AndrewM

For all you hard-core drive your Porsche all the year long types, does anyone use the high-end soft cloth car washes? I drive my C4 throughout the winter and currently don't have a heated garage to wash her . My buddies wife is getting really tired of me using their garage, I don't like the coin-operated stalls...
If there's not a clearance issue you should be able to use one right? I have design 90 rims for the winter so I don't care if they get scuffed. As far a s scratching the paint is that really so?You see top of the line BMW's and Mercedes and these things all the time...
Drew
89 C4
86 930

Robert Henriksen

'fraid so. Even hand washing it's hard to avoid swirling the finish; car washes are guaranteed to do so. As well as strip the wax off the paint faster, leaving the clearcoat w. less protection.

All I Ever Wanted to Know About Car Care I learned at <a href="http://www.autopia.org." target="_blank">www.autopia.org.</a>

Anir

Andrew,

I've used the soft-cloth washes in the past on other cars, and I am convinced that it's pretty harsh on the paint.

Like you, I drive all year long, and don't relish the idea of a hand wash in the winter. Recently, they finally opened one of the touch-free car washes in our town - at a Shell station. It also sprays the underside of the car, which may be an advantage after the roads have been salted. Maybe, you can find one of these near you?

amfp

Check some detailing places, or dealerships, as they do at least by me, provide hand car washes. Personally, I just wait for warmer days and wash/hose down then.

I am not a fan of "brushless" car washes, but do see may high end cars going through local car washes. Guess what it boils down to is personal priorities.

Jim Morton

Andrew:

I think a big part of the "soft cloth" washes is that dirt from the vehicles getting washed gets into the cloth. Once dirt is in, scratch, scratch, scratch, scratch as they get dragged along...

I think the idea was good, but without a lot of cleaning of the wash cloths between washes (whoops, there goes the profits....), cannot see how they wont scratch/swirl.

Just think about how dirty most folks cars are....

Hope this helps, just my 2c'ts worth.

mpm '95 C4

DON'T DO IT MAN!!!

Sorry, just couldn't resist...

You'd be better off spraying it in between your own washing regimen - unless you can find a touchless like Anir has in his 'hood...

Most paint swirls and scracthes come from drying cars, not washing. So if you do go through the wash, don't let them dry it down for you.

Air dry at 100 mph

Tone

Is there any harm to just letting the dirt build?

mpm '95 C4

[quote]Originally posted by Tone:
<strong>Is there any harm to just letting the dirt build?</strong><hr></blockquote>

Ultimately it'll eat into your finish - especially if your in a salt zone - then your flirting with cancer (long, long term).

Since your probably not talking about that type of extreme, the problem will come when you wash it. The tendency will be to scrub and that's where the scratches come in. A better method when dirt has accumulated (like what will happen if you only spray your car in a booth for a period of time), is be prepared to wash the car a couple of times.

General washing rules of thumb...
* cold car
* cold water (and refill as soon as it get dirty)
* plenty of non detergent soap (unless you want to strip your wax)
* lot's and lots of 100% cotton wash rags (put to the side at first sign of dirt - white ones show dirt first)
* go the same direction every time - and every panel
* never rub
* never go in a circular fashion
* repeat if you didn't get it the first time
* dry by laying your drying towel (Absorber works great) and peel off.

Also, I start with the wheels (and a whole different set of clean materials) because they are such a bitch, I hate ending with them...

Terry Adams

I feel that the spray in the touchless washes is so fine, and under such pressure, and must be so detergent, that it strips the wax anyway. So I don't use them.

Skytop

Dandy Andy:

Regarding the 'high end' cars going through the deluxe car washes....

Please be reminded that 95% of the high line cars you see are leased and the lessee could not care less what happens to the paint or the car for that matter, after the lease term is over. They just want their ride clean NOW.

I go to a local manual car wash. More labor now, lots less headaches later!

Mark in Baltimore

Andrew,

Don't use a carwash with cloth or, even worse, brushes. As everyone has noted, it does make a difference and will do long-term paint damage.

I would say wait for a warm winter day if you can, but since you live in Michigan you might have to wait a long time. Even though I think most owners handwash their cars, the brushless car washes are okay in a pinch and are probably better than a a thick coat of dirt and salt.

Can you move to Florida?

Cheers,

yank

I used to live in Ohio and what I would do is go to a coin op one with my own bucket, rag and soap. Leave the car running with the heater on high. Rinse it off well and fill the bucket all within the two minutes they give you for a buck! Then wash the car as fast as I could leaving the wheels till the last and then putting my buck in and giving it a good rinse. I would do this no matter how cold and never once had frozen locks. They usually have signs up saying that you couldn't bring your own bucket but when it 15 out nobody but us idiots are washing their cars!!


But what ever you do DON'T ever put your car in a car wash. You will hate yourself the next time you come to wax it and realize the damage that has been done.

Regards Greg <img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />

AndrewM

OK, it's the touchless wash by my house for the quickie and the coin-op with my own bucket and mitts for the "detail" days. Thanks guys! And for those of you that park your P-cars for the winter, SUCKERS.. I enjoy driving my C4 every day here in Michigan, I pray for snow! How messed up is that?
Drew
89 C4 (waiting to go out and play in the morning)
86 930 (sleeping)

vjd3

Now ... has anyone taken a convertible through one of those touchless washes? Does it spray right through the roof?

(This is for my Saab, not my Porsche ;-)

Vic

95 C4 coupe
99 9-3 convertible (winter car!)

Skytop

True Car Wash Story:
I had my military orders to appear for duty at the Pensacola Naval Air Station in Pensacola back in 1970. I was driving a Vette (fuelie) then, and while tooling around the little (then!) town, I came across a .75 cent 'complete' car wash.I figured why not treat the plastic toy to its last wash in (?) how many weeks.

I pulled around the back of this old, long, narrow clap board building and was directed to pull ahead slowly through the hanging 'curtain' vanes in front of the wash entrance. As I gently rode the clutch creeping into the building, to my utter suprise, I saw a gang of about 15 guys all dressed in rubber smocks with hoses, brushes, towels and one guy had a beer! I was told to just pull slowly ahead and the crew went to town on my car. Craziest car wash I ever got!
Anyone else have some funny story about a car wash????