PeterSG

There are some automatic washes near by that have soft cloth, spinning cylinders to wash the sides of cars and a left-wheel track guide to push the cars along.

I am not concerned about paint scratches since cars come out unscratched.

I am concerned about the track guide damaging the left wheels.

Has anyone tried his C6 in a set up such as this?

JoshVette

I'll be the first to say it...... ARE YOU FREAKING OUT OF YOUR CRAZY MIND!!!!

Seriously though........are you out of your freaking mind.....

Umm, will the lower cars like that fit on that track without hitting anything?? are those rims too wide for it??

Don't believe the "scratchless" BS, it's total crap and just marketing. Dont' buy into it.

I'm giving out waaaaay too many "warning" posts these days......
Somebody back me up.

bill bradford

Bad idea. You will get fine swirl marks.

vetteship

For the Love of Zora,...Don't do it PERIOD

C5naples

"There are some automatic washes near by that have soft cloth, spinning cylinders to wash the sides of cars." If vehicle before your car was a pickup that just went through the mud those "soft cloth spinning cylinders" will be dragging dirt and small stones over your finish.
My friend bought a new C6 vert and the dealership told him not to take it through a car wash because of the track guides. I'm sorry but I can't remember if the reason was damage to the wheels or the bottom of the car. If you are physically unable to wash a car pay the neighbor's kid to do it.

03gtmustang

Yes sir. If you think car washes dont swirl your paint then you need some serious glasses.

AlwaysInBoost

I'm not a fan of those types of car washes at all. like others have said those brushes have dirt and things trapped in them from other cars and WILL scratch your paint.

has anyone used those touchless car washes? you know, the ones where you drive in the bay and the machine spins around you with all different kinds of funky colored soaps and water.

I've found them to be very good at getting the car clean, especially before a wax job or if you are in a hurry.

TOGWT

‘Touch less’ carwash:
Touchless car washes today use Hydrofluoric acid as a first step and then an alkaline to neutralize the acid then high pressure water to wash cars. Hand washing is MUCH preferred, don’t use an automated car wash period, touch less or not, there are a variety of reasons: You should never, under any circumstances use a car wash that requires you to let another person drive your vehicle onto the ramps or into the wash, notice the disclaimer
“No responsibility for damage to customer’s vehicle.”

Local by-laws require car washes to re-claim or recycle water. This means they have two choices.
a) They can collect the water in tanks and pay to truck it away to a recycling centre.

b) They can filter and then recycle the water (dependant on how often the filters are cleaned/changed) will effect how much dirt content there is. Recycled meaning re-use the same water, which may include any road dirt/grit that is not filtered out is used to high-pressure (1,000PSI) wash your vehicle (somewhat similar to sandblasting) the final rinse is usually twice-filtered re-cycled water, this is to give the appearance of a clean surface on the vehicle.

c) To help clean the recycled water they use a chemical like Presidium Orthophosphate (TSP) and have the chemical formula Na3PO4. It is a highly water-soluble ionic salt. Solutions of it dissolved in water have an alkaline pH; this does a great job stripping your wax / sealant. TSP is generally not good for cleaning vehicles because it can corrode metal.

•To remove snow/sand/road dirt and grit without agitation (brushes etc) requires the use of very strong chemical cleaners.
•Probably the most important is that this type of automatic car wash use high-pressure water and strong alkaline detergent to clean vehicles that will strip the wax/polish
•You will also need to renew the vehicles sealant / wax to ensure the paint surface protection on a regular basis to counteract the effects of the harsh detergents.
•Also be aware of those that use ‘wheel guides’ as they will cause scratches / etching to the wheel surfaces, as many wash facilities will not accommodate either the tyre width or the clearance, thus causing sidewall damage
•Vehicle with lower than ‘standard’ suspension (Corvette C6 and other sports cars) should also be aware the wheel guides could cause body damage
•As an alternative especially in colder winter months I would suggest using a waterless vehicle cleaning product Optimum No Rinse (ONR)
•If you get a chance, attend a car wash / wax vendors symposiums where they give demonstrations of the different soap products that these type of facilities use, as a Chemical Engineer they scare me. You'll come away a convert to never using them again, on any vehicle.
(See also Acid and pH, Alkalinity, Hydrochloric Acid)

Mad*Max

I wouldn't use a track style car wash - the tires are too wide and the car is low. I use a touchless without a track, works great.

69mako

Are you cracked!? If you’re that lethargic that you don’t want to bathe your Vette, which I assumed you paid a lot of currency for, by hand than you don’t need to be the owner of one.

I don’t believe any one bothered to sit you down and enlighten in detail the love and responsibility you need to have to own a Vette. One thing you by no means ever do is take your Vette though an automated car wash, that’s just insane. Where is your sense of pride in ownership? To be able to wash a Vette with ones own hands and to feel the delicate curves and caress the paint of a true thoroughbred of the high speed world is to love life its self.

I think its time you relinquish your ownership of one of the optimum sports cars in the world and buy a Kia, that way you’ll have something that you can take through the automatic car wash.

But hey, what do I know, I’ve only lusted after the gorgeous lines and appreciated the tradition of the Corvette since I was nine.

Mad*Max

Yeah, next time it is -10 degrees C (that is 10 F in case you don't know how to convert!) you can come and wash my car for me, with pride.

steve8

I think there is a message here. Don't do it!

TBIRD57

PART OF THE FUN IS CLEANING IT RIGHT!

03gtmustang

Unfortunately too many people spend a good chunk of change on cars and dont even think twice about keeping them up properly.

As long as the water isnt frozen, I will gladly wash a car by hand.

PeterSG

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Thanks every one!

I appreciate all comments. I will clarify the purpose of my question.

I have owned and hand washed my several Corvettes for over 40 years. I have never used an automatic car wash.

The reason I posted the question was that a car wash operator told me that his facility accepts Vettes and Porches on its track and does not damage them. I was curious if you guys thought that he could be correct.

I will continue to accept my responsibility and also have the pleasure of hand washing my C6, C7s, & C8s.

Thanks,
Peter

69mako

Glad you could take some good ribbing Truth is I have washed my car when it was 28D F out side I hooked up the hose to the sink and let the hot water fly! When it came to drying the blue beast I drove her into the garage, where the space heater was hooked up and running, once inside I closed the door, let the garage heat up and finished the job You have to have passion to wash a Vette when it's that cold out

I'm just glad I have a truck as DD now so the blue beast can sleep the winter away

DWS44

Been there, done that!

JoshVette

Yup, me too, did mine once when 25 degrees out with very warm water, panel by panel and it turned out great and my hands actually stayed warm too.

Patman

I never bother with the gas station car washes, even the no touch ones. It costs $10 for those, and for just $5 more I get a proper handwash done at a detail shop every Saturday morning in the winter months (my C5 is my daily driver, winter included). I find the touchless washes are useless anyhow, they don't get the dirt completely off the paint, they just get the first layer of dirt off, but if you look closely at the paint (especially a dark colored car) you can clearly see the car is not really clean at all.

OGC5

Humm?....maybe, depending, Some of our Georgia folks have severe water restrictions and if you HAD to drive your Vette in the winter Snow and got ...GASP! SALT on it and had no other way, then Maybe a touchless where you just drive the car in.
OGC5