Automatic car washes

I just bought a used tri-fold tonneau cover from a friend of mine who traded his 2024 Tacoma for a Tundra (needed for room). He stated that he regularly runs his truck through automatic car washes with no problem. Most sites advise against this. What is your opinion?

 

Automatic car washes are generally not paint friendly and if you look, sometimes you can see scratches left from the brushes

 

Tri-fold cover or not, my truck only gets hand washed by me. Ten years from now, you want your 4th Gen to look like this.

 

Before I bought by 2025 Tacoma, I had a 2020 F150 for 5 years. The automatic car wash I was using was extremely gentle, and there was no sign of brush marks, etc. The paint and finish was like-new when I sold it. I understand that some brushes might hold sand, etc. from previous washes from extremely dirty vehicles, but I was more interested in the damage the car wash might do to the fabric tonneau cover, not the vehicle. I had a Undercover solid top on the F150, so it was never an issue. Thanks for your opinion. I guess I will continue to hand wash my new Tacoma.

 

I do it a few times a year, mostly winter when my spigot is turned off. I have with a soft Tri-fold TonnoPro and the auto car washes are not a issue.

 

Bought my last truck used, a barcelona red 2nd gen tundra. Paint was covered in swirls from an auto wash, so I had a pro do a paint correction. Since then, i just get an occasional touchless carwash, the cheapest wash option. Pretty much just a soap spray and rinse. Gets the truck as clean as I care about.

 

I prefer to hand wash. I have a Tyger brand tri-fold. I will go through the touch-less car wash but would be hesitant to go through a pull through with brushes. Not because I am concerned about the brushes and the paint rather the cover getting knocked loose by the brushes.

 

I have done it once after an off-road trip in mud and snow, but I prefer to use my pressure washer at home.

 

Touchless auto car wash for my vehicles. Then I detail after if needing.

 

I have a tri-fold cover and I run my truck thru auto car washes a couple times a week. Doesn’t hurt the cover or the paint, it’s a truck…

 

Scratch factories at best. Fk up your vehicle at worst.

I advise family to visit the hand wash places or DIY yet they don’t listen.

One had the shark fin cover torn off her Hyundai in one. Another had the spare tire cover torn off her (older) Rav4 in another. The touchless automatic places never seem to get all the dirt off.

 

been using all kinds of auto washes for years on my vehicles, never had any issues with it.

 

I have the Toyota OE tri fold and run my truck through on average twice a week. No issues at all.

 

+1. If you don’t like your truck use the auto car washes or if you’re lazy.

 

Paint on a truck isn’t more durable than any other car paint…. Use logic here. When a dirty vehicle with tons of mud road debris and dirt enters a car wash with those cloth strips wiping the car and then you enter the wash right after those cloth flaps are essentially fine sand paper slapping your paint. Eventually you end up with fine scratches and swirl marks and dull paint.

 

Some of us baby these things and we are all different, I get it. To me a pick-up is just another tool to get the job done. Daily stuff goes into the bed, weekly stuff gets towed, gets pin strips from forest roads or trials, it tows stuff out of mud, tools get used. Overall I am not worried about a few swirl marks from a car wash...

 

11 years of automatic car washs and it lives outside 24/7 except twice a year when I seal it

 

Exactly. That’s what I meant when I said “it’s a truck” … a lot of folks get upset when their mall crawler gets a nick or swirl in the paint, I get it.

 

With what these things cost these days, it’s understandable IMHO…

 

The simple answer is to each their own on swirls and imperfections, but more importantly…

This beauty, and Pyrite Mica have to be the two best Gen2 colors.