The drive through car wash...

[Sccritterkiller]

I used to take it thru the local car wash about once a month to knock the crud off until it ripped my bug deflector and foor key pad panel off...I will power wash it with the season changes now...
Between huntin, fishing, and job sites really no sense in washing my truck more than that.

 

[NightForceFan]

Stage 4 water restrictions here for several years so no handwashing at home allowed. Code enforcement drives around constantly and most of the neighborhood is retirees with nothing to do other than report people and post on Nextdoor.
I have used touch and touch-less drive through carwashes for years with zero issues. My local carwash has a 7’2” height bar that my Sirius antenna touches going through. If I go to 38’s, will use the 96” drive through in the next town over. The self wash carwash here is terrible.

 

[HBTFD]

My son worked at a tidal wave car wash for a year or so. After his experience I recommend never using a car wash.

 

[Optimus🤖]

You mean you were ceramic coated Car wash chemicals will strip of ceramic coating quicker than Optimus🤖 can pick his jaw up off the floor at his local Melon Patch.

In all seriousness, DO NOT use touch/touch less car washes if you can avoid them. The harsh high akaline (high pH) chemicals that these places use damage the hell out of your paint. You may think that you’re safe by going touchless but the chemicals in those products are at least 4x stronger and will strip you coating(s) clean off. Go talk to any car detail guy and ask them what they think of mechanical/touchless car washes.

Listen here Professor Severus Snape...

...you are correct.

 

[Modman]

I've had no issue with our local carwash. It's not touch less (oh, the horror). My truck sits outside, since it doesn't fit in the garage, so to be overly anal about it is a fools errand. It constantly gets sap, bird crap, leaves, twigs, etc dropped on it. The only vehicle I hand wash is the Jeep when it has the soft top on it. Hard top on it goes through the carwash, too. When we move I might change my tune if I can't find a good carwash conveniently located.

 

[BeastDad_04]

I go through the car wash at the local Buc-ees wiith no issues, and they give you $1 per gallon gas discount with a car wash up to 15 gallons, and the car wash is $16. So it is a $1 car wash basically

I've never had any noticeable damage to paint on any of my vehicles that I've taken through carwashes. If it ever does happen to my truck, then I'll just use that as an excuse to have it wrapped. Lol.

I have to worry about where that deer attacked my door first.

 

[The Evil Twin]

I measured my truck at 82” so the 7 footers work for me. As long as the PVC tube is not lower. I try to hand wash all my vehicles, but at 20degrees for a high…. ain’t happening. So touchless it is. Although I will do my wheels by hand if it’s not bitter cold.
The guy that did my PPF and ceramic said to use Lazer Wash if I could find one near me. They are supposedly good about calibrating their injector pumps.
Hand wash in warmer weather/ touchless in the cold is what I did on my old truck for 10 years. Still looked fantastic.

 

[RS90]

I go through 7' car washes all the time. Try to run it through at least once a week. Have a hot water pressure washer at work with an underbody sprayer that I use in the winter to make sure I get all the salt out of the bottom.

Stock suspension with 37s puts me at 83" tall. Haven’t touched the height warning yet on any car washes.

Once a year I pay to get it detailed. Don't have time or interest in doing it myself.

 

[PrincetonFox]

 

[LetsGoBrandon]

If you care about the longevity of your paint finish you should hand wash only and avoid touchless car soaps.

 

[JTredway]

f you can avoid them. The harsh high akaline (high pH) chemicals that these places use damage the hell out of your paint. You may think that you’re safe by going touchless but the chemicals in those products are at least 4x stronger and will strip you coating(s) clean off. Go talk to any car detail guy and ask them what they think of mechanical/touchless car washes.

dont forget the filters aren't that great and usually some douche that's been offroading takes his same truck there through. You quickly turn a touchless car wash into wet sand blasting.

 

[MVI]

You mean you were ceramic coated Car wash chemicals will strip of ceramic coating quicker than Optimus🤖 can pick his jaw up off the floor at his local Melon Patch.

In all seriousness, DO NOT use touch/touch less car washes if you can avoid them. The harsh high akaline (high pH) chemicals that these places use damage the hell out of your paint. You may think that you’re safe by going touchless but the chemicals in those products are at least 4x stronger and will strip you coating(s) clean off. Go talk to any car detail guy and ask them what they think of mechanical/touchless car washes.

I did not do a great job of wipe on/wipe off of the Ceramic on the Driver Door of all places.
Thus, The truck has has weird purple sheen from the poorly done Ceramic Coat Application on the Door the size of a small pizza.
I just figured it would wear off with time using soaps and shampoos.

Nope. The Swift Shampoo has not removed the Ceramic Coating from our Truck.

Granted, I wash my truck once a year if it needs it or not, and also after deer season ends. But after 4 or 5 washes, the Ceramic is still there



Deer Season Gumbo

 

[Load]

I've had no issue with our local carwash. It's not touch less (oh, the horror). My truck sits outside, since it doesn't fit in the garage, so to be overly anal about it is a fools errand. It constantly gets sap, bird crap, leaves, twigs, etc dropped on it. The only vehicle I hand wash is the Jeep when it has the soft top on it. Hard top on it goes through the carwash, too. When we move I might change my tune if I can't find a good carwash conveniently located.

Same here Mod, truck sits outside under trees. Bird shit, sap, twigs, leaves, rain, snow, hail you name it. Run it through local car wash 7'-2" clearance.

 

[Victory]

I go through one marked as a 7’ 2” clearance all the time. I have about 3-4 inches to the clearance sign.
Stock f250 tremor 7.3

Have to keep the mirrors folded in the whole way through of course.

 

[Tugboat]

Use brushless drive thru car using Petit Accutrac 360, selecting the wash w/o all the protectant garbage, hand wiping down after ceramic coating and PPF seem to be holding up

 

[VB!]

Choices.....................................................................
1. Keep it dirty and let the dirt scratch it up.
2. Drive through car wash and let it scratch it up, but it's clean!

I have a subscription to the local place. I found that if I wax it twice a year then it works great. The only real problem I found is the soap build up under the hood.

 

[LetsGoBrandon]

All of the drive through and touchless carwashes and touchless soaps make me feel so bad for the finish on these beautiful trucks.

 

[TMartinLVNV]

I'm the only person on my residential street that washes a vehicle on the driveway. That being said, when I get my truck, I'll also be getting a monthly membership with a drive through car wash. The truck will be parked outside and I just have to have a clean vehicle. I probably drive my vehicles though a car wash vs doing it in my driveway at a 2:1 ratio. I've never had any issues that others have been describing above.

It is a truck. I off-road it. It will get scratches and I will not cry.

 

[Phillbo]

Im suppose to wash my truck?

 

[mattagc]

I’ll hit a wand wash on my way outta the field for days off. They got warm water rinse, so with the ceramic it knocks the mud and dirt off quick. Mud basically falls off the plastic wheel wells since I trialed getting my guy to ceramic them.

I’ll touch it up from time to time either in the driveway, but for the most part, it’s once a month on the way home. Helps pass the mandatory delay my company make me do.