Touchless Car Washes?

[FF Drifter]

Just wondering where you guys wash your cars. The complex I used to live at had a car wash station in the basement parking garage and that was perfect: fill up buckets and wash the car myself with my own equipment. Unfortunately I no longer have access to this ideal and so have been using automatic car washes. The ones I know of are:

Shell station on US-50/Lee Jackson Highway in Chantilly; completely touchless automatic wash. No wheel rails. However there is typically a gas station attendant guy there who will try to scrub your car out of a barrel of soapy but dirty water (often does people's wheels only but sometimes he does their entire car with the same brush and water ). He sees me often enough now that he knows not to touch the car at all though. Oh other downside ~ I think this place closes the car wash whenever it is freezing out.

Mobil 1 station on Duke St. in Alexandria; also completely touchless automatic wash with no wheel rails. The best thing here is that management has let me use a faucet attached to their car wash station to fill my own buckets and do some 'pre-cleaning', provided the water doesn't spill into the gas station area. I am kinda tempted next time to see if they'll let me just wash the entire car by hand for the same $7 I use to run the car through the automatic wash.

Any other suggestions?

 

[FF Drifter]

Listing another one I've used before:

Mr. Clean just off MD-301 in Waldorf, MD. I haven't been here since last year but I remember it having a lot of car wash bays and a lot of cleaning supplies which could be purchased on the spot. I used this last year in the middle of winter (long line of people getting snow/ice blasted off their car, but it moved quickly).

 

[nsxtasy]

Now I wash my car myself, on a patio I had built for that purpose. But before that, I always washed my car at a do-it-yourself car wash, using my own towels and mitts and soap, and only used the car wash for the water, first to wet it down before soaping, then to rinse it off after soaping. I tried to do this late at night so I could towel dry the car in the car wash bay, without anyone waiting for the bay and getting mad.

I just don't trust automatic car washes, not even the "touchless" kind.

 

[docjohn]

in my previous "rental' life i did as ken ,using the automated self wash places rather than the "touchless' with the spinning stuff.....just too afraid.I brought my own buckets and supplies and just used the water.....

 

[FF Drifter]

I'd be okay with that too; I have the buckets and car wash supplies after all. I just haven't found such a place in the DC area so far =/ I will keep looking though.

 

[Motegi]

Back when I lived in a apartment complex I got to know the maintenance guys pretty well and they let me just hook up to the water spigot on the corner of one of the buildings. There was no valve handle there so they told me to just use some vice grips. It was free and since I got along well with the maintenance guys I never had a problem. I just took my own hose and a bucket.

I try not to go to the touchless washes as I've found that many use a metal guide rail for the front wheel that can damage the wheel lip on aftermarket wheels.

However, I have put the NSX in a few touchless washes in a pinch during NSXPO's and it's been OK.

 

[blue_myriddn]

Either of these threads still accurate?

http://www.e46fanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=915539

http://www.autopia.org/forum/mid-atlantic-usa/78079-self-serve-car-wash-northern-virginia-2.html

 

[nsxtasy]

I'd be okay with that too; I have the buckets and car wash supplies after all. I just haven't found such a place in the DC area so far =/ I will keep looking though.

I would be shocked (SHOCKED! ) if there aren't coin-operated do-it-yourself car washes nearby. I've seen them all over the country, in cities/suburbs as well as in small towns in rural areas.

 

[FF Drifter]

I would be shocked (SHOCKED! ) if there aren't coin-operated do-it-yourself car washes nearby. I've seen them all over the country, in cities/suburbs as well as in small towns in rural areas.

I have seen them pretty much everywhere else but they do indeed seem harder to find in the DC area. The threads blue_myriddn linked seem to corroborate this. The best suggestion seems to still be trying to get into an apartment complex with a publicly-accessible car wash station.

Thanks for the links, blue. I will update this thread with whichever car wash spots I find.

 

[nsxtasy]

The best suggestion seems to still be trying to get into an apartment complex with a publicly-accessible car wash station.

Also known as a watering hose that reaches the pavement.

Note too that where you live isn't the only place such a solution might be available. If you're friendly with whoever takes care of the property at your workplace, or your church/synagogue/mosque, or any other place you hang out, you might find that they have a hose and don't mind if you use it once in a while to take care of your car. You can always show your gratitude to that individual by giving him/her something that makes them feel good about letting you use it (cash, beer, a ride in the NSX, etc).

 

[FF Drifter]

Also known as a watering hose that reaches the pavement.

Note too that where you live isn't the only place such a solution might be available. If you're friendly with whoever takes care of the property at your workplace, or your church/synagogue/mosque, or any other place you hang out, you might find that they have a hose and don't mind if you use it once in a while to take care of your car. You can always show your gratitude to that individual by giving him/her something that makes them feel good about letting you use it (cash, beer, a ride in the NSX, etc).

Right ~ I actually emailed my prior apartment complex (same company owns the one where I currently live). I really liked their car wash station because it was underground/indoors. There are other neighborhoods I pass by on the way to work as well which appear to have car washes and no one really checking to see if you're a resident. I'd probably have to mix it up a bit though; I think people would catch on to an NSX in their lot... but only for car washes.

 

[Lamini]

watch those machines! One put a hole in my front bumper (southern maryland). I been there numerous times then without notice they raised the machine (rt 235) 1.5". Went to another place, minor scuffs on wheels. Fortunately this was on my STI (sold).

ANyone try the car wash in Annapolis? The one by the Subaru dealership. They always did good on my STI, they would tape the lights (for some reason), tape wipers down.. havent tried NSX there yet though

 

[jonnya_nsx]

I actually am a detailer i do all my work myself normally. Wash, wax, clay bar and shampoo. I keep her fresh year round. I don't trust car washs. They never get all the dirt

 

[FF Drifter]

So I've resorted to following cars into the garage at the previous apartment complex where I lived. It is nice to have a hose and a warmed underground garage to wash the car in. I am trying to strike up a deal with the management so I can just continue to wash there instead of sneaking in behind former neighbors lol

 

[BATMANs]

I've taken all of my cars to touchless car washes.

Good, but even with a pressure washer there are still fine dirt still left on the paint. In my case it's a black paint that shows it. My white truck looks very clean.

 

[I1O101I]

There is one I go to all the time on 50 and gallows rd. sunoco gas station

Bryan

Just wondering where you guys wash your cars. The complex I used to live at had a car wash station in the basement parking garage and that was perfect: fill up buckets and wash the car myself with my own equipment. Unfortunately I no longer have access to this ideal and so have been using automatic car washes. The ones I know of are:

Shell station on US-50/Lee Jackson Highway in Chantilly; completely touchless automatic wash. No wheel rails. However there is typically a gas station attendant guy there who will try to scrub your car out of a barrel of soapy but dirty water (often does people's wheels only but sometimes he does their entire car with the same brush and water ). He sees me often enough now that he knows not to touch the car at all though. Oh other downside ~ I think this place closes the car wash whenever it is freezing out.

Mobil 1 station on Duke St. in Alexandria; also completely touchless automatic wash with no wheel rails. The best thing here is that management has let me use a faucet attached to their car wash station to fill my own buckets and do some 'pre-cleaning', provided the water doesn't spill into the gas station area. I am kinda tempted next time to see if they'll let me just wash the entire car by hand for the same $7 I use to run the car through the automatic wash.

Any other suggestions?