View Poll Results: Do you take your car to the Car Wash, or Hand wash yourself.
Voters: 93. You may not vote on this poll
Car wash (Business) or Hand wash (Yourself)
Thread Starter
Senior Members
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,521
Likes: 1
From: Houston, TX
Title explains it all, as mods start being added to your vehicle the question of trust in the car wash stand begins to arise. Will they screw up my rims on those stupid rail systems that pull your car along, will they scrape my body kit or lip on the low rails...etc
So the question arises, Which do YOU do?
So the question arises, Which do YOU do?
Contributors
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 4,119
Likes: 0
From: San Jose, California, USA
My Ride: 2008 Porsche 911 Carrera S Convertible. Midnight Blue, 6 Speed.Retired - 2007 997 Carrera S, Midnight Blue, Grey leather, premium audioRetired - 2007 550i, Monaco Blue over Beige, Navigation, Logic 7, Cold Weather Pack, Comfort Access, Sport Package
Model Year: 2008
Can't beat a good hand job.
Contributors
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 3,561
Likes: 0
From: Milky Way, Earth, N. America, CA, San Jose, 95136, Latitude N 37� 16.837, Longitude W 121� 50.461
My Ride: 2004 530i | Sapphire Black | Sport | Premium | NAV | Logic 7 | DPE R07 Variant S Gloss Black with Polished Lip 20x8.5 front 20x10 rear | Falken FK452 tires 245/30/20 front 275/30/20 rear | H&R Coilovers | Smoked Tail Lights | M5 trunk spoiler | AC Schnitzer style roof spoiler | HID 8000K headlights & foglights | 35% tint all around | Sprint Booster | Speed Innovation ECU tuning | M5 trunk finisher | M-Tech body kit | Remus Quad Exhaust | AC Schnitzer style pedals | Euro Stickers | RPi Ram Air Induction | Smoked LED Side Lenses | AC Schnitzer style e-brake handle | AC Schnitzer style shifter | AC Schnitzer style iDrive knob | AC Schnitzer style carbon fiber diffuser | carbon fiber hood/trunk/steering emblems | carbon fiber grilles | carbon fiber door pillars | MTEC v2 Angel Eyes | Hamann style carbon fiber splitter
both.. when I use a car wash business I always go to the same one (AJ Detailing in San Jose) and it is all hand wash.. I wouldn't even consider putting my wheels through car wash rails.. when I have time, I'll wash the car myself..
Contributors
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 3,561
Likes: 0
From: Milky Way, Earth, N. America, CA, San Jose, 95136, Latitude N 37� 16.837, Longitude W 121� 50.461
My Ride: 2004 530i | Sapphire Black | Sport | Premium | NAV | Logic 7 | DPE R07 Variant S Gloss Black with Polished Lip 20x8.5 front 20x10 rear | Falken FK452 tires 245/30/20 front 275/30/20 rear | H&R Coilovers | Smoked Tail Lights | M5 trunk spoiler | AC Schnitzer style roof spoiler | HID 8000K headlights & foglights | 35% tint all around | Sprint Booster | Speed Innovation ECU tuning | M5 trunk finisher | M-Tech body kit | Remus Quad Exhaust | AC Schnitzer style pedals | Euro Stickers | RPi Ram Air Induction | Smoked LED Side Lenses | AC Schnitzer style e-brake handle | AC Schnitzer style shifter | AC Schnitzer style iDrive knob | AC Schnitzer style carbon fiber diffuser | carbon fiber hood/trunk/steering emblems | carbon fiber grilles | carbon fiber door pillars | MTEC v2 Angel Eyes | Hamann style carbon fiber splitter
Contributors
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 2,674
Likes: 0
From: FT. Bliss Texas
My Ride: 2008 528i, Space Grey, Nav, PDC, Premium, Sports, Grey Leather, Xenon, Cornering...
Well, I do both honestly. For a quick wash on the go, I am in the automated type. When I have time, it's the foamer/two bucket/ by hand/rinse and repeat method for me. But I am opening up a detail/mod shop when I get to Texas so, I am biased.
Contributors
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 10,301
Likes: 0
From: New York, New York
My Ride: See my signature
LMAOSeriously, if I had a house and a driveway, I'd wash my own car. But I park underneath my apartment building in a parking garage run by Central Parking so I have to go to a car wash. The parking attendants in the garage do wash cars but they are butchers.
Members
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 185
Likes: 0
From: NM
I would love to hand wash, but other than 3 months of the year our weather is too crappy...so I am forced to go to a vendor. The dealership gives me unlimited washes for free, but it's out of the way. I have found a couple of car wash places that are pretty darn good and don't have the dreaded plastic dryer vents that physically roll over the car and the rails appear to not trash rims.
Contributors
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 11,084
Likes: 0
From: Thousand Oaks, California
My Ride: 2008 550i Jet Black on Black Leather, SAT with Paddles, Logic 7, Comfort Seats, NAV, Sport Package, PDC, Xenons, Sirius, Trinity 12W LED Angel Eyes, RPi GT Exhaust, M rear spoiler, ACS Roof Spoiler, Tinted Tail Lights, Bimmian Carbon Fiber Pillar Trim, Bimmian Shadow 550i emblem, RPi Scoop, E60 Forum Cling, Mtec bulbs in fog lights, Mtec 2W LED for License Plate Light Bulbs, K&N Filter, Bimmian LED Smoked Side Markers, Blackout roundels, Carbon Fiber Kidney Grills.
Retired Rides - 1989 325i convertible, 1995 M3, 2002 X5, 2005 545i, 2008 X5 (Lemon)
We've been in a drought for the last 4 or 5 years here and you are not really supposed to wash at home as it uses too much water, so for now I take it to the car wash! 
Contributors
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 11,084
Likes: 0
From: Thousand Oaks, California
My Ride: 2008 550i Jet Black on Black Leather, SAT with Paddles, Logic 7, Comfort Seats, NAV, Sport Package, PDC, Xenons, Sirius, Trinity 12W LED Angel Eyes, RPi GT Exhaust, M rear spoiler, ACS Roof Spoiler, Tinted Tail Lights, Bimmian Carbon Fiber Pillar Trim, Bimmian Shadow 550i emblem, RPi Scoop, E60 Forum Cling, Mtec bulbs in fog lights, Mtec 2W LED for License Plate Light Bulbs, K&N Filter, Bimmian LED Smoked Side Markers, Blackout roundels, Carbon Fiber Kidney Grills.
Retired Rides - 1989 325i convertible, 1995 M3, 2002 X5, 2005 545i, 2008 X5 (Lemon)
But what exactly does this have to do with car maintenance??? 