Going through a car wash

[Jim Bandy]

Sealing sides of tailgate = no issues for me. I didn't seal the bottom of tailgate - I'm running a Putco Blade Tailgate Light Bar.

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[Knickell]

A random action, orbital buffer
https://www.portercable.com/product...in-variablespeed-random-orbit-polisher/7424xp

Ahh got it. I’ve considered buying one of those, but read you can scuff and/or burn the paint if you’re not careful. I’ve always been a little afraid to use anything more than good old “wax on, wax off” by hand so far.

 

[LenisHvin]

I have a bad experience with a car wash. When he drove his car there, the workers scratched it and then said that it was. So I took a steamer for car detailing. My car myself

 

[Lippy]

It depends on how you like to keep your cars and trucks. Be aware that driving through a brush carwash, even once, will scratch the crap out of your finish, essentially beyond repair. It won't look *bad,* but it will have swirls and surface scratches everywhere.

The next step up is hand washes. Even there, they tend to reuse and drop towels, and the towels they use aren't soft. So you would get scratches there too, but not as much.

I tend to wash my own - even during the winter - about every 2 weeks on average. I'm careful and my car finishes look great even after several years. My cars have never once been to a carwash. And it doesn't even take much time versus going to a carwash. Less than an hour inside and out. But that's me.

 

[fmdog44]

All car washes present one problem..... the car washed before yours. Cinders and tiny rocks and grit are cling to the things that make contact with your paint. I go to the hand held wand washes when I'm lazy and the first thing I do is power rinse the brush to evacuate anything left over from the previous guy. We have a lot of off roaders here and they typically leave a mess after they are done. In 2004 I bought a 2004 black Ram hemi and it was my pride and joy. I ran it through one of those washes with the long leaves that drape over your ride as it progress through. When I got home there was a hairline scratch from the front of my hood to the rear of it. That was my wake up for car washes.

 

[fmdog44]

I've never owned a pick up truck before. Can you put it through an automatic car wash? Does it matter if you have a tonneau? Thanks

Ditch the long antenna and buy one of the stubby ones 4-5 inches long and cheap

 

[JakeFlorida]

Someone posted this earlier but it is worth mentioning in more detail. On my first car wash I had the auto hold feature enabled (love that feature) but had forgot all about it. the truck will not move in neutral after you have stopped when this is engaged. I forgot how to disengage the feature. There were 20 vehicles behind me that they had to stop the wash and back up all the vehicles to let me out of the front of the line. I even called a local Ford and they also were not sure how to disengage. Anyway I figured it out it is under features. Then I got back in line and went through the wash.

Lesson: be sure to disengage auto hold before getting in line.

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