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newcodelogic

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I was wondering. Here where I live it is too cold to clean Rav4 at home due to winter. and garden hose frozen etc.
I was wondering about those Touchless Car Washes . Would it be safe to drive me Rav4 through one. Since there are no brushes to rip the mirrors or anything.

Are these car washes effective to use ? would you recommend? thanks
 
#3 ·
newcodelogic said:
I was wondering. Here where I live it is too cold to clean Rav4 at home due to winter. and garden hose frozen etc.
I was wondering about those Touchless Car Washes . Would it be safe to drive me Rav4 through one. Since there are no brushes to rip the mirrors or anything.

Are these car washes effective to use ? would you recommend? thanks
Click to expand...
That's all I use. $10 for the "top dog" wash and 10 min later and I have a nice, clean and shiny car with no scratches. I double ceramic coated my XLE when I first got it and the dirt just sheds right off. The water beads off nicely and quickly after a 10 min "air dry" run, so no spotting, and I just have to touch up the back hatch area when I get home because it won't dry up under the spoiler/lip thingy on the hatch. I like the undercarriage spray, too, especially here in the winters. Gotta wash that salt off.
 
#5 ·
Coincidentally, my local Toyota dealer has the best brushed car wash in my area, and it's recently been completely renovated so all the brushes and sponges are brand new. Does a great job, and I've never had any issues with swirl marks or scratches.

But if you live in an area that uses salt, anything is better than nothing :cool:
 
#6 ·
Touchless washes are essentially a soapy rinse. They don't clean well at all, just knock off a bit of the surface crud. As others have said it beats nothin' especially if road salt is in use.
 
#7 ·
I take my vehicle through the do it yourself wand wash on near my house it's all enclosed warm lots of bays. I usually drop by during the day not that busy so once I have washed my vehicle I can hand dry it. Your other option is touchless not as good in my option as the wand wash but does a half decent job. I don't use any type of brushes at the wand wash just the power hose. Yes it never going to look like the hand wash you do at home in the summer, but it beats driving around in a crappy looking vehicle in the middle of winter.
 
#8 ·
Brushes, to me, implies stiff bristles. I go to a Quick Quack car wash near me, and they use thin, long, strips of felt on the rotating drums; I certainly would not call them brushes. Never had any marks or damage. The ceramic coat on my car still seems to be intact.
 
#9 ·
FKHeath said:
Brushes, to me, implies stiff bristles. I go to a Quick Quack car wash near me, and they use thin, long, strips of felt on the rotating drums; I certainly would not call them brushes. Never had any marks or damage. The ceramic coat on my car still seems to be intact.
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Good point - I should have mentioned the "brushed" car wash I frequent has the same type... More of a spinning sponge wheel than a conventional bristle type brush. I think I read an article from a trade magazine, and apparently these are fairly high-tech materials designed to shed particulates, while still holding a large volume of liquids...
 
#10 ·
Not to forget that high pressure washing can irritate the potential roof rail leak and it can get water into places that a drive heavy rain storm will not get into. I also agree, that that film on the paint will not come off unless you make contact with it and wipe it away. The textured plastic trim is always hard to clean and will need a protectant coasting like 303 every time.
 
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#12 ·
newcodelogic said:
I was wondering. Here where I live it is too cold to clean Rav4 at home due to winter. and garden hose frozen etc.
I was wondering about those Touchless Car Washes . Would it be safe to drive me Rav4 through one. Since there are no brushes to rip the mirrors or anything.

Are these car washes effective to use ? would you recommend? thanks
Click to expand...
I use "touchless" - does not clean as good as the brushes, but total harmless and all in all keeps the car in good shape. I have to add that I wax my RAV4 a few times leading up to winter and the water beads off just fine. If you buy a 5 wash on a Shell wash card, you get one extra wash for free. The back of the RAV4 needs a little extra wipe off. One more thing when the car wash door opens, drive in very slowly to get the lower part and the wheels washed extra good.
 
#13 ·
The brush/sponge wash is only as good as the maintenance that is done. Many don’t change the brushes / sponges as required so they get more embedded materials that can scratch. I have only used the car wash a few times on my 2019 and wife’s 2020 XSEs. I normally wash them at least once a month or more frequently as needed. I use the Optimum No Rinse™ Wash & Shine and wash it in my garage, takes about on hour.
 
#15 ·
FKHeath said:
Brushes, to me, implies stiff bristles. I go to a Quick Quack car wash near me, and they use thin, long, strips of felt on the rotating drums; I certainly would not call them brushes. Never had any marks or damage. The ceramic coat on my car still seems to be intact.
Click to expand...
On my truck, it pulled the dirt from the mud flaps, and made tiny scratches, and you never know how much grit was on the car in front of you. I stick with brush less or hand washing.
 
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#19 ·
newcodelogic said:
I was wondering about those Touchless Car Washes . Would it be safe to drive me Rav4 through one. would you recommend?
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The brushless, touchless car washes are known for using stronger chemicals than the conventional ones.
Carnuba wax melts at < 60 degrees.
the chemicals will probably affect any black rubber trim first, around the windows and such.
I agree with the recommendations to do your washing DIY, just keep your consumables grit free.

...another tip I saw recently is to not use degreaser above the window line, it will run inside the doors and degrade the factory applied anti corrosion waxes.
 
#20 · (Edited by Moderator)
I use to run my vehicles through a touchless car wash in the snowy winters to get the road crap and de-icer off the paint. One day I was reading on the Lexus forums that the chemicals used in these bags could be harmful to the clearcoat. I have pretty much always had black vehicles, so I am asking you guys if this is true. I figure you would know better than some random Lexus owner. When I googled it, I found the main concern was the pressure of the sprayers in these potentially causing issues. As I mentioned in other threads, I have a black 2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon. I am trying to protect the paint as much as possible. My 1990 Jeep is my crawler/toy, just in case some ask why I’m so concerned with a Jeep. I also wonder if the chemicals used in these bays would remove or damage any ceramic spray coating I apply.
 
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