Car wash experiences?

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KClark

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A comment about hand washing a car in another thread prompted me to create a new topic. Weather is getting warmer and my car is pretty dirty after the winter rains in Southern California. I’m curious about people’s experience with their Clarity and the car wash. So far I’ve avoided them, too many imagined horrors over a quite rare car, meaning no experience maneuvering one, mixing with minimum wage employees. What have been your experiences taking a Clarity to the car wash?
 
The only problem that I have had is forgetting to turn off "brake hold". Other than that no problems what so ever.
 
I've put mine through the automatic wash at my local H-E-B several times with no issues. I'm entirely unsure what people are talking about with brake hold and neutral. Do you not drive it through the wash yourself?
 
We wash weekly and just ask them to hot neutral twice before the tracks pull the car.

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petteyg, most of the car washes here are full service, not self drive, you hand it over to someone at the vacuums and then pick it up at the other end after they have wiped it down and cleaned the windows. It’s not cheap but a nice way to get a clean car.
 
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For those who don't know about the "car wash mode" for car washes that drag the car through the wringer (from page 386 in the Owners Manual):

■ If you want to keep the transmission in Neutral position [car wash mode]
With the power system on:
1. Depress the brake pedal.
2. Make sure the READY indicator is on.
3. Press N. Within six seconds press and hold N for two seconds.
This puts the vehicle in car wash mode which must be used when your vehicle
is pulled through a conveyor type automatic car wash where you or an
attendant do not remain in the vehicle.

I always wash our cars by hand, so it's not a problem that the Guv closed all our car washes.
 
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hand wash every few months, touch-less washes in-between. Aerodynamic cars don't have many places to hide dirt so the touch-less washes to a fairly decent job.
 
Being a cheapskate, I usually hand wash. Whenever my laziness exceeds my frugality (usually in colder days), I occasionally use a car wash, but then only the ones with the floppy long wash strips and never the ones with spinning brushes. But you’re still open to scratches if they don’t filter the recycled water enough or dirt is on the cloth strips. At least hand washing keeps me from worrying.
I hate this thread because you’ve now got me considering using some of that “free” stimulus check money on a car wash instead of getting off the couch.
Heard on the radio a guy saying that giving you money now is just saddling your kids or grand kids with a very large debt since the Feds have to borrow this money. (Just living up to my Professional Thread Drifter certification)
 
We could send everyone back to work so the money isn't required. Better job opportunities in the future since there will be fewer employees available.
 
Insightman, thanks for actually posting that procedure. Reading that the first time I imagined leaving my Clarity at the vacuum cleaning station at the car wash, outlining those steps and their sequence to a 20 year old guy who barely speaks English. He's going to nod his head that he understands perfectly, vac the car and then forget what I told him about this strange automobile that he's probably never seen before. The manual makes it clear that the double N procedure must be followed but doesn't say what happens if it isn't followed and is hooked up to the car pulling mechanism anyway. So, as I said, maybe needless imaginings of horrible things that could go wrong, so I have hand washed my car the few times it has actually gotten dirty enough to bother me, which isn't often. But unlike joethebeekeeper, I find that my aerodynamic Clarity is a pain to wash and get clean. Its exterior has so many nooks, crannies, indentations, small ribs and channels that need detailing that, while washing, I find myself longing for the smooth, dolphin like exterior of a Tesla model 3.
 
Tek_Freek said:
We could send everyone back to work so the money isn't required. Better job opportunities in the future since there will be fewer employees available.
Click to expand...

This is actually a prime opportunity for natural selection to exhibit itself. Some of the stupid people are finally climbing out of the pool by ignoring health precautions :p
 
KClark said:
I find that my aerodynamic Clarity is a pain to wash and get clean. Its exterior has so many nooks, crannies, indentations, small ribs and channels that need detailing that, while washing, I find myself longing for the smooth, dolphin like exterior of a Tesla model 3.
Click to expand...
I totally agree about nooks, crannies, indentations, small ribs and channels. I always end up making one of the microfiber towels filthy when I find one of those places I missed with my washing mitt. Also, I've never owned a car so tall and wide that I need a stool to get to the center of the roof. My 2-seat, gen-1 Insights were aerodynamic in a smooth way like a Tesla Model 3 and took about half as much time to wash as our Clarity.
 
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