To Car Wash or Not?
07-27-05, 05:58 PM
#1
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: MI
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
To Car Wash or Not?
I'm sure many of you would never send your new car thru a car wash, especially one that uses cloth-like strips that whirl around. However, eventually, the newness wears off and the convenience of a car wash beckons....
How many of you have sent your 330/400 thru a car wash? Any regrets? Any problems, like rear antenna damage or such?
How many of you have sent your 330/400 thru a car wash? Any regrets? Any problems, like rear antenna damage or such?
07-27-05, 06:50 PM
#2
Yes, I have had an unlimited car wash pass at a local full-service car wash for about four years.
Prior to that, I had a couple of incidents at those little gas station car washes. One time, the front license plate got pretty mangled when it caught on one of the brushes. Another time, I got to the end of the car wash, only to find that the door wasn't fully open! Fortunately, I was able to open the front door a little, lean out and push up on the bottom of the door.
Certainly, other people will not be as careful as you would be. I cringe whenever I see the employees wearing jewelry or poorly-fitting clothes with metal buttons that might scracth the car. The car wash manager caught on to the latter, and finally started issuing uniforms that are one-piece jumpsuits with no exposed fasteners. Still, you're going to get the occasional faint scratch from a ring or something else they might be wearing. They also use a brush to pre-clean the front bumper and the back bumper before the car enters the car wash, and I've noticed a few faint scratches on the rounded ends of the bumper that must come from that process.
I don't think I've gotten any scratches from the car wash mechanism itself, so that's why I keep going back to the same place. Still, I wonder what happens when the wash line stops and the spinning brushes lose their momentum and the center gets closer to the car. It's happened several times, and again, I don't see anything wrong.
The rubber-duck antenna on the RX330 goes through the car wash with no problem in the up position. When I first got it, I would always flip the antenna down. One time I forgot, and it was fine. So, I don't worry about it any more.
Bottom line is that, yes, you will notice some very slight marks from the car wash over time, caused by one thing or another. It's up to you if that's acceptable or not. Personally, I think that nobody else will notice the marks, but they'll notice how good the car looks when it's clean.
Prior to that, I had a couple of incidents at those little gas station car washes. One time, the front license plate got pretty mangled when it caught on one of the brushes. Another time, I got to the end of the car wash, only to find that the door wasn't fully open! Fortunately, I was able to open the front door a little, lean out and push up on the bottom of the door.
Certainly, other people will not be as careful as you would be. I cringe whenever I see the employees wearing jewelry or poorly-fitting clothes with metal buttons that might scracth the car. The car wash manager caught on to the latter, and finally started issuing uniforms that are one-piece jumpsuits with no exposed fasteners. Still, you're going to get the occasional faint scratch from a ring or something else they might be wearing. They also use a brush to pre-clean the front bumper and the back bumper before the car enters the car wash, and I've noticed a few faint scratches on the rounded ends of the bumper that must come from that process.
I don't think I've gotten any scratches from the car wash mechanism itself, so that's why I keep going back to the same place. Still, I wonder what happens when the wash line stops and the spinning brushes lose their momentum and the center gets closer to the car. It's happened several times, and again, I don't see anything wrong.
The rubber-duck antenna on the RX330 goes through the car wash with no problem in the up position. When I first got it, I would always flip the antenna down. One time I forgot, and it was fine. So, I don't worry about it any more.
Bottom line is that, yes, you will notice some very slight marks from the car wash over time, caused by one thing or another. It's up to you if that's acceptable or not. Personally, I think that nobody else will notice the marks, but they'll notice how good the car looks when it's clean.
07-27-05, 09:57 PM
#3
Lexus Test Driver
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Ohio
Posts: 839
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I really protest against going through any car wash, just wash it yourself when you have time or when you don't have time just go to car wash, and spray her down quickly. I have free car wash at my dealership, and i have learned that deprees get stuck on those spinning things, and that can really scratch up your paint.
NEVER for me.
07-28-05, 05:59 AM
#5
Driver School Candidate
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: GA
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
A couple of other things to consider are the water quality being used, and the drying towels.
I highly doubt fresh clean water is used at every wash/rinse cycle. More likely its just recycled throughout the day for wash and rinse cycles....not good. I usually see most car washes, inckuding the ones considered a "step above" the gas station type, using plain old terry towels, jst thrown in a dryer when soaked....again, not good.
I think these 2 items contribute more to small scratches and swirls than anything else.
I highly doubt fresh clean water is used at every wash/rinse cycle. More likely its just recycled throughout the day for wash and rinse cycles....not good. I usually see most car washes, inckuding the ones considered a "step above" the gas station type, using plain old terry towels, jst thrown in a dryer when soaked....again, not good.
I think these 2 items contribute more to small scratches and swirls than anything else.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
