Getting out of the car wash

[In-House Bob]

Yup. I'll be passing your place at 5 tomorrow morning, taking the kid to the airport. I'll wave

 

[WPB]

My 2 cents:
There is a good full service car wash near me that I used for my last car. After buying my G80 though I didn't feel comfortable to that the guys that work the dirty end would remember every time how to get out of the car without setting the emergency brake (i.e. leave engine running and put tranny in neutral). There is no mobile service around here that will do just a wash - they only want to combine it with detailing. So after some you tube videos I bought a foam cannon from Amazon - about $16*. Hook it to my power washer, foam the car, rinse, then dry with my leaf blower. Wipe down door sills and such with microfiber cloth. I live in an area with very soft water so spotting is not a problem.

* Almost all foam cannons are virtually identical. Many companies slap their logo on them and sell for more than $50.

 

[Starflyer]

Don't know what the wheels on the regular G80 look like, but the wheels on my '18 G80 Sport just don't "rumba" with my local car wash. Way to many nicks and crannies that the car wash doesn't touch and they look full of dirt after a brushless car wash. So I end up having to wash the wheels anyway so why bother with the "brushless" guy. The only reason I have even one experience with my local car wash is we've had a long freezing winter and my outside hose is frozen up.

 

[Twolf]

Don't know what the wheels on the regular G80 look like, but the wheels on my '18 G80 Sport just don't "rumba" with my local car wash. Way to many nicks and crannies that the car wash doesn't touch and they look full of dirt after a brushless car wash. So I end up having to wash the wheels anyway so why bother with the "brushless" guy. The only reason I have even one experience with my local car wash is we've had a long freezing winter and my outside hose is frozen up.

Suggestion if I may. I know what the sport wheels look like and recommend a car wash soap and water solution spray down with a soft brush right before the car wash to loosen the dirt. After the car wash you can spray wax and wipe them down to make them shine and also keep dirt from sticking to them and making them hard to wash. I do that for non sport wheels, but it should work for both types. Good luck.

 

[QuikZ06]

My 16 Accord got a pretty big scratch on the side skirt from the tire shine arms that extend in to get the tires. Of course they denied it, then my buddy checked his wheels and had all kinds of scratches too. We both complained and ironically a few weeks later they discontinued tire shine. On my Genesis, I only hand wash...that and the fact that it’s black, I would never take a black car through a car wash.

 

[Rspected]

So, I use a car wash that I drive through. Going in is no problem. I drive up to the entrance and into the rail until the attendant motions for me to put the car into neutral. I bump it from drive to neutral and slowly ride through the car wash watching the camera display (cool). Then I get to the end and now is the tricky part. To get the car back into drive I have to put my foot on the brake, push in the shift button and move it to drive. The tricky part is the brake. I'm being pushed forward by a roller behind my left rear tire and anything other than perfect timing of the brake/button/movement of the lever and it's not pleasant. It's less of a problem if it's a slow day at the car was and there's not a car immediately behind me. I can just kind of coast out before I have to get the car into drive. But when it's busy, it's a little annoying to have to brake first. Is there some way to turn off the requirement to brake when shifting into drive? I've searched the manual and can't seem to find anything.

I am a store manager of a huge car wash corporation. All you need to do is give the brake just a QUICK tap while shifting to drive. You do not need to fully depress the pedal. Just push it in like a half inch and you can shift right to drive.

Source: 6 years experience in the field

Edit: For anyone too scared to go through the wash, I wash mine twice a week and have stretched tires that do not protect the rims and I have yet to get any scratches or damages. Keep your car with a good coat of wax and ask them to retract the tire shiner and poodle brush so nothing comes in contact with the rims, pull it as close you can to the right side of the track without rubbing the inside lip and you're good to go. Most tracks (at least that I've seen) have a 12.5" width so unless you have gigantic wheels or tires, your rims will be safe.

 

[ifonline]

...retract the tire shiner and poodle brush...

Interesting. So how does this work? Do I need to hold my dog outside the vehicle as I pass through, or do I just strap him down to the hood of the car?

 

[Rspected]

Interesting. So how does this work? Do I need to hold my dog outside the vehicle as I pass through, or do I just strap him down to the hood of the car?

I know you're being facetious, but that is the name of the rotating bristle brush that hits your rims to clean them in an automated way.

 

[In-House Bob]

I wondered about what that was, too. Thanks for the insider's view!

 

[Rspected]

I wondered about what that was, too. Thanks for the insider's view!

At my wash, which is a Mister Car Wash, your vehicle will pass through a combination of tri colored foam which breaks down dirt and pollen and also system yellow which breaks down inorganic substances, making the job of the cloths easier on your car. At the same time, system silver is a chemical applied to your rims and tires which breaks down grime and brake dust making the poodle brush job easier. Then it passes through the cloth which cleans your car and a mitter curtain which hits the hood, windshield, roof and top of trunk on the vehicle. Then you enter the 2nd set of cloth wraps which has a more friction based cloth to REALLY remove the stuff on the car. After this you pass through the poodle brush which pushes on your wheel and spins to clean the residue off with the help of system silvers breakdown properties. Then you move into the wax/system yellow arch. The wax is applied in a waterfall format to blanket the vehicle and follows quickly by system yellow that helps break down the wax for the rinse cycle. At the same time you pass through this, a wheel blaster is hitting your rims at about 70psi water pressure to clean off the residual system silver and any leftover brake dust the poodle brush didnt get off. Then you go further where our chemicals repel shield (beads water and slides it off) and platinum seal(a silicone based sealant to protect the wax and paint and give extra shine) are applied and then quickly rinsed off by rinse cycles. Finally, system black (a drying agent) rains down on your vehicle to make the water break up and helps the blowers get it almost 100% dry. Without the system black, the water would just spread with surface tension and would appear soaking wet. Then you pass through the tire shiner which pushes on the tire while small streams of the chemical are applied to the brush and it massages it into the tire. Then you enter the final blowers which continue to dry your vehicle and I have employees at the end with towels to finish the job, thus leaving you with a perfectly shiny, clean vehicle. Hope that helps anyone wondering about how the car wash works. It's a lot of science and chemistry behind it and not just a simple soap and rinse like most people think.

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[EdP]

At my wash, which is a Mister Car Wash, your vehicle will pass through a combination of tri colored foam which breaks down dirt and pollen and also system yellow which breaks down inorganic substances, making the job of the cloths easier on your car. At the same time, system silver is a chemical applied to your rims and tires which breaks down grime and brake dust making the poodle brush job easier. Then it passes through the cloth which cleans your car and a mitter curtain which hits the hood, windshield, roof and top of trunk on the vehicle. Then you enter the 2nd set of cloth wraps which has a more friction based cloth to REALLY remove the stuff on the car. After this you pass through the poodle brush which pushes on your wheel and spins to clean the residue off with the help of system silvers breakdown properties. Then you move into the wax/system yellow arch. The wax is applied in a waterfall format to blanket the vehicle and follows quickly by system yellow that helps break down the wax for the rinse cycle. At the same time you pass through this, a wheel blaster is hitting your rims at about 70psi water pressure to clean off the residual system silver and any leftover brake dust the poodle brush didnt get off. Then you go further where our chemicals repel shield (beads water and slides it off) and platinum seal(a silicone based sealant to protect the wax and paint and give extra shine) are applied and then quickly rinsed off by rinse cycles. Finally, system black (a drying agent) rains down on your vehicle to make the water break up and helps the blowers get it almost 100% dry. Without the system black, the water would just spread with surface tension and would appear soaking wet. Then you pass through the tire shiner which pushes on the tire while small streams of the chemical are applied to the brush and it massages it into the tire. Then you enter the final blowers which continue to dry your vehicle and I have employees at the end with towels to finish the job, thus leaving you with a perfectly shiny, clean vehicle. Hope that helps anyone wondering about how the car wash works. It's a lot of science and chemistry behind it and not just a simple soap and rinse like most people think.

Thank you, it is interesting how it comes together.

One more question. How much water does it use to wash a car? In some areas where water is tight the town will ban car washing. They do not close the commercial washes. Curious if there is a savings. Just like a dishwasher is more efficient than had washing.

 

[Rspected]

Thank you, it is interesting how it comes together.

One more question. How much water does it use to wash a car? In some areas where water is tight the town will ban car washing. They do not close the commercial washes. Curious if there is a savings. Just like a dishwasher is more efficient than had washing.

Honestly, I'm not sure as we dont have a way to measure it without me contacting the water co to find out exactly how much we used but I'd say we run through upwards of 10,000-30,000 gallons per day as crazy as that sounds. We washed 865 cars last Friday. All I know is an average household gets charged maybe $50 for regular water usage per month. We get charged on average around $5,000 per month for water. We do recycle water and use it in certain applications like the pressure washers, wheel blaster and underbody sprayer which I forgot to mention.

 

[EXCADDY]

At my wash, which is a Mister Car Wash, your vehicle will pass through a combination of tri colored foam which breaks down dirt and pollen and also system yellow which breaks down inorganic substances, making the job of the cloths easier on your car. At the same time, system silver is a chemical applied to your rims and tires which breaks down grime and brake dust making the poodle brush job easier. Then it passes through the cloth which cleans your car and a mitter curtain which hits the hood, windshield, roof and top of trunk on the vehicle. Then you enter the 2nd set of cloth wraps which has a more friction based cloth to REALLY remove the stuff on the car. After this you pass through the poodle brush which pushes on your wheel and spins to clean the residue off with the help of system silvers breakdown properties. Then you move into the wax/system yellow arch. The wax is applied in a waterfall format to blanket the vehicle and follows quickly by system yellow that helps break down the wax for the rinse cycle. At the same time you pass through this, a wheel blaster is hitting your rims at about 70psi water pressure to clean off the residual system silver and any leftover brake dust the poodle brush didnt get off. Then you go further where our chemicals repel shield (beads water and slides it off) and platinum seal(a silicone based sealant to protect the wax and paint and give extra shine) are applied and then quickly rinsed off by rinse cycles. Finally, system black (a drying agent) rains down on your vehicle to make the water break up and helps the blowers get it almost 100% dry. Without the system black, the water would just spread with surface tension and would appear soaking wet. Then you pass through the tire shiner which pushes on the tire while small streams of the chemical are applied to the brush and it massages it into the tire. Then you enter the final blowers which continue to dry your vehicle and I have employees at the end with towels to finish the job, thus leaving you with a perfectly shiny, clean vehicle. Hope that helps anyone wondering about how the car wash works. It's a lot of science and chemistry behind it and not just a simple soap and rinse like most people think.

Thanks for the explanation. I take my car through a wash similar to the one you describe (absent people to towel it off) and then towel my car, including inside door jams, trunk and hood and under wiper blades. I have an unlimited pass so I run it though whenever it's dirty. Then I have it detailed twice a year, spring and fall. I also have a Corvette (2011 Grand Sport with 12K miles) that I wash by hand weekly and have detailed twice annually as well. The issue I have with the Genesis and having to touch the brake pedal is it seems like overkill to have to push a button when moving it into drive and press the brake pedal. I think it would be better to just require pushing the button. Much easier in a carwash but then I'm old and contankerous. You just can't please us old guys!

 

[Rspected]

Thanks for the explanation. I take my car through a wash similar to the one you describe (absent people to towel it off) and then towel my car, including inside door jams, trunk and hood and under wiper blades. I have an unlimited pass so I run it though whenever it's dirty. Then I have it detailed twice a year, spring and fall. I also have a Corvette (2011 Grand Sport with 12K miles) that I wash by hand weekly and have detailed twice annually as well. The issue I have with the Genesis and having to touch the brake pedal is it seems like overkill to have to push a button when moving it into drive and press the brake pedal. I think it would be better to just require pushing the button. Much easier in a carwash but then I'm old and contankerous. You just can't please us old guys!

They do that so you cant accidentally slip it into neutral or reverse while moving. Imagine looking for something in your car while going 75mph and your elbow bumps your shifter into neutral or reverse and all the sudden your revving to redline or messing up your transmission because you shifted into reverse while moving forward at a high rate of speed. It's simply a safety measure.

 

[EdP]

The issue I have with the Genesis and having to touch the brake pedal is it seems like overkill to have to push a button when moving it into drive and press the brake pedal. I think it would be better to just require pushing the button. Much easier in a carwash but then I'm old and contankerous. You just can't please us old guys!

I wonder how much is due to the electronic shifting. Fed regs require a brake to take it out of P but this may be a side effect to make it comply. Not a serious defect, but a minor annoyance at times.

 

[Rspected]

I wonder how much is due to the electronic shifting. Fed regs require a brake to take it out of P but this may be a side effect to make it comply. Not a serious defect, but a minor annoyance at times.

In my experience driving at the wash, the brakes must be applied on ANY electronic shifter or it will not move out of position. With the normal gear stick that typically has the zigzag PRND with a shift knob will most times not require the brake to be pressed to switch between those gears.

 

[EXCADDY]

They do that so you cant accidentally slip it into neutral or reverse while moving. Imagine looking for something in your car while going 75mph and your elbow bumps your shifter into neutral or reverse and all the sudden your revving to redline or messing up your transmission because you shifted into reverse while moving forward at a high rate of speed. It's simply a safety measure.

I think it would be unusual to bump it into neutral or reverse while holding the button in and it be accidental. Adding the brake pedal is overkill to me since I've never had to do that in other cars.

 

[Rspected]

I think it would be unusual to bump it into neutral or reverse while holding the button in and it be accidental. Adding the brake pedal is overkill to me since I've never had to do that in other cars.

Picture this. You have a kid in the car, you are riding on the highway. Kid goes "what's this button do?" And pushes the R. Before you can stop him, since you dont have to push the pedal, your car shifts into reverse at 65 and destroys your transmission. The brake depression is there for vehicle safety.

 

[EdP]

Picture this. You have a kid in the car, you are riding on the highway. Kid goes "what's this button do?" And pushes the R. Before you can stop him, since you dont have to push the pedal, your car shifts into reverse at 65 and destroys your transmission. The brake depression is there for vehicle safety.

In the past, things like that have happened. AFAIK, Genesis and some others will not shift into reverse if the car is moving.

 

[EXCADDY]

Picture this. You have a kid in the car, you are riding on the highway. Kid goes "what's this button do?" And pushes the R. Before you can stop him, since you dont have to push the pedal, your car shifts into reverse at 65 and destroys your transmission. The brake depression is there for vehicle safety.

Yeah, OK. Never happened in other cars I had like the 2015 Cadillac XTS I traded in on my 2019 Genesis. And yes, to move the transmission lever I had to push a button.