Calling all AMB Color Owners: To Auto Car Wash or To Not Auto Car Wash

[JJSnell]

Ugh….I know you guys are right. New trucks are great….but old trucks come with less hassle.

A buddy of mine has an F250 Tremor in Blue Jeans….awesome color, and I think I like it more than AMB…..and it’s also metallic. He takes his through auto brushy car washes all the time and I can’t see swirl marks in his paint.

But yet, I still have reservations.

I have an AMB and drive mine through the car wash a LOT. More than once a week, I have a monthly pass there.
I think the carwash places have upped their technology dramatically over the years. The brushes are softer and I go through two sets of soak, and two sets of sprays before I go through brushes, so any, well, most dirt and abrasives are pretty much gone.
Best bet, is try it and then walk the truck with a magnifying glass. If you see the SLIGHTEST bit of scratching\brush marks, don't go again.
These guys know if they are scratching cars they will be out of business.
Just give a try.

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[RcFlyer330]

Any touch style wash will eventually scratch your vehicle. I have a 2010 explorer that I would take to a soft touch wash once a week and it's scratched and swirled pretty badly. its fixable but not worth it.
I hand wash my amb truck and it's ceramic coated.
If I did go to a car wash I would choose the cheapest touchless option. once the vehicle get a layer of film the touchless doesnt remove then I would hand wash it.

 

[oneinch]

I auto car wash my truck. Am I worried? Not in the slightest. It's just a truck. Use it. Wear it out. Get another one.

In the end, will the effort (time, elbow grease, and money) to keep the paint pristine be worth it? I don't think so.

 

[Mike50]

I have a 2023 AMB Tremor (v8 of course, thank you for asking), that is coming up on its one year anniversary.

So far she’s never seen an automatic car wash (the kind with the spinning brushes). Or put another way, I’m the guy with a great looking truck that is usually dirty.

I don’t have the time, or inclination to hand wash her very frequently. It’s not just lethargy, it’s also cold here a lot. Given this, I take her to the touchless car wash bays, which do an “okay” job.

However, my first wife has a membership to the local chain of Gas & Washes, so she takes her SUV in about once a week, or at least 3 times a month. So her ride is always looking great. Her SUV is silver, and I think metallic, but I don’t notice any swirl marks…..I only notice a great looking clean ride. I’m jealous.

So have any of my AMB brethren frequented these spinning brushes of doom? If so, whats your finish looking like? Still happy with the way things look? Any regrets?

My 21 f150 and my wife’s 22 expedition have been living on subscription car washes for 2.5 years. Mine is black, hers is magnet grey, very dark. Mileage mine is 54,000, her’s is 44,000. We wash them from 2- 3 per week. I haven’t seen any swirls whatsoever. I know what I’m talking about. I wouldn’t do without this service.

 

[JJSnell]

Mine is black, hers is magnet grey, very dark. We wash them from 2- 3 per week. I haven’t seen any swirls whatsoever.

 

[Shane150]

Summer time I hand wash and winter time I go to touchless carwash. I will never use touch carwash on any of my vehicles. This summer I will be ceramic coating it.

 

[mxwrk]

I have Oxford white (now ceramic coated) and would still never auto car wash unless it was touch free. That being said, I’ll Offroad it and if the brush gives me a pin stripe so be it, I’ll get it paint corrected. I don’t mind getting it dirty and using it for truck stuff, but I like it clean on the daily. Side note and not to start an argument, but anyone with a dark colored vehicle (or even white) that auto washes regularly for years and claims to be swirl free…your detailer would like to show you something

 

[JJSnell]

I have Oxford white (now ceramic coated) and would still never auto car wash unless it was touch free. That being said, I’ll Offroad it and if the brush gives me a pin stripe so be it, I’ll get it paint corrected. I don’t mind getting it dirty and using it for truck stuff, but I like it clean on the daily. Side note and not to start an argument, but anyone with a dark colored vehicle (or even white) that auto washes regularly for years and claims to be swirl free…your detailer would like to show you something

....
I wonder if a bunch of guys have gotten together and said "Hey I got an idea let's start a business that's going to ruin more than half of our customers automobiles. Who's in?"
The technology in drive-through car washes has changed. I know a lot of people think it's still 1984 and a bunch of 80 grit wet sandpaper is spinning around on spindles, LOL but that's just not how it is anymore.
If you are that worried about your Pavement Princess getting a couple scratches on your TRUCK, maybe you should trade it in for a VW Beetle with a flower on the dash....

All said in jest of course...

 

[mxwrk]

....
I wonder if a bunch of guys have gotten together and said "Hey I got an idea let's start a business that's going to ruin more than half of our customers automobiles. Who's in?"
The technology in drive-through car washes has changed. I know a lot of people think it's still 1984 and a bunch of 80 grit wet sandpaper is spinning around on spindles, LOL but that's just not how it is anymore.
If you are that worried about your Pavement Princess getting a couple scratches on your TRUCK, maybe you should trade it in for a VW Beetle with a flower on the dash....

All said in jest of course...

lol @ pavement princess.
Enjoy those auto washes. I’m sure your paint is flawless sir.

 

[HammaMan]

The biggest issue I've run into with all of the new wash tunnels here is the wheel brushes will scratch painted wheels. I'd run the truck through the tunnels probably 15x and it wasn't until the black power coated wheels went on and it left scratches that I haven't been back since. They won't let mud caked vehicles into the tunnels and the premium soaps used provided adequate lubrication to not harm the paint.

This isn't a one-size-fits-all approach. Poorly run washes can produce much different results.

 

[JJSnell]

lol @ pavement princess.
Enjoy those auto washes. I’m sure your paint is flawless sir.

Im sure its not... but its a truck...

 

[SpaceWhiteF150]

I have Oxford white (now ceramic coated) and would still never auto car wash unless it was touch free. That being said, I’ll Offroad it and if the brush gives me a pin stripe so be it, I’ll get it paint corrected. I don’t mind getting it dirty and using it for truck stuff, but I like it clean on the daily. Side note and not to start an argument, but anyone with a dark colored vehicle (or even white) that auto washes regularly for years and claims to be swirl free…your detailer would like to show you something

100% true

 

[Old Hat]

I only hand wash AND rinse the mitt well with the hose after every panel. (removes more grit than the two bucket method) I always keep my vehicles for more than 10 years (had one for 19!) and love when people tell me how great my "old" car / truck looks. I get top $$ for them when I sell too.

I suppose if you're only keeping a vehicle for a couple years it may not matter much. But rest assured, there is no way a vehicle that was extensively run through an auto wash, even the best of them, will look as nice as one that was only properly hand washed after enough years. I like that!

 

[HammaMan]

I only hand wash AND rinse the mitt well with the hose after every panel. (removes more grit than the two bucket method) I always keep my vehicles for more than 10 years (had one for 19!) and love when people tell me how great my "old" car / truck looks. I get top $$ for them when I sell too.

I suppose if you're only keeping a vehicle for a couple years it may not matter much. But rest assured, there is no way a vehicle that was extensively run through an auto wash, even the best of them, will look as nice as mine after enough years. I like that!

That's true but there's an amount of weathering that always occurs on paint and you can machine wash for 2 years then do a paint correction / polish / wax to bring it back better than factory. Premium car wash products do put wax on the vehicle, it's not strictly soap. While there is a small amount of swirl that eventually shows up, it's easy to do a correction that brings it back better than factory. Factory paint is rather meh. Very few car manufacturers perform a post-paint finish correction and those that do, have a price that costs as much as a decent house. If it weren't for the wheel scratching there's 2 around me that provide great results.

Maybe spring I'll do a wet sand paint correction to bring out the mirror finish hiding under the factory orange peel.

 

[Old Hat]

That's true but there's an amount of weathering that always occurs on paint and you can machine wash for 2 years then do a paint correction / polish / wax to bring it back better than factory. Premium car wash products do put wax on the vehicle, it's not strictly soap. While there is a small amount of swirl that eventually shows up, it's easy to do a correction that brings it back better than factory. Factory paint is rather meh. Very few car manufacturers perform a post-paint finish correction and those that do, have a price that costs as much as a decent house. If it weren't for the wheel scratching there's 2 around me that provide great results.

Maybe spring I'll do a wet sand paint correction to bring out the mirror finish hiding under the factory orange peel.

Thanks for the info. So that wet sand is the same as paint correction? And it's only cutting into the clear coat? How many times can this be done before you hit color coat?

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