Car Wash Season Pass

very good point!
My GF signed up for one on a whim, and wasn't happy with their wash after multiple attempts. Before signing up, she made sure she could cancel at any time for any reason (next billing cycle of course). She called to cancel, they said she had to go in to the location she signed up at,,, which set off my spidey senses. She did this locally, and X amount of months later, I told her to check her bank account, and sure as she shit they didn't cancel her subscription and were still billing her. That was the point that I asked her "do you want to go take care of it, or do you want me?" She took care of it after having to ask for a manager,,, seems she doesn't like my approach to bullshitters

 

Personally I hate auto wash because it leaves scratches. So I avoid using it often, just whenever there is too much rain or simply in winters when salt and garbage is on my car.

As far as coating goes, i use 3 wax layers.

First is spray wax/wash, second one is liquid, I put it on car and wipe it, and third one is big old hard wax, with soap kinda wax. You have to use foam and rub it all over truck. Takes me 1-2 hours to do all 3 but I am not letting anybody else touch my truck.

 

I have been doing detail on vehicles on the side for about 5 years now. There is nothing wrong with car washes per se. I will even pull in on an occasion if in a hurry. We rarely use Carnuba wax unless it’s an older car that is usually garage kept, or the customer requested it. Synthetic or polymer finishes last longer and protect better. You may not get that deep shine, it’s sort of a trade off. One product we use a lot and many do is Nu Finish polish. It’s simple to apply, gets you the paint protection you want and adds a warm shine. Another great thing is it lasts and lasts. My 2 cents.

 

if you are taking your truck through automatic car washes, then you are not to concerned with taking care of your paint so the ceramic is less of a worry than taking your truck into the tunnel of marring...

 

in the detailing world (proper detailing, not tunnel of death) quality ceramics have far surpassed traditional waxes and sealants. think flip phone vs iPhone 15. Yes the flip phone might work but not nearly as great at iPhones.

 

Ceramic is worth doing. Wax can look good sure, but a properly applied coating makes in between washes much easier to dry and maintain.

 

This is not factual, and could not be more wrong. Traditional waxes, polymers, and synthetics actually protect better than a ceramic coating. This without a science lesson is how they lay on the paint and how hard they get. The only benefit to ceramic is may last a few years depending on where you live, and how it was applied ,but it doesn’t protect better. That’s 100% false. The cost of ceramic, and we do a lot of them, is easily is 100x the price of 4 times a year synthetics/polymer. I really like ceramics but they aren’t inherently better by any means, just convenient.

 

Get some good detail spray to mist over each panel as you dry them and it will look great!

 

That is a solid point. They don't make it as easy to cancel as it is to sign up. They will break their neck getting to your car to sign you up, but you ask them how to cancel and you get an "I don't know".

 

Ceramics are better in the sense of not having any protection at all and the fact that it lasts a long time means better protection. I wish I could stay up with a 4 times per year regiment to compare.

 

I'm not a detail expert but my approach is that automatic washes scratch the paint. I used to take my old Jeep to the wash at Apple autopark every week with one of those monthly membership things. After they got funny saying that I couldn't have the factory roof rack, rear mounted spare tire or even take a vehicle in with a trailer hitch because they said it would damage their upgraded equipment. I canceled that day, I wasn't removing my spare and stuff just to go into their crappie wash that sometimes took two trips through to clean the vehicle.

Then when I started to wash at home again I noticed all the fine scratches and Clear coat damage.

My Tacoma has only been in an automatic wash 2x at the local Toyota dealership in Hanover. Both times I went I was there just after opening when hopefully the brushes were all clean.
Normally I wash by hand. In the winter when I need to just the salt off and it's too cold I go to the pay and spray high pressure self service car wash. It doesn't get it as throughly clean as with the bucket and wash mit at home but it gets a lot of major grime off.

Those waxes that spray on at the car wash only last about a week if even. In my opinion they are just to make people think they are getting something better so they can take more of your coin. Nothing can replace a good wax, polish or coating applied by hand. I been using maguire's hybrid ceramic liquid wax 2-3 times a year. Water beads on the paint for months and I feel like the truck stays cleaner longer in the spring and summer too.
I've stated to use it on my BFs white Jeep Wrangler too and it definitely looks like it's staying cleaner too.

 

We have a lot of just built tunnel washes here , I just get cheapest it's 19$ a month , one thing I do avoid is the underbelly wash to much going on under there.
Take it to a self service wash , I learned my lesson when blue beacon truck wash added the under carriage wash it took out the abs system and cost a lot to fix.

 

FWIW- A friend of mine worked for a company that supplies and services chemicals/pumps for touchless car washes in Southern Ontario. Part of his job was to make sure the chemicals were spraying properly so he would go to different sites and drive through a few test washes everyday, Monday to Friday, 50 weeks per year (Usually ‘Ultimate’ test washes with all the bells and whistles)

He’s had quite a few work vehicles since I’ve known him and they all died from mechanical issues/high mileage and the paint and bodies still all looked great.

 

Key thing is you said "touchless". The ones I'm talking about scratching the finish are the ones with the whirling brushes, and cloth things that make physical contact to clean the vehicles. There is no way they can rinse all the crud out between vehicles so dirt from cars before you is still there scratching yours.

I'd be all in on a touch less wash but sadly there are few around me. They keep building new car washes here. When I go check them out after they open they aren't touchless, so I stay away.

 

I avoid automatic, drive-through car wash facilities completely, but I just got 60 days unlimited free top-level 'washes' from the dealership where I bought my '23 Tacoma. Very tempting, as there's already winter crud on it with just 170 miles. The dealership told me that they applied 'ceramic' to the paint as well as 'scotchguard' to the interior upholstery (confirmed by the excess amount of 'scotchguard' discovered & cleaned up under rear seats). I'm concerned how my personal regimen of carnauba wax in the summer will co-exist with the ceramic application; I'm totally new to 'ceramics' but it does look decent. Any knowledgable comments on ceramics appreciated - TIA!

 

I would drive around back and take a look at their wash bay before you get too comfortable. Many dealers around here have very shitty dirty and antiquated washes, and that is not just my opinion, I have buddies that are dealer techs, sales, and also a couple customers of mine, one that builds new washes and another outfit that repairs them. Even if they have a shiny new wash, they go to hell quickly, as the dealer model these days is so cut-throat, the washes are viewed as an expense.

 

Sounds like a fun job!

 

I do disagree. Again, I am not an expert at coatings but through my experiences and research, ceramics are better and last much longer. If they offer similar protection as waxes and last longer, then they are better. For me, because it takes the same about of time and work and lasts 4-8 times longer, it's better. Saves me time, which is money.

 

Cheapest one that does the bottom wash, and spot free rinse. The spot free rinse pretty much eliminates water spots especially if you towel it dry after. What I usually do is go through the wash, then pull out onto the road and drive for a couple miles to air dry then pull off and wipe it down. A good laser wash does a pretty good job!



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Would the wax be able to protect better especially if you put two coats on due to the thicker barrier and the hardening? I see a lot of conflicting information out there. I am gonna try the ceramic due to the fact that I am lazy. Simple as that lol!