Do you take your truck thru Gas-Station car wash?

Never the gas station car wash but I always use the stand alone twisters. I don't think I will ever hand wash and wax a car or truck again, the time investment isn't worth it for me.

 

I got a unlimited wash membership. $30 a month gets me all the washes I want. In the winter its usually every other day, summer at least once a week. But I only do touchless washes, I will hand wash at home when I want to wax.

 

I use an annual pass at a local full service car wash only place for the Tacoma and Land Cruiser. No issues and the Tacoma goes there at least twice a week.

 

Hand washing my truck once a month works for about 2/3 of the year. The other 1/3 is to damn cold to hand wash lol.

 

Agree. I hand wash my truck once a year... whether it needs it or not. Everything else is gravy. Vehicle paint reached "Kryptonite level" years ago.. (Ok: except maybe Super-White) Go figure

 

Just pic yourself up a portable power washer and you won't look back.

I picked up this electric start Generac power washer a few years ago, & I've not been to a gas station wash nor a DIY power spray car wash since.
It works amazingly well, and also has settings for power washing the side walk, house siding and of course the vehicle.

 

At this point, my truck has been through much worse. So yes, totally laughable.

Never did repair the antenna. It ripped the threads out so need entire new antenna under the fender. Been 5 years without it now.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/official-ask-a-detailer-thread.8957/

 

Thank you. She is a fun truck to drive and looks good doing it.

 

Mine only gets bikini car washes.








So it’s always dirty

 

Too many a fairly expensive tool which comes from years of hard work and saving...

 

I think you need to reallocate that spare cash and instead of buying cleaning products and waxes hire a cleaning person, a personal chef, and a hooker.

 

Yep; I have an unlimited use pass and go through multiple times per week in winter and in pollen season and after trail runs (sometimes multiple passes in a row after trail runs). After all the pinstriping the trails put on the truck and the crap sprayed underneath by Michigan winter roads I will use those things and not worry. Millions of cars and trucks use them every year. The mall-crawl crowd will scream no, while they lovingly put on a second coat of wax by hand after spending hours clay barring their paint, but in 15 years their truck will be worth no more or less than one that went through a car wash. 3 minutes in the car wash to clean underside and body, or three hours at home washing it yourself. Your choice of what you want to do with three hours of your life, but I prefer driving the truck rather than looking at it.

 

Jesus don’t just don’t, even improper hand washing can destroy your paint let alone those monstrosities.

 

It really depends on what you are going for.

Want to keep the paint in the best possible shape, then two bucket hand wash with some microfiber.

Want it generally clean, not perfect though, but want to avoid scratches? Touchless washes then.

Want it to look clean but at a minimum of effort (not criticizing) then hit the roller brushes. Over time the brushes will rub light dirt across the paint and it won't be as perfectly shiney, but that takes time. The truck will look good, it's easy, and if you want just pay a detailer every 4 to 5 years to buff it back up.

No right or wrong way to do it, use whatever works for you, just understand the consequences (time, not clean, or scratches)

Personally I two bucket wash, separate rinse with stored dehumidifier water (my water leaves TERRIBLE spots), then forced air dry. The truck was ceramic coated within the first week and currently I wash every every month or so. A year and a half later the Paint still looks like the day I drove it home and the ceramic means it stays looking clean. I do run it through the touchless occasionally in the winter, mostly for the underbody spray. More cost and time up front but it really reduces what you have to do over the long term.

 

I use the auto carwash only in the winter, on occasion, to knock the salt off the undercarriage. Early spring and late fall, its hand wash and wax. I'm not a huge fan of the carwash but in freezing temps and snow, no choice.

 

I spend weekends with my baby!

 

And by destroy you mean minor swirls visible in sunlight, that shouldn't matter because this is a truck and not a Ferrari where paint quality and thickness will matter in resale....

 

Always that one person. It’s not hard to two bucket hand wash or foam cannon. And you can do a lot more than minor swirls using auto car washes as well as the ph of the detergent and diminishing the clearcoat. But you do you since you seem to have it all figured out.