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Laser washing Tesla Model 3
- Thread starter Stevoesla
- Start date
"touchless" washes use very high alkalinity wash solutions, which may negatively impact your black plastics over time. They also use very high pressure which can put all seals under a bit of stress. Finally, if they still have a wheel track type system, be cautious as to not curb your wheels.
I think it is smart to avoid any undercarriage wash option.
If it was me, I would avoid all automatic car washes but I realize that isn't a practical solution for everyone. While a traditional 2-bucket wash can work great, it can be a bit time consuming. A rinseless wash, like with Optimum No Rinse or similar product, might be a more efficient solution for you as long as the car is not caked with dirt. There is no shortage of youtube videos, etc. on how to properly complete a rinseless wash. FYI, to do my 3 (all body panels), it takes 10 minutes. To do the wheels add another 10 minutes, although I typically like to use regular car soap and hose rather than rinseless for this. Then, another 5 minutes to wipe down all the door jambs.
I think it is smart to avoid any undercarriage wash option.
If it was me, I would avoid all automatic car washes but I realize that isn't a practical solution for everyone. While a traditional 2-bucket wash can work great, it can be a bit time consuming. A rinseless wash, like with Optimum No Rinse or similar product, might be a more efficient solution for you as long as the car is not caked with dirt. There is no shortage of youtube videos, etc. on how to properly complete a rinseless wash. FYI, to do my 3 (all body panels), it takes 10 minutes. To do the wheels add another 10 minutes, although I typically like to use regular car soap and hose rather than rinseless for this. Then, another 5 minutes to wipe down all the door jambs.
CyberGus
Not Just a Member
Awww man, I jumped into this thread thinking you could wash your car with actual lasers
ask Elon to see if he can open up some car washes using Lasers, *pew pew*
XLR82XS
D M C
I used too much soap, so the rinse bucket got soapy and when I wiped it down to dry it with the microfiber it left water marks. 0 for 1.
joebruin77
Active Member
Touchless washes do not get your car's paint nearly as clean as contact washes (see video link below). You can avoid inducing swirls and scratches with a contact wash if you use the right technique both during the wash and the drying steps. A traditional two-bucket wash will clean your car well and, with the right technique, will not induce scratches or swirls. But it uses a lot of water. If you wash your car once a week, that is a lot of wasted water over the course of a year.
I personally do a two bucket traditional wash maybe once or twice a year for when the car is super dirty. But most of the time, as others have mentioned I do an ONR (Optimum No Rinse) rinseless wash or a waterless wash using either Meguiar's D115 or Mckees 37 Waterless Wash on the Go. You save a lot of water and time whenever you choose a rinseless or waterless wash over a traditional wash.
One last point. Because these touchless car washes do not clean as well, they often will compensate by using soaps with harsh chemicals and higher pH levels. These types of soaps will often strip any waxes or sealants. So your car may look cleaner after coming out of a touchless wash, but it may also have its wax or sealant reduced or even eliminated. I personally would never do a touchless wash for this reason.
I personally do a two bucket traditional wash maybe once or twice a year for when the car is super dirty. But most of the time, as others have mentioned I do an ONR (Optimum No Rinse) rinseless wash or a waterless wash using either Meguiar's D115 or Mckees 37 Waterless Wash on the Go. You save a lot of water and time whenever you choose a rinseless or waterless wash over a traditional wash.
One last point. Because these touchless car washes do not clean as well, they often will compensate by using soaps with harsh chemicals and higher pH levels. These types of soaps will often strip any waxes or sealants. So your car may look cleaner after coming out of a touchless wash, but it may also have its wax or sealant reduced or even eliminated. I personally would never do a touchless wash for this reason.
I think it all depends on how you view the car. For me it’s just daily transportation. I park it outside. Will drive it for 5 years and probably trade it in for what I assume will be vastly improved tech from Tesla. The ultimate value over 60 months of babying the paint and plastic will be minimal (maybe $0). So I run it through a Laser type wash probably once a week. Under spray. The whole nine yards. The car looks great. Finish looks about like it did the day I picked it up (black car). For me the convenience is unbeatable. And the car... is just a car. Not a collectible. Once every few months when it’s not too hot and not too cold I’ll do a two bucket wash. But it’s rare.
CyberGus
Not Just a Member
When I bought my first new car at 22, I washed it every week. Even in the rain. Waxed it monthly. In-between I would rub it gently with a diaper. I bought it nice things.
30 years later I can't even wash it, because the dirt is the only thing holding the paint on. We had a torrid love affair and it was wonderful, but now I just need to get where I'm going.
Umm...you still have a do a thorough, final rinse with a 2-bucket method car wash. The "clean" bucket is simply to wring out your wash mitt to allow any dirt/grime from the car to settle in there rather than getting re-introduced into your soapy bucket.
Doing a final hose rinse will get all remaining soap off of the car so you can then dry.
Still, try a rinseless wash (like ONR) at some point -- you will be amazed with how simple it all is. Just make sure to pre-soak any dirty/soiled areas with ONR solution before going at it with an ONR-saturated sponge / cloth for the actual wash portion itself.
CyberGus
Not Just a Member
Done. See Tesla's patent application US20190351873, "Pulsed Laser Cleaning of Debris accumulated on Glass Articles in Vehicles and Photovoltaic Assemblies"
US20190351873A1 - Pulsed laser cleaning of debris accumulated on glass articles in vehicles and photovoltaic assemblies - Google Patents
pew pew
Knightshade
Well-Known Member
This is another good reason I got full PPF.... 5 minutes in a touchless wash and it's just as good as no PPF and doing a bunch of work by hand 
(and I say this as someone who previously used to spend quite a lot of time doing hand washing and coats of Zaino by hand on my Impala)
(and I say this as someone who previously used to spend quite a lot of time doing hand washing and coats of Zaino by hand on my Impala)
XLR82XS
D M C
XLR82XS
D M C
Word. PPF FTW.This is another good reason I got full PPF.... 5 minutes in a touchless wash and it's just as good as no PPF and doing a bunch of work by hand
(and I say this as someone who previously used to spend quite a lot of time doing hand washing and coats of Zaino by hand on my Impala)
This is another good reason I got full PPF.... 5 minutes in a touchless wash and it's just as good as no PPF and doing a bunch of work by hand
(and I say this as someone who previously used to spend quite a lot of time doing hand washing and coats of Zaino by hand on my Impala)
how much did that full ppf cost you? My guess is a lot...
I wash my car with a detail spray or waterless if it’s really dirty. Less than 5 minutes either way. Sealant and wax once a year. It’s not a Bugatti, two bucket method is pretty silly.
Knightshade
Well-Known Member
About 4k.
On the other hand my daily drive (pre-covid when I bought the car) is ~75 miles roundtrip, 95% of that on highways with trucks and whatnot, so the paint on the car, especially the front, would look like swiss cheese after a couple years normally... with the PPF it still looks brand new.
The fact it's super easy/fast to run through a touchless without concern is just a nice bonus on top of that.
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