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Originally Posted by StanF18
Gotta agree with Tomaz on this issue. Some car washes are better than others. My car wash is technically not "touchless", but the "brushes" are not exactly brushes. They are basically rotating cylinders of soft cloth strips to avoid scratching the vehicles. I go there religiously once a week and ask for the "Platinum" wash for $15. This includes an undercarriage wash, inside vacuum, and wheel/tire detailing. This would be a major pain in the A$$ if I had to do it all myself. If you have nothing but time on your hands, then I guess its fine to hand wash, but for us "working" folks, with kids to boot, a tunnel car wash is just what the doctor ordered. 
Also, any small paint damage I've has thus far has all come from road pebbles, sand, gravel, etc. With the 80 miles of driving I do every day, the car wash is the LEAST of my paint worries. But of course, not all car washes are the same in terms of quality, so you should do your research.
The one I go to also gets visited by a large number of Mercs, Vettes, Porsches, Jags, and other high-end models. And I've also developed a good rapport with the guys that work there, so that they're extra careful with my X. |
Here is what turned me off from most drive-thru washes.
I went to one of those reputable places that is typically flooded with nice cars. You know, the type where they spray your car down first and get all of the tough dirt off, then the car is pulled through the tunnel on a track with the soft cloth strips and then the guys hand dry it at the end of the tunnel. The one I went to in the past had a huge window the length of the tunnel so you could watch everything from the waiting room. I was watching them drive my (2-weeks new to me at the time) X5 onto the track. The guy must have been new or something and didn't get the wheel in the rack correctly, so he started jacking the wheel left and right. You should have seen the look on the manager's face as he saw me looking at what was going on. He pulled the guy out of the car and did it himself. This is just an example of something small that can go wrong. Bottom line, IMO is that the less you trust others with your car, the less things like this can happen. However, I am married without kids and love to spend time making my car shine, but if I had kids or was busier I would take it somewhere I trusted and not think twice about it.