Automatic Car Wash

[DMurphy]

Any of you guys ran your extended cab through one of these? I'm a little leary.

[jro909]

if its brushless then you should be safe, i steer clear of the ones with brushes...unless you want some scratches and a bent radio thingy

[DMurphy]

I hear ya. My main concern is the sign on the car wash that reads no king cabs. I don't consider the extended cab to be a king cab but that is what worries me. No biggie just curious as I've never used one before. Thanks

[jro909]

yeah, i just wash my truck myself most of the time, its refreshing and its an excuse to drink beer at 11 in the morning..

[RyanbabZ71]

I Cringe at the thoughts of auto car washes (brushless or not). Why? Because of the mess they do to the paint (swirls, etc).

[DMurphy]

Ya I guess I'm gonna stay away from them. It would be nice to drive through and rinse the salt off in the winter time though.

[MaineRider]

I Cringe at the thoughts of auto car washes (brushless or not). Why? Because of the mess they do to the paint (swirls, etc).

How do the brushless ones mess up your paint? I've gone thur the one around here a few times in the winter (when its really cold out) and have not had any problems.

 

Most of the time though I'll pull into the self service ones to wash the salt and shit off, Yeah even when its below freezing I'm one of those idiots out there washing there truck lol

[Loopedout]

I've taken mine through. I unscrew the antenna and fold in the mirrors. Doesn't have brushes- more like rags that get dragged and jiggled over the truck. Works pretty goood for 6 bucks.

[66and10]

Some of the brushless carwashes will re-cycle the water in an effort to be "green." How much dirt, brake dust, etc. makes it past the filters?

 

When I was young and lived in an apartment, I would use the drive through brushless washes during winter figuring that was better than leaving the salt to do its evil. If this is the only option available to you, it is better than not washing during the winter, and better than a brush type carwash.

 

When we built our house, I put drains in the garage floor, so now the only way I will wash my vehicles is by hand. During the winter, I heat the garage and wash them inside.

[Stex]

I do not use drive a thru ...but can see were the cold would require such..Just do not wipe it down after a drive thru oe a wand wash as they leave a film of dirt on the paint and that is when you get the swirls etc...same thing with the drive thrus and the kids with towels waiting...a no-no...two bucket hand wash will get it clean...brushes and touchless will leave a dirt film....really!

 

Note: some people are not to comcerned with the truck/cars paint conditon and some do not notice swirls and other marks on the paint unless pointed out...they are probably better off than the ones that do strive for clear paint finish ( a curse I carry, as I use my truck off road)...if you like a clear paint finish and do drive thru washes watch the vid on post #5 of this thread...again cold weather is a problem for the hand wash crowd...

 

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=116420

[mxdirtrider56]

I run mine through them countless times every year. Take the antenna off and fold the mirrors in and your good to go. No worries, don't see what all the fuss is about. Of course my truck hasn't been washed since August, but hey, it's deer season.

[dewfpo]

I always use a brushless, automatic car wash and I have a CCSB and have never had a problem in any of them. I don't to anything with the antenna since there is nothing to catch on it.

 

DEWFPO

[DMurphy]

Thanks Guys.

[jro909]

when it comes to salt, my truck will maybe get rinsed a few times during the winter...main reason being my truck is outside 24/7 so i don't want a glacier when i go to drive it next time around, rinseing it off yourself is alot more effective then automatics, when you do it yourself you can get every nook and cranny, where as the autos are more concerned with the body instead of the under carriage

[Major_Kong]

I hand wash/wax my truck twice a year but it is a monstrous PITA so in between the hand washes, I take it to a touch-less car wash. For a little under $10 it sprays the undercarriage, washes/waxes the whole truck and dries it off.

 

I've never noticed any paint swirls or scratches but going through the driers always makes me cringe because I can feel the thin, roof metal bending under the force of the driers. They've never damaged the truck, but anyone who has ever hand washed/waxed an NNBS knows that the roof metal is chintzy.