Automated car wash issue

[Sazabi19]

For the love of all that is holy..Please don't use car washes! They're terrible. Ruin the rear qtr panel of my Mercedes the first time I washed it. Never Again!!!

Lol, sounds like your rear 1/4 had some shitty paint. I hope you brought that up to Mercedes. If the rest of your car was fine, and everyone else's that went through before/after you, then I'd blame the car/paint.

I also find it funny that people on here insist on hand washing but will go out 4 wheeling and kicking up mud/rocks. Then there's those that are in the "never wash" category. That's the best way to ruin paint where I am, and for most places on Earth. If you want it that way then fine, the desert SW can get away with that pretty easy, but using that as a paint saving method won't work almost anywhere else lol.

Edit: You'll read further on it was dented and messed up, not just paint. I take back the paint comment but leaving it in for historical records :D

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[MrZappo]

Well after reading this I have concluded:

1) Automatic car washes can scratch your paint
2) Hand car washing can scratch your paint
3) Mercedes scratch easily
4) Not washing is bad
5) washing can be bad
6) Some car washes work PERFECT but we dont know which ones
7) Soft top is fine in a car wash
8) Soft top is the kiss of death in a car wash
9) Automatic car washes smash your jeep in to the car in front of you
10) Automatic car washes NEVER smash your jeep into the car in front of you
11) Old car washes suck but new ones are good
12) New car washes suck unless they are REALLY GOOD new car washes
13) Even REALLY GOOD car washes scratch your paint.

After all of this I have concluded that it is not worth having a vehicle any more. I have sold the jeep and will hitchhike anywhere to avoid swirl marks and crashing into cars in front of me ...

Thanks Internet !!!

 

[Higher_Ground]

Put me in the "I haven't washed mine yet" category. I mean I have washed off bird droppings and bug guts but I have not washed the entire vehicle yet. It's gator green, which isn't a color that needs to be sparkling clean to look good.

I have no plans to sell it down the road, and if I do, it'll have so many miles on it that the last thing anyone asks about is the paint.

P.S. I have not vacuumed it yet either. Replaced the carpet mats with weathertechs and just left the sand in place for when I get around to it. Nobody can see it anyway.

 

[SwampNut]

I clean the inside much more often than the outside. That's where I live and breathe; the rest is outside the environment.

 

[IamAlan]

In Columbus, a chain of car washes "Goo-Goo Car Wash" pretty much ruled the roost until a few years ago when a local entrepreneur started his own chain of "Moo-Moo" car washes.
It makes for pretty interesting conversation.
"Hey man, you prefer The Goo or The Moo?"
"The Goo is much better if you're in Hilliard but the new Moo in Westerville is the shit!"

 

[snide]

Is the Gladiator black? Because black Gladiators are the fastest. Or does that only apply to Corvettes?

 

[Bucephalus]

Lol, sounds like your rear 1/4 had some shitty paint. I hope you brought that up to Mercedes. If the rest of your car was fine, and everyone else's that went through before/after you, then I'd blame the car/paint.

I also find it funny that people on here insist on hand washing but will go out 4 wheeling and kicking up mud/rocks. Then there's those that are in the "never wash" category. That's the best way to ruin paint where I am, and for most places on Earth. If you want it that way then fine, the desert SW can get away with that pretty easy, but using that as a paint saving method won't work almost anywhere else lol.

The 1/4 panels looked like they were drilled by hail. The paint wasn't the issue, the damn machine hit it like a grinder. So yes..to hell with automated washes.

There's a difference between causing damage to your own vehicle and stranger damaging it through negligence/apathy.

 

[Bucephalus]

Is the Gladiator black? Because black Gladiators are the fastest. Or does that only apply to Corvettes?

It depends on the time of day.

 

[SwampNut]

So you're saying it's not so black and white?

In Columbus, a chain of car washes "Goo-Goo Car Wash" pretty much ruled the roost until a few years ago when a local entrepreneur started his own chain of "Moo-Moo" car washes.
It makes for pretty interesting conversation.
"Hey man, you prefer The Goo or The Moo?"
"The Goo is much better if you're in Hilliard but the new Moo in Westerville is the shit!"

That seems udderly ridiculous.

 

[JP1]

So you're saying it's not so black and white?


That seems udderly ridiculous.

You so asked for this...

 

[Sazabi19]

So you're saying it's not so black and white?


That seems udderly ridiculous.

 

[Sazabi19]

The 1/4 panels looked like they were drilled by hail. The paint wasn't the issue, the damn machine hit it like a grinder. So yes..to hell with automated washes.

There's a difference between causing damage to your own vehicle and stranger damaging it through negligence/apathy.

Well then I take back what I said about the paint. Hope you spoke with the manager at the car wash, that sucks.

Also, when I read your name I read it as 'Busey Phallus", like the phallus of Gary Busey, or an animate ding dong that sounds like him. What a scary name D: lol

 

[Radio Guy]

Put me in the "I haven't washed mine yet" category. I mean I have washed off bird droppings and bug guts but I have not washed the entire vehicle yet. It's gator green, which isn't a color that needs to be sparkling clean to look good.

I have no plans to sell it down the road, and if I do, it'll have so many miles on it that the last thing anyone asks about is the paint.

P.S. I have not vacuumed it yet either. Replaced the carpet mats with weathertechs and just left the sand in place for when I get around to it. Nobody can see it anyway.

I bought a new Tundra in 2008 and maybe washed it three times in 13yrs. The truck lived outdoors and the paint looked like a dull white chalk board. Before selling it a few months ago a guy quoted me $300 to detail it and estimated he would spend 4hrs on it since it was in such bad shape. It ended up taking two guys 6hrs to bring the paint back to where I could sell the truck.

Meanwhile by buddy with the 1985 4-Runner and its $8k paint job ran his truck through an automatic car wash several times a week over the same 13yr period. His truck lives outdoors in the same town and his paint looks great. It better for $8k, but the point is not a spec of damage from constant automatic car washes and a bright shiny finish over roughly the same period of time. I'll be using that same automatic car wash on a regular basis with my new Gladiator, I don't want to drive around in a chalk board ever again.

 

[SwampNut]

Wax, or better yet ceramic, is also critical to paint life.

 

[JP1]

Car Wash does alright with mine.

little closer:

Ya, if I can see the Palm Trees, I'm good...

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