How often do you wash your car in an automatic car wash?

[SevenBizzos]

As needed during the winter. Try to use touchless bays, but will do the traditional. One place near my office has $.20 off a gallon and I parlay it with my standard card $.10 off. 15 gallons at $.20 off is $3, so the wash truly only costs me $4.
In summer, all vehicles are washed by hand - by me - regularly.

 

[atikovi]

Every Monday, every Friday. Go right by the place at around 930 AM on my way home from my crossing guard job. It’s usually empty at that time. Ala carte wash is $6, I pay $24 a month for unlimited, so the last 2 weeks are on the house.

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Did those car washes cause your bumper to fade? Or is the bumper the right color and the rest of the car faded?

 

[ChrisMU]

My wife and I have like 10 vehicles between us. I have the Circle K subscription (the fancier option that costs $42/month). I can use the wash twice a day and it doesn’t matter which vehicle it is. I could even have a friend’s car washed. I don’t like putting really nice cars or classics through there, but I just don’t have time to keep up with all the washing by hand. It has the tire scrub option, so I like that for the whitewalls. The only vehicles I don’t put through there are my very rough (full of holes) ‘79 Bronco and ‘77 Ford F250 Super Cab (not currently registered/insured).

 

[jetman]

So nearly all of the automated car washes in my neck of the woods are pushing unlimited monthly wash subscriptions----ie, raising the price of an individual wash so that a monthly plan is cheaper so long as you wash your car >=3x a month.

Being that it's salt season, I signed up and wash 2x/week, but going back to the touch-free washes once the salt stops.

Would you take it? How often do you wash your car at drive-thrus?

With my old Honda that I drove to 180,000 miles, I rarely used a brushed, drive-thru was and I had rust issues in the exhaust system at year 14. My parents were religious about washing their cars (automated, brushed washes) in the winter and they didn't have any rust issues w/their Honda even with 290,000 miles.

Never, hand washes only.

 

[Lubener]

I go to my favorite self serve wash. $2.00 for each four minutes.

 

[14.1 Grms]

Car is once a month, sometimes more often in the winter if salt dictates it. 225k on a black highway commuter car...automatic car wash, swirly brush or touchless, isn't going to hurt the paint to an observable degree past what it is.

The truck doesn't go through one, mostly because it doesn't fit any more. If it fit, zero issues using an auto car wash; it's a pickup truck that does truck things, being shiny isn't one of those.

After spending years wasting entire weekends detailing cars, zero interest in doing that any more, especially when the first trip down a muddy trail or getting stuck behind a dump truck on the interstate wipes out hours of work in minutes.

 

[dogememe]

When possible, I let the rain wash my car for free. In the dry months, I go through the drive-thru wash maybe once every three months. It's been years since I've hand-washed a car.

Years ago when I had an Escape rented out on Turo I was washing the car very frequently. Sometimes multiple times per week! If I had time, I'd hand wash behind work, if I didn't, I'd take it through a drive-thru wash. I did have to do a complete compound-polish-wax job once due to a "friend" scraping up the entire both sides of the car taking it off-roading in Humbolt. Despite all that the paint on that Escape always looked amazing minus one or two tiny rock chips on the leading edge of the hood which is probably due to the upright design of that front edge. So I would say that frequent drive-thru washes aren't a bad thing and ever since I have felt totally comfortable going through drive-thru washes.

 

[Johnny248]

Tues-Sunday. They are closed when I get off Monday.

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[k1xv]

Here in Vermont, corrosive brine and other nasty materials are spread on the roads to keep them ice free. And we still have a lot of unpaved roads. I run my primary winter vehicle through a "touchless" car wash at least twice a month. The other two vehicles just stay in the garage all winter.

 

[reemoeMO]

Never in an automatic wash, as I'm afraid of scratching my paint from dirty equipment. I use the manual car washes where you use a hand pressure washer. Before waxing (once/twice a year), however, I wash in my own driveway and use my own Meguiar's soap and microfiber cloths to do a more thorough wash.

 

[Aredeeem]

Did those car washes cause your bumper to fade? Or is the bumper the right color and the rest of the car faded?

I think its called a shadow

 

[tbm5690]

Touchless washes in the winter exclusively, I keep the subscription year-round for summer washes when I'm too busy to do it by hand but from April-October I'd say 80% of washes are by hand.

LOL at everyone from CA, TX, and the South in general saying "never". Kind of doesn't apply when you don't experience winter.

 

[twouvakind]

Never

 

[atikovi]

I think its called a shadow

Naw, bumper cover was replaced and/or repainted at some point and bodyshop didn't tint the new paint to match the fade on the rest of the body.

 

[camrydriver111]

I rather get the car oil sprayed once a year than worry about constantly washing it.

I wash it when there is so much salt I can't see out of the side windows.

 

[paulo57509]

Depending on the weather, once a week. I will hand wash at home occasionally when under the fuel filler door or other nooks/cranies that the auto wash doesn't reach gets grungy.

Monthy "subscription" = less time waiting in line.

 

[belbers9715]

I'm sure this comment will get everyone riled up. For a couple years now I've had a subscription to our local Mister car wash. During the winter I have my truck washed weekly whenever I'm driving by, and during the summer once or twice a month. Automatic car washes have not seriously damaged clearcoat or paint in decades. Everything is now usually soft foam based (can't hold on abrasives) and is rinsed as the motors spin. Everyone comments how great my truck always looks, and I'm not concerned with tiny scratches that could potentially happen. All the fear around automated washes is overblown.

 

[Zap1967]

Our local chain does an excellent job so my truck goes through all the time. I hurt my previous truck more climbing around on it than the auto wash ever has. By 140k it did have some micro scratching on the lower sections but that was only visible in specific light situations. I figured if I need to have it paint corrected once in its lifetime it’s no big deal. Trucks are so huge and annoying to hand wash now I don’t have time to mess with that as often as I want it clean. I travel a ton so the truck is constantly covered in bugs in the summer and salty/dirty in the winter. Will hand wash once or twice a summer to clean the areas the auto wash misses like odd seams/behind bumper reliefs/emblems etc.

My current truck has more rock chip damage at 60k miles than anything cause by the auto wash.

I’ve have old cars so those are hand wash only. If I ever picked up a newer nicer vehicle (let’s say 911 of sorts) that would also be a hand wash only operation.

 

[redhat]

Almost every day.

My Tahoe and Suburban are not show cars. The paint is torched with swirls and scratches. Both look presentable from 10ft away. Even up close they aren’t bad.

I’m more concerned with them rusting or being dirty. They get liberally oiled every year and washed all the time.

I get comments all the time here in Western New York at gas stations “what year is that… I haven’t seen one that nice…”. I’m pleased with the auto washes.

 

[ctechbob]

Acura - Never
Ranger - Once a month
Accord - What's a wash?