8ABMR

Hey RedlineAZ where is that car wash. I live in AZ too and would like to try something other than dannys. Thanks buddy.

I have had good luck with Dannys. I use them as a starting point, then go home and give the car a layer of Zaino Z6 gloss enhancer to get rid of any water spots or smudges. Comes out pretty well.