swirl-o-matics and touchless washes

[joyriide1113]

i know, i know, automatic car washes swirl u're paint, but what about touchless washes. the other day driving my brothers armada i didnt have a way to thank himf or letting me use it to lug around junk, so i decided to give it a quick wash. it has 2 coats of sg and its been 2 months and still going. i didnt have much time or motivation to wash that big lug so i drove it thru the TOUCHLESS wash. it did an alright job of cleanign the car without touching it, then i got home and spray and wiped the car real quickly and followed with some qd spray, wipe down the rims with a mf and dressed the tires. the car looked great. how good/or bad are these touchless washes, and would any of u done the same?

[Beemerboy]

The chemicals are the real problem. Hot water and chemicals are what removes the dirt. Bad for the car once in a while I use them myself, mainly in the winter when its to cold to fool around with the car.
The only thing that I could think that is bad the chemicals and hot water would strip some of the sealant or wax off, also in the long run with regular use the rubbers around the windows would start to dry out.

[Laurel]

I worked as a "detail tech"(roight) at an auto dealership for a while, and we had a touchless car wash. worked relatively well, but never fully removed the dirt(windshields were always still dirty, and when drying, you'd get dirt on the chamois). The pre-soak liquid that we used in it was what did most of the work, and it was more or less a degreaser. Imagine a degreaser all over your paint... Worked great if you had a dark car and wanted a pre-wash(to get lots of mud off) before actual washing and waxing. It would take the wax off the car though.

Originally Posted by Laurel

(windshields were always still dirty, and when drying, you'd get dirt on the chamois).

That's the killer right there... dirt on the drying towel. If you see it, you can bet there are swirls/light scratches generated by it. Doesn't matter what kind of wash...

[Mr. Clean]

I don't have a real problem with the touchless washes if used occasionally. When it is too cold out or time doesn't permit, I would prefer that to leaving the worst of the dirt/grime et al on the paint surface for an extended period.

I agree that these washes probably rely on harsher chemicals to do thier work in lieu of agitation. I can also attest that neither the touchless or DIY spray & wash bays completely remove the dirt from the surface.

In your specific case, by using the wash to remove the bulk of the dirt/grime and following up with PB's S&W your actions were prudent (IMO) and didn't compromise the already prepped surface.

[joyriide1113]

thats wha i was hoping for. im sure the chemicals were harsh! my brothers armada is white and the lower half of the car was almost black with grime. amazingly tho, almost all of it was gone with the exception of some spots. so yea, im pretty sure the chemicals in the wash were harsh.

[pappy]

they have to be pretty harsh if theres nothing that actually touches your car but the water. Just think about if your at your house washing your car....when u spray down your car theres always some dirt that wont come off unless you scrub. well in the touchless. somehow that is removed. so im guessing they got to be using somthing harsh in there.