Quote:
Originally Posted by Marzocchi
I live in the Northwest USA. Winter = road salt and that is terrible for all car parts including paint. I never go to touch car washes but I do use touchless. Check in your area for washes that use modern touchless systems. They do an amazing job.
|
While I love a clean car, I'm not
anal about it. Nevertheless, what I find truly "amazing" about touchless car washes is how dirty they leave the car. Wipe a microfiber cloth across the surface immediately after you go through the wash and air dryer: the cloth will come away black as coal dust.
What the touchless spray and coloured soaps leave behind is a layer of brake-dust/diesel particulates/industrial fall-out that is electrostatically bonded to the paint. Removing it requires more mechanical force than the high-pressure spray can produce (if the pressure was sufficient, it would probably blow through your door seals).
Once the car is through the dryer, I get this icky layer off by wiping the car down with dry microfiber towels, using straight strokes, turning every couple of strokes. Takes about 10 mins to do the whole car. Keep close watch for swirls - if they show up, quit, take the car home (or to a detailer) for a proper 2-bucket hand wash. Or face it that the car's going to get that dirty again in a single day in winter anyway, and wait for spring.
