[Mitchfin]

Finally have my new (to me) X5 photo ready. Just got it back from getting paint correction and Gtechniq ceramic; holy hell its so shiny! Absolutely in love with this car, never going through an automatic car wash again.

[S_McTowelie]

Looks sharp!!

[Contach]

How should I wash my car if not an automatic car wash?
What is wrong with an automatic caar wash?

[G07xG80]

Originally Posted by Contach

How should I wash my car if not an automatic car wash?
What is wrong with an automatic caar wash?

Most of the time they damage you're car. Small dings and they are very rough on the paint.They use dirty rags and will leave swirl marks all over you're car.. sometimes even very light scratches. I haven't taken either of my cars and never will to any car wash. I enjoy washing the cars myself. You're best bet is a auto detailer or a hand wash.

[kjx]

Originally Posted by Contach

How should I wash my car if not an automatic car wash?
What is wrong with an automatic caar wash?

Damages the clear coat.

Touch less car washes do the damage over a longer duration through harsh chemicals.

Gentle, two-bucket hand wash either by a detailer or yourself is the way to go if you care about well maintained paint. PPF and ceramic is recommended.

[G07xG80]

Originally Posted by Mitchfin

Finally have my new (to me) X5 photo ready. Just got it back from getting paint correction and Gtechniq ceramic; holy hell its so shiny! Absolutely in love with this car, never going through an automatic car wash again.

Attachment 2756000

Attachment 2756001

Looks absolutely amazing!

[Mitchfin]

Originally Posted by G05xG30

Looks absolutely amazing!

Thank you I'm so stoked it's finally feeling new!

[Mitchfin]

Originally Posted by Contach

How should I wash my car if not an automatic car wash?
What is wrong with an automatic caar wash?

This was the paint before, whoever owned this before me washed it all the time cause it was really bad. If you look on the left side of that photo you can see part of the restored paint for comparison.

[nomoracin]

Fogs!!!

[taek]

Originally Posted by Contach

How should I wash my car if not an automatic car wash?
What is wrong with an automatic caar wash?

The high speed spinning bristles and damage the clearcoat causing thin scratches all over the clearcoat. People working at car washes have said not only is dirt & debris collected and kept on the scrubbers, but plastic bits as well. At the end of the day they've even found windshield wipers in there that have been spinning at high speed on every car they run. The water is also re-used these days to avoid massive waste, which mean the water used on the vehicle has particles.

This before/after is from a video where a paint corrected black car was taken through just 1 automatic tunnel wash.

[YuicyYumboYack]

Congrats on the car! Looks beautiful!

I once had a black car, and never again. It looks amazing when clean, but I don't have the energy or time to keep it up.

Contach honestly 99% of people don't really notice the damage from an automatic car wash, so if you prefer to do it that way I think it's totally fine.

But once you see the small scratches it creates, it's one of those things you just can't unsee.

I think taek's pictures give you a really good idea of what happens. In my opinion, not worth it, but at the same time I can't blame people who go through a tunnel wash. It's much easier and faster, and if you like the results, why not.

Last piece of anecdotal "evidence": Before we were married, my wife took her car through a tunnel wash for years. Got her to stop, but the clear coat is now peeling. Did the tunnel wash cause the clear coat to peel? Most likely not, but I do think it accelerated it. When you wash your own car you can do things like apply wax or sealant to help protect the paint that you're not going to get from a tunnel wash.

[cantgobak]

Originally Posted by YuicyYumboYack

Congrats on the car! Looks beautiful!

I once had a black car, and never again. It looks amazing when clean, but I don't have the energy or time to keep it up.

Contach honestly 99% of people don't really notice the damage from an automatic car wash, so if you prefer to do it that way I think it's totally fine.

But once you see the small scratches it creates, it's one of those things you just can't unsee.

I think taek's pictures give you a really good idea of what happens. In my opinion, not worth it, but at the same time I can't blame people who go through a tunnel wash. It's much easier and faster, and if you like the results, why not.

Last piece of anecdotal "evidence": Before we were married, my wife took her car through a tunnel wash for years. Got her to stop, but the clear coat is now peeling. Did the tunnel wash cause the clear coat to peel? Most likely not, but I do think it accelerated it. When you wash your own car you can do things like apply wax or sealant to help protect the paint that you're not going to get from a tunnel wash.

Who doesn't love driving a vehicle that shines like new?! 😀 Agree with everyone here especially the evidence of a picture for comparison. I think everyone's priorities are different and makes their choices based on different reasons/events in their lives so there's no right or wrong here. To care for the way it should, takes the know how and time. Know how it's the easy part, we can almost always find 80+% of answers online now, especially with a great group of knowledge forum members here!!! If I were still single without two little ones who I love dearly, I would have babied my cars like how I want to be babied and that was exactly what I did with my cars in the past when I was still single. I also weigh in my past cars and experiences so I asked myself these questions, if I baby my car the way it should now, will it get me more value when I sell it after a few years? Will the paint still look good/average/fair after a few years if I just go through car wash?

The answer is no it did not get me more $$$ when I sold my past cars because nobody said I'm going to pay for more because the paint is still perfect like day 1 and that certainly will not occur in the future either. When I sold my past cars G35 and X5 that went through car washes, the paint was still in good shape with good gloss. An average person will not notice reduced layers of clear coat unless you are a car enthusiast or do a side by side comparison. To an average person who's buying a used car, it's sort of 'expected' that car paint to be somewhat lost its 'newness' over the years as long as it's not peeling or have a huge chip on the paint. Of course, if I were to keep the car forever or I'm a enthusiast or a collector then yes I would certainly wash it myself. But I'm neither of those and I can live by driving a clean and "good/average" paint through car washes which will save me energy and time so I can spend it on my family and other priorities. Besides, even though I garage my cars, they are dirty already the next day when it's driven outside… I just can't see myself spend 1+ hours each week or even every 2 or 3 weeks washing it myself.

Just being practical for myself here, and sharing my thoughts with those who may be shy on saying I'm one of those who goes through the tunnel… 🤣

[DeYanko]

Did you go with the C1 or the Crystal Serum Light? Plus the Exo V4?

[Mitchfin]

Originally Posted by DeYanko

Did you go with the C1 or the Crystal Serum Light? Plus the Exo V4?

I'm not sure which on. I did a 2 year coating since that's usually how long I keep my cars. It was only $395 to do

[10101X5]

Originally Posted by Mitchfin

Finally have my new (to me) X5 photo ready. Just got it back from getting paint correction and Gtechniq ceramic; holy hell its so shiny! Absolutely in love with this car, never going through an automatic car wash again.
Attachment 2756000
Attachment 2756001

Congrats! Looking sharp. I'm OCD as well. I know how it feels when you get this done. Btw you have great surrounding... set the camera to expose more with some depth. It will bring out the glass mirror on the paint.

Originally Posted by Contach

How should I wash my car if not an automatic car wash?
What is wrong with an automatic caar wash?

A lot of discussion here.

[ksavostin]

Unfortunately, even a gentle hand wash will leave some swirls on your car and ceramic coating will do nothing to prevent that.