Automatic Car Wash
 

I wonder if anyone avoids or, on the contrary, has no problem with those automatic car washes that auger your vehicle along while it's in neutral via a chain-driven gizmo?

Not that the shifter on the X5 is overly complicated and perhaps the jockeys may be used to this type of shifter by now but I personally would not consider using this type of car wash on my vehicle.

My X5 has not arrived yet (2 more weeks) but I do not anticipate running it through one of these types of car washes after it does arrive. I will go for the wand wash or the touchless one that travels around your vehicle when parked.

Any comments on car washes?

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I see there's a polling option but I don't think I'll tackle that just yet - still figuring out how to nav around the forum.

p.s. If this gets double posted, what the heck am I doing wrong?

I don't take my X to car washes. Just do it myself at home or take to coin-operated self service car wash in winter.
Car wash places is where you get the swirls on the paint.

Hum. I thought the touch less car wash wouldn't creat swirls. Or do you mean the " foaming brush" thing at the self serve one?

When you touch the paint it causes swirls. Period.

it is just a matter of how many and how bad.

I typically wash at home. On occasion I will use a self serve, BUT I bring my own bucket and wash/dry rags. I fill the bucket with soapy water, then wash.

All the usual stuff- control the dirt coming off, start high, rinse down, clean the wash mitt...

Conceptually it is simple: How to disrupt the dirt and get it off the paint as quickly as possible with as little interaction with the paint as possible.

In terms of methodology of self washing, I agree.

The drive-through's here in Alberta are either:

a) hand washing (by staff) + centrifugal towel whipping (that do touch) + hand drying (by staff) [no doubt this will lead to swirling] or

b) touchless (just water spraying)

Notwithstanding that, I'm curious if anyone allows their X5 to be placed on that chain auger? I would be afraid to do that in case the jockey didn't properly put it in neutral. I suggest that's an accident waiting to happen.

Of course, this is just a dream right now. Not only do I not have an X5 to wash quite yet, but it's currently about -17 degrees Celsius (I think that's similar to 0 degrees F). That is to day, no washing at home.

I just spent all day Zaino'ing my wife's "new-to-us" X5d in Monaco Blue. After the following steps to get rid of the swirls, I will never use an autowash again:
1. Wash with Dawn
2. Random orbit buff the whole car with Zaino Zpc
3. Apply Zaino AIO paint cleaner

3a. Spend the next two hours trying to get Zaino AIO off b/c I didn't read the directions and did the whole car at one time instead of finishing a single body panel at a time. :dunno:

4. Re-attach arms where they seperated from my rotator cuffs being careful not to mix up L and R (of course, if they were mixed up, that would facilitate scratching my arse while I re-read the directions) :thumbup:
5. Apply 1st coat of Zaino Z5
6. Remove 1st coat of Z5
7. Re re-attach arms
8. Call it a day and plan to apply the 2nd and 3rd coat of Z5 next weekend (if my arms don't fall off again while I'm sleeping).

;)

BTW, this was my first time using my random orbital to buff a car... it was VERY easy, and the results with the ZPC are VERY good!

Men do not read instructions in advance. No matter what the excuse. Thank you for confirming this and taking one for team. And after your tremendous effort, I'm surprised, and thankful, you can still type on a keyboard.

I used to be Zaino guy, moved over to Menzerna.......

Not to threadjack, but as a former Zaino user, what are the benefits of Menzerna over Zaino?

Just got a call back from Sal with Zaino... I had called their tech support line when I realized I had screwed up somehow... pretty cool that the owner called! He said I probably applied enough AIO to do the car 3 times! Ha ha, that's probably only half the number of times I wiped it down getting the darn AIO off!

Jes' jumping in...Z Fan here; I have used it for a couple of decades. Everyone has their fave of the year, nouveau riche 'wax',
but for me, Z is very, very good: I know the stuff, like the shine and protection, and its 'release' of debris is fabulous, imo.

Z, however, is like pouring wine in a good Spiegelau or Riedel glass: less is more, as in put on less, wipe more softly, and
results are 'more'.
That, and Z is not your friend in colder temps.

Sal and the Z Gang are amazing backyard chemists, with service like Zappos, or better, imo.
Shine on...
GL, mD

I live in an apartment community and there's no car wash facility and my X5 has a clear bra - any suggestions?

I noticed swirls on my white one night against the light... the only wash other than my hands, was with the dealer (I know, I always neglect to tell them not to wash). So it's not just the brush washes that do you in...

Anyway, it's alright since it's not that noticeable other than in artificial light on an angle.

Less is more with Zaino. ;)

Former? what do you use now?
I find Menzerna easier to use and with better results.
Some use the Menzerna with Zaino sealant

From Zaino to Menzerna and happy. - bimmerfest - BMW Forums
Used Menzerna and it rocks!

when it's really dirty, touchless carwash twice a week. when it's not so dirty, touchless wash every 2 weeks or so. i use credit card points so it's free. IMO washing the car by hand is a total waste of time and effort.

How does everyone wash or wax the roof of the X5? With a step stool or just let it go most of the time? I could reach the X3 roof just good enough but not the X5.

I've hand washed the roof of our '01 X5 maybe 6 times; Zaino'd it a couple times...
usually just shoot a jet of water across the top.

I do do the leading edge up from windshield to the small sun roof regularly, and clean the sun roof glass and black roof rails, but the roof itself is left to when I really feel like it/seldom. And, yes I use a step ladder for the parts I can't reach standing on the rocker panel floor.
GL, mD

I'm 6'3" so for the back I just open the rear doors and stand on the inside of the rear door sills. And there's only a small section of the front of the roof since there's not much to wax with the Pano roof--I can just reach from the ground. :thumbup:

I was actually referring to your comment about being a former Z user.

I am still using it since I like the results. Just curious what differences you found with Menzerna.

After washing, then what? Sham wow? Chamois? Towels?

I use my backpack gas powered leaf blower to zing off most of the beaded water...
then my fave ol' bath towels, (lifted from the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo), and some microfiber towels.

I wonder how that ShamWow! would work...
GL, mD

I like your system mD. But Tokyo is a little bit too far to go for me. I'm going to check out the micro fibre or Sham Wow - hopefully more wow than sham.

I use a California water blade to get rid of most of the water (wiping the blade ever couple strokes to make sure no dirt had accumulated). Then finish with my "waffle" microfiber drying towel. Works like a charm!

I use the blue microfiber towels bought from Costco.

I get free washes from the dealership and once a week it goes in for a full handwash/ express mini detail. My E92 got the same. When I turned it in, they raved about how it looked pretty much new. I don't subscribe to the Anti Car Wash Mafia. Make sure it's a touchless place or done completely by hand. I have a very busy life , as well as a robust social one. I don't have time to spend 6 hours going through my vehicle with 7 different waxes.

I'd love to take a look at the paint on your car with the waxes and fillers stripped off.

"By Hand" can be as bad as a 'touch machine wash'... it all depends on what is in the rags they use, and what they are really doing with a 'detail'.

Everyone has a different threshold for 'paint quality'... we have members here who don't know that they are looking at orange peel, a paint defect! Same goes for microscratches. BMW dealers generally use liquid wax to cover most of the defects that drive detailers nuts...keep applying it and the customers are happy. Go a few weeks without and you'll start seeing the real paint.

I generally do a full detail twice a year, and can do a wash/detail in the time it takes to drive to the dealer and back. \

So I guess I am in the anti car wash mafia, without a robust social life.:thumbup:


A

Unless you are doing it in a heated garage, no one hand washes it themselves in the northeast. Also, with the dirty salt stains and snow we've been getting, I get my car washed twice a week. I'm not lucky enough to have that much spare time.

For those that zaino, do you use that on the running boards as well? Mine are beginning to show the whitish staining seen and discussed in other threads.

Here's my freshly Zaino'd X5d... overcast today, so the shine doesn't POP as much in the pics as it does in real life, but the last pic gives a good idea of how good the paint looks now (I know, my '97 Nissan has a flat tire) after 7 hours of washing, polishing, buffing and detailing.

Nice. When you can tell details like the flat tire in a reflection that's a pretty good surface.
In fact I think I also see some rust on the brakes on that pickup ;)

I'm of the 'minimal work' school. I'll wash and maybe even wax it myself if get the time and inclination, but of late those have been hard to come by.

I put Zaino polish on everything: paint, plastic, running boards, glass, etc... it works great on glass, better than RainX, IMO, as you don't get that film with every wipe of the blades like you do with RainX.

Ha ha, you're right about the rust!

Putting coats 2 and 3 of Z5 on next weekend... then she'll be good to go!

Ah yes Ard. I'd also like to see you in person. The know it all of the forum. You know the answers to everything there is. No one has any idea about anything. I just woke up last night and bought my first car. It's always fun to log on and read one of your condesending posts. Only YOU know what a paint job should look like and how it should be maintained. With all the wealth of knowledge you have on everything BMW related, I'm surprised you're not the CEO or CFO for them.

I think a lot of this is more about how long you keep your car, where you live and your willingness to do it yourself vs. having someone else do it.

1) I keep my cars a long time. If I was leasing I honestly wouldn't care too much who washes it. Kloogy--if you were to keep having someone else wash it week after week for 5-6 years there is a good chance their process is not as controlled as if you did it yourself and thus your paint will have blemishes.
2) If you live in a Northern climate your options are limited on where to wash it that is not an automatic wash.
3) Some people take more pride in washing their own car and some don't. No one way is right or wrong--it's personal preference.

+1 :thumbup:.

I keep my cars a long time, hence the work I put into the new one this weekend. My other car is a 2001 X5 4.4 that I've had for almost 9 years.

9 years ? I have a hard time making it through 2 years. I lose interest real quick. The only car I've kept a while is my Mustang, and that's only because it's my toy that I am constantly working on.

Yep, hard to sell it for $12k when I just put a new tranny in it 3 years ago for $5k! :D

Besides, love the engine... plenty of power!

+1....have never handwashed or hand waxed mine in 6+ years of ownership :yikes::yikes::yikes:

Drive it through the local paint killer autowash joint (not touchless) once a month if she's lucky and once a year it goes to a friends dealership for a full detail.

...I'm sure some are cringing at my mistreatment....buf differen' strokes and all that :thumbup:

Absolutely the truth!
And some people have never had anyone eat (or wear shoes) inside their cars...or squeeze into tiny parking spots because they are close to the door (to the gym!). Others park in the farthest corners of the parking lot...or have enough crumbs from the rug rats to survive for days if they were ever stranded in the car.

To each his own!

It's easier than you may think. Someone else posted just standing on the door sills gets most of it. For the back, I just stand on the rear tire (after putting on the parking brake!) and I can easily reach every inch ~ including the entire windshield! All without dragging out a stool or ladder!

Washing Cars, here's my take on it...

- Summer/Warm weather I do it by hand
- Winter, I use only 'high end' all cloth car washes

Personally, I would NEVER use a completely 'Touch-less' car wash. They use such harsh chemicals that it will literally strip the paint off the vehicle.

I Zaino regularly, and the roof isn't all that bad, you just need to get creative with it is all.

Just my thoughts.

I live in an apartment building where there is no car wash port. It would look really odd If I fill pails of water and go to clean it in the garage.

People are saying touchless is not a good idea along with the regular or automatic.....what are my choices? I don't want swirls all over my black sapphire car.

Bucket wash it at a manual carwash. It's the same as if you were to do it at home + you have a high powered vacuum and the brush to clean the inside of the wheel wells (do not use the brush on the paint whatsoever I always see people do that--that's paint suicide).

You know, I started out the post by wondering if anyone used those car washes that auger your vehicle along while it's in neutral - thinking that it would be vehicular suicide to let the jockey try to find neutral - not find it, then yikes. No one bit on that so my take away is no, no one uses that. cool.

There's some good comments on washing and drying in various temperatures. great. I'll be looking for those blue Costo towlettes and the sham wow.

Right now, I would LOVE to have a vehicle to have to wash. If I am really lucky, maybe it will arrive this weekend. Otherwise, probably the weekend after. Fingers crossed.