Touchless car wash?

[FlyMike]

All this 2 and 3 bucket stuff... Why not this:

 

[Texas Woody]

So you got paint correction, ceramic coating, and PPF? Mind if I ask what your total was. I paid $5,300 all said and done.

Just under $3K.

 

[Clean19]

Just under $3K.

$5,300 is about right for full PPF. 3K might be a partial... amirite?

 

[Texas Woody]

$5,300 is about right for full PPF. 3K might be a partial... amirite?

Yes I didn't PPF the whole truck.

 

[Clean19]

Yes I didn't PPF the whole truck.

still a great deal for a full coating and ppf partial! well done

 

[thabiiighomie]

still a great deal for a full coating and ppf partial! well done

Forgot $700 of that price was the tInt-job, which included both sunroofs, but no, I did not get a full PPF either.

Also included taking off the wheels to ceramic coat the entire wheels to mitigate brake dust buildup.

As for the film:
-Full front (hood, grille, front fenders, front bumper), but the Sport Appearance Package forced me to get the grill PPF package which upped the price.
-Head lights and Fog lights
-A-pillars
-Rocker panels and bottom 4” of each door panel
-Custom piece around rear fenders where fender flares would typically cover

With both of my vehicles I neglected to pay the premium to cover the entire vehicle with PPF. However, seems like rocks only hit the places I did not pay for.

 

[thabiiighomie]

With Xpel Ultimate Plus PPF on the front bumper, rocker panels, A pillars and edge of roofline, and Feynlab Heal Lite ceramic coating on the rest of the painted surfaces, I'm not really sweating the car washes with the rotating brushes. Some hot water, or this blazing Texas heat and any swirl marks just disappear.
View attachment 29708

Hey is that film on the edge of the roofline proving beneficial? It’s a difficult area to get to when cleaning, especially for a quick spot cleaning in between washes. Asked my guy if it is too late to add that portion of film.

 

[Fidomac]

I haven’t had a black truck in a long time and with work and a 5-month old and having to mow my lawn 3 times a month this time of year I just don’t have the time to commit to washing it myself enough. I definitely won’t go through a normal car wash but I have never tried touchless before. Do they work? There’s one near my house with signs up that say “Tesla safe” for what that’s worth.

I think they're worthless unless your truck has just some dust or pollen on it ..... If it's actually dirty with bug guts and Road film forget it

 

[Texas Woody]

Hey is that film on the edge of the roofline proving beneficial? It’s a difficult area to get to when cleaning, especially for a quick spot cleaning in between washes. Asked my guy if it is too late to add that portion of film.

I think it will be over time. On my 2011 Tundra, the edge of the roof where it meets the top of the windshield had a number of knicks/chips in the paint and I wanted to protect this are on my Ram. Time will tell. Haven't seen too many bug gut marks up there yet...

 

[thabiiighomie]

I think it will be over time. On my 2011 Tundra, the edge of the roof where it meets the top of the windshield had a number of knicks/chips in the paint and I wanted to protect this are on my Ram. Time will tell. Haven't seen too many bug gut marks up there yet...

I asked for it and got it thrown in free of charge. You had me jealous lol

 

[Texas Woody]

I asked for it and got it thrown in free of charge. You had me jealous lol

Well done!

 

[StuartV]

So i'm going through a paint correction. But it looks great but man my paint scratches so easy. Is my clear made of butter....lol


got me thinking about just doing touch less wash from here on out to prevent scratches. What do you think?

Put a ceramic coating on it. Otherwise, it’s going to pick up fine scratches constantly, forever.

 

[mikeru82]

So i'm going through a paint correction. But it looks great but man my paint scratches so easy. Is my clear made of butter....lol


got me thinking about just doing touch less wash from here on out to prevent scratches. What do you think?

I was a proponent of touchless car washes when I had a white truck. Now that I drive a black car, I can see how ineffective the touchless wash I was using really is. White is very good at hiding the dirt that a touchless wash leaves behind. Black, not so much. So it may be a matter of what color your vehicle is. like @Fidomac said, touchless works great for stuff that just falls onto the paint, like dust and pollen. But they're pretty much worthless for bug guts and road film. Keeping up with ceramic coating definitely helps the touchless wash to remove more of that stuff though.

 

[bigdodge]

this is what I use on my truck

Rinse Free Wash And Shine Complete Hoseless Car Wash | Chemical Guys

Rinse-Free is the innovative car wash shampoo that uses next-generation rinseless technology to safely remove dirt, filth, and grime from any car with no hose, no mess, and no scratching or swirling.

www.chemicalguys.com

 

[Twil6]

Might have to try that rinse free wash.

 

[Mountain Whiskey]

You want it clean? Hit up one of these full contact washes and get it clean.

If some idiot comes up shining a spotlight at an angle to your paint and is peering through a magnifying lense to show micro scratches that you will never see driving down the road, smack him in the head and tell him to get away from your truck.

 

[HSKR R/T]

You want it clean? Hit up one of these full contact washes and get it clean.

If some idiot comes up shining a spotlight at an angle to your paint and is peering through a magnifying lense to show micro scratches that you will never see driving down the road, smack him in the head and tell him to get away from your truck.

View attachment 138405

You want it clean, wash it by hand in your driveway with a bucket and microfiber. Otherwisez there will always be spots missed by any automatic car wash

 

[HemiDude]

I was a proponent of touchless car washes when I had a white truck. Now that I drive a black car, I can see how ineffective the touchless wash I was using really is. White is very good at hiding the dirt that a touchless wash leaves behind. Black, not so much. So it may be a matter of what color your vehicle is. like @Fidomac said, touchless works great for stuff that just falls onto the paint, like dust and pollen. But they're pretty much worthless for bug guts and road film. Keeping up with ceramic coating definitely helps the touchless wash to remove more of that stuff though.

I agree. My truck looks "good" after rolling through the touchless wash, but when I get home I pour a little bottled water on a microfiber towel and wipe it down - truck looks sooo much better then. Amazing how much dirt is still left behind after those washes.

 

[Rlaf75]

I use a touchless car wash all the time. It's not perfect but it does a great job if you stay on top of it. I will still use a shamy to wipe it dry afterwards just to get the spots the air dryer doesn't get.

 

[Mountain Whiskey]

You want it clean, wash it by hand in your driveway with a bucket and microfiber. Otherwisez there will always be spots missed by any automatic car wash

Very true. But for convenience sake, there is clean and then clean enough. Regular carwash is convenient and cleaner than touchless. You are right though, bucket by hand will get it cleaner. So will a clay bar and buffing it down afterwards. Just a matter of perspective.