[jrref]

Originally Posted by LeRoySmith

I appreciate you responding even if you are wrong . Feel free to jump on anything I say with your honest feelers, I'm into opposing views.

You have posted a lot of good comments. So, what do you think about many people bringing their car to the brush car wash several times a week? As mentioned, at first I thought it was great until I started seeing damage to the finish on my car. Then again, there are a lot of people who can't wash their own car either because of physical limitations or they live in an apartment, etc.. I saw something on YouTube where they had a robot do a touchless car wash but it was crazy expensive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ld0Ji3ZjRVA

[LeRoySmith]

Originally Posted by jrref

You have posted a lot of good comments. So, what do you think about many people bringing their car to the brush car wash several times a week? As mentioned, at first I thought it was great until I started seeing damage to the finish on my car. Then again, there are a lot of people who can't wash their own car either because of physical limitations or they live in an apartment, etc.. I saw something on YouTube where they had a robot do a touchless car wash but it was crazy expensive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ld0Ji3ZjRVA

I hate swirl marks in nice paint so I don't go through car washes unless they are touchless and those occasions are rare. If it's a car I don't care about I'll go through the brush kind but that's been 3 or 4 times in the past 10 years (think rental car or the turd I just drug home a few days ago that will need to be repainted anyhow).

I wash my own by hand, I've got a nice pressure washer set up that's always ready to go and the hose is on an automatic reel. I can wash with heavy foam from a cannon and be ready to dry in a short time so it's very convenient. That said age has caught me and things like clay bar, wax, polishing has all become more difficult. I don't keep the cars as clean as I used too.

I trade often, I like fixing them up, I used to enjoy auto competition. I've had 55 or 60 different cars over the years and really enjoyed then. I think I've done pretty well in buying for a good deal and selling for a premium after I've made them nicer (I'd be afraid to actually add it up).

I haven't answered your question. If you enjoy cars and you like keeping them nice wash by hand, avoid the auto washes as they typically destroy a cars finishes.

Get an inexpensive pressure washer, have it plumbed and wired so you only need push a button and you're washing. Have a mini split installed in your garage. But nice car washing equipment (it lasts longer than your think).Take your time if you're getting feeble, like me. Blast it off with heavy foam soap, rinse, pull it in the garage to dry it and run over it with a spray wax with ceramic (believe it or not turtle wax spray ceramic is one of the best right now).

Your car will look show room with very little effort. Wash it every other week, play good music while you're doing it, stock your garage mini fridge with your favorite beer and enjoy the process. If you make it a chore it will be a chore.

If you treat your car like a transportation tool go ahead and run it through an automatic wash when you can't see through the glass and enjoy life. 90% of cars traded in are scratched all to heck anyhow. The dealer won't knock much off for swirl marks and water spots.

Damn, that was long and windy. If anyone else had written that I probably wouldn't read it all. Ha.

[jrref]

Originally Posted by LeRoySmith

I hate swirl marks in nice paint so I don't go through car washes unless they are touchless and those occasions are rare. If it's a car I don't care about I'll go through the brush kind but that's been 3 or 4 times in the past 10 years (think rental car or the turd I just drug home a few days ago that will need to be repainted anyhow).

I wash my own by hand, I've got a nice pressure washer set up that's always ready to go and the hose is on an automatic reel. I can wash with heavy foam from a cannon and be ready to dry in a short time so it's very convenient. That said age has caught me and things like clay bar, wax, polishing has all become more difficult. I don't keep the cars as clean as I used too.

I trade often, I like fixing them up, I used to enjoy auto competition. I've had 55 or 60 different cars over the years and really enjoyed then. I think I've done pretty well in buying for a good deal and selling for a premium after I've made them nicer (I'd be afraid to actually add it up).

I haven't answered your question. If you enjoy cars and you like keeping them nice wash by hand, avoid the auto washes as they typically destroy a cars finishes.

Get an inexpensive pressure washer, have it plumbed and wired so you only need push a button and you're washing. Have a mini split installed in your garage. But nice car washing equipment (it lasts longer than your think).Take your time if you're getting feeble, like me. Blast it off with heavy foam soap, rinse, pull it in the garage to dry it and run over it with a spray wax with ceramic (believe it or not turtle wax spray ceramic is one of the best right now).

Your car will look show room with very little effort. Wash it every other week, play good music while you're doing it, stock your garage mini fridge with your favorite beer and enjoy the process. If you make it a chore it will be a chore.

If you treat your car like a transportation tool go ahead and run it through an automatic wash when you can't see through the glass and enjoy life. 90% of cars traded in are scratched all to heck anyhow. The dealer won't knock much off for swirl marks and water spots.

Damn, that was long and windy. If anyone else had written that I probably wouldn't read it all. Ha.

Thanks for the thoughts. The one thing the trade-in places do knock off money is for wheels with "rim rash" from scraping along the curbs. When I sold my car to Carvana, they took off money for that problem. They look at dents and dings but don't care about swirl marks or the paint finish unless it's really bad because as you say, most take their cars to the car wash and ruin the finish so it's normal.

[Miboater]

I've ceramic coated my wife's car and my pickup in February and have been very impressed with the finished product. I did the whole process, iron out, clay bar, correction polish, finishing polish and finally the ceramic coating. My wife's car is in the garage and my truck is on the driveway and have been really surprised at how few times I've needed to wash them after the coating. I only washed her car once in 8 months and the truck 3 times. A good heavy rain will get the truck very clean with no water spotting. I also used the same ceramic coating on the glass and that works great as well. I can see a little wear from the windshield wipers but the other glass the water beads right off.

I had product left over and put the ceramic coating on our golf carts as well but didn't do the whole process. They clean up nice as well.

[Altavia]

Originally Posted by Miboater

I've ceramic coated my wife's car and my pickup in February and have been very impressed with the finished product. I did the whole process, iron out, clay bar, correction polish, finishing polish and finally the ceramic coating. My wife's car is in the garage and my truck is on the driveway and have been really surprised at how few times I've needed to wash them after the coating. I only washed her car once in 8 months and the truck 3 times. A good heavy rain will get the truck very clean with no water spotting. I also used the same ceramic coating on the glass and that works great as well. I can see a little wear from the windshield wipers but the other glass the water beads right off.

I had product left over and put the ceramic coating on our golf carts as well but didn't do the whole process. They clean up nice as well.

Same here, a light wipe down with a California Duster is usually all you need down here on a protected finish.

[Topspinmo]

I haven’t done hose and soap car wash 5 times down here in 14 years. But, I don’t have to drive to work everyday, rarely drive in rain, so light damp cloth cleans little dust and road grime off easily.

[Joe C.]

When I buy a new vehicle, the first thing I do is hand wash it and then give it a coat of whatever nano-ceramic paint bonding spray bottle I can get at an auto parts store. It lasts a full year and then I do it all over again. I never go to a carwash, choosing to wash mine in the driveway, and drying it off in the garage and applying it myself. It takes about an hour or an hour and a half, depending on if my wife assists me or not. It works and looks great and is much much less expensive than having it done at a shopl