Automatic car wash vs. manual car wash

>>16727763
automatic with textile rolls

>>16727763
Automatic car washes ruin your shit. You CAN ruin your shit if you use a hose and sponge. Get a jetwash and don't be a faggot. Cleaning a car is ezpz when you use a jetwash and a decent microfibre sponge/mitt. Swirls are caused by dirt getting scraped along your car when you wipe them off.

At least with manual cleaning you can control how your car is cleaned. With an auto you cannot.

>>16727763
Touchless car washes, both automatic and hand wand, dont get cars clean and are a waste of cash. Autos like the one in your pic work very well but dont get all the crap off. Some people say they will fukt your paint up. Ive never had that issue.

They only way to get every spec of dirt off is by hand.

>>16727790

Don't listen to this troll - any kind of car wash that physically touches your car with cloth or rollers or whatever is going to fuck up your paint hardcore.

During the winter-time, you can use the touchless washes with the undercarriage blast to rinse off the grim and the salt a bit.

During the summer, to really detail and get the car clean, you wash it by handing using the two bucket method and a really good wash mit, then hand dry carefully before polishing/waxing/sealing.

If that sounds like a lot of work, it is, but you can do it once every 2 months or so if you pick really durable waxes and sealants and then just do some spray waxing/detailing inbetween.

>>16727810
Would be this a good guide to follow?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFXfSBR5Q9w

>>16727763
>Maybe a combination of both even.
I use a combination of both. I drive back home and then do a cursory follow up wash because the car will pick up more atmospheric grit on the way home. A 2nd easy-going cleaning is good to get places the fabric strips can't reach. I like this approach because the automatic car wash takes the pressure off me to re-do a wash because I've missed a spot or didn't wipe enough with the microfiber mitt to take off all the stubborn grime glued on.

That is followed by a wax job. I use sealant once per year.

The good automatic wash places use brushes made out of thick fabric strips that are light coloured which makes inspection easier. Dark or overly colourful hides problems. A good place prioritizes gear quality over having black brushes.

Another feature of the better places is they use a LOT of liquid. It is the large amount of flowing liquid that lubricates the surface and carries away dirt particles and grime. Cheapskate places use less water but spin the brushes faster to provide cleaning but those are the places that can scratch.

It's the cheapskate places that don't inspect their gear or use a lot of liquid.

>>16727763
>Is the automatic car wash enough or is manual washing superior?
Wash by hand if you care about your car/paint.
>Maybe a combination of both even.
No.
>What's a good routine to keep the car clean?
Two bucket method. With grit guards. And a third bucket for rims/tires only. Microfiber only.

>>16727790
No.

>>16727801
>Swirls are caused by dirt getting scraped along your car when you wipe them off.
Sometimes. Other times it's not even from dirt, just from using a sponge/towel/whatever that is too rough for paint or not lubricated enough.

>>16727920
1) You're paying for a carwash that does such a bad job you have to go over it again yourself.
2) Driving with a wet, unsealed car is bad
>didn't wipe enough with the microfiber mitt to take off all the stubborn grime glued on
You shouldn't be wiping hard or scrubbing. That fucks up paint. You should only be using light pressure and floating away dirt. If it doesn't come off from that, you need to use an All purpose cleaner to dissolve it so that it does.
>I use sealant once per year.
Not enough, unless you're using some super high quality stuff like glass/quartz coatings, which judging by your post, you're not even close to knowledgeable to apply properly.

>the rest of your post
Doesn't matter how much water or what type of brushes are used. Automatic washes fuck up paint, period.
Some may fuck it up worse than others, but any time you put your car through a machine that slaps your car with anything moving at high speed is asking for trouble.
You wouldn't walk through an automatic car wash that hit you with rollers, would you? If it's too rough for your skin, it's probably too rough for your car. (If you give a shit about your paint.)

The touchless automatics are okay for your car (assuming you trust that nothing like debris is going to shoot out of the jets), but they do a shit job of washing your car. They rely on high pressure water to get shit off, use low quality soap, and even worse wax/sealant.

>>16729372
Here's an adapted quick guide from a set of posts I made a couple of weeks ago.
You'll need:
>2 buckets (minimum), with grit guards
>good quality car wash soap
>microfiber noodle mitt/pad
>waffle weave microfiber drying towel
>plush microfiber towels
>general purpose microfiber towels (for use in door jambs, under hood, rims, tailpipes, etc.)
>quick detailer
>all purpose cleaner and/or degreaser

Optional:
>high quality wax
>rain-x or other glass coating
>wheel cleaner
>rim cleaner
>quick wax

>make sure your car isn't warm, don't wash in the sun (water spots are the devil and ignoring this is the easiest way to get them)
>soak entire car to wash away dust and loose dirt and to loosen up caked on stuff
>go over entire car with pressure attachment, wheels first, then top down
>if there's a lot of stuck on shit, spray it with all purpose cleaner and let it soak while you do the wheels
>wash your wheels first with completely separate wash equipment than you'll use for the rest of the car to not contaminate what will be touching your paint
>have a wash bucket with soap and a rinse bucket with a grit guard
>use a microfiber wash sponge (the one with a bunch of little noodles)
>soak wash sponge in wash bucket, go over car lightly (starting from the top down, rocker panels and bumpers last) lifting away dirt. Do not apply much pressure to the sponge, anything still stuck on you should remove with an an all purpose cleaner or a quick detailer spray. DO NOT use circular motions. Go over horizontal surfaces in a front to back motion, vertical surfaces in up and down motions.
>clean one panel (or less) at a time and rinse your wash mitt in the rinse bucket after each panel or section. Use the grit guard to get all the dirt and particles off your sponge and let it safely fall to the bottom under the grit guard. Then soak again in the wash bucket. Your wash bucket should not be getting dirty with this method, only your rinse bucket should.

>>16729579
>Don't forget the door jambs
>Rinse the car without any pressure attachment so the water sheets off the car
>DRY YOUR CAR IMMEDIATELY
>DO NOT DRIVE YOUR CAR TO DRY IT
>I like to use compressed air to get off all the standing water and blow out all the water from all the little niches like behind the side mirrors and between panels
>Use a microfiber drying towel to finish drying, waffle weave works best. Chamois is also acceptable, but only if it's the real thing which is pretty expensive.
>Spray your drying towel with a light mist of quick detailer and then with it lying flat against your car, drag it across your panels. Do not apply pressure.
>Use a general microfiber towel to go over things like inside door jambs, under trunk lid and hood. Don't forget to dry under your hood if you care about that looking good at all because you'll get mad water spots there from left over water from the wash getting heated up by the engine.
>THE ONLY THINGS YOU SHOULD BUFF EXTERIOR PAINT WITH ARE *PLUSH* MICROFIBER TOWELS. PLUSH ONLY.
>Take your plushiest microfiber towel with quick detailer spray and go over any spots or streaks that were left over and to gloss up the finish
>If you're going to wax, do it here. One panel at a time.
>At this point you should do anything additional to your glass. I typically just go over it with Rain-X glass cleaner (I find it's the least streaky but you can use whatever) and paper towel.

If you follow these steps you'll have cleaned your car better than 100% of automatic washes and 90% of "detailing" places that use the same bucket and shit towels for everything.

For maintenance, use a plush microfiber towel with quick detailer to dust your car. Anything more tan dust, like caked on mud, should be removed by washing or using a quick wash spray.
If you waxed, using a quick wax spray will maintain your coat in between waxing.
And for the love of god, don't cheap out on microfiber towels. They are not created equal.

>>16727820
yes
also watch AMMO NYC, CHEMICAL GUYS and AUTO GEEK to learn more about washing your car the right way and more

>>16729579
this guy knows whats up

something to note is that the better your paint is prepped the easier your maintenance washes will be.

For instance, if you do one thorough detail (clay bar, polish, sealant, wax etc) contaminants will be less likely to really stick to your paint and will come off way easier for months (depending on how you drive your car)

I'm a big fan of no-contact quick maintenance washes because all my cars are black and it's super easy to fuck up black paint.

>>16729610
>And for the love of god, don't cheap out on microfiber towels. They are not created equal.
THIS so much. invest in quality microfibers from Adam's Polishes, Chemical Guys, Griots Garage or any other big name in detailing.

The cheap microfibers sold in packs of 20 for $5 should only be used in places like door jams and wheels.

>>16731608
>The cheap microfibers sold in packs of 20 for $5 should only be used in places like door jams and wheels.
I don't even use those for door jambs lol... I think I only have one set of those "bulk" microfiber towels.
I get super autistic with mine though. Drying towels, detailing towels, polishing towels, wax application towels, wax haze removal towels, dusting towels, wheel and tailpipe towels, engine bay towels, glass towels, interior towels. Different grades of plush towels, different patterns of towels, plush vs ringed vs waffle, etc.
It's pretty bad. I will apologize to no one.

>>16727763
My weekly ritual for washing my vette is a pressure washer, foam cannon, and a detailing blower. 100% touchless wash and it takes me 10 minutes tops.

what if you wrap your car with protective vinyl, can you go through a normal automated car wash?

>>16733651
Are you talking like xpel?
It's rare that your car is fully wrapped with it, usually it's just the front of the hood, fenders and bumpers.
If you're sure it is, then it'll still scratch the vinyl, but some of them are "self-healing" with or without a heat gun. You're better off than no protective vinyl, but it's still a risk. That shit is pretty expensive to replace.