New Car - Hand Wash or Touchless Car Wash?

Dpg1991 on 17/10/2022 - 07:54
Last edited 17/10/2022 - 10:29 by 1 other user

Hey everyone,

My wife and I bought a new car, it’s the first brand new car we’ve bought so a little bit careful. It’s now due for a wash.

Keen to hear thoughts on which is safer in terms of minimising damage (ie swirl marks etc): automatic touchless car wash (ie like at 7eleven) or hand wash with two buckets? Any experiences or tips?

We haven’t decided to do ceramic coating as we may upgrade to an EV in about two years. Circumstances have changed slightly since we ordered this car long ago.

Thanks so much!

Automotive Car Care

Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 17/10/2022 - 07:55
    +7

    if you do it properly, hand wash is better

    • chartparker on 17/10/2022 - 08:37
      +7

      Hand wash, two buckets. If you're fastidious enough to even be thinking about this sort of stuff I'd say it's worth your money getting ceramic coating. If you're like me, any sort of bird poop, grime or tree sap on a brand new car will hurt you like a razor to the groin.

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 17/10/2022 - 09:05
    +1

    If you’re in brisbane the only automated car wash I trust is zoom car wash at green slopes or annerly

  • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 17/10/2022 - 09:29
    +2

    Automatic touchless car wash practically foolproof and safe, but yet to find one that gives great results.

  • knasty on 17/10/2022 - 09:38
    +1

    Preferably use a jet washer/jet hose attachment with foam first. That will start breaking the dirt and grime down first. Then blast it off and do 2 bucket method.

    • coffeeinmyveins on 17/10/2022 - 10:01

      Just to add to this in case OP reads this wrong, do NOT use the pressure washer with the pressure washing attachment, it needs to be taken off and use the hose only. You don't pressure wash a car like a sidewalk.

      • knasty on 17/10/2022 - 11:35
        +1

        Yeah good point re clarification. My gerni comes with 2 attachments, one designed for blasting stuff off hard surfaces (water comes out in a line) and the other for hosing stuff down (comes out in a cone). definitely use the one thats not going to remove your paint…

      • CurlCurl on 17/10/2022 - 15:14
        +4

        This old furphy again. It belongs with 'If you pull a face and the wind changes direction that's how your face will stay'.

        • coffeeinmyveins on 17/10/2022 - 15:15

          Huh? Ok mate use a pressure washer up close with your car and report back how it goes

          • CurlCurl on 17/10/2022 - 15:21
            +3

            @coffeeinmyveins: I think I know more about pressure washers than you do. Actually I'm sure I do.

            • coffeeinmyveins on 17/10/2022 - 15:22
              +2

              @CurlCurl: There's something to be said about someone who's so confident in something having no knowledge of the other party but sure mate, you do you

          • azonki on 18/10/2022 - 09:24
            +4

            @coffeeinmyveins: Been using pressure cleaners on cars for over 40 years.
            Never had a problem.
            Taken out several No:1 spots in different Concour's de Elegance probably before most of this audience was born.

            The way to use a pressure cleaner to clean a car is:
            1 Engage the brain
            2 Select "Common Sense" in the options
            3 Follow the manufacturer's instructions

            If there is no Common Sense option available, there are a few options:
            1 Pick up a handful of dirt and rub it in well
            2 Take it to a touchless car wash to have it pressure washed with chemicals that will remove your skin
            3 Use two buckets that will eventually become contaminated with fine abrasives

  • Gunnar on 17/10/2022 - 09:56
    +2

    Hand wash, two buckets, ph neutral soap, use a Mitt (and not a sponge), use a decent drying towel (eg Big sucker) and not a chammy, and put a decent wax on it

  • coffeeinmyveins on 17/10/2022 - 10:00
    +2

    Do not use a car wash company. Those sponges they use? They'll drop them on the floor, use them to clean the wheels or underside of the car etc, all of this picks up dirt that will scratch your paint. They don't give a shit about the long term effects of their work on your car.

    If you're serious about washing your car then use the following method. Remember that scratches and swirl marks come from touching the car, so the less you touch it the better. Also get a ceramic coating if you want.

    1) Give it a rinse with water from the hose
    2) Get a foam sprayer for a pressure washer eg "Gerni Super Foam Sprayer" and coat the vehicle in a layer of it. Let it sit for a minute then rinse it off.
    3) Now do the two bucket method (google it). Don't swirl with the sponge, and use a different sponge for the wheels and lower half of the car where it's dirtier. Also always use a NEW sponge every time you wash the car. Don't use pressure when washing with the sponge either.
    4) rinse off with water
    5) Now to dry the car. Do not use a chamois, this is where you'll take the fine particles of dirt and scratch the car even more. Use a touchless drying tool like the Blo Air-GT system to dry it.

    Bask in your beautiful car.

    Protip: Don't use those stupid wheel shine sprays either.

    • lordra on 17/10/2022 - 10:55
      +1

      To add to this.
      No to sponges. There are dedicated wash mitts for this.
      Depends on how much you want to spend for the next few years.

      https://youtu.be/CFXfSBR5Q9w

      Follow this. Listen carefully. How big is your car?

      • coffeeinmyveins on 17/10/2022 - 11:00

        I use sponges (new each time) but might start using the mitt instead.

        • Gunnar on 17/10/2022 - 11:23

          Don’t use a sponge. What you said above aa to why a chammy is crap? Same applies to sponges. Then just put it all in the wash and you can reuse it

    • Taro Milk Tea on 17/10/2022 - 15:03

      Don't use those stupid wheel shine sprays either

      why?

      • coffeeinmyveins on 17/10/2022 - 15:05

        Because you're not meant to use it on the actual tread of the tires, so you end up with a super glossy section and a normal looking section and it looks similar to someone who's applied makeup in a completely different shade to their natural skin color - clown makeup.

        Just clean the tyres, unless it's a show car :D

    • Dpg1991 on 18/10/2022 - 07:46

      Thanks so much for the detail response! After seeing your post, I researched the touchless drying tools and decided to invest in one.

  • apple2016 on 17/10/2022 - 10:23

    hand wash with two buckets?

    this is the best option but its quite time consuming and hard work.

  • mini2 on 17/10/2022 - 11:23
    +1

    Snow foam + hand wash using the 2 buckets method.

  • Euphemistic on 17/10/2022 - 14:12
    -2

    It’s just a car and if you’ll only own it for a couple of years you might not need to wash it at all! Don’t bother with ceramic if it’s only for a couple of years.

    Life’s too short for washing a daily driver fastidiously. Hose to wet down, sponge from a bucket with car wash in it. Rinse off with hose.

    Remove sap or bird poo fairly soon to prevent paint damage.

  • Dpg1991 on 18/10/2022 - 07:47

    Thank you so much everyone! Decided to invest in a snow foam, use the two bucket method and buy a touchless car dryer.

    • Euphemistic on 18/10/2022 - 08:44
      +1

      What sort of car is it, and do you store it indoors or outdoors?

      • bym on 20/10/2022 - 13:26

        Probably a 2009 Camry.

      • capslock janitor on 31/10/2022 - 02:59

        2018 Toyota RAV4 and yes it's ungaraged atm,why do U ask?

    • lordra on 20/10/2022 - 22:07
      +1

      Which touchless car dryer are you going to buy OP?

  • NelgCip on 18/10/2022 - 08:15

    I just use the Enjo Car Cleaner and water (not associated with Enjo). When it rains, I used it to wipe the dust off the car and let the rain rinse it.

    From time-to-time, I use the automatic touchless car wash.

  • jonkvh on 18/10/2022 - 08:22

    What about $30 for a single wash on the outside of the car at a professional car wash? I haven't washed my own vehicles for years, even having spent a short period of time early on doing car detailing.

    Then once a year get the clear coat polished. There's no need to fuss over new cars anymore.

    • Euphemistic on 18/10/2022 - 08:43

      How often do you get it washed? $30 isn’t a small amount of money, assuming you are able and have space to wash your own car.

      A single $30 investment in car wash equipment could last a couple of years.

      • jonkvh on 18/10/2022 - 11:42

        Once every two months.

        • capslock janitor on 31/10/2022 - 03:00

          What single wash at "pro carwash"? What's this mean

          • jonkvh on 31/10/2022 - 12:28

            @capslock janitor: Single (or better, simple) wash means, going to a Pro car wash business and just asking for the basic wash only. No need for tyre treatments, waxing/polishes etc. Clear coat technology today just needs 'high' pressure washing (detergent then rinsing), which the consumer pressure washers that you buy at Bunnings etc can't do.

            You just must clean the pores out in the clear coat.

            • capslock janitor on 28/11/2022 - 16:05

              @jonkvh:

              Then once a year get the clear coat polished.

              you get this done at Pro carwash too?

              'high' pressure washing (detergent then rinsing), which the consumer pressure washers that you buy at Bunnings etc can't do.

              why can't consumer pwashers?
              ~1900psi max is recommended for carwashing, any above means higher risk of cutting paint

  • Darayus on 18/10/2022 - 14:52
    -1

    Better wash every alternate day to keep the shine on and avoid any grime and dirt.
    Don't put your car in sun, as the sun will fade the colour of your car.
    By the way which car have you bought, if you bought a Korean or Chinese car then the colour will fade on its own.
    Also, avoid driving when roads are wet as water from other cars and trucks will splash.
    Since you are going to buy an EV car in the next 2 years, avoid driving this car as much as possible to retain mint condition resale value.
    Don't run the car into potholes to avoid alloy wheel scraping.
    Vacuum your car immediately after use so that no dust remains and impregnates door frames and skins.

  • Danger on 24/10/2022 - 23:55

    For a moment I read that as ' Handwash or Topless car wash'.

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