RF5BPilot

The local Porsche dealer has a free automated car wash if you bought your car there. I tend to use that sometimes in the winter when the hard top is on. Hand wash in the summer w/ the soft top.

chsu74

I have a hard time believing that pcar dealerships hand wash every single car that goes in for service.

ivangene

If you are paying some "lot boy" $10/hr and have all the supplies ready, a "wash" only takes 5 minutes or less... they dont have to pull the hose out and make the saopy water for every car... and they dont have to pick up the stuff and put it all away either, just once a day at most and change the soapy water as needed...

I believe they do hand wash, its WAY cheaper than buying a machine and dealing with the EPA about building one....

Riad

+1, it's a car not a Fabergé Egg.

Just make sure you use a touchless wash.

Michael-Dallas

Indeed it's not a Faberge egg. That's why I use the brush at the coin-op stalls (seriously, I really do). A car that is driven regularly is bound to get swirls or scratches... I'll let my Porter-Cable and supplies fix that and not worry about the brush.

I can believe it. If 3-4 guys can mow, edge, and blow my lawn in under 15 minutes, then 2-3 guys can handwash, dry, and vacuum a Porsche in under 30. Especially if it's like a coin-op stall setup. I can wash and dry my car myself in under 45 minutes. Wash takes me 15 minutes and drying takes me 30 minutes.

///Michael

maci911

will touchless car wash will not infuse water into the engine bay?

perfectlap

Ok sure the PC and some Menz IP can get out just about any swirl but you only have so much clear coat to work with. Any more than once or twice a year (every year) is really excessive. Why keep it looking swirled up in between PC sessions? On the rare ocassion I have to use a coin-op I take a small bathroom bucket, some Meguiar's brushes and sponges from Target with me. Those coin-op brushes are laying on the floor with rocks and sediments.
p.s.
I keep a large waffle weave in the car and ask the hand car wash guys to use my towel to dry. That probably cuts the swirling in half right there. When it isn't 20 degrees I use Optimum No Rinse maybe once a month. I rarely do a bucket and hose wash, overkill.

Rob in WA

I always hand wash.

Mathemagician

Benz dealership I used to use hand washed the car every time it went in for anything. Was pretty cool and very much appreciated.

AndyK

I don't think there is a car today that is NOT designed to run all day and night in the rain! Water drains out. Why worry about it?

I hand wash, always!

desidon

I have driven through car washes a couple times recently. One was touchless and the other one was "high touch"
I don't think I am gonna go with the high touch one again but the touchless seemed to go well.
The engine always seems to sizzle a bit and some u can see some water evaporating from the spoiler....but I guess the engine should be able to handle that.

-Manil

AndyK

That is one shiney black 996!!

maci911

even with K&N intake?

kunkstyle

You're kidding. I won't even use the coin-op brush on my Pontiac. Take a sponge with you instead.

Michael-Dallas

Believe it or not, I have not used any aggressive products w/ my PC. The most aggressive stuff I've used are, um, Meguiar's Color-X and Meguiar's Scratch-X, and I haven't even used them on the Porsche! Don't get me wrong, I'm not a hardcore detailer that's gonna shine flourescent lighting on my cars to look for swirls, but at the same time, my cars shine like a **** w/o swirls in natural daylight. If my car(s) was truly a garage queen and hardly driven, then, yes, I would go through that extra care; but since they are driven fairly regularly, I'm not gonna sweat it especially since I'd have a greater chance of getting a rock chip.

As far as the coin-op brush, the place I go to has them hanging and before I use them, I spray them down w/ the high pressure wash cycle thoroughly to remove any heavy duty crap on them.

I use a California Water Blade to squeegie water off, then followup w/ a small towel, and, yep... it's not even microfiber.

I've used "the" coin-op brush the past 8 years on:

- 2003 350z
- 1994 Sentra SE-R
- 1995 M3
- 2002 M3
- 2004 996 C4S
- 2005 Murano

The only cars that were bought new from us was the 350z and Murano. The rest, I bought used. I had to restore the paint on the SE-R and 1995 M3 and Meguiar's Scratch-X, Color-X, and clay bar did a very good job... the paint isn't concours condition where no swirls will show up under flourescent lighting, but they look very good under the sun and the naked eye. I had to do a little restoration on the 2002 M3 and the current owner tells me that he still gets complements on how clean it is.

///Michael