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      10-21-2021, 01:41 PM   #23
Axxlrod
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You guys are hilarious. Your paint is not made of butterfly wings.

I have no problem taking my car through a modern tunnel wash. I'd much rather do that than let some "lot guy" hand wash my car with the same wash mitt he's used for months and dropped on the ground who knows how many times.
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      10-21-2021, 07:44 PM   #24
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Originally Posted by YuicyYumboYack View Post

So instead I went to Target and bought a water gun.

Quick break between meetings? Go shoot the pigeons. Dinner's going to be ready in 5? Great, time to go blast some pigeons.
hilarious!

but effective.
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      10-22-2021, 10:54 AM   #25
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Originally Posted by Axxlrod View Post
You guys are hilarious. Your paint is not made of butterfly wings.
You don't know that. Who knows what kinds of mysterious things BMW is doing without us knowing.

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Originally Posted by Axxlrod View Post
I have no problem taking my car through a modern tunnel wash. I'd much rather do that than let some "lot guy" hand wash my car with the same wash mitt he's used for months and dropped on the ground who knows how many times.
Totally get it, I don't judge how someone chooses to was their own car. If it works, it works!
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      10-23-2021, 05:16 AM   #26
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THIS times 100. The scratches or even the risk are just not worth it to me.

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Originally Posted by kingmonkeyjr View Post
Nope. My SA has a hard note in my profile. Never wash.
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      10-23-2021, 05:45 AM   #27
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Luminor513 View Post
Absolutely not. Both of our cars went straight from dealership to my detail guy for paint correction and ceramic. I didn't let the dealership do anything beyond removing plastic wrapping.
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Originally Posted by Luminor513 View Post
Absolutely not. Both of our cars went straight from dealership to my detail guy for paint correction and ceramic. I didn't let the dealership do anything beyond removing plastic wrapping.
Same here. I even have a mirror hanging thing that says no wash
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      10-23-2021, 07:04 AM   #28
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Originally Posted by GS2019 View Post
This would be my first BMW X5 - really excited. My BMW Dealership said that I can take my car to them as much as I want to get a FREE car wash regardless of any service or not. Does anyone here use BMW dealership FREE carwashes? Is that recommended or not a good idea?
Does the dealership provide touchless carwash?
I get it washed by the dealer all the time. Car looks clean and it's free. Works for me…
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      10-23-2021, 07:18 AM   #29
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I work in the automatic vehicle wash industry. The type of equipment, type of cloth, upkeep, and detergent usage all varies widely across the industry.

First, there's a difference between scratches and swirl marks. The simple fact is, your average person could care less about swirl marks and many don't even know they exist. As long as the car looks good in the driveway, the carwash was a success. This is starkly different than a scratch, which people get very upset about.

A well maintained soft cloth car was could scratch your car in the right set of circumstances, but it will be rare and the scratch will likely have a pattern to it that pins it back to a moving piece of equipment. Some car washes around the country will wash hundreds of thousands of cars per year...they aren't scratching cars each week or else they wouldn't be in business...they'd be put out by lawyer fees alone. They will add swirl marks over time, given the frequency of washing and the level of protection on the car going in (wax, ceramic coat, etc). There's no getting around that. For any automatic carwash, do the "drive by" test. Look in the tunnel, is it relatively bright, is the cloth clean (can you make out the colors)? Is the outside well maintained, landscape tended to and trash picked up? This can give you an idea of how well the car wash gives a crap about the way they maintain their facility.

Back to the dealer carwash...it's likely a carwash setup purchased out of a catalog with a maintenance contract. Meaning it's probably decently maintained for vehicle safety (again, the dealer has no interest in being inundated with damage claims). It probably doesn't have the best quality. If you're someone who is highly sensitive to swirl marks (I am), then skip it. If you make it a habit of waxing your vehicle every few months and want to go through every few weeks, it probably won't be a problem. If you are someone that doesn't care about swirl marks or any type of paint protection and just want the car "clean", send it
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      10-23-2021, 08:32 AM   #30
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oh Hell no. That's what I have a wife for.
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      10-23-2021, 01:07 PM   #31
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Quote:
Originally Posted by allinon72 View Post
I work in the automatic vehicle wash industry. The type of equipment, type of cloth, upkeep, and detergent usage all varies widely across the industry.

First, there's a difference between scratches and swirl marks. The simple fact is, your average person could care less about swirl marks and many don't even know they exist. As long as the car looks good in the driveway, the carwash was a success. This is starkly different than a scratch, which people get very upset about.

A well maintained soft cloth car was could scratch your car in the right set of circumstances, but it will be rare and the scratch will likely have a pattern to it that pins it back to a moving piece of equipment. Some car washes around the country will wash hundreds of thousands of cars per year...they aren't scratching cars each week or else they wouldn't be in business...they'd be put out by lawyer fees alone. They will add swirl marks over time, given the frequency of washing and the level of protection on the car going in (wax, ceramic coat, etc). There's no getting around that. For any automatic carwash, do the "drive by" test. Look in the tunnel, is it relatively bright, is the cloth clean (can you make out the colors)? Is the outside well maintained, landscape tended to and trash picked up? This can give you an idea of how well the car wash gives a crap about the way they maintain their facility.

Back to the dealer carwash...it's likely a carwash setup purchased out of a catalog with a maintenance contract. Meaning it's probably decently maintained for vehicle safety (again, the dealer has no interest in being inundated with damage claims). It probably doesn't have the best quality. If you're someone who is highly sensitive to swirl marks (I am), then skip it. If you make it a habit of waxing your vehicle every few months and want to go through every few weeks, it probably won't be a problem. If you are someone that doesn't care about swirl marks or any type of paint protection and just want the car "clean", send it
While I agree with you that most people will simply not care about swirl marks as long as the car looks clean, I respectfully disagree with the overall sentiment. Living in south Florida, there is no shortage of "high end" automated car washes. Most if not all that are in my area are well kept, landscape maintained properly, and overall clean facilities. Unfortunately despite all of the outside appearances, putting your car through one of these is a guaranteed way to add significant swirl marks, some even deep enough to be considered scratches, depending on the condition of the cars clear coat. What's just as important as the upkeep of the automated equipment, is the quality and type of towels used to dry the cars at the end of the automated wash tunnel. Drying cars is a very abrasive part of the process. Also the color of car plays a large role in all of this, dark colors showing swirls much more than light colors. For those that simply don't care, automated car washes are a great, convenient, cost effective option. For those that want pristine paint year after year, professional hand washing is the only way to go.
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      10-23-2021, 03:06 PM   #32
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I only hand wash both our cars. I enjoy taking the time to clean each car and see the final product..if I were ever to use a car wash it would be a hand wash place only.
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      10-23-2021, 03:52 PM   #33
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The OP had no idea what he was getting into with this question. I agree with most everything in here. I do the full two bucket hand wash about every other week but I recognize I enjoy washing the car plus I have a constant issue with pine sap so hand washing is a good way to spot any that needs removing. I also always go to dealer service with a spotless car but, actually, this is one time I try to use an automated wash so I can get an undercarriage bath. My dad is a mechanic so I grew up maintaining my car and know how nice it is working on a clean car. Plus it gives a good heads up to the techs that I’m particular and my dealer never runs a clean car through their wash (now on the third car and only once did they run it through the wash). Except for dark colors, occasional brushed washes often aren’t the end of the world. Lots of info out there about mild self healing of clear coat come warm summer days. So, to the OP, you do you and enjoy your new X5!
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      10-23-2021, 04:13 PM   #34
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Whichever way works best for you, that's the way to go. I personally like to hand wash mine until I start losing interest in the vehicle. Someone once said something like this... we all have eyes to see but we can only see what we know. I feel it's so true with swirl marks. It's almost certain that most if not all people will not see what I see on my car, but once I know it's there, it just bugs the heck out of me. So the best way to do is to not let it happen.
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The OP had no idea what he was getting into with this question.
No kidding... we have a seven page long thread talking about the wash.
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      10-23-2021, 10:54 PM   #35
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Originally Posted by 10101X5 View Post

I feel it's so true with swirl marks. It's almost certain that most if not all people will not see what I see on my car, but once I know it's there, it just bugs the heck out of me.


My wife used to say my detailer's bay looked like an OR cause the ceiling was full of lights and I had those rolling fluorescents ...

After we moved away and I had less time for that stuff I started noticing swirls less ... and then I also figured out how to more/less eliminate them (waterless wash in a single consistent direction); there's still some visible spiderwebs but they're all in one direction so it doesn't bother me much for some reason ...
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      10-24-2021, 05:40 AM   #36
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rmorin1249 View Post
No rotating brushes, please.
If you guys saw the brushes stealers use this wouldn't even be a question 😂

I am one of those guys that puts about 2 do not wash signs just in case they didn't get the message 😂 can never be too careful.
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      10-24-2021, 09:02 PM   #37
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Originally Posted by JMAN1111 View Post
If you guys saw the brushes stealers use this wouldn't even be a question 😂

I am one of those guys that puts about 2 do not wash signs just in case they didn't get the message 😂 can never be too careful.


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      10-25-2021, 12:03 PM   #38
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Originally Posted by GrussGott View Post


LOL. Living up to that quote in your email signature!

But, yeah, I find I'm often trying in life to find the balance between making sure ppl know I care and will notice if something is not done right vs being "that guy." *Of course give me one bad wash experience and I too will be printing out those signs for my car.
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      10-25-2021, 12:57 PM   #39
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Originally Posted by Chas8283 View Post
LOL. Living up to that quote in your email signature!

But, yeah, I find I'm often trying in life to find the balance between making sure ppl know I care and will notice if something is not done right vs being "that guy."
ha well it was more a joke of how many times I've told them "don't wash", put up the RVM sign, etc and then about 50% of the time they do anyway and apologize ... at least at most of the dealerships in the the SF South Bay Area. With my last car I only brought it in once in 3 years (after the break-in check up) but asked them to "show me what they did" before they completed ... then when they pulled me in, I asked them not to wash it and they didn't!
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      10-25-2021, 02:21 PM   #40
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I do use the free car wash when I get the car serviced. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have a new car before damages of any kind from these types of washes being to appear
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