# Car Washing....



## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

Brethren...

Are touchless car washes the way to go? Or have they made the touchy ones better? I know that there is potential to get scratches with the ones that slap your car around. I used to take my work trucks into the self-washes for just a rinse and not care, but now that I have a car I'd like to keep it clean with minimal scratches.

I tried the self washing high powered rinse yesterday, and the car looked great - until it dried. It looks almost the exact same. I was pretty pissed.

I can't wash it where I live, since my hose can't reach the street (otherwise, I'd prolly do it myself). We have in-house detailing, but it starts at over $100, so fuck that.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I do the touchless at a local Canadian Tire and it works well, but one thing is, if you get the "deluxe" package, it includes shit that sort of gums up your windshield and wipers.

I find they work like shit unless I clean both after a car wash. Otherwise they just smear.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

What does the dealer charge? 

I get a spring and fall detail at my dealer (vacuum, they put something on my windshield to help with visibility), its $120.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Budda said:


> What does the dealer charge?
> 
> I get a spring and fall detail at my dealer (vacuum, they put something on my windshield to help with visibility), its $120.


Rain X or similar.

For $120 I can go to any detailer and get a pretty nice cleaning. 

For cars we leased or bought at dealers they always cleaned them for free during periodic service visits.

Rain X causes the rain to sort of bead up. It's nice when applied correctly, but you still have to clean the goop off of both glass and wiper blades first.

I don't know _what _the f%$k the CT car wash puts on the windshield, but I don't much like it.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

Adcandour said:


> since my hose can't reach the street


buy another 50 ft or so?


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## butterknucket (Feb 5, 2006)




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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

Budda said:


> What does the dealer charge?
> 
> I get a spring and fall detail at my dealer (vacuum, they put something on my windshield to help with visibility), its $120.


I didnt ask, but I bet too much. Toyota was around $250.


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

laristotle said:


> buy another 50 ft or so?


Its a fire route, so security would come after me. Ive already got in two fights with them. Funny story that Ill try to remember to tell at the next GC breakfast...(remember those, ha?!?).


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

You need a friend with a driveway.

Sometimes a hand job is the safest.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

Adcandour said:


> the next GC breakfast...(remember those, ha?!?)


Aye. Miss them.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

laristotle said:


> buy another 50 ft or so?


We have to reach about 80 feet from the spigot to the back of our lot.

We bought one of those Shrivel up sort of hoses. It's actually pretty creepy, looks like an 80 foot hard on, vein and all and then shrivels up like a frightened turtle when you turn the pressure off.

But, light weight, super compact and works well.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Adcandour said:


> I didnt ask, but I bet too much. Toyota was around $250.


Wow. I think mazda tops out at $199 and that includes cleaning the engine bay lol.


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

Jim DaddyO said:


> You need a friend with a driveway.
> 
> Sometimes a hand job is the safest.


Where's Michopicoten, Ontario?


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

Budda said:


> Wow. I think mazda tops out at $199 and that includes cleaning the engine bay lol.


The garage downstairs tops out at $400. WTF?


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

I do a lot of highway, then backroads, so grime is a daily thing. I try to get a wash (at least) weekly. I do a couple touch-less to an occasional "safe-touch". (there's a Family Guy joke in there somewhere)


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## DaddyDog (Apr 21, 2017)

Assuming you got the heavy dirt off in the wash... I've tried this and it works great: https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/dry-shine-waterless-wash-and-wax-0390431p.html


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Adcandour said:


> Funny story that Ill try to remember to tell at the next GC breakfast...(remember those, ha?!?).





laristotle said:


> Aye. Miss them.


Ironically, I was just thinking about the "GC Breakfast" the other day.

BTW... @Adcandour I have made good use o the heat gun you sold to me. 
Thanks again for such an excellent deal!


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

Just hope that the charity fundraiser car wash returns soon.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

greco said:


> Ironically, I was just thinking about the "GC Breakfast" the other day.
> 
> BTW... @Adcandour I have made good use o the heat gun you sold to me.
> Thanks again for such an excellent deal!


 Same here. Shit there are two things on my desk in front of me right now that I bought from Chuck at that last one.


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

Adcandour said:


> Where's Michopicoten, Ontario?


It's part of Wawa.


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

DaddyDog said:


> Assuming you got the heavy dirt off in the wash... I've tried this and it works great: https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/dry-shine-waterless-wash-and-wax-0390431p.html
> 
> View attachment 364247


Gamechanger maybe...


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## Okay Player (May 24, 2020)

Adcandour said:


> Brethren...
> 
> Are touchless car washes the way to go? Or have they made the touchy ones better? I know that there is potential to get scratches with the ones that slap your car around. I used to take my work trucks into the self-washes for just a rinse and not care, but now that I have a car I'd like to keep it clean with minimal scratches.
> 
> ...


Touchless car washes are the way to go of you get frequent washes. Touch car washes can't be improved upon as the straps collect dirt and use it to scratch the cars they're supposed to be cleaning. 

Hand wash is generally required if your car is really dirty though.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

I used to do the touchless washes, cheap easy and everywhere...I didnt think they did a great job though. Seemed to miss parts of the my car, like the back.
I do it at home with a hose now, and get a detail once every year or 2 at Detailing (finedetailsnorth.ca) they really make the interior look brand new, even of my 10 yr old car.


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## Rollin Hand (Jul 12, 2012)

Really, finding a place that does a decent handwash is the way to go, or a coin wash -- I find that the touchless is fine for getting the worst winter stuff off, but they are next to useless after that. Coin washes are cheaper, but you're doing the work -- not sure if that matters to you.

If you go to a coin wash, do NOT use their brush. Pressure wash with their soap, and a clean sponge or microfibre mitt. Decent microfibre drying towels are a must, and are available cheap at Wally World.

Can you wax the car at your place? Then you can get some microfibres at Canadian Tire, Costco or Walmart and a synthetic wax (spray or liquid), or even one of the new ceramic waxes, and wax it so it stays cleaner and is easier to wash the next time.

And a clean car means 10 extra horsepower!


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

For me, washing the car means waiting for the rain.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Unless their opposite uses acid and barbecue grill brushes to clean the car, I find "touchless" rather futile. One doesn't have to drive on any expressway very much to have a shower of tiny stones constantly flung at your vehicle by all the other vehicles your own is surrounded by. That IS, after all, why your windshield never seems to look completely clear. It's not like an army of elves comes along every night and sweeps the road surface completely pristine.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

laristotle said:


> For me, washing the car means waiting for the rain.


Until I got my little red bomber that was my approach too.

These days, the touchless car wash is almost like an amusement park ride for my granddaughter and one of my daughters. The machine sprays multi coloured soaps all over the car. The kids get a great kick out of it.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

Adcandour said:


> Gamechanger maybe...


I was all teed up to call it a gimmick but the more i read on waterless washes, the more legit it sounds...for light cleaning anyway.
We Uncover the Myths of How a Waterless Car Wash Works (fuelandfriction.com)

Im old school though, I think I would do something like what Rollin Hand suggests above...buy one of the Chemical Guys kits that HD has on sale in the summer for $50, and go to a wash bay and use the included mitt, rags, bucket etc and do it myself....assuming it was a car I appreciated. if it were any old daily driver that I just didnt want to drive dirty, Id pay the $12 and drive through whatever my local gas station has.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

Milkman said:


> Same here. Shit there are two things on my desk in front of me right now that I bought from Chuck at that last one.


I would have bought his five string Roy Rogers guitar but he refused to guarantee it would make me sound like Keith.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

laristotle said:


> For me, washing the car means waiting for the rain.


For some of my past cars, the accumulated dirt was probably what held them together.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Wardo said:


> I would have bought his five string Roy Rogers guitar but he refused to guarantee it would make me sound like Keith.


No, I think that takes a fifth of scotch.

I use this every time I have a web meeting.










And this if I want to make a decent sounding Youtube clip with my iPhone.










Both came from Chuck at a more than reasonable price.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

butterknucket said:


>


I dont know why chuck is worrying about this stuff....he should just get his GF to do it, while he takes the pics for us.


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## oldjoat (Apr 4, 2019)

back in the daze ... we used the self serve car washes to blast the grime off the engines/trans/ engine bays before we took the cars home to do any engine work ... the best 50 cents ever spent and all the nuts&bolts were clean and easier to remove.

the drive thru washes always left swirls on paint jobs ... so it was the bucket and soap after a quick hosing to loosen the dirt.

it's kinda useless to wash in winter , only to have it all back on the car in 5 mins of driving.
same with a drive down a dirt road / construction site / etc.

I've decided that none of the vehicles I own are worth the effort... the next rainfall will suffice.

yes RAINEX is worth it , but use regular alcohol on your wiper blades to clean off the road scum that accumulates on the edge. and don't forget to Rainex ALL the windows.

go to the beach with the vehicle and use the ol' bucket and sponges/towels.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

Coin op spray, unless the car was really clean then a light coat of dust, just spraying won't do it. Gotta take that extra 5 minutes giving it a wipedown with the foamy brush.


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## tomee2 (Feb 27, 2017)

keto said:


> Coin op spray, unless the car was really clean then a light coat of dust, just spraying won't do it. Gotta take that extra 5 minutes giving it a wipedown with the foamy brush.


Ya, $4 in in wand wash once a month works for me. 
Sometimes it's twice a year, but it works.


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

Diablo said:


> I dont know why chuck is worrying about this stuff....he should just get his GF to do it, while he takes the pics for us.


I ran it by her, and she says she'll just hire a younger girl to do it for her. She's the best.


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

keto said:


> Coin op spray, unless the car was really clean then a light coat of dust, just spraying won't do it. Gotta take that extra 5 minutes giving it a wipedown with the foamy brush.


That was my go-to, but my fear is that whatever is on the previous person's tire is going to end up destroying my paint


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## oldjoat (Apr 4, 2019)

just bring your own "brush & towels"


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

Adcandour said:


> That was my go-to, but my fear is that whatever is on the previous person's tire is going to end up destroying my paint


Dunno about that personally, the way the foam pushes thru it should be taking with it any debris that might otherwise accumulate. Beyond that, I think you're back to hand washing. Touchless drive through types have never once in a lifetime given me a satisfactory clean.


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

laristotle said:


> buy another 50 ft or so?


You will get fined for washing your car on the street or even in your driveway in Calgary.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

Sneaky said:


> You will get fined for washing your car on the street or even in your driveway in Calgary.


What? What's the logic there, soap in the sewer system?


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

Sneaky said:


> or even in your driveway in Calgary.


for serious?

edit,- I see keto is on it


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

I've used RainX. It does the job. So does just waxing the windshield and you usually have that on hand. Don't forget the headlights too so they have some UV protection. Stops them from yellowing so fast.


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

keto said:


> What? What's the logic there, soap in the sewer system?


Yes. I guess it’s ok if you just use water as long as your car isn’t overly dirty, whatever that means.









Bylaws related to residential car washing







www.calgary.ca


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## mawmow (Nov 14, 2017)

I took the habit years ago to go to ESSO for the most expensive they do (I do not care how they name it !) twice a year (Spring and Fall) to get the car cleaned and waxed. In Summer, I would go for simple cleaning as needed. I almost never had a car washed during Winter.

For my windshield and front side windows, I have Aquapel done by the dealer when I go for service in Spring and Fall too.


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## butterknucket (Feb 5, 2006)




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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

butterknucket said:


>


Like Rod Stewart said: Every picture tells a story.


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## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

mhammer said:


> Like Rod Stewart said: Every picture tells a story.


On a Volvo yet - must be some story


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

A Volvo, eh? Hmmm, is THAT what they mean by safe sex?


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

A couple of detailings like that and I've spent more than my car is worth...


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## SG-Rocker (Dec 30, 2007)

Sneaky said:


> You will get fined for washing your car on the street or even in your driveway in Calgary.


Morinville bylaw:

Section 705 WASHING AND REPAIRING A VEHICLE 

1.1 No person shall carry out activities upon a highway or so near a highway as to result in depositing mud or other materials, or creating slush or ice, upon a public sidewalk or highway. 

1.2 No person operating a premise shall allow water, mud, slush, or other materials to deposit on a public sidewalk from a highway.

You can be fined for getting the sidewalk wet from pressure washing the driveway. That's fucked.


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## Midnight Rider (Apr 2, 2015)

Adcandour said:


> Brethren...
> 
> Are touchless car washes the way to go? Or have they made the touchy ones better? I know that there is potential to get scratches with the ones that slap your car around. I used to take my work trucks into the self-washes for just a rinse and not care, but now that I have a car I'd like to keep it clean with minimal scratches.
> 
> ...


Yeah,... stick with the touchless,... I think you just need to just find one with a little more hydrological force,... you'll be aite.


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

Update:

I got a text from @Budda concerning a car wash that is close to where I live. His uncle goes there and has had no issues. Like an annoying asshole, I grilled the employees and told them there's no scratches on my car and I hope there won't be when I finish.

It was not touchless, but there were no scratches. The clean was quite good, but there was some weird water marks at the top of the hood.

Shortly afterward, it started spitting. For good measure, my girlfriend decided to open her window. ffs.


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## VHTO (Feb 19, 2016)

If you are near Yonge/401, the automatic car wash at the Shell station on the SE corner of Yonge/York Mills is decent, and there is a choice of touch or touchless options. FWIW there is a black Lamborghini Urus that seems to use it regularly.

In the west end there are 3 washes that appear to be owned/operated by the same entity: Dundas West just west of Kipling (north side by the dry cleaner), Dundas West just into Mississauga, (north side, just past La Castile restaurant) and The West Mall (south side, roughly halfway between The Queensway and Dundas West).

So far, so good with those, and there is a crew that will hand-dry the car and dress the tires if you opt for that service. I believe that all 3 locations also offer hand washes and detailing services.

YMMV


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

VHTO said:


> If you are near Yonge/401, the automatic car wash at the Shell station on the SE corner of Yonge/York Mills is decent, and there is a choice of touch or touchless options. FWIW there is a black Lamborghini Urus that seems to use it regularly.
> 
> In the west end there are 3 washes that appear to be owned/operated by the same entity: Dundas West just west of Kipling (north side by the dry cleaner), Dundas West just into Mississauga, (north side, just past La Castile restaurant) and The West Mall (south side, roughly halfway between The Queensway and Dundas West).
> 
> ...


I'm hoping to never have to drive down in that area again, but I have done quite a few guitar deals in that parking lot...

Unless a Urus is done up like this...I'll never understand why people would buy one of those.


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)




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## Rollin Hand (Jul 12, 2012)

Adcandour said:


> That was my go-to, but my fear is that whatever is on the previous person's tire is going to end up destroying my paint


It will. A cheap bucket and some WalMart or Crappy Tire microfibre supplies make all the difference. Use a tire brush on the rims, but otherwise, no brush.


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## smartcanuck (6 mo ago)

Adcandour said:


> Brethren...
> 
> Are touchless car washes the way to go? Or have they made the touchy ones better? I know that there is potential to get scratches with the ones that slap your car around. I used to take my work trucks into the self-washes for just a rinse and not care, but now that I have a car I'd like to keep it clean with minimal scratches.
> 
> ...


Actually for about 15 years I haven't been using anything different. I am not that rich to buy cheap services for the car. Washing it with a rug will leave scratches everywhere. When I came to contact online tires canada manager  https://tireplanet.ca/ I also saw an assortment of various car products. So I bought a new shampoo for my baby in addition to that.


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## mawmow (Nov 14, 2017)

Car wash with wax twice a year (Spring and Fall) for over forty years without any issue.
Simple car wash to remove dirt and mud in the meanwhile.

I also ask my dealer to put Aquapel on windshield and front side windows at Fall service so that rain and slush won’t cause any problem.


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## Alan Small (Dec 30, 2019)

I am "that guy" who does not wash the exterior of his car...it rains enough to keep it from looking like a mudder mobile


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

laristotle said:


> buy another 50 ft or so?


It’s illegal to wash your car on the street in Calgary. 🙄


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

Alan Small said:


> I am "that guy" who does not wash the exterior of his car...it rains enough to keep it from looking like a mudder mobile


Me too man. The dirt is another layer protecting the finish!
Plus, that way it looks less appealing. Can't have all the ladies throwing themselves at my 92 hatchback. I'm married dont you know.


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## FatStrat2 (Apr 7, 2021)

Daily exterior rinses also help keep the car clean without a whole lot of effort - just not in the sun!


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