Wow...that sucks....I had a similiar experience, the cloth wipers at the end of the cycle got wedged between the front license plate holder and ripped it off, the car washed paid for a replacement Moss system that bolts into the tow hook. No more car washes for me.

 

Wow that really blows. Automatic washes are horrible. One more reason I will never put my MINI through one.

 

Me too. About 2 months ago I was walking around my car and saw the passenger side trim hanging by only 3 clips . I still don't know what happened to it, but the dealer replaced it under warranty. Also I will never go to an automatic car wash after seeing this thread.

 

Wife was asking me why I don't take my MINI to the car wash. Not going to risk it.

When it gets bad enough or I feel so incline I will take it to the DIY wash and hose her down, the MINI, not my wife !

And for all of us in the NE remember to hose out the wheel wells and get that spray nozzel on the under side as well, Salt gets into everything

 

Any sort of automatic car wash - yes, even the "brushless" ones - gradually destroys your car every time you drive through it. Your paint is being BRUTALIZED by the spinning brushes or "cloth", which are impregnated with dirt and grit, and the dirty, recycled water ain't helping.

The only car wash you want to drive through is one that's 100% "hand job", though you still have the problem of questionably clean wash mitts. The only way to do it right is to do it yourself.. or pay an expensive mobile detailer-type of guy to do it for you.

 

Sorry to hear about that... and to top it all off, it did a **** poor job of cleaning your wheels!

 

Is it my understanding that the plastic arch is undamaged, just detached?

If so the little clips will cost less than $5 to replace and the car will be back to normal. I actually broke a couple of front ones trying to figure out how they work. I've got a little bag of the clips I keep in the glove box just in case.

Don't get too upset, and learn from this experience. Minis often just don't do well in automatic washers. Probably best washed by hand (look for the local high school band carwash -- the kids love washing Minis).

 

Wow, makes me think twice about even going to a brushless place...

What do you guys think of those? I just got back from a skiing trip and my mini is SOO dirty, for some reason the back of the car gets it the worst, you can barley even tell what color my mini is. My mini neeedsss to be cleaned, but all my hoses are put away and if i try to use them they'll probably freeze up.

Unless, do you guys know any good DIY's on Long Island?

 

prime directive of MINI ownership numero 1: NEVER subject yr car to an automated wash. Always bathe yr baby by hand.

hell, I wont even let the dealer run it thru theirs after they do work.

 

I like the touchless during winter... they sure will not clean all of the grime off, but its better than nothing to me. Just DO NOT go drying off the paint after one...I usually just dry the jambs, and under the hood, wheels, and tailpipes. There will be a nice haze of salt usually that youll have to hand wash as soon as the weather breaks a little. Ive dont probably 2-3 touchless in the last 2 months, and I plan a huge detailing this Wed as the temp is supposed to reach 37!!... better than the 20s weve had around here in Oh the past few weeks.

And as far as the dealers machine...its got brushes.. I know this w/o even seeing it.. they took my car through once and i have the scratches to prove it lol.


I used to detail / wash for a Honda dealer... we had a 55 gallon drum w about 12" of water and a half gallon of soap in it lol... the brushes were just wash mop heads on rubber handles, but they just sat in that water all day... degrease to death, wash, rinse, water-blade, and shamois. done. Not the worst but better than most.

 

Just make sure they aren't using dishwashing soap in the wash bucket.


Jim

 

Looks like the black plastic wheel arch trim piece was ripped off the clips and broke. Car washed carry insurance against damaged cars and they use a lot I think. No biggie to them probably. I had a trim piece slide forward and get bent when they opened the front door of my Jeep GC once. They had it fixed cheaply and quickly. I've only used a brush washer at my dealer (I think they use that?) and one other time. Otherwise it's at home or at a wash-it-yourself place.

 

Why? :confused

 

itll completely strip everything off... all waxes sealants ect... bad news

 

You don't put them back on?

What do you recommend to wash your car with?

 

i dont re-wax EVERYTIME i wash...

use car soap

 

What makes car soap different?

 

well, for one it will remove wax, and car soap is formulated not to. Im not much of a chemist. Dish soap eats through grease and breaks down food. Itll do the same to the protectants that have been placed on your paint, like wax.

 

Soap chemically surrounds oils that hold dirt and that's what enables you wash oils off of surfaces to get them clean.

How does car soap work on road grime, but not on the paint protectants?

 

Okay, here's how.

Found this on the innerwebs.

http://www.autoeducation.com/carcare/wash.htm

So there's not a great deal of difference between how a "car soap" and a dishwashing liquid chemically work. (This is what I was trying to wrap my head around.) You're still trying to loosen oil. The "car soap" is a little more gentle and may contain some wax. Any way you cut it, any kind of soap (in differing amounts) can be dangerous for your car's finish.

 

Ah yes, nubile young bikini-clad nymphets raising money for a worthy cause is always a great thing to support.

However - if you do use one of these operations, be sure they're using car wash detergent (unlikely) and not something like dishwashing liquid (highly probable). If they're using the latter, any wax on your car will be THOROUGHLY stripped off. And, those types of detergents are also very bad for your exterior rubber and seals - dries 'em out. So make sure they have some "real" car wash detergent before letting 'em have at it.

 

...Or just make a donation rather than seeming like a douchebag by insisting a bunch of high-school cheerleaders use Meguires Super-Duper Glossy-*** Shiney Car Cleanant.

 

+1

In winter, when it gets so dirty that I can't see out the windows, I go to the self serve car wash and use their high pressure hose to rinse the salt off. I don't even use their brushes. I'm the only one who washes the painted surfaces on my cars (including the dealership) and there are no swirls at all.

 

I think I read in the 2010 owners manual that high pressure cars washes should be avoided.

 

I've seen those peel paint. Even on my bikes, I never use more than the hose with my thumb over it or the "shower" setting on a nozzle.