Car wash drying

[AE5548]

I agree that car washes with brushes are a NO-GO. But touch-less washes can be fine. Find a reputable one and stick with it. I found one i like by going through it with my wifes car and saw it was touch-less. Did some online review checking as well. You will be fine. I agree that automated washes will certainly strip off waxes and sealants faster than hand washing will. But today's waxes are now so easy to apply it's worth it for all the labor you don't have to do hand washing.

As an example of one of the dozens of protectants, The new hybrid ceramic from Meguiars was tested in both the spray on and the traditional rub on versions and the spray on version actually performed better. It doesn't get any easier than that. Every other month hand wash your truck and while drying spray this stuff on and your done. Full paint protection and keep going to the car wash stress free. When i was younger i used to love hand washing my cars. But now i'm older, tired and have kids and well water. I just can't.

My buddy has a BMW in that charcoal metallic which shows every little scratch and his car looks like new and he goes through the car wash literally 5 days a week.

Just my 2c.

 

[rwhjr]

I’m with the other guys who live somewhere that it gets cold.

it’s just not going to happen in the dead of winter. And as “evil” as the car washes are on this forum, leaving road salt on the entirety of your vehicle (including the underside) will F things up much faster than some swirls will.
I can pay someone to do paint correction and fix up some light swirls on the surface but it’s a lot harder to fix a rusted out chassis and paint that’s been destroyed by the salt as well.

So in the winter I use auto washes and in the summer I hand wash. So far I’ve found my vehicles stay looking nicer long term using my method than the people who don’t wash as frequently.

 

[Bowzer]

I've been guilty of being pretty protective of my car finishes (not quite obsessed but...) and I've owned the devil tell all color known as "black", current RAM included.

I really think the car washes are location dependent. Here in Texas, Buc-cees is an example of a highly maintained car wash setup. Meaning clear coat friendly soaps and often switched out soft contact brushes. My daily driver car was an '08, retired at 250k miles, not a swirl mark to be found after 8 years of weekly automated wash runs.

But I wouldn't dare go through some generic gas station car wash knowing they have a less than active priority to keep that machinery up. There are plenty of Scratch-O-Matics running.

Otherwise, good ole handwashing, top down, with dedicated wash and rinse buckets, and occasional clay bar and wax. Having dirt bake into your finish WILL have consequences. (And good luck to you boys up north with the freezing temps and road salts!)

 

[KrisIL]

I just want to make sure that paint on the roof won't chip. And hopefully the roof won't bent and stay that way.

 

[Noneck]

I just don't have the time I used to to handwash and have an unlimited car wash membership and go through probably a couple times a week. My truck is white however. If it was black I'd have to evaluate but I figure the undercarriage wash and getting the salt off in the winter offsets and swirls I may get. I use a polymer sealant every month or so that takes about 30 minutes to apply to the whole truck. I have 80k on my truck (it's a 2013) and routinely get compliments on it. I do have a lot of paint imperfections that I'd like to get rid of but they are only noticeable in certain direct sunlight. The truck was used when I got it so I can't say how many were there before compared to now.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[Rick Gabler]

I can’t see how a car wash with soft material touching /cleaning my truck can hurt. What you really need to watch out for with ANY automobile is the underbody wash. Yes it help to get rid of salt. However, the left over salt and water mix in years will completely rust out the frame of the truck...outside will look fabulous. Underneath brutal!!!

 

[Narg]

I used to worry about this. My average ownership is about 8 years. Never had paint go bad in that time frame. So, I don't worry about it any more. The next owner can worry about it if they want. Probably won't though, just not worth the time.

 

[Ed F]

I agree the brushes can’t be good for it but if your truck is dirty the touchless don’t get it clean. Fine if it’s just dusty.

 

[Lucy Girl]

Not to be a smart ass but all auto car washes do is damage your paint. And yes the flexing just amplifies that damage. Is it gonna happen fast no but are you taking years off of the paints life yep

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk all grammar errors brought you by fat fingers and auto
correct.

Smart ass is ok with me. lol

 

[Oldpoop55]

Car wash. Ask your wife to give you your manhood back and wash it yourself.

 

[Jimmy07]

Car wash. Ask your wife to give you your manhood back and wash it yourself.

What in the world does “manhood” have to do with the method someone uses to wash their vehicle?

 

[Pull Ya]

I see lots of opinions here about washing your truck, how often, using what type of equipment, scratches vs no scratches, weather conditions, age, of the truck and the owner and general attitude about keeping your truck looking acceptable to you. My opinion is to do whatever you want, with whatever equipment you want. There are some of us that are really really **** about how our truck looks and it is important for us to use the best available equipment and products we can find and afford. Other people may be less interested and be less discerning and have less time or for some other reasons are happy with their process and results. We are all different-that is not to say someone is right or someone is wrong--we are just different. That's why I mow my yard once a week and my ******* neighbor mows his once a month---LOL Remember experts are people with a briefcase that are 500 miles away from home!!!!
Jay

 

[Ohio5pt7]

I see lots of opinions here about washing your truck, how often, using what type of equipment, scratches vs no scratches, weather conditions, age, of the truck and the owner and general attitude about keeping your truck looking acceptable to you. My opinion is to do whatever you want, with whatever equipment you want. There are some of us that are really really **** about how our truck looks and it is important for us to use the best available equipment and products we can find and afford. Other people may be less interested and be less discerning and have less time or for some other reasons are happy with their process and results. We are all different-that is not to say someone is right or someone is wrong--we are just different. That's why I mow my yard once a week and my ******* neighbor mows his once a month---LOL Remember experts are people with a briefcase that are 500 miles away from home!!!!
Jay

Very well said.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk all grammar errors brought you by fat fingers and auto correct.

 

[Pull Ya]

"Pearls of wisdom" and "bits of ****" are sometimes pretty close to the same----LOL
Jay

 

[JoeCo]

What in the world does “manhood” have to do with the method someone uses to wash their vehicle?

Haha yeah I have to agree with you there, that's an interesting leap to make.

I retain my manhood when I hand wash my 66 Buick, but lose it instantly when I take my truck through the car wash. Funny how that works....the car takes me long enough to hand wash, there's no way in hell I'm adding my daily driver into that. Aside from the weather and bird factor I mentioned earlier, I only keep trucks for a couple of years so I'm not concerned with keeping it 100% pristine, just rust free. Car wash it is.

 

[JoeCo]

I can’t see how a car wash with soft material touching /cleaning my truck can hurt. What you really need to watch out for with ANY automobile is the underbody wash. Yes it help to get rid of salt. However, the left over salt and water mix in years will completely rust out the frame of the truck...outside will look fabulous. Underneath brutal!!!

Kind of a damned if you do, damned if you don't scenario. If you don't clean under there at all everything will still rust out, so I take the under body wash to get the majority of it off. All I can say is it works for the short term, my trucks are always pretty clean (rust free) underneath when I trade them in, but at that point they are only 3-4 years old. What I can say for sure though is that no matter what, things will get rusty underneath up here on anything eventually no matter what you do, unless its preserved indoors in perfect condition.

 

[Pull Ya]

It is a lot tougher with an everyday driver. Sometimes ya gotta just do the best you can. We can't all have a garage like Leno has---LOL
Jay

 

[tomb]

Not to be a smart ass but all auto car washes do is damage your paint. And yes the flexing just amplifies that damage. Is it gonna happen fast no but are you taking years off of the paints life yep

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk all grammar errors brought you by fat fingers and auto correct.

I have to agree. I have only ever hand-washed my truck. In the fall I put a heavy layer of meguiars liquid wax and all I need is to go to the wash bay and spray it down in the winter to remove salt etc. With the wax, it comes out pretty clean. I dont trust the auto ones with their huge brushes etc.(what just came off of the vehicles ahead of me) So, many people go for the "touchless" wash. However, for those to work they spray on very harsh chemicals to loosen the dirt etc. They are very strong and have been proven to permanently damage the clear-coat and eventually even the paint underneath. I know its nice to have a clean truck in the winter too--but if you do a heavy ,quality wax job before winter it will protect your baby with just a spray down. My Ram is 8yrs old and there are no swirl marks anywhere. A nice thorough hand-wash in the spring and she is back to showroom shine.

 

[gofishn]

Tried to read all the posts but, after the first few wash the Truck only with sacrificial ****** Blood posts, I had to stop.
Remembered when my Wife came down the boat ramp, crying her eyes out, I thought she had got hurt or something.
Nope, seems she had left the tailgate down, on this one month old truck, like she did with with my old 99 3/4 ton.

this truck had a higher, bigger tailgate and that tailgate hit my boat trailer winch handle and messed up it up.
Big old dent, right on the edge of the tailgate, right where my topper rests on it.ALong the very end., QUite noticeable,
from every angle and any distance.

I made sure that was the only thing that was wrong, that she was not hurt, then told her,
Who gives a ****. It's a truck.

Could care less about that stuff that happens from actually using it, as a truck.
Thats what I bought the damn thing for, to us as a truck.
No, I do not want it to look like a beat up 1060's torn to hell wreck but I sure ain;t going to worry about a ding here or there.
If it gets too damn bad, a body shop is on almost every corner and the damn thing was put together , once, it can be again.

As a Wise Man, or maybe it was the Village Idiot, said earlier, each his own.
I got other crap to worry about.
Sure do wish a scratch, here or there, were the biggest things to stress me out.

 

[Anthony Kalos]

I bought my 2019 Bighorn on 7/21/19 and I have yet to wash it through a car wash or hand wash it ! I rinse off any bird poop or bugs with a hose. I’m gonna be getting the truck paint corrected with clay bar and sealed at a detail shop. Then have it done twice a year. Truck still looks brand new with no scratches on the clear coat !!! NEVER USING AUTOMATIC CAR WASH !!!