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      03-21-2013, 12:14 PM   #1
lbjgh
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I'm starting to really dislike winter - car care



[rant]

Stupid winter!

It was a beautiful crisp morning (-11c) with clear, dry roads.

The car needed gas so I topped up and thought to myself that today would be a perfect day to run the car through the automated touchless car wash to remove the layer of winter crud and salt.

The car looked great!

By 11am weather had warmed to -3 and about an inch of show had fallen leaving the roads a soupy, bloody mess.

I might hitch-hike home and leave the car in the parking lot. The car will be a complete mess by the time I get home from work.

[/rant]
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      03-21-2013, 12:50 PM   #2
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lol yea my car is mad dirty right, might go through a wash tmr... suppose snow monday to thursday this week. i guess u didn't check the weather?
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      03-21-2013, 02:12 PM   #3
DonC
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I just plan on a weekly auto non touch wash just to remove last weeks grime.
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      03-21-2013, 02:14 PM   #4
02420X3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DonC View Post
I just plan on a weekly auto non touch wash just to remove last weeks grime.
+1
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      03-21-2013, 04:14 PM   #5
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I don't want to sound stupid but what do you mean by "touchless" automated car wash? I'm living in Switzerland and the only thing I know of is the spongy type spinning thing (not those scratchy nylon brushes).

Is that the same thing?
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      03-21-2013, 04:31 PM   #6
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Yes, very similar.

The touchless (touch-free) automated car washers uses high power jets of water and heavy foam suds. Nothing but the water and foam make contact with the surface of the car.

I refer to the type of car wash with brushes as automatic paint scratchers.

here is a video
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      03-21-2013, 08:47 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lbjgh View Post
Yes, very similar.

The touchless (touch-free) automated car washers uses high power jets of water and heavy foam suds. Nothing but the water and foam make contact with the surface of the car.

I refer to the type of car wash with brushes as automatic paint scratchers.

here is a video
hey man,

what dashcam do u have hook up
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      03-21-2013, 09:22 PM   #8
lbjgh
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I don't have a dash cam...

I borrowed this video off of YouTube as a sample of the touchfree car wash
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Originally Posted by Mingstar88 View Post
hey man,

what dashcam do u have hook up
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      03-22-2013, 06:48 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lbjgh View Post
Yes, very similar.

The touchless (touch-free) automated car washers uses high power jets of water and heavy foam suds. Nothing but the water and foam make contact with the surface of the car.

I refer to the type of car wash with brushes as automatic paint scratchers.

here is a video
Wow! No that's really different. The one we have here are like the conventional brushes except that the bristles have been replaced with strands of sponge like strands. I've never seen any thing like the one on the video.
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      03-22-2013, 07:17 AM   #10
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These are pretty common in at least the eastern US now and apparently to our friends to the north. In my experience the better ones are stand alone vs. the ones commected to a gas station
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      03-22-2013, 07:25 AM   #11
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In theory, the touchless systems are fine and dandy. However, you should be aware of something. Once you go through the wash, the people who work there then go to dry off your car (the air jets at the end usually is not good enough to completely dry). Those knuckleheads then use the same rags car after car. Also, when they drop the rag on the ground, they'll usually just pick it up and use it again. That's where a lot of scratches from car washes occur. The grit from residual brake dust, tiny gravel, etc. that are in the drying rags are like sandpaper on your car's finish. Granted, not all car washes are like this, but I find that MOST are. Just watch them and you'll see.
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      03-22-2013, 08:56 AM   #12
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Living in the NorthEast US, there is really no point in washing the car in the winter. I go thru the car wash maybe one or twice in the winter just to get the salt off and hand wash the rest of the year. Touchless car wash is a good idea, but they simply do not clean as good as brush one.
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      03-23-2013, 03:40 PM   #13
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I agree it is not the same as hand washing but it isn't fun to wash the car at 37 degrees...
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