Auto car wash experience

[BryG]

This isn't about damage caused by car washes - people's experiences and opinions differ. What is certain is that I've had cars that were always left with dirty patches. The shape of the panels prevented the brushes reaching all parts. With such a sculpted body, does the 4 suffer from the same problem?

 

[markgdmcdonald]

When I use the auto car washes it fails when coming to the overhang on boot. Has happened 3 times out of 4.end up using the power hose on it.

 

[RichardC]

I never intend to find out

 

[AdyC]

I can't believe people use car washes or the drive in clean my car with a scourer and I'll go brigade.

 

[Lovemyev]

I never intend to find out

Me either .
Automatic cars washes are the "Devils Work" and should be treated so !.
Less harm done leaving the car dirty in my opinion.

 

[tsedge]

This isn't about damage caused by car washes - people's experiences and opinions differ. What is certain is that I've had cars that were always left with dirty patches. The shape of the panels prevented the brushes reaching all parts. With such a sculpted body, does the 4 suffer from the same problem?

You mean when using an automatic paint-distresser?

Last used one in the 1990s, when it was true then (missed patches), don't know about now.

 

[Les burrows]

Me either .
Automatic cars washes are the "Devils Work" and should be treated so !.
Less harm done leaving the car dirty in my opinion

100% agree with that Jeff, but I must add I have said in the past here the MG4 is not the easiest car I have ever cleaned and it is one that can get very dirty, especially down the sides and the back end plus of course those extra wide sills inside the door apertures well they do need keeping clean to keep the backs of one’s legs clean so auto washing is a non starter in my book.
Les.

 

[bowfer]

Don’t recall any missed patches on the 4 from my local auto wash.
I really wouldn’t fancy taking a trophy through one though, that rear roof spoiler looks so precarious.

Occasional auto carwash user here for all our cars.
Prefer that to a dirty car in winter.
No issues, but the carwash we use has been updated since the 90s…..

 

[wandle MG4 trophy]

Bit of a dilemma here.

Go to a modern automatic car wash. It will recycle the water. It may damage the paintwork.
Go to a reputable hand wash place. They use cheap, usually foreign labour. Working conditions, especially in winter are miserable. Water possibly not recycled.
Go to a back street hand wash. Possibly use illegal immigrants who may be exploited.

Where’s a Scout on Bob-a-Job week when you need one?

 

[Les burrows]

Bit of a dilemma here.

Go to a modern automatic car wash. It will recycle the water. It may damage the paintwork.
Go to a reputable hand wash place. They use cheap, usually foreign labour. Working conditions, especially in winter are miserable. Water possibly not recycled.
Go to a back street hand wash. Possibly use illegal immigrants who may be exploited.

Where’s a Scout on Bob-a-Job week when you need one?

One extra to add is, some of the chemicals they use are very harsh and the wheel cleaning stuff they normal spray on, can and will remove the top coat of any lacquer on your alloys
Les

 

[bowfer]

One extra to add is, some of the chemicals they use are very harsh and the wheel cleaning stuff they normal spray on, can and will remove the top coat of any lacquer on your alloys
Les

This is true, they use brick cleaning acid from screwfix.
So just don’t let them
On the very odd occasion I’ve used the type of auto carwash that has guys outside spraying wheels, I just tell them “no”
These carwashes are very rare up here though, fully auto ones are for more prevalent.

 

[Lovemyev]

We have a brand new filling station about 5 miles from our home address, that we frequently pass on our travels.
It has been equipped with five individual wash booths, each has its own contactless car washing machine.
You drive into a vacant booth, which is nice a wide and is screened off from the next booth.
You insert some of them round metal things, which I think you call “Money” and it will allow you to choice your type of washing methods.
It also has contact card service for the younger drivers .
It very modern and offers a menu of wash types, a weight compensated lance that can deliver a multitude of different wash options.
It also has a different lance / brush that can be used to clean what you like with it.
It delivers hot water if you wish and shampoo.
I would only use this on the wheels myself.
It very popular and you load coins to give you an amount of time.
You choose what you want from the settings.
My son has a VW T6 transporter and it is on the route home from work.
He feeds the machine with four round metal discs and it gives him about 20 minutes Wash time.
Of course you have to carry out the wash yourself, but that’s the bit that would attract me !.
There is no hand contact with the car.
I am not a big lover of these hand wash places that have d sprung up all over the place myself.
When they are busy, the first car passes along the line, then the second car pulls in.
They guys with the buckets are then using the same wash mit to wash the second car with a dirty / contamination mit.
Even washing the following car with the same mit they used to wash the wheel trims on the previous car !.
Therefore transferring any grime / grit etc along to the next car.
Quick - Yes !.
Kind to your paintwork - No .

 

[Deleted member 9692]

There is no hand contact with the car

But touchless wash will still leave your car with a lot of dirt on it. If you have a super slick coating (eg ceramic, properly applied) and light soiling then touchless might look OK for an interim/maintenance wash. If you do a touchless wash then wipe your car with a white microfibre you'll see what's left behind (actually don't do that unless you want scratches/swirls). I do accept many drivers will be OK with the touchless results they achieve though.

Ultimately, to clean car properly if you don't want scratching you'll need decontamination and a safe contact wash by hand. That said I still might look for one of these new magic automatic car washes with the non scratching special soft rollers made from unicorn hair that I saw recommended by someone. They seem to be a recent invention that defy all accepted knowledge (and logic) and won't scratch your clear coat.

There's a video on touchless car washing below using premium touchless products (that will strip many coatings incidentally). Interesting results I thought.

 

[NewMG4me]

I only ever hand wash my cars myself, still contact but it’s a car, not a newborn baby.
Plus mines a lease through work, in some ways I don’t care about it

 

[Pianoman]

I never intend to find out

Nor me!

 

[siteguru]

I washed mine yesterday ... rinse down with a pressure washer, non-contact wash with slightly alkaline car shampoo (left for a few minutes then pressure-washed off), soaped the car again and used a clean sponge and bucket of clean water, then final pressure washer rinse. Looked nice and clean.

Today? Don't know why I bothered - a nice coating of dust.

 

[Deleted member 9692]

I washed mine yesterday ... rinse down with a pressure washer, non-contact wash with slightly alkaline car shampoo (left for a few minutes then pressure-washed off), soaped the car again and used a clean sponge and bucket of clean water, then final pressure washer rinse. Looked nice and clean.

Today? Don't know why I bothered - a nice coating of dust.

Just do what I did, install a RODI water system in the garage so you can blast it off with pure water. No towel drying, no water spots. Obsessive, moi?

 

[siteguru]

You need a garage to do that. (We converted ours into a room).

 

[Deleted member 9692]

You need a garage to do that. (We converted ours into a room).

What sort of defeatist attitude is that eh?

 

[Pianoman]

I washed mine yesterday ... rinse down with a pressure washer, non-contact wash with slightly alkaline car shampoo (left for a few minutes then pressure-washed off), soaped the car again and used a clean sponge and bucket of clean water, then final pressure washer rinse. Looked nice and clean.

Today? Don't know why I bothered - a nice coating of dust.

Oh? So they must be building 180 houses at the bottom of your garden too? Grrrr!