To use an automated car wash or not

[zeffania]

BP are offering there £9 carwash for 50p, normally I wouldn't have entertained such a notion as I have never used an automated carwash in my life although I have been sat in my Dads when I was a child and thought it was great.

What are they like these days, my car is nearly 7 years old, it has the odd ding and scratch and it is not a Bentley so I am being silly?

I know it won't be perfect, but if it saves me an hour or so of work I think it is worth it

[PC1212]

I use one, seems fine to me although constant use can give the swirls

[zeffania]

I use one, seems fine to me although constant use can give the swirls

Cheers, this would be a one off as its cheap! lol

[mattytemp]

As a detailer id say no. Ive seen very bad examples of cars from these. Even after one wash your car will be swerly. And if you have any wax or any lsp it will more than likely strip it off.

[zeffania]

I have some resin applied, did it the last time it was cleaned

[mattytemp]

If you do take it reaply the resin after it as all that will definatly be striped off.

[zeffania]

cheers, need some more as I used the last of it recently.

[Aspman]

Nooooo scratchy scratchy scratchy

Edited 6 June, 2013 by Aspman

[Gregie]

If your car is silver you may get away with not seeing the swirls. Any other colour i think you will kick yourself in the balls when you look at you clean car shining in the sun with a designer swirlie pattern.

[octavia5]

You certainly risk a few new scratches or swirls but on a non-pristine car you are not likely to notice - depends on how fastidious you are and if you have the time and inclination to carefully wash it yourself.

[biggy7]

please no

[sheldon_cz]

Well, I would advise against it. In CZ, a full manual wash incl. wheels costs about £10-15, so if the situation is any similar in the UK, I don't think automatic makes much sense.

[Spaced99]

I wouldn't use it even if was free, took me long enough to compound/polish out the swirls and scratches that were in it when I bought mine, I wouldn't want to put them back in. Please don't do it

[CHRIS ELLIS]

Are you mad! No don't do it.;-)

[cotswoldlad]

It depends what you want, cleanish (the never clean under the number plate recess at the rear) and scratched or clean and swirl-free. I have never put any of my new cars through one, but my old workhorse vovlo estate used to like it just had a good wax once in a while also swirls are easier to remove from non metalics

[Rob_Quads]

although constant use can give the swirls

Single use can cause swirls as shown by a few tv programs a while back.

I would say next time to go for a drink have a couple pints less and spend the £6 at the local hand car wash. Still might not be ideal but probably a lot better than the scratchy scratchy machine

[j0hn]

NO!

[DGW]

I wouldn't and haven't for more years than I can remember.

[Newbie VRS]

Last time I used one, it ripped off the rear wiper..............So no

[marko]

non car enthusiasts will use them, they don't do a good job and besides I can't be bothered to drive off to a car wash and queue for ages then have the machine do a crap job, same goes for the local "hand wash" for a fiver places.. at least the latter does a half decent job but they use silicone blades and don't scrub under the arches or back of wheels or door jams.

Mark.

[ChrisjMetcher]

no, never ever,..... use a hand wash carwash site instead or a decent valeter and pay the money with good grace..

a lot of them use recycled water with dubious filtering and the brushes are way to aggressive.

[kevberlin]

please no

+1

[pipsyp]

At the end of my company car lease I got a bit needy having not washed the car for several weeks and bunged it through at the local BP to save me the hastle.

After I got it home after the two mile drive, it had dried out and was obvious that whilst much cleaner it wasnt a very good job and v patchy, cost a few quid too.

Im not one for sitting outside all day polishing and detailing a car; might be more so if I had a 60/70k Porsche sat on my driveway but my Octavia does just fine with a thorough wash and leathering off every few weeks (extends to every few months sometimes!). Frankly id rather not wash it and do it myself when I get time than bung it in a car wash but for 50p id probably do it :-)

[polanglo]

NO - do not under any circumstances. I did just once, and that was enough. Big mistake. That was a Shell petrol station but I dare say all automatic car washes are the same. Scratches on the rear bumper. My Octavia is black. Rue the day I did it. Since then just used the hand car wash with the power spray.

[silver1011]

Not all automated car washes are the same.

My local BP garage has a 'touchless' car wash which uses high power jets and chemicals instead (although it does brush the wheels so not totally touchless!)

It does a great job and no scratches either, but the chemicals will strip off any polish/wax.

But then the top level wash applies a liquid wax, reverse osmosis, under-chassis wash and dries it too!