Car Wash Types

"CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever" (carsoffortlangley) 11/04/2019 at 20:06 • Filed to: ClaimsOfFortLangley

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I was in (not in a car) a car wash today for work (can’t elaborate on the claim, but the carwash is solid).

It got me thinking about types of car washes. Touchless, drive through, brush, and...drag through? What other types are there?

I have never used an automated car wash just like I have never driven through a drivethru. Has anyone ever seen one of these where you put your car in neutral and let it pull you through?

Longtime Lurker > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 11/04/2019 at 20:11

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Some of the newer Co-ops use the conveyor style.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 11/04/2019 at 20:11

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Those are the most common kind in my neck of the woods, followed by the ones where you park and the machine moves around you.

gin-san - shitpost specialist > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 11/04/2019 at 20:13

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I’ve only been through one of those draggy ones once, I thought it was weird.

Most of the car washes I see in my area are touchless, just soap, water, and sometimes this bubblegum smelling multi-colour goop that does something.

I base this on nothing but my own assumptions , but those washes with a bunch of brushes and spinny things look like they’re worse for the paint even if they’re better at getting rough grime off the car.

facw > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 11/04/2019 at 20:20

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Yep, this seems to be the case around the Northeast. In Texas I think hand wash operations were the most common (presumably due to cheap immigrant labor), though the type that pushes you through was not rare. I didn’t see the pull in types at all.

facw > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 11/04/2019 at 20:27

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I’ve usually gone to that type. I prefer the RainX branded soft-touch sort, seemed to work better than others I’ve tried.

Here’s a different “send you through on a track” type in Houston:

And an extremely boring video of the touchless one I go to these days. There you pull in and robotic equipment moves around the car:

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 11/04/2019 at 20:29

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There are only two kinds of car washes. The kind with a sprayer and you do everything yourself (and obviously bring your own brush) and then the kind that I will never use which is all of the other kinds. I absolutely miss just having a damn hose at home to wash my car at my leisure in the summer time. Then I can spend much more time rather than racing the clock before I have to insert more quarters and feeling rushed by the next guy in line.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 11/04/2019 at 20:31

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Yeah, I only use wand washes.  If I need to hand wash in the winter, I go at night and do it there. 

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 11/04/2019 at 20:32

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Oh hey! My field of expertise! I work for a car wash company that makes the giant belt-drive washes. They’re user-loaded, so we keep staff down, and we have a really high throughput. I make the detergents and chemicals for it.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 11/04/2019 at 20:33

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*shudders* brushes.  Yikes

Svend > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 11/04/2019 at 20:33

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Aaaaaaaaaaarrrggghhhhh!!!!

Some warning in advance would be nice. 

facw > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 11/04/2019 at 20:36

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Honestly I can’t deal with those wash stations. I find being on the clock really stressful... 

facw > Svend 11/04/2019 at 20:37

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That one doesn’t even have brushes! One of the ones I posted does, but you’ve already had the chance to shudder at that.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Svend 11/04/2019 at 20:39

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Meh, if you live in a salty climate, this is a better alternative.  But yeah, I agree.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 11/04/2019 at 20:40

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....And?

Most touchless ones use stupid high pressure or stupidly harsh detergents.Or they don’t work. Time the sprayers and functions right and not only do the brushes get lubricated properly before use, they also get cleaned after making contact with the car. Now, ours is computer controlled and the wash has lots of sensors and checks to make sure everything is maintained and the brushes make the perfect contact with each car. Can’t say I trust the washes that look like the one in your picture....

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 11/04/2019 at 20:41

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Ha, fair.  I wouldn’t use any car wash personally, but I get why some people do

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 11/04/2019 at 20:44

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It’s been a fun challenge trying to develop the detergents to avoid the usual pitfalls. I hope once I get some of my new products rolled out, even die-hards like  yourself will want to wash at our locations :P

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 11/04/2019 at 20:49

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themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 11/04/2019 at 20:54

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It gets better/worse. Marketing decided to change one function’s name to “RED HOT LAVA” and had a bunch of red LEDs light up as you passed through a sheet of soap. You go through an “ICE COOL PROTECTANT” at the end.

BUT! Apparently lava is too violent of a word.

So now we have “RED HOT CLEANSER” and I die a little on the inside every time I see it.

Aremmes > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 11/04/2019 at 21:22

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Near where I live there is every type of car wash.

- Self-service stalls with high-pressure nozzles and foam brushes

- Old-school drag-thru with spinning scrubbers

- Laserwash-based touchless

- Newer styles with moving gantries (the car remains stopped during the wash)

I’ve used all of them, at least once each.

Svend > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 11/04/2019 at 21:36

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I agree, but each to their own really.

To most people a clean vehicle is one without much if any dirt, regardless of how it got there. 

Nick Has an Exocet > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 11/04/2019 at 22:05

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I’ve used them all. The pull through types were super popular in Massachusetts growing up. I had never seen a wash-yourself-car-stall type until I moved to CA. The smaller no-touch types are more popular in the North East with gas stations who sell you a wash with the gas at the pump.

I prefer to never take a car through one, but lately I don’t give a shit about the lancer. I would never take a nice car through one though. Almost every automated wash is a scratch and wash. The high power touchless ones will strip your wax and sandblast your car. The ones with rubber/plastic bristles are a scratch nightmare and don’t get in all the spots.

MrDakka > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 11/04/2019 at 22:48

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Ah so you’re the chemist. I couldn’t remember who it was, just that it was someone on oppo.

TrickJos > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 11/05/2019 at 08:11

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I’ve never seen a touchless like this. They usually have a machine that moves around the car in my experience. I use them quite a lot for my daily driver in the winter. Otherwise I wash at home or use the do it yourself washes with a bucket of soapy water and a wash mitt from home.

Ash78, voting early and often > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 11/05/2019 at 09:56

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I think 100% of ours are the “Neutral with trolley” type. The better ones are entirely chamois, which is at least better than the nylon-style whipping brushes.

I never used an automated car wash in my life until we had a minivan. It’s just too big and time-consuming to wash. 2-3x more difficult than my midsize car.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > facw 11/05/2019 at 11:15

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Well its either that or pay out the ass for a hand wash. And I dont trust other people anyways so it would really have to be an expensive one. I have a coin op that I use that is $2 for 6 minutes of time. Sure its crappy but its simply a water sprayer so it works. Versus at least $20-30 for a cheap hand wash and probably a lot more for anything decent. The miata doesnt have great paint but it cant go through an auto wash anyways due to the soft top.

Klutchkid408 > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 11/05/2019 at 11:17

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I can tell you that all the car wash places that use belts,brushes,scrubbing brooms, chemicals,old dirty towels, automated laser drivethru etc.. cannot compare to my type of wash that I perform. I manage a Waterless and eco-friendly carwash site. Using safe washing and drying techincs with new microfiber towels to prevent scratches and bring a shine inside and out. Check out Futurewash.com to get more info. Waterless is the future wash

facw > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 11/05/2019 at 11:32

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Honestly the lava effect (at least the one I posted the video of) is pretty cool. I mean I’m looking for the best automatic clean, not the best special effects, but all things being equal, why not go the one that looks neat . Lava is way better than cleanser though.

His Stigness > Svend 11/05/2019 at 18:18

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I have what feels like a dumb question:

When coating a car, if there is no garage available, can I just my car cover instead right after coating the car to make sure no moisture gets on the paint? 

Svend > His Stigness 11/05/2019 at 19:34

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I wouldn't. Especially as the car cover may come in contact with the coated vehicle and also there may be temperature issues as the temperature outside, may cause condensation and issues with the coating such as not curing properly, hazing, etc...