I place a premium on my leisure time, so when it's time to get my rig cleaned, I generally opt to drive to the local car wash. It goes through the car wash and is then finished off by hand. They do a great job cleaning the truck, but I've had a few problems lately:


1) When the guy was wiping down the interior, he managed to break my light sensor (smoke-colored clear dome lens that triggers your headlights to go on) on the top/center of the dash. The manager reimbursed me for the part and gave me a few free washes for my trouble.


2) When I used the first free wash, I noticed the car wash ripped the plastic gripping surface off my putco boss bars. I had to order new clips from Putco (free of charge) and re-install the step. Again, more free washes.


3) The next time I went, I noticed an amost imperceptible dent on the driver's side of the bed (just rear of the rear doors). Although the manager denies that his equipment could have done it, I know my truck, and I know that dent was not there before I went through the wash! They're going to reimburse me for the dent repair with a booklet of free car washes.


I think I'm going to give the free wash coupons to my wife (she drives a Jetta) and take my truck elsewhere.


Do any of you have problems getting your trucks washed?


~Terel

I do mine myself - that way if I screw it up, I don't have far to go to complain.

I had issues with one carwash. some lowlife driving my car through the wash decided on tipping himself with the change in my ashtray, I didnt find out until later so I had no recourse. since then I have done it myself. btw I use the mr clean auto dry wash, works well.

This is exactly why I do it myself. You cant trust anyone these days with anything. Taking it to a reputable detail shop is one thing , to put a 35k truck through an automated wash in my opinion is crazy.


The Mr Clean auto dry works great. I bought it just for the rinse feature!!

My truck has been in the shop for two weeks getting repainted because of a carwash. Carwash 'spider webbed' the entire truck. IMHO Chevy paint is already subpar, no more black trucks for me.


Worst part of the deal is that they gave me a Dodge truck to drive.

Car wash gives me those fine scratches which usually appear in a straight line. I try not to go but end up having to in the middle of winter after I plow. I use the Mister Clean my self and like it. My wife has a GMC Yukon XL that is also black. She is more anal about a clean car and sends her car through the carwash close to twice a week! If it rains, they will wash her car free of charge. You gotta see it. It looks like someone washed it with a Brillo pad.....http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Cry.gif

Auto Car Washes are for the birds ,I always was mine myself as I trust no one mostly because it is Black.


The spider webs are a common occurrence in Black and other dark colors showing more pronounced but there in all colors ,regardless of how or who washes it . It's what you use for a wax that masks the marks.


I've seen Car wash attendants going thru glove boxes before,horrible.


Mac

I think the mr clean rinse is crap. it leaves a haze all over my truck. I didn't know if it was my method or what. I had to wipe and buff the film off the truck. So after I had it looking good I sprayed the rinse on the truck again only to see it leave the haze. I count it as $25 wasted.

I use carwashes. The one I like to go to, you stay in the truck as it travels through the machine, the kids love that. Anyway I know if something odd happens in the machine.


The hand dry guys are at the end of the machine and dry you off. Then you drive around to a shaded stall area for the interior cleaning. Never in the process does the truck leave my sight.


Good experiences so far. They even offer Zaino (for megabucks, of course)....


L8r

I don't trust car washes even the touchless type. A buddy of mine used one of those touchless types and ended up with a 4" wide stripe (white stripe on a black truck) from front to rear. I wash mine myself, use a pressure washer for the underside.
Anyone try one of those Mr. Clean AutoDyer things???Edited by: TC Dmax

Ya, I use the auto dry, and love it. just spray and sponge it, no bucket. the only gripe I have with it is the rubber cap for the soap, its popped of on me a couple time during a wash resulting in soap on my shoes.

With a 3500 so I have no choice. Wait till the high school girls are washing at the gas station, and pull on in.http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/HiHi.gif Just kidding!

Im w/the masses on doing it myself.... Every few sundays i wash it. Even if i jsut wash it down w/my small pressure washer....I got tthe mr clean auto dry fro my b-day and so far i love it. I love not having to worry about the sponge and getting grit and then scratching my truck,....well have to rub the soap in, butcan just use a new rag everytime....

I take mine Pickups though with the plow lights on even they have to reset the machine for trucks

I most always handwash it and use a shammy(sp?) to dry it. Wash it about 3 times a week and wax with Meguiers Gold Wax monthly. Every other wash I use white wall cleaner to clean the tires off. Interior gets Son of a Gun protectant every two weeks, along with engine compartment, tires and all plastic trim. Rain-X every 3 washes.


DanEdited by: StraitDiesel

I have never seen an automatic car wash in this area that a cc lb will fit in. Most of them have signs posted to that effect. I pressure wash the undercarriage and hand wash. I have the Mr Clean setup, but I haven't tried it yet, same with the Zaino. Don't get to wash very often due to time constraints, but I don't trust anyone else to do it. If it is extremely dirty, I will go to the quarter wash and remove the big stuff.

StraitDiesel:


Could we swap trucks for a couple of weeks? Yours needs some use as a truck and mine could use a little TLC!

Kartattack:


The ol girl gets used pretty good, that's probably why I wash it so much, I can't stand when it's dirty and it gets dirty a lot... especially being white as you would know... but, I've been wanting to go to Texas, so yeah, we could swap trucks for awhile.


Dan

http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Cool.gifhttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif

"I place a premium on my leisure time, so when it's time ..."


What I found out early on is that the wait time for a car wash is the same as washing it myself. Here in SoCal only illegal aliens work at carwashes and in my opinion, apply the expected level of quality to the job, necessitating touching up when I get home. So, I am out the 30 minutes waiting for the wash, $10, and I am touching it up at home. I do it myself and have $10 left over (plus tip) and the drive time saved. Also, I need the exercise . . .





Edited by: flivver

Never had any problems here, they do a great job, no damage. They take the antenna off for the radio and fold the mirrors in before it goes in the wash. Too much work to do it by hand and do a good job in my opinion. It's worth the $ to have someone else do it so I can focus on other things....... like mowing the yard.....

I also prefer to wash mine myself. That way, I know that it will be done the way I want and, hopefully, there is no damage to anything. I will occasionally take it to a self-service spray/wand wash in the winter if it gets really nasty looking.

I use the automated spray type washes here in alaska. The works, nearly every time. I'm only iffy about the blowers, they blow hard enough to deform the hood. Salt doesn't work up here for the roads, so you end up with a brown vehicle in the wintertime.


All the wash places are warm/hot water and enclosed up here.