Car Wash Recommendations: in General, and NoVA in particular

[flipb]

I've had my CPO Model S for about a month now, and was starting to feel a little bummed out with the inevitable dirt & bird poop accumulating on it. So today I took it through an automated, touchless car wash. The Pano Roof leaked considerably -- maybe 1/2 oz of water fell on me in the driver's seat, and another 1/2 oz or so on the passenger seat.

So here are all my questions:

1. Is a leaky Pano roof a common problem? Will the SC provide a fix? (I have CPO warranty) It's never leaked in rain, only in the high-pressure water (rinse) jets of the car wash.
2. At car washes that are attended but partially-automated, where the car rolls through a wash system in Neutral, do other Tesla owners find that the attendants know how to deal with a Tesla?
3. Does anybody have a Northern Virginia car wash that they trust? Not looking for detailing, just for periodic washes. Per #2 above, preferably a place that is familiar with Teslas.

I'm hoping to soon get my son trained up to wash it for me in the driveway, but looking for options in lieu of that...

 

[MassModel3]

I can't speak to the car washes, but the leaky pano roof is definitely something the SC will take care of for you. One of the loaners I was given after I dropped my S off for service, as soon as I hit the accelerator it poured about 1/4 of water on the driver (me!). Since the rains were over, I let them know but kept driving the loaner. So my point is that it's not uncommon.

But I hand wash my car all the time and high-pressure hosing has never caused leaking, so it's just a bad seal on your car that needs to be replaced.

 

[Max*]

I just use the high pressure spray washer car washes at gas stations throughout NoVa. I think there's a handwash place in Tysons corner on route 7, but I've never been there.

 

[gutowskia]

I was afraid that any automated car wash would scratch up the 21" rims. Can anyone comment If this is a problem? Also the paint on my CPO model S looks great, it was very well maintained by the previous owner, so I decided to hand wash my car going forward. No leaks here.

 

[flipb]

Follow-up question: I just went outside, a few hours since my wash, and figured I'd open the Pano roof a little to let any water in the track evaporate. I discovered (1) that the pop-up wind deflector is made of cloth, and was soaking wet. So I'm leaving it open to dry out. And (2) there seem to be little nooks near the front of the roof track where water puddles.

Is there a mechanism for those spots to drain on a regular basis? Or is it a good idea to periodically leave the sunroof open a little (23% seems the be about the minimum to allow the wind deflector to be all the way up) to dry those areas out after a car wash or a rainstorm?

 

[MassModel3]

Follow-up question: I just went outside, a few hours since my wash, and figured I'd open the Pano roof a little to let any water in the track evaporate. I discovered (1) that the pop-up wind deflector is made of cloth, and was soaking wet. So I'm leaving it open to dry out. And (2) there seem to be little nooks near the front of the roof track where water puddles.

Is there a mechanism for those spots to drain on a regular basis? Or is it a good idea to periodically leave the sunroof open a little (23% seems the be about the minimum to allow the wind deflector to be all the way up) to dry those areas out after a car wash or a rainstorm?

I can't remember my wind deflector ever being wet. That sounds like another symptom of poor seals.

 

[drsaab]

I would recommend 3 washes

waldorf md has a belt driven wash called kleen wave auto spa

lorton has one called lorton station carwash

herndon has one called flagship carwash


All wont damage any wheels because they have no tracks to go through and are all belt driven

you should have no leaks in the pano

 

[paulkva]

I use 2 touchless washes in NoVA - both are at Sunoco gas stations, one on Rt 7 in Seven Corners, the other off Gallows Rd near Rt 50 in Merrifield. The only problem I have is the connection points for attaching a roof rack flip up during the wash and I need to fold them back down afterward. I've never had water enter the cabin. So I think once you get the service center to fix your leak you should be fine in the touchless washes.

I think there's a hand wash place on 7 near Baileys Crossroads but I've never used it.

 

[flipb]

I use 2 touchless washes in NoVA - both are at Sunoco gas stations, one on Rt 7 in Seven Corners, the other off Gallows Rd near Rt 50 in Merrifield. The only problem I have is the connection points for attaching a roof rack flip up during the wash and I need to fold them back down afterward. I've never had water enter the cabin. So I think once you get the service center to fix your leak you should be fine in the touchless washes.

I think there's a hand wash place on 7 near Baileys Crossroads but I've never used it.

Those two Sunoco washes are convenient to me -- the one in Merrified is where my leaky Pano happened the other day.

Edit: Noticed the same thing with the roof-rack attach points. 3/4 were flipped open.