Yes, I know that I should always was the car by hand, but that's tough to do during the Chicago winters. So, after not washing the car for almost 2 months, I took the car to a full service car wash last weekend. As the car climbed onto the conveyor, I heard grinding under the car. I asked the attendant to check it out and he said that the bottom of my left rear shock was touching the conveyor rails. I backed off the conveyor and never did get my car washed.

Was this an isolated situation or will I have this problem at all conveyor car washes? What do the rest of you do when you need to was your car in the northern winters?

 

Can't comment on the car wash, but if it's over 35 F, i'll hook up to the hot water in the house and hand wash. If it's really filthy, I'll take it to a self-wash bay and hose it off there (I don't need all the salt and junk on my driveway), then go back home hand wash. For lower temps, I'll take it to the self-wash bay and just hose it off to get make it somewhat more presentable.

 

NO!

Never use drive through car washes. These forums are filled with car wash horror stories. MINI's just do not fit right.

I use a wand wash during the winter, works well enough!

 

Go to local hand wash place, bring quarters. Lots of threads like this do a search and you should find lots of advice. I also go to Mobile touchfree (not perfect but gets the salt off), but just heard a horror story of a taillight being blown off.

 

I would deal with the dirty car or suffer a cold hand wash before an automatic one.

 

I broke down and went to a drive thruough conveyor wash...once. Came out with swirl marks and a scratched rim. Now I'm back to my habit of only using the wand. I bring my bucket and hand wash when possible or just spray off when the weather is really ugly.

 

So where are you located in Chicagoland? I haven't taken my cabrio to an automatic carwash I'm afraid it'll scratch the paint or mess up the ragtop. There's a place near me where they hand wash the car for you I purchased Since you have a cabrio also, that's what I would recommend for the winter IMHO Once the weather gets nice again, I'll wash it in the yard.

 

Beside putting on lots of wax prior to the bad season (San Diego version) I use a pressure washer that Karcher sells. Costco has them. The little thing can blow off most of the junk that goes on our cars without scratching them. Use the car tip so you dont take off more than the dirt. It will take off all the bugs and road grime and if I need to hand wash after that, at least all the big stuff is gone w/o me touching the paint.
My detailer says that you should do that anyways before handwashing, that way you dont grind in the dirt to the clear coat. You look at a car that has been washed repeatedly being dirty, the clear coat gets spider web lines in it, and only agressive compound buffing will get it back to a smooth clear finish. He had a photographers loop to show me on one of my cars, which was visiable from the naked eye anyways.
Give it a try.

 

yep, this happens on mine too... that's when my car turned into a
weekend car, actually.

I recommend running higher profile snow tires in the winter so that you can
clear the rails.


i found from my commuter cars that if the ambient temps is below
freezing, you get less chassis corrosion if you don't wash your car and
leave it outside in the cold/dry air than to wash it routinely
(every 2-3 days) and defrost it in the garage every evening.

basically, keep it as dry (or frozen) as possible. if it gets wet and
temps are above freezing, it is best to wash off the salt as much as
possible.

 

The only kind of carwash that you can take a MINI through is a trackless kind. I would also suggest that you use a touchless wash.

Have heard of torn shock boots to major dammage to the left rear suspension when you go through a tracked carwash.

 

When its cold I don't wash as often but when I break down & have to do it...I put on those really thick kitchen rubber gloves & use the Mr Clean car wash system. It squirts out soap on the car so I don't have to put my hands in the water too much, the thick rubber gloves help alot when I do have to rinse the sponge off, & the rinse agent helps the car dry by itself. A lot of people don't like the Mr Clean thingy but I do & it makes it bearable to wash in the cold

 

Thanks, everyone, for your help. I should have asked BEFORE I tried to go through the conveyor wash. From now on, it's wash it myself or go to a touchless no-conveyor wash. (Hope I didn't do any damage to the shocks.)

 

My MINI has been through the conveyor wash at Uptown Touchless in San Diego many times with no problems. That's with the stock, 16-inch wheels. I cringe a little when they hand-dry it with their scary-looking towels, but the wash itself is fine.

If you have low-profile tires or wide wheels they should have stopped you before you tried to enter.

 

I love my wand washes too... When its too cold to properly wash in the driveway, they work VERY well! (just dont get anywhere NEAR the scrub brushes!)

 

I have worked at two official car wash dealers.. Mercedes-Benz and Lexus. The pressure washer, although effictive will strip wax or damage electronics. Use it only on the wheels.


When it gets freezing cold, I just go nuts hand wash it anyway. No matter how cold, how numb i get, how soaked-hand wash only. The car must be clean. Just go ahead and get numb, you will loose the feeling and not feel pain!

How much discipline do you have?

 

Chicagoland, if you bought your car at Kanuz, go on a Sat. and they'll wash it for you, for free.

 

Here's my winter washing routine for when it's above 40. I usually wear foul weather gear and scuba gloves to stay warm.

1. Turn on front hose (which has a drain valve so it won't freeze )
2. Rinse car off thoroughly.
3. Fill wash bucket w/ warm water from kitchen sink.
4. Scrub down car.
5. Rinse.
6. Dry w/ california water blade.
7. Pull into garage, turn overhead heater on.
8. Finish drying w/ microfibre towels and complete other detailing tasks.
9. Enjoy!

This method keeps me warm (though I look silly), is reasonably quick, is good for the car, and is a bit of fun too!

 

i dunno about in chicago, but here in toronto, there's new car washes where a wand just sprays water around you, no touch at all, first they spray foam, then high pressure jets wash the foam off...

while it doesnt clean it very well, at least it gets it cleaner

 

It's okay to use the pressure washer if you maintain a reasonable distance from the paint and don't spray it under the hood...Also, the spray may decrease the life of a carnuaba wax, but acrylics (Klasse, Zaino, etc.) hold up fine.

That said, if you have a place to hand wash, it's definately the best route.

 

I got a nice soft fluffy long handled brush made just for washing the car, and one with a stiff bristle brush for the tires....mix a bucket of bubbly and scrub-a-dub-dub! Use a soft lint free towel or chamois cloth to wipe off excess and your good to go. The wipe free/streak free car wash made by Mr. Clean is good, but you have to buy a spray gun applicator to use it and I'm not all that for gadgets...You have to get the road grit and salt off or it will eat your car's finish. I like to give Ducky a washing when I get home after work, it helps me decompress before I go into the house and be sociable...I often picture myself kissing the dogs and growling at the husband. Thanks to MINI, it's never gotten to that. Mick

 

whoa... I'm definitely in the minority here! I have brought my Mini to an automatic car wash in Montclair, NJ 3x this winter... No problems with scratching or anything. The place is frequented by high end Mercs, BMWs and the like so I took that as a pretty good advertisement. For 20 bills the wash it and spend a good 20-30 min detailing inside and out... not a bad deal. My MINI comes out looking GREAT when they are done.

Heck, the last time I was there the guy infront of me was putting through a 500sl and the guy behind me was in a 540... I may be crazy but I don't feel the need to stand outside with a hose when its 20 degrees out!

 

I never have taken my mini through a car wash like at a filling station because I figured I would no longer have a radio antenna when I left. I use only the car wash that takes all those quarters and then the air pump to check my tires that takes all those quarters. I lived near a Shell station that had a free air pump but the last time I went there a truck was there about to uplift it from the ground. The station was closing. The next closest station with an air pump charges 75 cents for a few minutes of air. No more free air. ski

 

...taking the MINI to a automatic car wash is like have a stranger raise your kids...well, the latter ain't such a bad idea....

...putting hands on and taking the time to get "intimate" with your MINI is part of the experience that makes it so special...how else are you going to notice that 2 cm chip in the paint or almost invisible dink in the door?

Washing the car is a lot cheaper than payng a therapist...when the car is all muddy, and I've had a crummy day at work, hand washing the car is like washing away the day's garbage and I feel better when I am done...like hitting the re-set button. Mick

 

When I get "intimate" with MIB my hands are on the steering wheel and on the shift ***! Foreplay is great and all but nothing like the intimacy of driving on a twisty road.

 

I wish I had known that prior to buying at Schaumburg... I wonder if they'd do it..