[philsphan20]

Hi all

Recently moved to Boston. Have a '07 335XI, and was wondering what the best car wash was? Shes getting dirty and i dont have anywhere to wash her. Thanks!!!!

[TL]

I personally wash it at my parents house or a friend's place as I live in a condo. There's a place in Waltham, MA that has touchless washing or you can bring it to one of the Scrubadub wash bays in Brighton and wash it yourself.

you should also do and there should be plenty of info on this

hope it helps!

[Rustler]

There's a no-touch car wash on Washington St. In Somerville called (appropriately) Somerville No Touch Car Wash. There are self-wash bays and two automated no-touch bays. I take my car there in between hand washing and waxing.

[Mahmood07]

The car wash in the Cambridge side galleria mall is pretty good. I go there all the time, and you will see lots of nice cars. Also, you can go to the mall while you wait for your car to finish.

[tibra1]

Originally Posted by TL

I personally wash it at my parents house or a friend's place as I live in a condo.

+1 Hand wash all the way..car washes ruin the finish over time

[drawz]

I highly recommend Optimum No-Rinse car wash, affectionately known as ONR. As the name implies, no rinsing, and therefore no hose, required. I do it with a couple buckets, a sponge, and a microfiber drying towel in my parking garage. This is great for when it's freezing outside (if you have a garage that's not freezing), for saving water, or if you have no hose access. It's also faster than a regular wash once you get the hang of it. This stuff is very popular over at Autopia and many have converted to using it for all washes, even if they have other options. It feels weird/wrong at first, but it works great. Here's a link to Autogeek where I usually buy it from:

http://www.autogeek.net/optimum-no-rinse.html

and the uberthread at autopia:

http://www.autopia.org/forum/car-det...ve-thread.html

I have also used the Somerville touchless car wash on Washington St. to get the salt off in the winter. It doesn't really get the car all that clean, but it does the job of salt removal (including the undercarriage) and is certainly better than nothing. However, I've found that the blow drying they use is so powerful that it sometimes causes my fuel door to go flying off. This has been reported elsewhere in this forum at other touchless washes. Luckily I've been able to find the fuel door every time. Unfortunately, it's a bit scratched up around the edges now One of these days I'll get a new one.

[sjones0812]

The only ones I use are in Lexington (Mass Ave.) I use the touch-less Laser car wash ... (don't use the regular car wash there it is really bad).

Winchester Shield System car wash just outside of Winchester center. The only have the regular car wash there....soft cloth, I have a monthly unlimited plan with them for $40 a month. I took my 1995 BMW there all the time and it looked great when I traded it in for the new one....now the new one goes there all the time, sometimes everyday

[Rustler]

Originally Posted by drawz

I have also used the Somerville touchless car wash on Washington St. to get the salt off in the winter. It doesn't really get the car all that clean, but it does the job of salt removal (including the undercarriage) and is certainly better than nothing. However, I've found that the blow drying they use is so powerful that it sometimes causes my fuel door to go flying off. This has been reported elsewhere in this forum at other touchless washes. Luckily I've been able to find the fuel door every time. Unfortunately, it's a bit scratched up around the edges now One of these days I'll get a new one.

Yeah, the Somerville touchless wash is strictly a place to go to get your car hosed down (and definitely the undercarriage during the winter) between proper washes, and maybe vacuum the interior. However, it's cheap and if you keep your paint clean and protected, a touchless wash does a nice job of washing the surface dirt off and freshening it up. It will not damage your finish like many automated drive through washes (with dirty rags rubbing all over your finish). This is a good option for city people who want to do a 'tweener wash, but as others have said, there's no substitute for a proper hand wash, clean and wax.

[leemik]

I do four things depending on time..

1. Hand wash is only $25 at DrivenPerfection in Weymouth.. well worth it especially when it's cold out. 1st wash after winter I usually do this..

2. When it's warm out and I have some time at night, I like to go to the Neponset car wash with a bucket and some microfibers.. I use the self service bays to get a good cleaning.. at night they don't care and I'm there for like 2-3 hours bucket washing.. Scrub-a-dub in Brighton is good for this too and is safer at night as Neponset can get sketchy at night..

3. My fav selfwash hands down is this place on rt99
http://www.rideandshinecarwash.com/

the road there SUCKS though.. rt99 is like driving down a street in a 3rd world country

4. if i'm in a hurry I'll drive it through the touchless at Neponset.. because it's close by me ..

[SO__USA]

how do you hand wash a car? ive always used touchless.. i feel like a hand wash will scratch more.. oh my god im a mess!

[H4n]

Originally Posted by dresousa

how do you hand wash a car? ive always used touchless.. i feel like a hand wash will scratch more.. oh my god im a mess!

its safe, if your using the right technique/process.
As in the 2 wash buckets method, using grit guards, proper washing media and the right soap/soaps.

[LuisBoston]

Originally Posted by Rustler

There's a no-touch car wash on Washington St. In Somerville called (appropriately) Somerville No Touch Car Wash. There are self-wash bays and two automated no-touch bays. I take my car there in between hand washing and waxing.

The no-touch autowash here blows the gas-cap DOOR off my car when it's drying. It's happened twice - once warranty covered damage because I chalked it up to a defect. Now it's happened again. Too much drying power!

[LuisBoston]

I hand wash at Lechmere car wash on Route 28, near the galleria. Aside from nice weekend days, it's usually not busy. The hobos in the area can be annoying, but it easy to take time and do it right.