I’m a little conflicted about the whole automatic car wash vs. hand wash with one bucket vs. 2 bucket vs. no rinse with microfiber. My experience with my Teslas is that any of the above are going to result in clear coat imperfections over time and that it may not really matter a whole lot which way you go.
I have only hand washed with sponge and one bucket or used the drive through brush type automatic car wash for all of my previous non-Tesla vehicles and never gave it a second thought. Over many years, I certainly noticed imperfections in the paint, but nothing that jumped out at me.
I used to think the whole Tesla soft paint thing was much ado about nothing and just a push to use paint protection, etc., but I find that regardless of method, my Teslas show more swirl marks and imperfections than any car I have owned. Maybe I’m just sensitive because they are the most expensive and nicest cars I have owned, but I agree now that this paint is different and less forgiving than other manufacturers.
I have only hand washed my S with two buckets and decided for my 3 to use no rinse solution and microfiber towels to hopefully improve my outcome. I have not been successful. My 3 is 2 months old and appears to have more imperfections than my 2 year old S. Both have a great shine and are pristine in every other way, but in full sun, you can’t miss the microscratching of the clear coat. My 3 is red and my S is midnight silver so that could contribute.
I guess my point being, either I am terrible at washing a car with even the gentlest of methods or anything short of not touching your car is going to result in imperfections. I would consider paint protection if this is a concern to you. Sorry if slightly off topic, but given some feedback on avoiding the car wash, I thought I’d share my experience.