dak911

Well, seems the soap has not harmed the finish on my BLACK X5, that goes through about every other week, probably 20 times since I waxed it, as for the hand wash they seem to use the same chemicals in the hand wash section.
I have not yet, put the 997 thru , but I am going to have a closer look at what washes the top.
This car wash is not like any other one I've ever seen....see if there is a CATCUS car wash near you, send the everyday driver through.

jeffrec

Never taken any of my cars to an automatic car wash, including when they are at the dealer for service. Hand wash at least weekly using the two bucket method and Zymol once per month.

yashagrawal

I dont think twice about putting my other cars through a car wash..they seem to withstand it quite well. I think the key is are you a car fanatic, or a regular guy. Having said that, not all car washes are equal.
I spent some time researching the car washes in my area, and looked for 3 criteria. 1. frequently dealt with exotics, 2. had newish equipment and 3. would accept thick tires. A good way to find them is to look for shops which handle exotics and detail them in expensive zip codes.

shammerman

Words of wisdom.

RobC4sX51

Coupe maybe, Cayenne for sure, cab not me! I worry more BOUT THEM STEEL WHEEL GROOVES your car rides along than anything else!

Rocco07

I'll run the commuter through it all the time. But the 911, no.
First, will the rears fit between the guide rails. Most places can't handle these widths. Also, the sidewall is too low to allow the tire to be what's rubbing on the rail. Therefore, it now becomes the rim. Metal-to metal contact WILL result in damage in the form of scratches or rub marks. There may be a plastic cover on the rail. This helps, but be sure it's not attached with metal hardware. I used a carwash that had the plastic cover, but it was attached with hose clamps. The clamps literally sliced metal off the wheel (not 911). Finally, those car washes don't do a good enough job. I consider it therapy when I get to spend some time detailing the toy.

Mark Harris

My 997 is my daily driver/commuter. I would love the convenience of running it through a car wash but I don't primarily because of the reason's Rocco07 points out. Even though the steel rails are covered by some sort of hard rubber/plastic on the inside I couldn't take watching my car get banged around within those rails by the automatic advancing roller mechanism that pushes your car through.

There is a $8 brushless without rails at one of the do it yourself carwashes that I use occassionally. You just pull in..stop...it sprays...and you leave (with dirt still visible).

PasPar2

Our leased family hauler du jour, absolutely... my 997 - never. I enjoy washing it myself. Its a relaxing 30 minutes for me.

Spyerx

Here in SoCal most of the better car washes are the style that used to have the brushes. They removed them all, replaced them with 3-4 workers who wash the car by hand with wash mits. So the car drives in, auto water rinse, auto soap, then hand washed, then auto rinse, and an air dry. This is probably the best of both worlds BUT you just don't know how clean those wash mits are....

The real issue is the track and the wide wheels on the carreras. They barely fit and I've seen many, many rear wheels with the inside just thrashed from the auto wash.

My leased BMW, I don't care. My GT3, it gets hand washed by me or my detail guy. Wife's mini? I wash it mostly, its so small it's a 20 minute job.

RON1X

I had Cactus in Atlanta, and it was a very nice car wash. I ran my silver '08 M3 coupe through it once a month, as they really did a superb job for $15, inside and out (the M3 wheels were a b1tch to clean by hand so it was nice to have someone else do it every once in a while). However, I just couldn't bring myself to run a 997 through a car wash. It has some very wide rear wheels and sits a lot lower than my M3. I don't think its worth the risk. I'm sure you can find a decent guy to hand wash it for you for $20-$25 anyway

perfectlap

Generally its a poor option but I've run my canvas through one particular car wash that is on the high end of these types of facilities. My canvas after 13 seasons still looks great. The detergents used at these places are not the correct one for canvas. But these newer car wash facilities use a metric ton of water during the rinse phase so its largely out. I followed up with RaggTopp aftewards with no issues. No wear marks, stains or fading.

The biggest problem with the automatic car washes is the pressure of the spray rinsers. That's bad for the moldings. And the kiss of death are the drying towels used by the guys at the end. Those are rarely clean or paint safe. Probably fine for drying the wheels and canvas.

When its really cold out and I've got salt issues to address right away, I'll bring my own waffle weave towel and tell the guys to use that to dry. And if you ask me, most people who wash their own cars are inducing plenty of swirls of their own by using cheap auto store microfiber towels which are nothing more than rebranded janitorial towels used to clean commerical floors. All it takes is one pass with a cheap towel to etch the clear coat and those microfiber towels are very rarely clean as they are stubborn in 'unhooking' debris even after multiple washes. The best option I've found is to use the long nap towels like the Griot's Garage green and blue towels. If your microfiber has a prickly side and your paint is generally well maintained, you are using the wrong kind of towel -- total overkill. I would also avoid using paste waxes, these days some of the higher end spray waxes have just enough carnauba to produce a wet shine without the need to rub on the paint as much as using a paste. The less you touch the paint in between washes the better.

ZeGerman

The previous owners ran the car through the car wash quite frequently. While the top faired very well I did notice that it did not bead the water off as well. Auto car washes will not apply waterproofing on the top. The paint looks okay on dark and cloudy days but in the sun it was swirly. Just does not look that great.

I spent over 8 hours one day to correct that paint. Correcting paint can only be done so many times because there is only so much you can take off before you run out of clear coat.

My advice to you is to get the right tools and wash it yourself. With the correct brushes cleaning the lobster forks is very easy and quick.The whole process becomes a real pleasure. Don't send it through the wash unless you are not concerned about swirl marks.

I personally love driving a car with perfect paint. People do notice. I certainly notice it when a car drives by that just gleams. Smooth paint just looks awesome!

This is what good paint looks like:

Quadcammer

show me a picture in direct sunlight or with a high powered halogen and we might find a different story.

ZeGerman

When doing the paint correction, I use a Brinkman Tuff Max to locate swirls, so no, you will not find a different story.

alexb76

What's wrong with touchless for non-cab cars?