Car washes

[dirtfan21]

I work for our City and we are extremely stringent on what gets sent back to our treatment plant. I can't say for sure if the car washes recycle water, but I can tell you we force businesses like them to install oil and water separators and sediment traps, among other things. I worked at a automated car wash in college for a couple years and they did not recycle water. They watered down their detergents to make them go farther though...

[07Softail]

No such a thing as a NICE waterless wash!! Gotta have water to wash.

 

RT

[barry G]

if you can find a less busy car wash, away from city,

I find they do ok.

that recycler version dissolved an antique subaru motor on me once.

last clue was the smell of sulfur and an open dumpsite with advanced white trash bag decay.

6 months later, it as like glass cracked that didn't fall apart.

blew the motor in a strange way.

 

it really can be a nightmare.

 

 

An aurgument for iron engines.. only one of them.

 

I won't be laughing when this new stuff does what an 87 subaru did 30 years ago.

[brwk]

To be totally safe, don't drive it and keep it in the house. Other than that try to wash at home and if you cant do that take it to the spray wash. And never go to a brushless carwash unless you want vertical lines in your paint (don't know how I know that).

[JoJoSilverado]

Somewhat on topic still... how wide are the tracks on most automatic car washes? I haven't ran my truck through yet since getting the new 33x12.5 tires, and wondering if they'll fit or if I need to always stick to washing my truck by hand again.

 

The undercarriage spray has always been a plus for me in those washes. I don't mind washing the sides/top, but I feel like it'd be a pain to spray the undercarriage with a powerwasher or water hose... If it's not as difficult as I imagine, what do you guys generally do for your undercarriages that swear against auto car washes?

[KARNUT]

My 6 year old gold Genesis goes thru a car wash once a week, my two year old black Santa Fe goes thru two to three times a wk. I hand wash the two classics we own, but wouldn't be afraid to take them thru after seeing no harm to the Santa Fe. Automated car washes have come a long way.