Is going through an Automatic Car Wash OK if you have driving lamps? Has anyone ever had a problem doing this? Thx.

 

I have the Alta driving light kit and have never had any problems with any car washes.

 

Automatic car washes are never ok.

 

Mine got bent on an earlier MINI by the guy with the brush right before the whirling-dervish machine. I wouldn't do it again.

 

My lights have been OK but my wheels got scratched as well my clear bra began to lift. Might be in your best interest to stay away...

 

I will only use a touchless car wash with no gate for the front tire--just a pad (its the sensor that triggers you when to stop). I've never had any problems.

I did curb an S-lite in a car wash with one of the gated stops for the front tire; I'll never use one of those again. No big deal, I just use the S-lights in the winter, R-90's for the summer, but if you value your rims, make sure its just a roll onto a pad wash.

 

100 X agreed!!

 

I fail to understand, given the size of the MINI, why anyone would want to pay $10.00+ to wash it at an automatic carwash. Is it the "new car smell" that they add when they break your seat doing in the interior of the windows? Or is it the shiny swirls induced with the twirling rags that dry 1,000's of other cars before yours and are seldom, if ever, thoroughly cleaned? I suppose it could also be to meet the town's new parolees. Maybe not.

 

Oh the horror!

 

Well hey, not everyone has the time to hand-wash their cars, guys. That said, if you MUST use an automatic car wash, I'd use a "touchless" one like people mentioned above, or, even better just use one of those manual pressure wash places. It won't get the car as clean as hand washing, but if you dry it afterwards with a clean 100% cotton towel it will get pretty clean, and you'll have the peace of mind knownig that none of your accessories will be stripped off the car.

 

First of all, its five bucks for a touchless wash where I live. I klasse my car twice a year, and a touchless wash is great BEFORE I klasse, and also a great way, with a drying towel, to keep the car clean in between Klasse. Nothing touches my car there--no brushes, no twirling rags. I have never had a scratch to the paint. The only issue I had was with a cheapo rim, and that was my fault. I can't believe the "car wash snobbery" that permeates these boards.

I'm sorry, but a touchless car wash is not the root of all evil. I seriously doubt, as we're all standing at St. Pete's gates, that the first question will be, "Hast thou ever washed thine autmotobile in any fashion other than a hand wash?"

 

Allow me to enlighten you, trico. Not all of us choose (or can) spend most of our free time treating our cars like they are in intensive care. We love our MINIs, but got them to have fun with, not become slaves to. I have used brushless car washes for years. I almost never get swirls. Personally, I use the ones that I can stay in the car. I do the interior myself, when it's dirty, not so that it looks like a museum piece. For those who do invest hours in detailing your cars, that's great, if that's what's important to you. I am sure your MINIs are very impressive. Not all MINI owners are so inclined, however. So, if you feel I am some sort of evil or demented MINI driver for not wishing to invest a substantial portion of my free time babying my MINI, don't wave.

 

Sorry but I just don't think a touchless wash gets your car really clean. If your MINI is fairly dirty, run it through a touchless & then run your hand down the side & you can still feel dirt. So call me I carwash snob but since I readily have access to a water hose & it takes a max of 30 minutes to wash my MINI, detail my wheels, & clean the inside of my windows by hand, I do it that way

 

I hear what you are saying, bamatt. And I do, on occasion wash my car myself. But, I think it is better to go to a car wash once in a while than to wait until doing it myself is my main priority. My point is, someone (i.e. me) does not need to be ridiculed for using an auto wash.

 

Ditto. After a good cleaning by hand, a quick run through a touchless wash keeps going until the next Klasse. I simply don't have an hour (You must speed wash Bamatt; for me to do the entire car--wheels, trim, inside--it takes me an hour) every week or two to keep my car clean. I'd much rather spend that time driving it, to be honest with you.

 

It might be that it's cheaper than paying the fine for washing your car in some drought areas. Last year in NC, the first fine was $500 and the second $1000, third time, they shut off your water. Depending on where you live, you might get away with it, but I've got 3 police officers in my neighborhood!

 

Hey, it's our last bastion of bigotry - let us be!

Of course not. If you've used an auto car wash, you'll never get a chance to see Pete - it's the express elevator to hell.


To the OP, I'd definitely avoid the brush or 'hanging towel' type - car washes don't tend to be kind to protruding objects.

 

Well, in all fairness, I think what Trico was talking about was not a touchless automatic place but rather one of those places where they have human beings that go in and cleran the windows and spritz that funky scenrt stuff into the carpet. And I agree with him about them - I used to work for a company where the owners all had nice cars - Mercedes, Porches and the like, and they had me take them to a "detailing place" for washing. They ran them though a brush-based car wash then dried them with towels. I remember the black cars were hellaciously swirled after a few months of such treatment, but they didn't seem to care. *I* would have...

And yes, I agree that a touchless doesn't get the car perfectly clean, but it certainly helps. If you use a bit of detail spray in the drying step (assuming that you're not just driving off, which is fine but you might get a bit of spotting in case you care), then even a bit of residual dirt should not scratch the clear coat that much.

DO use a touchless automatic wash place though, as I'd be very nervous with those spinning brushes near my driving lights - even if they don't physically damage them, I'd bet that they'd change where they're aimed, and that's not safe.

Good luck and enjoy your car!

 

I don't speed wash but since I do it weekly I do have a routine down. I rinse the MINI down, wash, then use the remaining carwash soap to detail my wheels with a wheel brush & then clean the tires with a tire brush, dry, the Clarity the windows inside & out in 30 minutes.
The cars not that big

 

We must be on the same schedule!!!!

 

Do your wheels and tires first, with a seperate bucket and soap. This keeps you from having to rush while doing them and worrying about keeping the rest of the car wet before you can get your Hydro and MF towel on it.

TJM

 

In the amount of time you spend on NAM ribbing those of us that take the time to keep our cars looking presentable, you could be out in your driveway cleaning your car, that based on your posts, must severly need the attention.

TJM

 

Not everyone has the luxury of being able to walk outside and hose off their car. Some people live in apartments or condos that do not have outdoor water valves. So they must go to a pay wash.

 

Please. Enough with the "Klasse," already. It is becoming a bit tiresome.

 

Here are a couple reasons why some of us take our cars to the Touchless places. First, we might live in apartments. Second, it's really bad to send all this junk down the storm drain where (at least where I live) it ends up in the bay. I like the bay more than I like a super clean car. Go figure.