Mowgli

I brought mine through the touchless car wash today.
First wash since about 12/1/09
It did a decent job but not great.
Just about what I expected.

15 mile round trip to Lowes & back and the hatch is filthy and the rest of the car looks like I washed it weeks ago.

I think it's about time I fix the coil & the E-brake in the POS Mitsu pickup and park the SS for a couple of months (after I wash & wax her myself).

ouhockeyplayer

I wish I kept my old 99 Z24 cavalier to beat on during the winter instead of selling it for $500. I can't stand my new SS all covered in salt and dirt. Hopefully there are not too many stone chips hidden under the salt mess when I clean it off.

hyperv6

Note car washes use harsh soaps and this is what kills the bow tie emblem gold. Just something to think about.

THE BATMAN

Touchless is the way to go in the winter, Plus the one i go to has and under blast as you drive in, I go real slow over that. I would'nt think of taking a black car to a regular car wash, You might as well clean it with sandpaper.

prod

My bowties went every 3-4 months even in warmer months, with careful hand washing at home and using good products.
I do the occasional automatic touchless wash in the winter when it gets above freezing. I believe its bad for the car to wash then drive away and let any remaining water freeze. Touchless does leave a bit of a haze of fine dirt, but its better than the alternative.

hyperv6

Just passing along what is claimed to cause the problem.

I know the haze and I used to have issues with the soap they use on my old truck mirrors. It would leave a haze that was not dirt on them. The soap is pretty strong.

On lighter colors I am not that worried but on a black car it is hand wash only. I have hand wash them at the spray wash using my own soap.

Also I use a blow dryer in the winter that blows warm air on the car to dry it off. It really save the wax finish if you don't dry it by hand. Pulse it get a lot of the pesky water drips.

I just wish they had made the center drain bettween the doors drain through the rocker not onto it. This is a pain for a day after a wash anythine of year. I have thought about even putting a tube in.

ouhockeyplayer

I agree there are so many water drips on this car that you discover shortly after you are all done detailing.

prod

Yeah the drips bothered me too, also from the rear hatch. Now I rinse thoroughly with one of those mr clean autodry filters, works well without spotting.

urbexHHR

If I ever go through the car wash, it's always a touchless one. They do a decent job, and in my opinion, even swirl marks are MUCH better than rust!

I would say go through the carwash once a week in the winter. It's not as good as a hand wash, but it's better than nothing to at least get the salt off. Even if it gets dirty the next day. I am fortunate enough to have a heated garage to use, so I wash my Lumina about once per week.

ouhockeyplayer- The only reason I kept my 99 Lumina was as a winter car... It's still in great shape, but it's just not worth enough for me to sell...so the HHR is tucked away clean in a pole barn.

Happy13178

I'm lucky to have a heated undergroung garage at my work, so I'll do a touchless on heavy snow days on the way to work and let it dry underground so it doesn't freeze. Toronto's been better about less salt on the roads the past few years, using this brine stuff instead, but there's still a lot.