My sister recently got her 2024 330i in white. She loves it to death, her friends purchased a car wash pass at Petro Canada here in Canada, and they split the cost. 1 wash per day for a year and is split among the 3 of them. She gets a wash like every 2 days or something. But the thing is some of the car washes are not touch less. They are touch with bristles, and she showed me a video and I just cringed.
Then some are touchless, but regardless, aren’t the soaps in touchless washes bad for the vehicles clear coat? I am thinking of just cleaning it for her by hand and such. I’m mad at her because she isn’t taking care of this car she spent lots of money on.
I know a lot of people love their car to death because it’s new. But I think a lot of extra money spent on car detailing is a waste if you aren’t gonna keep it. My bet is that the car at It will be kept for 3-4 years and then traded or sold. So, just keep it simple. If you know for sure you wanna keep it then I would quickly clean it, detox the topcoat and quickly apply the ceramic coating to protect the car. It will make the top coat last a lot longer.
Touchless is definitely the way to go as it doesn’t push debris that can scratch the paint. Regularly washing it is very important, some people don’t wash it regularly and overtime the debris start to oxidize and acidify that dissolves the top coat. So regularly washing the car is very important. I would definitely recommend washing every month.
Go to the auto detailing sub Reddit. There is a huge spectrum of how to take care of your car. I personally never go to any automated wash because the brushes that touch your car will leave micro scratches and over time your paint will just look less good. On the other hand, the gold standard is two bucket system whereby you dip the mitt in a rinse bucket and then the soap bucket - both with grit guards - to minimize swirl marks and micro scratches. Obviously that takes way more time and is way more expensive. Most people use the machines. You have to do what works for you.
This is the only answer.
If you can, always wash by hand. That’s best. If not, I sometimes use the premium washing program at a car wash in my area. That works well for me also, but it’s not as good as hand washing.
Ive been doing a touchless wash for 18months now on my white metallic and it looks great. During bug season ill use the wash every other day.
I did it all the time. Bring a bucket and stuff to a spray bay later at night like 9pm to 10pm when it’s empty. Leave car on, heat full blast on vents and hand wash. Works every time.
BMW Manufacturing plant in Spartanburg SC uses a car wash with spinning soft touch brushing to wash their new cars. But nothing ever goes through with gritty dirt on it. I’d say touchless is OK at a gas station to knock the dust or pollen off. We use a Sonic Suds wash on our 2023 5 Series. https://sonicsudswash.com/ Just remember, hand washing can be bad as well. The rags most places use are terrycloth type material that will grab and hold grit and dirt if dropped on the ground. (Swirl City) These premium type washes like sonic suds use closed cell foam technology in brushes has allowed for cleaner, shinier cars. In closed cell foam brushes, disconnected, microscopic bubbles in the foam prevent dirt and liquid from seeping into the brush. Just some food for thought.
White is a very forgiving color. Wash the damn thing however you like. Daily driving will damage the paint more than a car wash will. It’s just a 3 series not a 911 GT3 RS. Don’t complicate it.
I dunno know how they are splitting the car wash, you get a sticker on your window and it’s one wash per day isolated to a specific car.
There’s no right answer to this question, and you’re going to get an entire spectrum of responses.
For example, take the parking debate. You have one camp (that I belong to) that parks far away from the “commoners” who might door-ding our investment. You have the other camp that scoffs at us for being ridiculous about a few inconsequential dents.
Another example: food/drinks in the car. One camp doesn’t allow anything in their car (I happen to also belong to this camp), the other camp finds that ridiculous and lives their life normally, happily spilling catsup, crumbs and Coke all over their interiors and just having them detailed on a regular basis.
The same applies to the exterior of the car. I’ve always belonged to a car wash club that uses brushes. I had a black 2015 F30 335i prior to my G80 M3, and I ran it through an average of once every two weeks. After eight years of car washes was the paint damaged? Not in my opinion. That’s the key, though. Was the paint showroom new? Nope. Did it look fine? Yep, especially after I had it detailed.
I do the same thing with my new M3.
At the end of the day, which is worse? A dirty car or a clean car that’s 15% less shiny than showroom new after five years of car washes? 'Cause I’m sure-as-hell not going to hand-wash my car when it’s 98 degrees and 80% humidity outside for four months out of the year.
This is the way.
I think my E Class has been properly hand washed maybe 5 times in the 16 years we’ve had it, the rest of the time it’s been through the brushes. The paint still looks really good to me and to pretty much everybody who sets their eyes on it. Whatever damage is on the car wasn’t done by the car washes.
As you said, it’s not showroom condition, neither is it gonna win any contests if I bring it to a show, but I’m just not really seeing what everybody’s on about when they say automated car washes “destroy the paint”. The car doesn’t look any better or worse than my own, which I hand wash on a monthly basis in the summer.
M3 through an auto car wash?! A menace to society lol
The real reason to avoid the drive-through car washes is because that’s where all the people with the dirtiest vehicles go to get their vehicles cleaned, and the equipment there doesn’t get cleaned as often as it should. I knew guys who would go 4-wheeling in mud all weekend, and roll back into town and go to a gas station car wash. A non-zero amount of that dirt gets stuck on the equipment and can scratch cars more than it already does.
…that being said, her car is white, so it’s the least likely to show how scratched it is. I hated detailing white (and silver) vehicles because it was so difficult to see the condition of the paint without staring into bright lights all the time.
As far as a touchless, eh…I’ve never heard anything about them damaging the clearcoat. My main issue with touchless is that it typically doesn’t get everything off, especially that thick winter road grime.
I have a 2023 BMW and I live in the Midwest and I don’t have a garage. My dealer has a drive through car wash that’s free for 3 years after purchase. It’s not touchless. I don’t care, I’m washing my car for free all year long. It’s not a freakin Fabergé egg. Do what works for you. Asking for advice here on questions like this is more miss than hit.
I posted a similar question in the past, with the context that I live in a harsh climate, and washing the car at -10F isnt really very feasible outside of automatic car wash.
The most prominent answer was to sell my bmw and to deservedly off myself immediately. Id take any answer with a grain of salt - its your car, so do whatever works best for you! 😀
I cannot imagine how a wash every 2 days would not rub off the color …
Do you think cars are painted with nail polish?
Daily gas station car wash will be the best way to get the car paint dull. The coating lacquer gets micro scratches from the brushes if these are not properly cleaned or soft enough. What’s your guess where dirt and sand on the vehicle cleaned before yours end? Some is washed off, some is scrubbed off and some sticks to the brushes.
You want a dull looking car? Go for a cheap wash at a gas station. If someone needs to have the car cleaned on a daily basis, e/g/ as a professional chauffeur for luxury limousine services they will have the car hand washed but not use a rough gas station one.
I don’t disagree with you in the least! I guess the way you worded the first comment had made me think the car would be completely without a finish after a while of these washes lmao
Wash it well by hand before winter, then only go through touchless car wash all winter
Just go to one of those do it yourself car washes in a big garage with a pressure washer