zland

I have a SS 350Z, lowered 1" all 4 corners and nice HRE polished lips on the wheels. I think the answer is no but I'll ask anyways. If I take it to the typical car wash, would it ruin my paint job, wheels, or damage it because it is lowered? Maybe all three?

Thanks, Jeff

zand02max

iTrader: (22)

UHHH NO, unless you use that razor blade brush that they have!

Kevin Overall

I never go thru the drive thru type, their just going to knock off the dust, will do nothing for road grime, you will have to wash it by hand. The only time I use a commercial type wash is to use the wand only and that is only to pressure wash off the lower part of my beater car if we get road salt.

I only hand wash.

SungNamZ

I am a Territory Manager for 7 "Touchless" washes in NM and CO. Used mine quite frequently until I installed Injen CAI. Too much water pressure, through the grill, hitting the cone. If you are activating wash by driving on a "raised pressure plate" stay as close to the right rollers as possible. Might even suggest having someone guide you in for the first few trips. Lowered one inch might be a problem! Again, if activation by "plate" w/rollers, front lip could hang up. If by lazer, no problem! Most use two (2) soaps. One is high Ph while the other is low Ph. If you are just applying soap without conditioners or wax, they will get it down to the clear coat. Excellent for removing salt from undercarriage, assuming they have such a device installed. These are the pros and cons, the decision is yours! If

ares

iTrader: (2)

I personally and uninformed, would only ever consider touchless washes. and even then, Im skepticle of how much they can really clean...

the ones with the plastic flapper thingies. I cant see how they wouldnt puts swirl marks and scratches all over the paint.

be careful of the types that pull your car through, Im not so sure they are setup for a car running on rims the size of yours. again, uninformed. but it seems like when many were designed the widest tire they saw was 5 or 6" not 9 or 10, plus they were ussually hitting a few inches of sidewall, where now most of us have 2 or 3 tops. if they scrape your rims, I think you might cry; I know I would.

in the end, the carwashes are good for those in a rush, or just kinda dont care to spend the time. but Ive never seen a car wash do the same job as a hand wash. IMO.

AndyB

Depends on a lot of things.

I go to the local hand wash in the Winter and my mud/splash guards only clear the rails by 1/2 inch. (they use rails and rollers to move the cars, but all the washing is by hand). If my car was 1 inch lower I would damage the splash guards.

They have plastic covered rails (kinder to wheels), but not all do.

The fully automated washes (touch style) can swirl your paint worse than a hand wash. Whether it is acceptable or not depends what your standards are. I run my truck through the auto car wash all the time. I will never run my Z through one.

The touchless washes are pretty easy on the car, but they are also pretty easy on the dirt in my experience. Better than nothing (like to rinse the salt off), but not really very clean.

Just my $0.02

CelticPride2

We had a water ban where I live through most of the past summer, so I got stuck having to use the local touchless car wash on several occasions. Overall, I was pretty satisfied...it got most of the heavy dirt off without a hitch. The only thing touching your car is soap and water, so there's no chance of brush-induced swirl marks on the car.

To get my Z looking really sharp, however, I needed to give the touchless car wash a little help. Before I pulled into the car wash, I would take a bottle of Simple Green with me and give my rims a good spray-down. The water from the car wash rinses the Simple Green off, and whatever dirt is left on the rims after the wash wipes right off with a cotton towel. After hand drying the car, I spray it down with Mother's Showtime Instant Detailer, which gets rid of any fine dirt that may be left on the car.

I've never had a problem with the car wash damaging my wheels, but my Z is bone stock. Personally, I'd be very careful if I had aftermarket rims or a lowered ride height.

Just another man's $0.02

--D.J.

FlaPhil

Most of the soaps used at car washes will remove the wax you have on the car. As long as you put your wax or protectant on the car after the car wash, you should have no problem with clearcoat protection. However, what you might come away with is swirls in the clearcoat.

funkymonkey1111

Has anyone ever used Waterway car wash in Denver? It's a touchless wash with a hand dry. I see porsches and ferraris in there, and they've assured me that their tracks won't harm my wheels.

I live in an apt., and don't have access to a hose.

jplvr

I used to laugh at anyone that thought about using auto-washes. Got to talking to the guys installing one near my office. Basically some are good (harmless) and some are horrible (talking about touchless only here). Since it's cold and I really don't have time on the weekends to wash, I tried out the one they installed. Worked great, but I'm still skeptical about the safety factor on the paint.

Got careless and tried out another one near my mother's house before Christmas dinner. Just about everything that the installers had said would happen in a bad touchless, happened. Most notably: my car looked like a zebra with all the vertical stripes caused by residue left from the soap and the vertical action of the nozzles.

Huggaboo

I never heard of a SS 350Z. Are you sure it's not a Nismo? I don't think Nissan makes a SS 350. My 350 is a 2007 and I even had a 2004 both convertibles. Never heard of a SS.

Heel Til I Die

iTrader: (2)

Awesome zombie thread bump.

I think OP meant his Z is (or was) Silverstone, as in the color.

travlee

iTrader: (8)

Keshari6655

Taking your Nissan Z through a standard car wash can be risky. Brushes and harsh chemicals can leave swirls, scratch the paint, and miss hidden dirt. Consider a gentle touchless wash if you must, but for a truly safe and spotless clean, a hand wash at home, a detail shop visit, or a waterless wash might be better options for your prized Z. Trust me, I learned this the hard way after a local shop's car wash left brush scratches on my paint. To avoid that frustration, I always check online reviews or ask friends for recommendations. Speaking of which, if you're in Scottsdale, I've had great experiences with azautodetailing – they do fantastic work!

Heel Til I Die

iTrader: (2)

iideadeyeii

iTrader: (6)

Gave em a 1-star review
https://www.google.com/search?q=(480...hrome&ie=UTF-8

icer5160

iTrader: (4)

Another necrobump? Damn this thread is old.

As a detailing enthusiast, I would never take my Z into any kind of "automated" car wash. Hand wash all the way by none other than myself. I've seen multiple cars get their paint literally destroyed by automated car washes. Not just the paint either, I've seen the rims get damaged by those guide channels. Leave the automated car washes to the plebs.
Cheers!
-Icer