Do you Hand Wash or Auto Car Wash?

[Scottski]

This is precisely how I look at it.

Sponsored

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

With all of the droughts around here causing restrictions on washing in your driveway, taking it to the carwash is just a habit I got into.

100% and the only time I am able to bucket wash (one of them coin-op places) is when almost everyone is sleeping and when the place does not have an attendant on-site to harass me. Contemplating just hiring a mobile detailer at least once a year.

 

[madhat]

The dogs love the auto carwash. It's my daily and came with a few imperfections at 10k miles. I would prefer to hand wash, but it's just not in the cards right now to regularly find that time.

 

[SadHill]

Hand wash only. But living in the NE sometimes I have to do natures wash (rainy day) on a brief melting period to get the road salt off.
besides, as soon as I wash it in the winter the next day it snows or the roads are super dirty.
but the other 3 seasons it is hand wash only.
For Xmas I got the foam king gun. Can’t wait to try it in the spring!

 

[lefkonj]

I handwashing as long as it is 50 degrees or higher. Unfortunately we have had some really cold crappy weeks so auto wash it is. I lease but enjoy washing my vehicles.

 

[Seano]

I’ve got one car I hand wash at home - either two buckets or pressure washer/foam or both. That car only sees 500mi/mon

The Rivians are our daily drivers and those are full on automatic car washes, brushes and all - constantly (subscriptions). I absolutely love pulling into town after a trip and stopping at the car wash before we even get to the house.

 

[jerseyff]

I"m interested in what you folks do with your cars? Do you hand wash primarily, or do you use an automatic car wash?

If you autowash, do you lease?

I autowash and lease.

Should make a poll for the question.

I own and hand wash.

 

[SwampNut]

Auto wash, absolutely nobody can provide a lucid reason not to. Just a bunch of FUD. And only the washes with soft cloth rollers, absolutely never a high-pressure touchless or brushes.

 

[Scottski]

Auto wash, absolutely nobody can provide a lucid reason not to. Just a bunch of FUD. And only the washes with soft cloth rollers, absolutely never a high-pressure touchless or brushes.

I used to hand wash because the chemicals they use at the auto-wash will strip a ceramic coating in just a few washes. I don't have that on this R1S, so I just run it through the brushes.

 

[narmstrong79]

periodic Touchless washes for road salt etc.

Handwash and polish in spring and summer for deep clean.

 

[R1SFamilyGuy]

Or the ones where you pay, then slowly drive through while spraying your vehicle (touchless)?

I thought touchless was just another term for automatic and bo human touches the car. TIL

I have been doing the touch-y one as well. Mine’s white, leased, and recently noticed a few black dots and 1-2 paint chips that I’ve now started wondering were caused by car wash. I’ve never washed cars myself in the US (owned my first when I was 30)

I’m not lazy but if it takes me same amount of time, or less, to drive through instead of doing it myself, I’m going to pick the former. Unless that’s what’s ruining my car

 

[beatle]

I've been doing waterless washes since 2019 using Aero Wash Wax All. I used a foam cannon for a bit, and I still do if the car/truck is especially dirty, but otherwise waterless is very easy and fast. Automatic car washes never fully dry the car, and they always leave water spots.

A bonus as I can do a waterless wash at work in the parking garage since my truck doesn't fit in my garage at home. It's never as cold or as hot in the garage as it is outside.

 

[SwampNut]

I used to hand wash because the chemicals they use at the auto-wash will strip a ceramic coating in just a few washes. I don't have that on this R1S, so I just run it through the brushes.

And one of the reasons I use the auto is because the ceramic protects the paint, and hasn't been removed by the washes.

 

[Eeyore]

Own and hand wash a couple of times a year. Silver doesn't really show the dirt much.

Too frugal to pay to have Arty washed and don't have to worry about salt on the roads 'cause they don't do that in Oregon, except a little in Portland and I don't drive there in the winter.

 

[KBabione]

We have a monthly unlimited at the soft touch car wash next to our local grocery store and I take the LA Silver R1S through it 2-3 times a week. In nice weather I typically wipe down the windows with a micro-fiber cloth and will often scrub the bugs off the front that sometimes remain after the wash during the summer.

Last January I took it through the car wash and, while hand wiping it afterwards, saw some scratches on the top that I assumed were from the roller brush in the car wash:

I called the manager over and showed it to him and he had me complete an incident form. The next day he called me and said that their video history showed that the scratches were there when I entered that day and that they were there the previous week when I was there, but that they weren't there the visit before that. They have cameras recording everything as you enter and exit. Anyway, in that window we had been in three different garages in NYC so any one of them could have scratched it and we didn't notice at the time. It was December (2024) and it had been snowing so the car was filthy so I'm not surprised that I didn't notice. I now make sure to turn off kneel mode whenever it goes into a garage where I'm handing it over to an attendant. I'm pretty sure that it was under another vehicle (that was lifted above it) and when they were pulling out the Rivian went back to standard height and scraped the top of the liftgate.

Sponsored