How safe for paint are the motorized car washes?

[banshee]

A family member bought one of Morrey Nissan's lifetime oil change and car wash packages. The oil change part was good because the car will stay in the family for many years. I'm curious how safe Morrey's motorized car wash is for the paint.

In the past, I wouldn't touch those car washes with a 10ft pole. However, I noticed that Richmond Lexus now uses one of those for their free car wash after a service appointment. I'm wondering if things have improved such that someone will take a new Lexus, even an LFA, through one of those.

[Gucci Mane]

motorized car wash?

does it have the spinning brushes or is it touch less?

[SpeedStars]

The motorized brush ones will scratch your paint 100% because there's almost always tiny ass rocks in the brushes. Touchless washes are also really hit and miss. If the water pressure is too high, it can strip your wax coating.

[kross9]

Originally Posted by SpeedStars

The motorized brush ones will scratch your paint 100% because there's almost always tiny ass rocks in the brushes. Touchless washes are also really hit and miss. If the water pressure is too high, it can strip your wax coating.

I would much rather go to a touchless wash than one with the brushes for reason mentioned above, I personally like the Chevron Car washes because of the rainbow soap and Rain-X they use =D

[banshee]

Both the Morrey Nissan and Richmond Lexus ones have spinning contraptions. I don't they are brushes like in the bad old days but they look like strips of cloth.

I'd like to be able to think "good enough for Lexus, good enough for me", but these days, many a company will gladly NOT pay a young guy even a minimum wage to properly wash a car in favour of anything that saves them a buck.

I wonder how the guy who bought the LFA that was in their showroom would feel if he took it in for an oil change and returned to find that the courtesy car wash was done by driving it through an automated car wash.

[v_tec]

Originally Posted by banshee

I wonder how the guy who bought the LFA that was in their showroom would feel if he took it in for an oil change and returned to find that the courtesy car wash was done by driving it through an automated car wash.

Richmond Toyota will ask you if you want your car washed, when you drop it off. You can always decline.

[Gsxrghostrider]

Originally Posted by banshee

A family member bought one of Morrey Nissan's lifetime oil change and car wash packages. The oil change part was good because the car will stay in the family for many years. I'm curious how safe Morrey's motorized car wash is for the paint.

In the past, I wouldn't touch those car washes with a 10ft pole. However, I noticed that Richmond Lexus now uses one of those for their free car wash after a service appointment. I'm wondering if things have improved such that someone will take a new Lexus, even an LFA, through one of those.

That all depends how picky you are about your paint finish? Any car wash will clean your car to a certain point. If you want to maintain the new car look IMHO I would use a brush less car wash. It may not totally clean your painted surface as it may leave a fine film of dirt,but you won't be putting any swirls/scratches into your paint.This would be the least aggressive method washing you car. I would also consider a paint sealant if possible.

[BrRsn]

My sister got a new car and I washed it, clay-bar, polished out some small swirls by hand and put on some sealant/wax -- she's been taking it to the automatic car wash on Marine Drive just west of Cambie st (Husky Gas station, last gas station before you hit the arthur lang) for almost 10 months now -- IMO that's one of the better automated car washes. No new swirls yet, completely touchless, and washes the bottom of your car too

I haven't had success with any of the conventional car washes I've used -- even the one on terminal/main will scratch your car up if its dirty enough. BTW, those rotary car washes are dangerous -- a new car wash guy at work left a car sitting infront of the brushes for too long and it literally tore off all the clear coat in the area after about a minute