So I just finished a 2,400 mile trip from Washington to Michigan, and the truck is filthy. Of course it is way too cold for me to wash it. I've heard about touchless car washes and was wondering if anyone has used them and if they work good.

 

Hi!
There's a "Touchless" car wash across the road from me, and I use it several time a week during the winter to keep the salt and grime off my truck.

I only use it in winter because it's too cold to hand wash my truck, and it works fine, no problems. You will not go wrong with a touchless, and it's nice getting the salt off it.

Habibi

 

That's the reply I was hoping for. Can't wait to get the truck looking decent again. Thanks!!

 

Just remember, the touchless should only be used to 'get by' because you can't hand wash it.

Plus, once it gets warm enough, make sure that you take the time to use a quality polish/wax on your vehicle as the chemicals utilized at nearly all car washes are highly caustic and will strip any wax that you have on the vehicle. Also, I discourage the use of the 'hot wax' that is offered at most car washes as it's just about as bad for the finish as leaving the salt on there.

RP

 

Thanks for the additional info. I never used the hot wax even when I didn't know anything about washing and waxing. Back then, it was because I was too cheap. Now, I know better.

I'll be heading to Fort Bliss, TX in a few weeks so I will be able to give the truck a little TLC.

 

My biggest beef with touchless is the high pressure water. Any impurities in the hose nozzle are then propelled at high velocity at your truck. Same with any dirt, small rocks etc from the previous car. They get picked up off the floor by the air currents (as a result of high velocity water).

Not as bad as using a regular car wash that smears your truck with filthy, gravel encrusted "soft cloths" but not as gentle as a proper hand wash.

 

I've been meaning to post a comment and a question about touchless washes, as I've had to resort to them in the last few weeks with the snow coming down...

First, a comment - if you have more than one touchless wash in the area, do yourself a favor and check a few out before you decide on the one that's closest. We have 2 in the area that are owned by the same company and you would think use the same techniques. Not true. I'm not sure if it works the same at other touchless places, but at mine there are generally 2-3 guys in the front who give you a high-pressure pre-wash before you actually go through the machine wash. Make sure these guys are paying attention. I about choked one of them as he was still spraying the van in front of me as I approached and he turned around and gave the hood a nice smack with the hose of the pressure washer. In other words, when these guys start giving you the "hurry up and go through" wave, screw that and just make sure there's plenty of space between you and the vehicle in front of you.

Another thing I've noticed is that with big trucks like ours, some places have parts that WILL rub up against the paint. In particular, one place has big rubber tubes attached to the blow dryers and as I went through they slid across my mirrors (touchless, my @$$) I didn't think to fold them in, because the other wash (same company) doesn't have these tubes and has never been a clearance problem.

This does lead me to my one question - In more than one touchless wash I've been going through the dryer and I've seen the interior roof liner sort of push down for a moment and back up again. Is the air pressure strong enough to be popping the roof down and up and flexing the paint? I can never tell how the liner is able to move like that, but I've noticed it happen a few times...anyone else? I'd hate to think the paint is bending in any way, as that's just asking for trouble (kind of like paintless dent removal.)

Oh, and one other comment (I have issues with these dryers, can you tell?) if you have a bug guard on be careful because they vibrate like crazy under the air pressure. I haven't found any scratches so far, but I'm praying that thing doesn't scratch or break off one day.

 

I too will occasionally visit the local "touchless" car wash when it's just too @#%*# cold to wash the truck by hand in my garage. RockPick is 100% correct though in noting that most of these washes are so chemically aggressive that they remove any wax you might have previously applied to protect your truck. So, what do you value more, a clean truck with no protection or a protected dirty truck. I know, I struggle too. As far as physical damage to the paint though, these washes are pretty good.

One good thing that RP forgot to mention though. For some folks (like my ex) these touchless car washes have another advantage. On her yearly trip to the car wash, the ex simply goes through twice with the windows down and gets a complete car cleaning. Opening the doors flushes out most of the junk on the floor too. If her poor Escape could only escape!

 

I use the touchless car washes in the winter when it is not warm enough to do it by hand. RockPick is right on the money about it is always best to do it by hand.

Here is something you might want to think about if you have to use touchless car washes because of the cold. As RockPick mentioned they have some strong cleaners to get the salt and road grime off and it most likely strips wax.

I put 3 coats of Zaino on my truck last year before winter (this year as well) and I used the touchless last year at least 20 times. At the end of winter I still had the Zaino on the paint. I am sure it may have taken some of it off, but it didn’t take it all off and the shine was still there.

This has to be because the Zaino is a synthetic which bonds to the paint a little better then regular wax. Not saying the other waxes are not good, but it sounds like a nice synthetic polish would be the thing to use for winter for some of you who need to use touchless car washes…

From what I understand from RockPick, Meguiars will be coming out with their own synthetic polish/wax so for you Meguiars users that is something to look in to, at least for winter if you will need to use the touchless car wash…

 

01 XLT Sport,

Right on! I've found that at least some Zaino stays on my truck too. I can wash mine by hand in the garage down to about 25 degrees with the Zaino wash. Below that it's off to Delta Sonic. I just can't bring myself to drive a dirty truck - even in a blizzard!

 

I have a heated garage, too, but washing the top side isn't the problem here in Michigan - it is getting the salt off the bottom side. The power jets of the underbody wash at the car wash do a better job than I every could.

The new car wash in town has a track and pulls you through, but does use the hanging "cloth" strips on top and spins those same type of strips against each side of the car. Probably not the best for the top side, but the underbody spray using the moving track is better for the underneath than just getting a little spray mist when you enter the car wash.

I'll have to look around for a touchless car wash that has the track, but I don't remember seeing one yet.

John

 

So I take it when you all talk about the touchless car wash it is the type that pulls you along? Or is it one like you just pull into & everything happens around you? The latter type is at one local car wash place where it has one bay like that & the rest with the spraywand & seperate brush. I have been using the spray wand setup, ignoring the brush & just spraying the truck. Nowhere as good as a hand wash.

Is the conveyor line method a good/safe way to get a full size truck washed? Much better than just spraying the truck off?

I can't wait for spring already & it's only the 2nd day of winter.

 

I've been taking my 03 screw to one of the local DeltaSonic touchless washes. (I'm not sure if this is a nationwide chain or just midwest). They have the overhead strips that kinda drag across the top, which I'm not a fan of, but I guess its a risk you take.. I'd be risking losing my damn fingers if I tried to handwash it in this Chicago weather anyway

One note about the side mirrors, the deltasonic people always push the mirrors in for the wash, and the hand dry kids at the end of the wash pull them back into place and wipe them off when they do the final wipe down / dry off. I have noticed that occasionally I'll have to re-tune my power mirrors after the wash, but moving the mirrors inward for the duration of the assembly line wash doesn't seem to affect anything other than the positioning itself (which is logical since they're built to be 'breakaway').

During the winter here in Chicago, I try to get my truck to the touchless at least once a week. DeltaSonic has a free second car wash deal if you come back within 5 days. I always seem to miss it by a day! (then its still only half price though).

Side questions: for those of you that take it to a touchless wash with the carwash kids that dry the truck afterwards; about half the time the kids will give my chrome running boards a good wipe off, and the other half of the time I'll have to do it myself when I get home. ( I actually redo them either way to get them to shine up). Do they clean yours? Lastly, how much do you tip the completely frozen high school kids that do the dry off?

-Jim

 

I refuse to use them...I'd rather freeze my ***** off than going through any automated car wash!

 

If you use a touchless car wash like I have to at times do to
the weather (live in Wisconsin) remember to clean out the door jams and under the gas cap cover. These are good places for salt and road grime to accumalate and the touchless car washes will not get those areas clean.