Car Wash to remove road salt

[baws22489]

I searched and only found the 30 minute car wash from Merlin, so I live in Maryland and we got a foot of snow the other day. After the roads were clear I had to drive somewhere so now there is road salt on it. Do you recommend going to a brushes car wash to get the salt and dirt remove before I wash it by hand, or no there are better ways?

My car is red and I have seen other cars with swirls that get on it from the car wash even though they say they use the brushless or soft microfiber cloths?

Thanks for any replys and Happy New Year.

Steven

 

[JSolo]

During the winter, the only car washes I touch are the touchless. Nowhere good as a handwash, but shouldn't cause damage either.

 

[MerlintheMad]

Hi. You should be more concerned about salt on the undercarriage. Appearances are not everything. I was prepared to spend sixty to seventy bucks every month to have my car raised and sprayed out by a detail shop. This decision was because a tunnel with an undercarriage spray didn't work out for one simple reason: to get to the undercarriage spray section (which is near the end of the tunnel) my rims got rashed along the guide rail. No more tunnels! It's almost two years since I sent my Stinger through one.

But as it turned out, I don't have to spend that much to spray the underside of my car. The hand wand car wash just down the road is very powerful: so much so that my hand and wrist get quite fatigued by the end of it. If you can crouch, you can spray the underside of your car for c. $4.00 each time, and that includes the rest getting sprayed/rinsed down thoroughly so that a hand wash will be an easy job (a la the "half hour car wash" method).

 

[Ohiocruiser]

The first thing i did to my used stinger after i bought it was, i removed all cover panels washed it and sprayed the whole undrerbody with amsoil metal protector. It dries as a wax. And inside the panels and doors i sprayed with fluid film using extensions to cover it completely. It helps to have cousin as a mechanic to allow you to use a lift of course. Here is the picture of the bottom of the door. Year later the wax is still there. Good stuff.

 

[JSolo]

^^Knee pads

 

[baws22489]

Thanks for all the comments. I was thinking about the hand help sprayers but was concerned for the undercarridge like mentioned, but didn't think to get down low and spray under there.

Will do ASAP.

Take care and be safe!

 

[GT Elite]

I’m in Canada, so we deal with winter and salt or other ice melter chemicals on the roads for 4 to 5 months of the year.

As Merlinthemad has pointed out, the most important part of the car to keep clean is the undercarriage. I look for a car wash that has an undercarriage spray. We also have under carriage sprays that include a rust inhibitor (as part of the undercarriage spray) that converts rust to an inert black oxide.

The only way to go is with a brushless car wash. Typically, this type of car wash will leave road film on the car, but they will remove dirt and salt. The swirls you mentioned on cars using a touchless car wash were most likely caused by hand drying.

Finally, to avoid damage to the wheels, look for a brushless car wash where you drive in and stop. The car wash equipment then moves around the car. This is the only type that I have used (especially when I was winter driving a Corvette - very wide wheels).

As further protection against corrosion, my car has been sprayed with an oil based rust protector (Krown) Underneath and inside the body panels. This is a messy product as it drips and it must be done annually, but it works.

 

[Dan00Hawk]

I suppose I'll be the guy that makes the others cringe about how I wash my car.

Here in the Chicago area, I have a $15 unlimited monthly membership at the local Jet Brite conveyor tunnel wash (10 locations near me) which uses soft closed cell-foam brushes. These are far less abrasive than the nylon bristles that used to be in auto-washes. It also includes underbody blast and power washing the wheels. It probably helps that I have a pearl white car, but I can't see any swirls on the paint since I bought the car in August. I've only applied NuFinish once right after I bought it, and didn't do any expensive ceramic coating. Perhaps there are micro swirls or fine lines that would be more evident on a darker color car, but mine passes the "looks great from 2 feet away" test for me.

The downsides to touchless systems to me is that they rely on harsher chemicals to clean the car. That can take its toll on your plastics, trim pieces, and paint coatings as well. Of course, there isn't anything physically touching your car, so one would avoid any possibility of fine micro scratches or swirls. But too often, touchless still leaves some grime behind, which leaves one with the need to wipe down or hand-wash it later which could also introduce swirls and scratches if not done carefully.

Those that have the time and agreeable weather to perform the foam and 2 bucket hand wash in their driveway on a regular basis will certainly have a better "show car quality" finish, but I don't have the time, desire, or need for that with my Stinger as a daily driver that I'll trade in after 2 or 3 years.

There are certainly pros and cons to the different ways to wash you car. An owner just has to decide what's most important to them. For me, it's a durable coating (pick your favorite polish/wax/ceramic) and the convenience and low cost of running it through an auto-wash. For others that have more time and concern for the finish of their vehicle, I can certainly understand why they do it their own way.

 

[nhcowboy28]

I use 100 grit sand paper to dry mine

 

[StingertimeNC]

^^^^^ Oh sh!t, that made me laugh out loud!

 

[NS_Stinger]

I use 100 grit sand paper to dry mine

Amateur, everyone knows 40 grit is where it's at.

 

[ht_addict]

I take a bucket and cloths to my local self spray and wash it myself. I do it in the evening when no one is around. As for undercarriage, I have my car sprayed with Corrosion Free. Less messy than Krown and lasts 18mths.