[Sayonara]

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but do any of you guys use touchless car washes? I used to do this all of the time with my other car but when I read the manual for the GTR it said to avoid these because they use harsher chemicals since its touchless and it may damage the paint. Is this BS? Thanks for the feedback!

 

[E.R.E.K]

I don't really use them because they don't work very well. I don't know about damaging paint. I would rather just wash my car myself.

 

[drifts500]

If you are talking about the automatic touchless car wash in a town, it will not damage the paint, but will strip all the waxes...

 

[Lightsaber]

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but do any of you guys use touchless car washes? I used to do this all of the time with my other car but when I read the manual for the GTR it said to avoid these because they use harsher chemicals since its touchless and it may damage the paint. Is this BS? Thanks for the feedback!

Regular car wash places normally use water and soap to wash your car, but it can scratch your paint if the cloth is dirty or of poor quality.

Touchless car wash places normally mix water with a solvent to wash your car. The solvent is there to dissolve oily dirt, but will also wear your paint thin over time. If your car is wrapped in Xpel protection film or Opti-coat type of stuff, you will be fine. If not, look to see if there are touchless car wash places around you that use only fresh water and soap. This type of touchless car wash sprays a huge amount of water during the wash and therefore costs more. It also doesn't wash off the dirt as well, so you will need to have your car hand-washed every two months or so.

If you like the convenience of driving into any car wash (without a guardrail to scratch your wheels, of course), I think you best bet is to wrap the car. There is a place near you called the Automotive Connoisseur Group, yes? I heard they offer state-of-the-art wrapping.

 

[Prophizee]

Hate any type of automatic car washes. But if you have to do auto washes touch less are the safest by far and yes will strip all waxes and sealent

 

[Blare]

Not sure if it's true or not, But I remember talking to a guy that owned a touchless car wash, and he said the reason why "his" worked so good in reference to cleaning cars so well it's basically throwing acid on your car to get all the dirt off. Not sure what kind of acid he was talking about, I didn't care to ask because I detail my own cars anyways.. But that comment alone made me say to myself, i'll never use one with my GTR.

 

[Prophizee]

Not sure if it's true or not, But I remember talking to a guy that owned a touchless car wash, and he said the reason why "his" worked so good in reference to cleaning cars so well it's basically throwing acid on your car to get all the dirt off. Not sure what kind of acid he was talking about, I didn't care to ask because I detail my own cars anyways.. But that comment alone made me say to myself, i'll never use one with my GTR.

Hundred percent agree....never take my car to any car wash. Love detailing cars and correcting paint.

 

[Flash]

I do touch less car wash once or twice a year just for the underbody wash to get all the dirt and what not out.

 

[Monaco]

Cant the high water pressures in these washes be harmful to your paint?

 

[AndyR35]

Cant the high water pressures in these washes be harmful to your paint?

Only if you get too close to the body with the lance. I always use a pressure washer and have never had an issue.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using GT-R Life mobile app

 

[CRUDE]

I have owned friction and "touchless" car washes for over 20 years. I wouldn't take my GTR through a friction wash because, 1. If it's a tunnel then your wheels won't fit and your car maybe too low. 2. If it's a roll over, they are usually poorly maintained and not worth the risk of messing up your paint. Also 99% of them won't put enough soap on your car so basically it's a wet cloth cleaning your car.

But, touchless washes are safe and they work extremely well to get the salt and grime off. They won't clean as well because of the obvious lack of friction but that's the reason they are safe.

This claim that touchless washes use "acid" is completely false. We all use pretty much the same soaps. I have taken several of my cars through countless wash cycles at my touchless washes without any harm done. My previous M5 must have been washed approx 700 times over 7 years without a scratch or any damage caused by the "acid". And yes, I do wash my GTR at my touchless washes!

 

[CasualObserver]

I use touches car washes often and have never had an issue with paint damage of any kind. They are not a substitute for a hand wash, but along with a microfiber and quick detailer you can maintain the car in a good state for quite some time. I typically will get a touches car wash and then hit the car with a combo of microfiber and quick detailer.
The Touches wash does a good job blowing off grit and things that can damage the paint if you were to only touch it up with quick detailer. I have found that by themselves a touches car wash leaves a bit of a haze. And, as others have said avoid the touch car washes like the plague. You may as well run your car along a flap wheel sander.

 

[KarlBlomquist]

I have some real data, not anecdotal... ;-)

I've been using touch-less washes on my '09 since I bought it in early '09. I don't have the time to hand-wash/wax it as often as I like, but I like to keep it reasonably clean so I buy an unlimited washes card every 90 days during "car season". Card cost $170 - I can get a touch-less wash every day for 90 days - that's less than $2 for a quick wash if you were to use it every day. With three cars in the house this is perfect.

Anyway... my '09 has gone though a touch-less wash cycle no fewer than 200 times - probably more. The bumper, 1/2 hood, 1/2 fenders were clear wrapped in '09 and so far the paint, clear-coat, and wrap still look perfect 6 years later.

Unless they use something different in the U.S., I don't see evidence that touch-less harms your paint. Of course, don't use the older types that require your wheels to wedge in between two bars to track the car - this will mangle your wheels. The ones around here either use flat moving tracks to move the car through - nothing touches the car anywhere, or you sit still in the middle as the equip moves around the car.

That being said, I agree they don't do a great job... as noted, I only consider them useful for general cleaning. Also I agree that it's nice to the underbody pressure cleaned also - esp after a track weekend.

It's no substitute for a hands-on wash, but I would not hesitate to recommend it for a "casual rinse" to get rid of some crud.

 

[Dntlvet]

I am a hand washer every week for my GTR, M3 and Cayenne.
I also agree with Karlblomquist.

 

[Mid-Life Crisis]

I have some real data, not anecdotal... ;-)

I've been using touch-less washes on my '09 since I bought it in early '09. I don't have the time to hand-wash/wax it as often as I like, but I like to keep it reasonably clean so I buy an unlimited washes card every 90 days during "car season". Card cost $170 - I can get a touch-less wash every day for 90 days - that's less than $2 for a quick wash if you were to use it every day. With three cars in the house this is perfect.

Anyway... my '09 has gone though a touch-less wash cycle no fewer than 200 times - probably more. The bumper, 1/2 hood, 1/2 fenders were clear wrapped in '09 and so far the paint, clear-coat, and wrap still look perfect 6 years later.

Unless they use something different in the U.S., I don't see evidence that touch-less harms your paint. Of course, don't use the older types that require your wheels to wedge in between two bars to track the car - this will mangle your wheels. The ones around here either use flat moving tracks to move the car through - nothing touches the car anywhere, or you sit still in the middle as the equip moves around the car.

That being said, I agree they don't do a great job... as noted, I only consider them useful for general cleaning. Also I agree that it's nice to the underbody pressure cleaned also - esp after a track weekend.

It's no substitute for a hands-on wash, but I would not hesitate to recommend it for a "casual rinse" to get rid of some crud.

+1 to the above. Both my '09 GT-R, current '14 GT-R, Holden Commodore SSV clone, and my past vehicles have all gone through touchless car washes. Overall, it does get the vehicle clean and I've never suffered any damage. During the Winter I can't hand wash my car so I have little choice but to use a GOOD touchless car wash. I think if you look around and find a reputable one, become a regular and tip well, you're chances of experiencing any damage to your vehicle are minimal. Granted, it's not going to be the same as washing it yourself or paying big bucks for professional detailing. But the place that I take my vehicles to do a very good job. I usually get out after the employees are done with it, and cover some details with a microfiber cloth, but that's because I can't stand to see water dripping down the car anywhere (leaving water marks later). Not that they leave much, but there's always some spot on the car I'll find, lol, and I'm just exacting that way.

 

[gilly6993]

I use them all the time for light cleaning....all my cars......

 

[ichiroll]

I use touch less car washes only. Definitely not anything that directly touches the car.

Comes in handy to clean off the salt and other crap on winter days, etc.

 

[hunter]

I have used Touchless for many years . 1 time per month to knock off the Arizona dust and hand wash 1 time per month.
I have also used on other cars for 4 years monthly with no sign of paint issues.
I would suggest that overuse could result in wax strip and maybe paint issues...
I only wax 1 time per year also and only drive 4,000 miles in my GTR.

 

[PNW_GTR]

Also use touchless on all my cars. In the winters it's the only way to do it. Never had a problem.

 

[hayatnoor]

I think touchless washes are sufficient for regular cars, but for cars with a lot of carbon build up and break dust, it doesn't do a very good job. That's where these cars dirt appears the most. That stuff has to be scrubbed off and you will be highly disappointed if you haven't washed your car in a while and go through a touchless wash.