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      01-27-2023, 12:47 PM   #1
therealkenc
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Anyone take their higher end wheels to production line hand car washes?

I know many of us are religious about washing their own car with their own equipment, but I live in a condo in the city so that's not an option and I don't see myself carrying two buckets, various bottles, and cloths in my trunk.

I get that there are trade-offs, especially on my black paint, but just wondering if anyone has managed to make it work with higher end wheels (say, forged BBS/HREs) and not have them get scratched, or if I should just stay away from those wheels if I can't wash them myself. I'm not referring to mobile detailers and the like, but rather production line style (hand) car washes. I go to Auto Pride Hand Car Wash in the Bay Area.
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      01-27-2023, 01:25 PM   #2
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I don't take my car to production line hand washes with stock wheels, let alone aftermarket ones. if I wasn't going to wash it myself I would find a good mobile detailer.
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      01-27-2023, 02:54 PM   #3
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I have 1 good Touchless wash near me - I bring two microfiber clothes and finish the car off in the parking lot

when that is closed, I hit a Spray and Wash (and use it during the winter as well)

that is more to get the dirt/salt off - not to make it look good
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      01-27-2023, 04:52 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by theweebabySeamus View Post
I don't take my car to production line hand washes with stock wheels, let alone aftermarket ones. if I wasn't going to wash it myself I would find a good mobile detailer.
Don’t think I wanna use a detailing service for regular bi-weekly washes, but yes it does seem like I can’t get the best of both worlds.

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Originally Posted by Pauldunlop13 View Post
I have 1 good Touchless wash near me - I bring two microfiber clothes and finish the car off in the parking lot

when that is closed, I hit a Spray and Wash (and use it during the winter as well)

that is more to get the dirt/salt off - not to make it look good
I wish I had a good Touchless wash anywhere within a 30 min drive from me 🥲
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      01-27-2023, 05:13 PM   #5
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How about rinseless or waterless wash?
You can also hire mobile detailing guy once a month and they should know how to clean those wheels too
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      01-27-2023, 06:33 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by therealkenc View Post
Don’t think I wanna use a detailing service for regular bi-weekly washes, but yes it does seem like I can’t get the best of both worlds.



I wish I had a good Touchless wash anywhere within a 30 min drive from me 🥲
If you got ceramic coated you can probably get by with mainly spot-free rinse offs. My S4 was black and I was able to keep it pretty clean with just rinses and then a wash once a month or so. And it wasn't coated, now that I think of it.
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      01-27-2023, 06:57 PM   #7
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You have a few great rinseless wash options to wash your car yourself at home although the wheels would definitely be challenging. ONR, Frothe etc can be done at home without much water but I'm not familiar with how the wheels would be handled in those applications. I do imagine it would be tedious and time consuming due to the amount of dirt vs paint.

I have friends who have had their premium wheels ruined by harsh chemicals at touchless washes so YMMV with that. They also won't clean well inside the barrel.
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      01-28-2023, 02:08 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kcha View Post
How about rinseless or waterless wash?
You can also hire mobile detailing guy once a month and they should know how to clean those wheels too
Hm, that might work. I could just tell the hand car wash place to not scrub my wheels, and I’ll use a waterless wash to clean them myself. You might have just helped me spend $$$$!

Quote:
Originally Posted by theweebabySeamus View Post
If you got ceramic coated you can probably get by with mainly spot-free rinse offs. My S4 was black and I was able to keep it pretty clean with just rinses and then a wash once a month or so. And it wasn't coated, now that I think of it.
My car seems to love attracting dust and bird poo, so as much as I’d love to do it once a month, I’ve averaged 2-4 per month. Do you mean rinsing at a DIY car wash kiosk? My condo doesn’t allow any cleaning that involves water.

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Originally Posted by louielouie View Post
You have a few great rinseless wash options to wash your car yourself at home although the wheels would definitely be challenging. ONR, Frothe etc can be done at home without much water but I'm not familiar with how the wheels would be handled in those applications. I do imagine it would be tedious and time consuming due to the amount of dirt vs paint.

I have friends who have had their premium wheels ruined by harsh chemicals at touchless washes so YMMV with that. They also won't clean well inside the barrel.
I’ll check out the rinseless options again and see if anything sticks. Failing which…I’ll just go with less premium wheels *shrug*

Thanks for the responses, guys!
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      02-01-2023, 11:27 AM   #9
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I take mine to the car wash all the time. It is not touchless. It's a car. I like how it looks clean as opposed to dirty, and I don't have any desire to wash it myself. As for the touchless washes, they don't do a good job of cleaning the car especially if the dirt is caked on. "but the swirls" some say...I don't care.
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      02-01-2023, 12:14 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SMGCFP View Post
I take mine to the car wash all the time. It is not touchless. It's a car. I like how it looks clean as opposed to dirty, and I don't have any desire to wash it myself. As for the touchless washes, they don't do a good job of cleaning the car especially if the dirt is caked on. "but the swirls" some say...I don't care.
Yes but please understand there's a part of the community, myself included, that wants to keep the car as pristine as possible. Battering the car with hairline scratches is a deal breaker for some. I'd rather have a dust layer on the car than look at it, "clean" with spider web-like hairline scratches all over.
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      02-01-2023, 11:44 PM   #11
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if it uses brushes....no other way to clean the wheels. they will get scratched PERIOD


so you can forget about expensive wheels. now the scratches or mostly on my caps. so not really the wheels
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      02-02-2023, 08:13 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by louielouie View Post
Yes but please understand there's a part of the community, myself included, that wants to keep the car as pristine as possible. Battering the car with hairline scratches is a deal breaker for some. I'd rather have a dust layer on the car than look at it, "clean" with spider web-like hairline scratches all over.
Sure. Totally get it. It's what makes America great. You can do what you want. FWIW, my car doesn't have these scratches you describe, but there are a few chips from doing 120mph down Montana roads. The car is still a head turner and has no effect on the performance.

I guess my point to the post is that you can try like hell to keep the car perfect, but if you're going to drive it, it won't be perfect at some point. I used to worry like many on here, but I feel freer now that I don't anymore.
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      02-02-2023, 08:53 AM   #13
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There are obviously different thoughts on this, but I will issue one caution:

If the car wash has rails to guide your car to the correct spot or pull your car through a car wash, I would avoid it. I have heard a number of times where car washes with rails or pulling your car through have seriously scratched/curb rashed staggered wheels. As these cars come with staggered wheels stock, I would avoid it.

You could consider Griot's waterless car wash. I will use that on occassion.
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      02-02-2023, 09:09 AM   #14
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Originally Posted by cotmfk View Post
There are obviously different thoughts on this, but I will issue one caution:

If the car wash has rails to guide your car to the correct spot or pull your car through a car wash, I would avoid it. I have heard a number of times where car washes with rails or pulling your car through have seriously scratched/curb rashed staggered wheels. As these cars come with staggered wheels stock, I would avoid it.

You could consider Griot's waterless car wash. I will use that on occassion.
This happened to me when driving through Toledo, OH while driving cross country. Cost me $300 to fix the drivers side wheels.
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      02-02-2023, 10:11 AM   #15
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Absolutely not for me lol. I rather have a dirty car for weeks than take it to ANY car wash. I would try to find a self car wash or find a detailer in your area. I have always washed all of my cars but found a great detailer that I trust who i will go to when I am not able to wash it myself. Some detailers will give you a deal if you consistently go to them throughout the year which may be a few dollars more than going to an expensive hand car wash.

I will never go back to a car wash after seeing cloths/sponges dropped on the floor then picked up and used to wash and dry cars.
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