Car Wash
 

I have never run my car through the tunnel at the carwash, would it be OK to do it once in a while when I'm short on time to have an actual detail?

You should be fine as long as it is a "touchless" (no brushes) car wash.

You never want to take it to a wash with brushes. Used to you had to worry about the brushes scratching your paint - the newer ones aren't as bad. But the brushes can pick up things. My sister had a car beat up by a car wash brush that had picked up some kind of hook off of a vehicle and when she went thru the wash, that hook made nice dents from one end of the car to the other.

I would try to find one that does not recycle their water. Recycled water will slowly turn your chrome trim (if you have a non-sport X5) to a cloudy color.

I think 90% of them used recycled water though..Good luck trying to find one that doesnt. If i dont have the time to wash my X myself. It stays dirty until I have the time to do it myself. If its going to be washed, I'd rather it be done right, or not at all...

^agreed

I usually spend a good amount of time with a detail adding wax or some type of sealant. That will protect the paint for a few weeks between my handwashes.....I would highly recommend against going to your neighborhood carwash. The tracks inside the carwash are generally pretty good at scraping rims as well.

LOL ive only HAND washed my car once. the other 150 times its been through the tunnel at the car wash along with the Porsches, Bentleys, Mercedes and other nice cars in the neighborhood. i think you'll be ok.

you might also try some simoniz liquid diamond . i used some of my buddys this weekend in the hamptons as he regularly uses it on his 740 (it always looks wet). now my car looks wet :)

If you have the time, patience, and a driveway hand washing is better.
I have none of these so its autowash for me.

Silver is a lot more forgiving than black so that helps.

:iagree:

One caution:

Check the adhesive on the rubber strips in the rail before you go through a wash with a jet air drier.

If they are loose at the back, they will whip around in the high wind and may smack and shatter your rear glass.

:iagree: my stays this ways.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3120/...b964f8cd_b.jpg