thill444

Watched the latest Rick Conti video where a Corvette specialist mentioned you should not take the C8 through the car wash. Hand wash only. He explained this is due to the aerodynamics of the car and the potential for water to pool in the engine bay.

I would never ever take my Corvette (or any car I own through a car wash) but wanted to share. Also GM will have instructions on the best method to hand wash.

And don’t let the dealer wash it!

C8Jake

better not park outside in a downpour

Kappa

Lol no. It’ll pass through just like any other car.

94Lt1Vette

This has been true since the C5. Don't take a Corvette through an automatic car wash.

fasttoys

Wheel size and staggered fit-ment and low ride height with brushes that scratch the hell out of the C8 should be the reason. The engine is fine, peak under your basic daily driver the entire underneath of the car is open to the elements when it rains.

Sin City

OMG the BS just keeps going and going and going...

Rick I got bad news for you. Chevy does this in its own factory and dealers will do it at every service!

C8Jake

touchless

mschuyler

IMO that's not really true. You just have to be selective. You should not take your Vette through just ANY car wash. There are two basic issues. The first is the track in the floor. The Vette tires are too wide for them. Solution? Not all car washes have them. Some are "wash in place" where you set the brake and wait for the wands to travel back and forth. You are not "conveyed." The second problem are those car washes that use huge mats and brushes that scrape over your car. Obviously those are bad news. Solution? Touchless car washes use water pressure only and never touch your car. Note that some car washes have both styles, depending on which button you push. If your car can make it through a heavy rainstorm on the freeway with lots of traffic, it surely can make it through a touchless car wash. And for the record, the chemicals in those car washes are no worse than you getting sprayed by a semi on a rainy day. The amount of road chemicals on the average road is way worse and caustic than some soap.

lostsoul

and Opti-Coat Pro..

themonk

not that I use one (twice in my '14's life) but touchless carwashes don't do any damage to cars. I dunno, maybe the chemicals in the soaps and waxes are harmful to the car's finish but the mechanics of the wash themselves don't do any damage so go for it if you must.

Maxie2U

Quote:

Originally Posted by thill444

Watched the latest Rick Conti video where a Corvette specialist mentioned you should not take the C8 through the car wash. Hand wash only. He explained this is due to the aerodynamics of the car and the potential for water to pool in the engine bay.

I don’t know ANY Corvette owners who would bring their car to a drive through car wash. Besides, don’t know about earlier models but the C7 & C8 tires are too wide for the car wash tire rails.

I spoke with the engine team while attending the 25th NCM Anniversary. They told me the C8 engine is waterproof they made it that way because they required the added airflow. Even the header is powder coated and will not rust.

Someone needs to tell Rick Conti.



Note the open air vents on the sides of the rear hatch. The engine engineer told me, “yes water will pour into the engine especially when the car is washed but it will not hurt anything. The entire engine and components are waterproof.”


Pic of the powder coated header. As an aside, t spoke with the engineer who designed the pipe and he said it’s a shame no one will see the beauty of the pipe because it will be isolated from the main engine bay by a heat shield.



^^^^the driver side fan will suck water directly into the engine bay on a rainy day. Not everybody avoids driving in the rain.

thill444

It wasn’t Rick Conti. If you watch the video it’s a GM representative and he stated no auto car washes as the drains in the engine bay in the C8 are very small and large amounts of water can pool into it and cause potential engine issues.

baron95

Why do people make stuff like this up?

My local car washes offer an unlimited washes plan for $20/month. I have taken my C7 and every car I own even with 13.5" wide tires (Jeep) through automated car washes dozens and dozens of times.

Never had an issue with the C7.

And the OP's post is even more ridiculous, implying that water would pool in the engine compartment and cause issues. What happens when it rains? What happens when you park at the beach and the wind blows sand on it? How about when you park under a tree and birds crap all over that engine bay?

For crying out loud!!!! It is an engine bay. It is on the OUTSIDE of the vehicle. It is designed and supposed to get water, sand, mud, salty water in the winter, and everything else that a normal engine bray gets.

This forum is becoming more ridiculous by the day. People think their Corvettes is made of fragile gold file and is only good to hand wax. Drive the freaking thing. You will have a lot more fun.

Maxie2U

Looked for the Rick Conti could not find it. As for me, I will go by the engine team engineer who told me directly that water will not hurt the engine and it was designed to be able to take large volume of water without any problems.

C8broughtmeback

Clearly if you take your cars to an automatic car wash....any automatic car wash....you don't really care that much about the finish. My guess is you have the most dry engine and a nice amount of swirl marks....or worse. I am being critical, because virtually any OP post can be over analyzed, dissected, and torn apart. In this era of self promotion and everybody knowing everything, sometimes even when you know you are "right," there is no need to shout it from the rooftops while criticizing the masses of those that are "wrong."

ChiefBoats

No car washes for me, if really grimy from a long road trip, especially a rainy one, a trip to the local hand held spray wash for the heavy stuff, on rinse only, no soap, then a bucket wipe down when I get home.

Dave concrete

If you ever looked at your car, any car go thru a car wash whether a hand or mechanical the water that hits your car is not harder than any good down pour of rain. I find it extremely hard to believe GM engineered a car that can't have a down pour, let alone a car wash.
As long as intake is not in direct line of fire for water to enter than that's it, car will survive.
Maybe they're more concerned with the body panels and **** breaking off.

mschuyler

Or maybe you're on a 5,000 mile road trip and don't have access to your own hose and bucket.

How does a touchless car wash create swirl marks...or worse?

Which is exactly what you are doing. Take your own point here. You'd better not ever drive your C8 in a heavy rainstorm on the freeway if a touchless car wash will ruin your car. You need to pray that you never get caught in a substantial rain storm, the kind where everyone pulls off the road because you simply can't see a foot in front of you. A touchless car wash is NOT going to wreck your paint. It is NOT going to cause swirl marks....or worse. It is NOT going to drown your engine. To claim such is just ridiculous the same as claiming that anyone who uses one "doesn't care" about his finish. REALLY, DUDE? That's laughable.

C8broughtmeback

I should have been clearer. I did not mean touchless car wash. In the winter cold months, I would use those too. From what I can see, most Corvette owners on this forum do not appear to wash and/or detail their own cars. Nothing wrong with that. However, when overly critical nasty comments are made because a forum member is not brilliant or doesn't do things the way you might, help to guide them to the truth, rather than nasty them to shame. I do not agree with the premise of being worried about water in the engine. I responded because of the "CRYING OUT LOUD" disgust in Baron95's post.

My limited experience in 1997 with my C5 was that most car washes around me would not even allow a Corvette to enter, due to the track systems in place...as mentioned earlier in this thread. Back then there was not near the variety of waterless wash methods that there are now.

CitznFish

Touchless car washes are not touchless. Hope this helps