Through all my time of owning a BMW I have always had my car hand washed, whether it be by my own fair hands or at the hands of my Eastern European friends at the local hand car wash establishment... however, in a moment of economic madness and laziness, I took it to through a car wash last week.... If you are expecting me to now tell you that it was a disaster, I can't! It was unbelievable!! My car has never looked so clean and shiny (Carbon Black 535d Sport).... It was simply awesome! So the question is, is the old adage that you should never use a car wash an old wives tail, because I am seriously tempted to take it back there!!

I would appreciate your thoughts!!

Look at it on an angle against sunlight. You will probably see quite a lot of very fine swirlmarks.
If not now, they will most certainly show after repeatedly using it.

The only carwashes I use are some when I'm back in Germany, that run with Microfibre towels only instead of brushes.

Exactly my approach. When I'm in the UK, its hand wash only, but in Germany I use specific car-washes. The car-washes are pretty advanced over here because it is illegal to hand-wash your car on the street due to the "environmental damage" caused by the car cleaning products.

One thing to watch out for with the car washes is your rims - not the towels scratching them, but curbing them on the car-wash rails that run either side. With my 275s on the back I was once only micro-millimeters away from scratching my M166s - it must have been my lucky day. It can a pretty tight squeeze when driving in to some car washes, so drive slowly and use your mirrors. You have been warned...!!!

Most of the high quality car washes here in the US use towel type brushes. These car washes in the the business of car wash not just a gas station with a wash on the side for $4.99. Thus these types of washes run from $15.99 to $25 per wash for the 'Ultimate' wash. These businesses also have a bunch of folks at the end that will hand dry it. Often they also offer a 'quick wax' for about $29. This is not a deep waxing but it does a good job when I do not see a waxing by my own hands for a while.

The cheap gas station washes also use the plastic egg beater type brushes that will do wonders to your paint as discribed above.

I also like these full service car wash places since they also will also have an underbody wash/sprayer. :thumbsup: Here in Hell, um, I mean, New Jersey, the salt from the roads gets stuck everywhere there. It is a place too that I cannot get when hand washing.

Overall I have been a big fan of the full service washes, especially in the Winter where it is a brisk 20-30 F. I still enjoy hand washing and waxing my car.

Nothing i like more than a gleaming clean car but find forced into the nasty brush wash sometimes because the car is crying out for a clean and the hand wash's here are few with long long q's . Never have the time to take a sponge to it myself it seems. :blink:

Those men cleaning interior at the car wash usuall damage your iDrive and instrument cluster screen which should only be cleaned by microfiber or the like. Watch closely and you see what I mean.

Always believed in a good hand job myself!!!
:whistle: :whistle:

:lol: :lol: :lol: yyaaahhhhoooooo

this is a repost. :doh:
I never take any car to a car wash. just $hits up the paint work so 100% hand wash.

O Ilet some 1 elas do it for me. :devil: