At the Car Wash

I know Miata folks who regularly take their cars to car washes of various types. I know Miata folks who get severe cases of the vapors when car washes are mentioned. I know it says not to wash your ragtop in a car wash in the owner's manual.

Yesterday, while watching the company OTM go through the fully automated car wash, I said something to the front guy who takes your order and marks the window. He says they send ragtops of all kinds through the machine all the time - with no harm. He was standing under the sign releasing them from any responsibility for damage and theft.

This was never an issue when I had a house with water hose and driveway... and a detailer I trusted. Now that I am a cave dweller with a parking space, my Miata gets pretty dirty.

What do you think? Car wash yes or no?

Recommended detailer in the SW Ft Worth area?

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Originally Posted by onething

Recommended detailer in the SW Ft Worth area?

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I have never taken a vehicle thru a drive-thru carwash. I know they now have 'touchless' ones, but still. Go to one of those 'bay' type car washes and bring your bucket and sponge. Being a cheap bastard I've always done my own detailing too.

I think Mazda recommends (in the Owners Manual) you don't run a Miata thought an automatic car wash, because of possible damage to the top. That and the fact it may leak like the Titanic.

But on the other side of the equation I do believe Tailchaser has run his thought an automatic carwash.

BTW. I’m tooo cheap to let someone else wash my Miata. :wink:

I used to run mine through and never had a problem. (only did it that way when I needed it cleaned and couldnt find the time to do it myself)

I used to take my 4wd Tacoma to a carwash like that occasionally, but that was usually to get the mud out from the undercarriage. :P Besides, it was covered in scratches from driving down too-narrow trails already, so I wasn't that concerned with the finish. But even when I was living in an apartment I still hand-washed my vehicles most of the time, usually by taking them to a coin-op pressure washer and bringing my own bucket, soap, and chamois.

Onething, have you ever used a clay bar on you Miata? It's a bit time consuming, but the reuslts after a good clay bar and wax are nothing short of amazing. I finally got around to doing it to my wife's '00 Accord the other week, and I'm amazed at how well that car has stayed clean compared to mine (white vs dark green), especially since she had it parked outside through much of the rain while she and I were refinishing some furniture. With a silver car, a good clay bar and wax job, your car should stay looking pretty darn clean even if it is parked outside most of the time.

I ran mine through a gas station's (read: cheapo) car wash one time when it was filthy and I didn't have time to wash it myself. It cleaned the car OK (for an automatic car wash), and didn't appear to hurt anything. But, some water did come through the "gaps" between the side windows and the top, so I haven't done it again since.

Would I do it? Only in an extreme "pinch". On the other hand, I'm moving out of my house this weekend, so I'll be an apartment dweller again for a while. :shock: I might have to get comfortable with either a drive-thru car wash or a "bay style" car wash like sammm suggests. :cry:

Yes.... I'm the lazy bastard. I used Oasis a lot when they did the exterior only for $3.99 since the one near my house did a great job of keeping their washer clean and were attentive in drying the car... That and their soap repels dust for weeks...

However, they changed management, and I'm not going within a half mile of them anymore... I washed the car myself a couple times when it was 40 degrees this winter.

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Originally Posted by altiain

have you ever used a clay bar on you Miata? It's a bit time consuming, but the reuslts after a good clay bar and wax are nothing short of amazing.

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I've read about clay bar'ing on the :batman: board and it's been on my to-do list. Is there a local source for buying the clay?

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Originally Posted by sammm

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Originally Posted by altiain

have you ever used a clay bar on you Miata? It's a bit time consuming, but the reuslts after a good clay bar and wax are nothing short of amazing.

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I've read about clay bar'ing on the :batman: board and it's been on my to-do list. Is there a local source for buying the clay?

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I used the clay bar when my car was new to me. It was great. I found that I only needed to do the nose of the car- the rest was relatively free from grit and grime. It was easy and the finished product was excellent. In fact, I should probably try it again since it has been over a year.

I purchased a bar and its associated spray at the local autoparts store. Mine was Meguires' brand.

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Originally Posted by sammm

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Originally Posted by altiain

have you ever used a clay bar on you Miata? It's a bit time consuming, but the reuslts after a good clay bar and wax are nothing short of amazing.

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I've read about clay bar'ing on the :batman: board and it's been on my to-do list. Is there a local source for buying the clay?

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Same as tailchaser. I used the Meguiar's kit, and bought it at my local Autozone. The kit (includes one bar and a bottle of detailing spray to use as a lubricant for the clay) was about $20, iirc.

Once you do it, you'll be hooked. It really does make your paint feel "like glass" when you run your hand over it. Better yet, the results on my wife's 4-year-old Honda were so dramatic even she noticed it. :shock: :P

If I need a quick wash NOW I'll take mine to the automatic wash near Grapevine Mills... it's about $15 for a wash, vacuum, and quick outside detail. I haven't been there in a while.

Usually I wash mine in the driveway or at the local (gasp) pressure wash place down the street...

Welcome to 2004.

What the hey....? I clicked New Posts and this came up http://smiliesftw.com/x/127fs4573872.gif

Somebody put in a new vote on the poll.

I won't take the miata to a car wash

I do take the Lancer to Forest Car wash for a hand wash at least every other week. They do a fantastic job.

I run through the car was once in awhile. Touchless or one that does not have one of those giant rotating wheels of death that drops down on your top, Those are the old school ones, newer units are ok. The touchless ones that simply use what seems like a bazillion tons of just water pressure (always struck me as BS) actually worked pretty good. I expected to get soaked as the pressure hit the seals, but not a drop got through on either car, soft top or hard top. Go figure.

Clay bar is awesome. I first found out about it years ago when I bought a new Passat. Found a mfgs clay bar kit provided for me in the glovebox. Funny thing was, the instructions said it was for the windshield. No mention of using it anywhere else.

If you have yet to try it on a windshield, I highly recommend it. Much clearer, less chatter, and the blades last longer...

Still looking for a touchless clay bar drive thru though...

I'll run mine through an auto car wash if I'm feeling lazy - either the Wave Wash on Greenville @ University, or the Ultra Car Wash on Beltline just west of Marsh. Neither one is high-pressure, and I don't feel they're abusive to the soft top. If I'm feeling frisky I'll spend the $4 at the two-bit car wash and baby my car...

The Miata has mostly been hand washed but the Boxter regularly gets run through the car wash. Do you realy think the dealers hand wash these cars?

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Originally Posted by onething

What do you think? Car wash yes or no?

Recommended detailer in the SW Ft Worth area?

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So, what ever happened?!?!

The car wash just up the road from me does hand wash and detail. It takes time and you have to leave it with them for a couple of hours. But the results are very good.

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Originally Posted by HudsonHawk

The car wash just up the road from me does hand wash and detail. It takes time and you have to leave it with them for a couple of hours. But the results are very good.

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Won't to tell us more details? The address of the car wash, cost to detail, etc.

Quick N Clean Car Wash
1401 W Hebron Pkwy
Carrollton, TX 75010
Phone: (972) 939-0903

Its about 3/4 a mile east of 121 on Hebron Parkway. I don't remember what the cost was last time I had them detail it sorry.

I actually don't recommend the "touchless" car washes...they use extremely high-pressure water to dislodge dirt instead of physical contact, and that is even more likely to damage the top and force leaks. Also, it doesn't really get the grime off. The next-best thing to hand washing, IMHO, is a good-quality car wash with the fabric-type machines, not the plastic brushes.
The soap/chemicals are going to wear your top faster than normal, but shouldn't ruin it. Any of the full-service car washes should do a good job, and they clean their equipment to help prevent debris from ruining finishes. Go for the basic wash, as the extra treatments don't help much and add chemicals to the process.
Suprisingly, I took my p/u to one of the new $3 Car Wash places, and it was very clean and did a good job. One thing: if you are behind a really filthy truck or SUV, come back another time, as debris might get caught in the brushes and scratch your car.
Avoid the gas station carwashes!!!!
Still, if your car has a really nice finish and you want it to stay that way, hand wash, or go to fund raiser car washes on the weekends where they handwash for you.

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Originally Posted by OZMDD

IStill, if your car has a really nice finish and you want it to stay that way, hand wash, or go to fund raiser car washes on the weekends where they handwash for you.

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Waiting for warm weather as this is what I normally do.

The best part is driving the Jeep up there and seeing the expressions. The guys (including the dads) are all drooling and the girls have no idea where to start.

The Miata alwasy gets compliments from the Moms and girls.

I ran my LE through an autocarwash before I sold it and it leaked through the window seal on one side (probably just needed adjustment) Other than that it was fine. I don't take the S2000 or Elise through auto carwashes though.

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Originally Posted by OZMDD

or go to fund raiser car washes on the weekends where they handwash for you.

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Talk about a bad move. I'd rather chance an autocarwash than a fundraiser. Those kids don't usually properly wash out the mitts (after they just cleaned some brake dust off someone's wheels) before rubbing it all over your swirl free paint. Like they say "If you want it done right, do it yourself"

I detail my cars and my friends cars for a fee. I'm not a professional by any means, I just enjoy washing performance cars. The last time I washed my friend's 300ZX it came out great, took about 8 hours but was well worth it. It had a cheap respray paintjob, and the bodykit was hopelessly cracked and rock chipped, the rest of the paint was able to be saved.

Before...
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y171/4W4K3/Car1245.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y171/4W4K3/Car1247.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y171/4W4K3/Car1243.jpg

After...
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y171/4W4K3/Car1264.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y171/4W4K3/Car1259.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y171/4W4K3/Car1258.jpg

Those white specks are dust, as the garage has been used for engine swaps and overhauls. Not the cleanest place for a detail, but better than the outdoors. And as you can tell I started in the day, and finished in the dark lol.

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Originally Posted by CosmosMpower

Talk about a bad move. I'd rather chance an autocarwash than a fundraiser. Those kids don't usually properly wash out the mitts (after they just cleaned some brake dust off someone's wheels) before rubbing it all over your swirl free paint. Like they say "If you want it done right, do it yourself"

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Agreed. You need to take a look at the equipment they are using first. I suggest this strictly for someone who wants a cheap alernative, has no facilities to use at home, and doesn't have a super-nice investment to protect. Lets face it, some folks just have a 92 with original paint and a few dings, and the carwash ain't gonna make it any worse. :)

My AutoX car isn't a show car. My 2008 only gets hand-washed by me at home. :)

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Originally Posted by bnordin

The Miata has mostly been hand washed but the Boxter regularly gets run through the car wash. Do you realy think the dealers hand wash these cars?

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The Porsche dealer in Austin does, or at least, used to.

Chris

When I worked at a local Toyota dealership they "hand washed" the cars.

In truth they sprayed soap and water on the cars with a VERY high pressure sprayer, and then hand dried them. This resulted in damage to the pin striping on many cars. It peeled the pin striping right off my MR2's bumpers in several spots. :(

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Originally Posted by 4W4K3

When I worked at a local Toyota dealership they "hand washed" the cars.

In truth they sprayed soap and water on the cars with a VERY high pressure sprayer, and then hand dried them. This resulted in damage to the pin striping on many cars. It peeled the pin striping right off my MR2's bumpers in several spots. :(

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The guys I am talking about use a bucket and hose to Hand Wash with and they do not run it through the machine. I waited for the car to be done the first time and payed attention to be sure.

Watching them wash the car is the best idea, I should have done the same.

I made the mistake of trusting the wash guys since I worked there and assumed they'd take care of my car. I get it back with missing pin striping! Had my car been new I would have demanded compensation, but it is 20+ years old with so-so paint. I just got an eraser wheel and removed all the striping completely, so at lest it looks uniform.