Hey people! Drive-Thru Carwash question...
 

I haven't been on here in a while! X-Mas shopping and lesson plans have been a real headache lately. How is everyone?

My car is so dirty. Haven't washed it yet. It's too cold to wash by hand in the 12 degree weather... do you ever take it to the drive thru carwash? I hear its bad because some dirty mudbogger could have went b4 me and then that dirt will scratch my car. Hmmm...

Also, has anyone dealt with emr-power.com for anything? I sent him money for a short antenna and I haven't heard from him or received anything yet. Guess I have to be more patient?

Yeah, I'd not take it to one of those places, are there any places where you are that will wash it by hand for you? I've found a couple drive thru washes that have done this for me in the past (just using a hose and mitt) because my old car was too low to go through.

I got my antenna from there, I think I received confirmation through PM but not email. How long ago did you order? I ordered mine on a Sat. and I think I got it by Tuesday... He was pretty quick.

Go to a handcar wash

I wouldn't trust a drive through car wash. Take it to a hand wash place if you can't do it yourself. What type of antenna did you order and how much? I ordered a shorter antenna from courtesyparts.com for $14.

I went to one of those do-it-yourself car washes.....where you pump $5.00 worth of quarters and then use the water wand. It surprisingly worked very well to get the grime off. I used the brush on the wheels only...would not trust that on the finish.

If you have to go to the drive-thru wash find a brushless place and when you come out wipe the car yourself. Those guys drop the towels on the floor and do a # on your paint:eek: I went to one and the bottom of the car scrapes(cat-converter). Ive found a self service place today about 15mile drive. Those high pressure hoses are good gets the dirt off. I just bring a bucket,soap,Cali water blade,towels and I'm ready to go!

BTW nice to see you back!

I only wash by hand.I don't trust automatic car washes.I am lucky though because I don't have to drive my Z in anything but Nice weather.It kind of sucks though because I have had my car a week and only drove it 2 days.I put 500+ miles on it in 2 days but still.

Best bet in NJ is wait for an almost warm afternoon you know when it's above 33 degrees. Use warm not hot water and wash it yourself. As a last resort just to get the grime off you can hose it down and get the obvious stuff off. Actually, I washed my Z this weekend was'nt too bad. Also you can use vinyl gloves the kind people sometimes use for washing dishes. You can even wear a pair of warm gloves inside the vinlyl to help keep your hands warm. But, I would definitely stay away from the auto car washes. Good Luck.
MWest300zx/350roadster

Ive used the touchless car washes alot, like over 10 times on my Z. Its only good for getting the light dirt off the car and making it shine. Just use the cheap wash and wax, dont ever use the one that washes the wheels cause thats a harsh chemical.

never take it thru a non touchless car wash. personally, i'd never let anything or anyone wash my car besides myself, but u may be more busy or dont like getting cold. its not a problem for me, i live in texas..

I use the touchless auto washes all the time when I'm near one. They only use high pressure water... no brushes and whatnot. As long as there is nothing physically touching your car, you should be okay. Definitely avoid the places that have those big "slappers". They have a tendency to leave swirlies and such in the finish.

But on any of those automated washes, an important thing to watch out for are the little tracks your wheels run in. You want to make sure that your rims do not stick out past your tires. You want to make sure the tire is what contacts the sides of those tracks... not your rims. :eek:

uh-oh... another 100 post taliaZ thread. all this over a stupid carwash question.

Thanks for the info. I never saw a touchless one, and I never saw a handwash either. Guess I'll take it to a do it yourself place and dress warm!

My dad shut off the water for the hose for the winter I think so it doesnt freeze the pipes or something. Thanks for the advice!

Hey I was first!

BTW - Shouldn't this be in detailing...:)

Re: Hey people! Drive-Thru Carwash question...
 

TaliaZ, "Welcome Back"! Your first issue, "Drive thru carwash" I manage 7 in NM and CO. Only use a "touchless" carwash. Also find out what water source they are using. Is it reclaimed or fresh water. How is it activated by "drive on plate w/rollers" or by "laser beam". I have taken mine through on a regular basis, but if the have a plate, would suggest for your first couple of time have someone guide you from the front. You don't want to mess up those rims.

Your second issue. I also ordered the short antenna from emr-power. Have not heard a thing, but feel confident it will be shipped. I also ordered the 3 5/8" antenna from Courtesyparts for $14. It works great, but haven't decided which will look better on "Brick", chrome or black.

Good luck with both issues!

There is a car wash locally that I always see excotics at.. Ferrari's Porsches, etc so i took a chance.. The car came out like new.. They even let me stay in the car rather than get out.. I have not done that in 30 years.. So.. check out some of your local car washes and look at the cars going thru..

Good Luck..

Steve (k2we) Dobbs Ferry, NY 15,782 miles since Sept 17,2002

:icon18: What he said...there's a touchless car wash near my house I go to whenever I don't have time to wash by hand. It's definitely not as good as a hand wash, but it does a decent job. I would be very carful about the tracks the wheels run in. The wheels fit fine at the car wash I go to, but I have seen examples of scratched-up rims on other people's Z's

You know, it's funny. I didn't even realize it was TaliaZ posting... I just saw someone ask a question on the forum that I had a lot of experience with, so I answered with my personal findings. In fact, until your little comment, I didn't even know who TaliaZ was. So, I went and did a search. Funny.

I have not found a touchless carwash near me in Boston, but I am always worried about the low clearance of the car and the lower mudguards. I have nightmares of going through the carwash and having the mudguards rip off on the same side that the wheel puller is on.

Anyhow, the coin-operated washing system works pretty well for me. I bring a bucket and a wool wash mitt and follow this order:

1) $3.00 in the machine and run detergent wash for 2 minutes, then I use 1 minute or so to fill the bucket with just 1-2" of soapy water.

2) Now that the car is soaked and the salt/dirt has had a few minutes to loosen, use the wash mitt to loosen the salt/dirt from the car without having to use force which might scratch the surface. Open doors and trunk to clean painted inside surfaces. Close doors and trunk.

3) $3.00 bucks in the machine. 1-1.5 min of soap, and then rinse rinse rinse

4) $3.00 bucks in the machine. 2 minutes of wax and 1 minute of rinse. If I am feeling excessively anal retentive, then I will repeat this step again.

5) Use microfiber towel to dry the remaining water/wax off the surface. Open doors and trunk to dry inside painted surfaces. Close everything up and drive home. :)

Here's a picture from Sunday, a day after I washed the car.

wow plz leg humpers enuff is enuff. god go out sometimes and vent out those horny part of urself plz