Car Wash

[Jitm]

Happy 1.5 months old M3L owner...

I have been taking good care of my car washing every week with "Autogleam Ultra High Definition" products. It takes me around 1 to 1.5 hours to clean the car properly.

Now I have reached to the stage where self car washing seems extra burden to me (alt ease every week) and now I am looking for options.

Thinking should I go for IMO machine car wash or shall I use round the corner guys hand car wash.

I have implemented Autogleam UHD wax protection which should protect the car for 4-6 months and then I will do again detailing myself.

Any suggestions guys?

 

[Alistairuk]

I wouldn't put it through a machine!! Although I have gone from weekly hand washing to pressure washing it once a month over the past year

 

[GRiLLA]

You clearly need to have a good talk with yourself and reassess your priorities. Nothing else can be as therapeutic as washing a perfect black on black Tesla.

Can you not just accelerate the process while still doing it your self so avoiding the swirl that anyone else is going to create. I can do mine in 30 mins every 2-3 weeks. Generally I

1. Pressure wash off anything big
2. Spray on some shampoo with a snow foam thing
3. Cold clean water in a bucket and clean wash mits all over
4. Rinse with hose
5. Dry fairly quickly to avoid water marks

Then if I want to spend longer I'll consider giving the wheels a clean, use detailer spray, wipe down the door shuts, clean the mats.

 

[goin2drt]

This discussion will be like politics. Everyone will have an opinion and you won't be changing the other side.

My opinion coming from a self proclaimed detail freak and hobbyist.

Always a hand wash will be the best (of course if you have no clue what you are doing then they are just as bad as a machine). HOWEVER these aren't some Faberge Egg.

In the summer I will hand wash the car. First will be paint correction and PPF. Maintenance will be once a week hand washes. However during the colder months it will go through a machine washer (we have a car wash chain you can get unlimited washes for a monthly fee) and that will get done as needed based on the grime. A couple times a week if the salt on the ground is bad, once a week about if no salt.

After the winter it will get a full detail again, may need some light paint correction and be ready for the summer. Prior to winter starting another full detail.

We have owned plenty of makes and models that we do this with. 60K miles no problem. You would have zero clue the car has ever been through a dreadful, deadly, absolutely preposterous machine wash.

YES you can machine wash them and they will be just fine.

 

[Leejmoff]

Personally, I do following, which takes 40 mins max.

- spray wheels with "Wonder Wheels" and leave for 5 mins while I get the hose
- cold water hose all over.
- snow foam, leave for 5-10mins while I fill two buckets (one for shampoo, another luke warm water)
- rinse with hose then shampoo with mit (two bucket method)
- rinse with hose
- Autoglym wax spray, you spray while wet, then dry off with a microfibre cloth, one wipe. THis dries the car and waxes it, saving time.
- Autoglym glass spray (while wet). Wipe off with microfibre

Is pretty quick and I only do that once every few weeks. I'll do the inside on another day, just while I have a quick 15 mins to wipe down and/or hoover.

 

[DM206433]

There's a 'touch-free' self car wash not far from where I live. Basically its a valeting bay/machine where you stick some credit in (via contactless payment) and you get a set timer to use as many of the functions as you want. Basically gives you all of the snow foaming, hot washing, wax, wheel cleaning stuff, etc etc.

It's not as thorough as washing it all manually with two buckets, etc. but its very decent.

 

[Sparkeur]

I put it through the jet wash at my local supermarket. Engage car wash mode, tap the card and 8 minutes later (according to the blurb), after much foaming, sweet smelling soap and drying, a clean car.

 

[RagingWhisky]

Unsure if i'm a heathen but my approach:
- Bucket of 'tap warm' water with some nice PH neutral car soapy stuff
- Hand mitt wash across the car
- Rince off with some clean buckets
- Dry with a nice fleecey 'not scratch your paintwork' towel

Rope someone in to help and you're done in 10minutes...

Would only get the pressure washer out if i'd been driving through fields!

 

[init6]

I have implemented Autogleam UHD wax protection which should protect the car for 4-6 months and then I will do again detailing myself.

Any suggestions guys?

No amount of wax will protect your paintwork from machines with brushes and people with dirty buckets.
I'd just wash it by hand whenever you get the chance. You shouldn't need to reapply wax every wash. As @GRiLLA says a maintenance wash shouldn't take more than 30 minutes to do. Your paint will thank you.

 

[pgkevet]

Hose pipe and sponge. Directing the water down over the car/sponge to rinse any grit away and frequent sponge flushes. Takes 15 mins+ setting up hose. It isn't pristine, but it's going to get dirty again anyway. Spring time when the mud level out here reduces it'll get a proper wax job.

 

[yessuz]

I wouldn't put it through a machine!! Although I have gone from weekly hand washing to pressure washing it once a month over the past year

there was a test, like dunno how many years ago or so, by fifth gear, if not mistaken, that actually, auto car washes do lee damage than guys with the sponge round the corner

 

[Leejmoff]

there was a test, like dunno how many years ago or so, by fifth gear, if not mistaken, that actually, auto car washes do lee damage than guys with the sponge round the corner

Not watched the video but I doubt this. A sponge will cause problems if you don't use two bucket method. Rubbing possible sediment over the car using one bucket and an actual sponge will be a problem compared to using a microfibre or sheep skin mitt for instance.

 

[Jason71]

I wouldn't put it through a machine!! Although I have gone from weekly hand washing to pressure washing it once a month over the past year

there was a test, like dunno how many years ago or so, by fifth gear, if not mistaken, that actually, auto car washes do lee damage than guys with the sponge round the corner

correct. The hand car wash actually washes better but the machine filters the water to remove grit so is unlikely to do damage. Same cannot be guaranteed of the hand car washes

 

[init6]

there was a test, like dunno how many years ago or so, by fifth gear, if not mistaken, that actually, auto car washes do lee damage than guys with the sponge round the corner

That video should have an X rating

All methods they used damaged the paintwork and no surprise.
Machine with brushes
Jet wash with brush
Handwash with plastic scraper for drying.

Not sure what they were trying to prove, but anyone hand-washing properly would have vastly superior results to any of those methods.

 

[SalisburySam]

3½ year old black Model 3. Wash experiences:

Year 1 - forums and blogs made me afraid to use those deadly and evil car washes despite using them for the last 25 or so cars I‘ve owned so bought and used dozens of microfibre cloths, bucket of ONR (or UK equivalent), glass cleaner, tyre cleaner, interior fake leather cleaner, vacuum (very necessary with two large dogs), foam cannon for pressure washer, washing mitts and so on. Washed weekly. Waxed every 3 months. Car gleamed and glistened and life was good.
Year 2 - hey, there are a few more Model 3’s around, how do others keep them clean? Over coffee learned more than one of these heretical owners used a conveyor-driven, rotating brush car wash, and one used a touchless wash. Touchless wash user’s car never seemed quite clean but most of bugs/dirt were removed. Rotating-brush users had much cleaner cars, and wait, ohmygosh hold the marmite, no noticeable exterior damage. I held out and continued my manual regimen. Car gleamed and glistened and life was good.
Year 3 - hey, this is a lot of time and work, let’s try the rotating-brush car wash. About 25 minutes and 25USD including tip for a very clean car, thoroughly vacuumed with interior surfaces including glass wiped down or cleaned, and towel-dried exterior…and NO noticeable damage.
Year 3½ and subsequent - rotating-brush car wash as needed, easy peasy, Bob’s your uncle. Car gleams and glistens and life is still good.

Note - have gently-used foam cannon, et al for sale.

 

[GRiLLA]

Not watched the video but I doubt this. A sponge will cause problems if you don't use two bucket method. Rubbing possible sediment over the car using one bucket and an actual sponge will be a problem compared to using a microfibre or sheep skin mitt for instance.

They are comparing a machine to a 'hand car wash', not to someone who is necessarily taking great care. I'm sure there are hand washes that do take care, but I guess we've all seen the kind they mean. I physically winced when I saw them use a brush at the jet wash to scrub the bonnet.

Personally I find fetching warm water and carrying round 2 buckets a PITA. I can spray on the shampoo with a foam lance (so no touch) then wipe with a clean mit that I keep rinsed in a single bucket of clean cold water. It's not entirely orthodox to the detailing establishment methods, but I saw the guy from Forensic Detailing on YouTube doing it that way for his maintenance washes. I also gave up on a pre-wash Polar Snow Foam as it was clearly making no difference at all. Maybe if the car was really dirty, but not for my regular washes.

 

[Jason71]

Not watched the video but I doubt this. A sponge will cause problems if you don't use two bucket method. Rubbing possible sediment over the car using one bucket and an actual sponge will be a problem compared to using a microfibre or sheep skin mitt for instance.

I use a no bucket method with snow foam and 2 wash MITs rinsed regularly with the pressure washer. Seems the best way to avoid grit. zero water re-use. If its cold I sometimes run the pressure washer on warm water from a large bucket. Works well.

 

[init6]

Personally I find fetching warm water and carrying round 2 buckets a PITA.

I only use one bucket, but rinse the mitt under the hose. Less to carry and even cleaner than 2 buckets.

 

[init6]

noticeable exterior damage.
and NO noticeable damage.

Noticeable is doing a lot of lifting in these comments

You're right of course. The VAST majority of owners have never seen a well polished car and even when they come out of the Tesla dealer (even Tesla!) most people will think the car looks great. If you have spent time (and money) on good car preparation and polish, the difference is night and day.

 

[CyberGus]

I'm gonna wash my Cybertruck with sand and gravel lol