At the dealer yesterday he said you do not need to goto touch less car wash. That was the advice for older cars. But newer cars like 2021 with the heat pumps you can use the one with the brushes. It does not matter. Is that so? Anyone else here use the brushes or bristles? Not sure why the older teslas would would be affected and not the new ones.
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Car wash?
- Thread starter KJSS4
- Start date
No relationship between "heat pumps" and various types of car washes. They are completely unrelated.
I don't understand what the Tesla rep was trying to tell you. It makes absolutely no sense.
I don't understand what the Tesla rep was trying to tell you. It makes absolutely no sense.
gx9901
Active Member
I got spooked by reports of discolored black trim on Model Ys (and have seen discolored black trim on some MYs in the wild), so I have never taken my MYP through an automated car wash. I enjoy washing my car so no issues in the summer. In the winter, I found a chain of self serve car wash around town so I've been using that when the weather permits in the winter. Works for me.
fholbert
Active Member
Heat Pump and Car Wash should never be in the same paragraph, they have nothing to do with one another.
Car washes reuse water, fine sand and dirt from a dirty car ahead of you may be in the water when your car is washed. Used water goes through a clarifier, if the car wash is busy there isn’t enough time for the fine particles to settle. When the car is being touched small dirt particles are being rubbed against the paint. I think that’s where the micro scratches come from, more than the brushes. The only clean water your car sees is the final rinse.
A touch less car wash uses (wait for it) a very small electrical charge in the water. Don‘t remember how it works, something like the car carries a positive charge, and the water has a negative charge. Somehow, I really don’t understand it, that removes dirt from the car.
Full disclosure: For over 10 years a family member managed a two alley, touch-less car wash near Thousand Oaks California. Each Christmas and Thanksgiving I was taught more about the car wash business than I ever wanted to know.
carlos31820
Member
Car wash places use the water filter before they spray water to the fabric and silicone "brushes" through the nozzle. So those small dirt particles that you mentioned, they are already filterd out before they reach the nozzle. Otherwise, those particles will clogged up the nozzle before they reach the brushes and the car.
The sand/dirt gets trapped within those "brushes" and those are the culprit of the scratches, not the particles in the water.
Also, all vehicles have negative ground.
Also, touchless car wash uses high pressure nozzles and treated water to remove dirt (not even close to clean but you get the big/dirty stuff out at least).
I have tested my old beater car with my local carwash. I did go thought the car wash everyday for 3 months and the outcome was as expected. Fine swirl scratches everywhere, discolored plastic/aluminum moldings and trims (due to treated water). Also, hard to reach spots like rear license plate areas didn't get washed and looked worse.
TLH AP
Member
I grew up in the "Muscle Car" era. Washing my Tesla by hand is great therapy, taking me back to Saturdays when I washed my '68 Camero preparing to cruise Hot Shoppes that evening with my favorite girl. Life was simpler then. You should try it sometime.
You're in Florida. KJSS4 is in Chicago. Big difference, especially in the Winter.
KevinT3141
Member
My wife ping-pongs between small towns all day as a visiting nurse, which in the winter with road salt dumped onto nearly every paved surface means that the car needs a bath just about every day. Hand washing would kill us...
elambo
Member
When I lived in Chicago I went to Simon's and nowhere else. They're great. Can't comment on their fees though -- it's been a while.
I've taken our 2021 Y through car washes with brushes many times without issue. There's an actual "Car Wash" mode in the service screen that you an use to disable wipers, fold mirrors, etc. Never had any damage nor leaks.
I hand washed and babied our previous Model S because it felt more special but I take our Y through car washes all the time without a concern.
I hand washed and babied our previous Model S because it felt more special but I take our Y through car washes all the time without a concern.
Have a new car and hand washed it. Then I applied a whole can of Turtle wax to the car. Finally, I had the "pleasure" of spending three hours rubbing the Turtle wax down. Let's just say I survived.
I use touchless car wash in the winter (I'm near Chicago). The trim does get discolored but it's because of the residue from the strong shampoo. Fixed with some steel cleaner (I use Weiman I bought from Target). In the summer, I hand wash my car. Like other have mentioned, it is therapeutic for me. Takes me about three hours to clean both inside and outside.
I've seen other Tesla owners near me use the brush wash. No issues. Just make sure car is in car wash mode and is allowed to free roll. Though most of the brush wash places near me have you park the car in the middle and the washing system moves around the car.
I've seen other Tesla owners near me use the brush wash. No issues. Just make sure car is in car wash mode and is allowed to free roll. Though most of the brush wash places near me have you park the car in the middle and the washing system moves around the car.
