I have never done a drive through car wash, always done it with bucket and sponge.

But the weather is crap and people are starting to comment on my car. Things like "I thought you had a silver Fabia not a black one?"

Question is, is it safe to go through without removing the aerial? Can it be removed and how do you do it?

Cheers

I took my previous fabia through with the aerial on upwards of 10 times and never had a problem.

But I'd say that it's worth spending the time rather than the money and doing it with the bucket and sponge.

a) The car wash generally does a crap job of the boot and just underneath the wing mirrors. Never mind the wheels!

I found after I took mine through the car wash, the paintwork started to show signs of "swirls" where the brushes had rubbed against... I'd rather not have that!

Give it a quick jetwash for £1 instead.

That's what I've done when I can't be bothered to get the sponge out.

or find a local hand car wash for about a 5er generaly they go a good job well worth it if you cant be bother.

Car washes - paint damage.

Hand car wash - still paint damage but less likely. Heavy degreaser makes paint flat and lifeless.

DIY TBH

Should be fine going through a car wash - just use a reputable one rather than a cheap one. Never had a problem with the Arc ones and it does a suprisingly good job of getting in all the nooks and crannies

Chris

I took my Fabia through the local ARC car wash a few weeks ago (I got a money off voucher out of the newspaper!) , got 'The works' wash for £3 ,wash/rinse/wax/dry . and it does the wheels , and the underside too. I didnt take my ariel off and the car was fine , also I found the finish to be acceptable , it only missed a few cms behind the ariel mount on the roof , and the car was proper minging beforehand! I wouldnt make a habit of it though , nor would I pay the proper price of £6!

I got swirls from using an arc carwash ... and I only put it through once. unbelievable.

I wouldnt have put an SE through!! To be fair , mine is nearly 8 years old and has a fair few swirls on it already (plus its only worth about £1500 or so!!) so i wasnt that bothered , but if I had a really nice car I would avoid automatic car washes like the plague - when I put the Fabia through it was only the 2nd time Ive used one in almost 21 years of driving - the only other car I put through one was an unremarkable 115000 miler Mitsi Galant on an H plate...

DONT take your car through a Drive thru, will add so many swirls and will hardly clean it.

Even washing your car with a sponge will be adding those dreaded swirls.

Get yourself a lambswool wash mitt and pressure wash your car first to get rid of most of the dirt then wash away with the wash mitt

^^What he said. Have a look at the guide on detailingworld on how to wash your car properly - you won't believe the difference. I spend at least an hour washing mine now no matter how bad the weather is.

and to finish off use a drying towel

Then apply wax or polish whatever floats your boat!

pressure wash your car first to get rid of most of the dirt

Cos pressure washers are fine on paintwork

Chris

Cos pressure washers are fine on paintwork

Chris

Yes believe it or not!! pressure wash from a distance to remove the dirt and grime then wash by hand :rofl:

you told him to go through a Swirl-o-matic

Cos pressure washers are fine on paintwork

Chris

Yes they are if you know what you're doing.

I put my car throught the car wash once a fortnight, and it looks fine. To be honest, I don't give a t0ss about tiny swirls which you can only notice if you rub your face against the car anyway. I might not win any car shows, but my car looks clean and tidy.

I normally go to the ARC, but my local Sainsburys also has an excellent carwash which has just been installed and is state of the art. Avoid Tescos though - their brushes are crap.

tut, tut, tut. wait till the sun shines on it in the summer then, yikes

I would never take a car through car washes - they crucify paint :eek:

When the weather is ok, I quite enjoy the whole process of washing and waxing, very relaxing!

i spent a bit of time on mine before winter,you know the drill,jet wash,hand wash using two bucket method,clay,autoglym srp,autoglym high gloss sealant,megs tech wax x3.

the crap now just drops off the car at the mere sight of a jetwash:D

No way would I use a car wash. The Fabia paint is as soft as toffee and stone chips sooo easily. Think what a nice abrasive big spinning brush would do to it....

If you can't be bothered to clean it properly, go and buy a £500 Fiat Punto from an auction and take that through the carwash instead.

Just washed mine this morning - took me about two hours. What's this clay stuff you speak of?! I just normally use a wash/wax thing from Turtlewax and then chamois dry. Ya reckon I should wax the ****er too? Can you recommend a good wax?

i like the megs tech wax,i prefere it to the more expensive gold class wax for ease of use,a clay kit is basicly a lump of clay,you get some megs quick detailer and lube the area you are doing,then run the clay over it,making sure the area remains well lubed,what it does is take off all the crap and leaves the paintwork super smooth:thumbup:

3 coats of wax, si there any point?

Id use some Collinite instead, itll easily outlast the NXT. You shouldnt be needing the SRP on a new car either if youve already clayed it.

The Fabia paint is as soft as toffee and stone chips sooo easily.

Actually VAG paint is very hard, that's why it chips easily.

Most pro. detailers hate VAG paint because with it being so hard, the swirlmarks and small scratches are a sod to polish out.

I dont think the Skoda paint is as hard as the VW/Audi gear though.