well, it's winter here and it's much too cold to wash the car, but I cant stand having it so dirty!! So what is the best thing I can do? Some background info, new, picked up late november. Only wax on it is the dealer wax which is probably way gone by now. Daily driver.

a) take it to a local wash place. Good deal, but the materials used on the car is questionable.

b) take it to a touchless autowash

c) better to leave it dirty than let it suffer any damage from the choices above.


so what should i do?

Wash it!

Take it to a touchless isn't all bad.

Or take it to a do-it-yourself place and wand it. Pre-soak it, use your own shampoo and mitt and wipe it down and then wash it off. Don't blast directly at the paint. Glance it off. (Read about the StageOne Pre Wash I just reviewed in another post)

Don't let anyone else do it. Rags used are questionable and dirty. Possibility of scratches are huge.

I concur.

I used touchless on my daily driver ('97 Nissan Altima) for years. It's better than doing nothing, esp. in a cold climate where there is salt, sand, etc. on the roads. Get some wax on there ASAP... even better, get a synthetic polymer like Zaino and Klasse on there... better shine, longer lasting, better protection... won't be stripped off as easily by the touchless wash detergents.

After seven years of an annual cheap-o synthetic cleaner wax (Nu-Finish) on the same daily driver, I did a bit of work with clay-bar, fine compound, paint polish and a dual-action polisher. A few coats of Zaino and it's good as new. It's a testament to what even the slightest bit of care can do to keep a finish in tact and how a bit more care can bring it back to showroom quality.

I go to a touchless and a wand wash.I use my own wash mitt.DON"T use the Foamy brushes they have,as they scratch bad.The wand wash I go to has a hot air nozzle to dry out locks and handles.

There are a number of car washes in my area that wash by hand... Perfect solution!!

Regards, Glenn :smile: :smile: :smile:

GBSHER:

Definately NOT the perfect solution! If these guys was a muddy pick-up just before your MINI and use the same mit and rags, you might as well sand blast your finish!

I'd prefer the touchless over letting someone else touch my finish.

Just let it go. Springs just around the corner. I wash mine at least once a year whether it needs it or not.

You know what, at the least take it to the do-it-yourself place and just hit it with the pressure soap and pressure water. The real culprits are the sand and salt. If you rinse those off completely your good to go. Don't waste your time, with the season and all of the melting it will just be dirty in a few days anyway.

Or just take it to the dealer to have a rattle or something repaired under waranty and have them wash it.....

I've had a hand wash by the dealer twice in the last two weeks, kinda glad they had to order parts....much too cold to wash it myself

Sneaky! Think they will catch on after your fifth appointment in five weeks?

I actually don't trust the dealer to do it. All I know is when I recieved the car there were swirls all over the black top, so I'm not going back there, even though they give free washes every saturday.

I've had good results using Collinite 476. It's a detergent resistant wax that really stands up to the touchless wash assault.


Peter