I never have yet and don't like my wife taking her car through (although she does). Just curious how good a job it will/won't do. Also, not sure mine will fit with 285/75/16's.

I did a few weeks ago because I had a free coupon. It nice to have the undercarriage cleaned once in a while. But I also ended up with several small scrathes on the middle section of the door and front fender.

I will never go back agian.....

We go to the touchless ones. In Alaska they use sand and gravel in the winter, so I'm sure the regular ones are full of the gunk.

Yes your tires will fit
You will also have scratches when you leave
Touchless only work on white(thats marginal)

2 outcomes of these car washes---scratches and still a dirty truck....

Trucks and Vans stretch the auto car washes to about maximum capacity. Side mirrors can take a beating. If I am unable to wash the truck myself for any reason it just stays cruddy (as it is now).

The touchless ones here rock. Never had a scratch from them. The automatic ones with brushes and stuff I don't go near.

What do you mean by touchless. The one my wife drives through has long strips of blue felt or something like that. I don't think it has any brushes.

All a touchless does is use pressure sprays. Nothing touches the vehicle but fluids.

http://www.rainmakercarwash.com/home/ is where we go.

Oddly enough, on my search to give you an example, the first two that came up were the one I use here, and the one I would use back in Michigan.

Once. Still dirty.

Never!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dad builds power wash systems for a living. I will only go through the touchless systems I know were installed by the company he works for. Even they aren't as good as a bucket and hose, but much better than most touchless systems. I always worry about the mirrors, so I fold them in before going through.

I guess I am out of touch with reality. I go through the touch type all the time. Never had a problem, nor do I pick up scratches. Paying 5 or 6 bucks for what would take me an hour or so in Houston's heat; well, thats a no-brainer for me. I guess if I was to have a problem, I would have to reconsider. Until then, carwash, here I come.

I am not one for carwashes either. I would rather hand wash my own vehicle knowing that it gets done to my satisfaction.
If you are not happy with the wash from a carwash you can go through again, but there is useally a line since you wanted to get your car done as well as everyone else so you end up haveing to wait a long time and end up with the same results.
I have used the touchless ones that Spoolinturbo has refered to and I have been impressed for the washing after my truck gets slightly dirty. Any more than that and it does not get the hard stuff off.
The Touchless ones have come a long way. since about 10 years ago.

The "Laser Wash" brand of touch-less car washes seems to be very popular. I find them everywhere I travel (Texas, NM, CO, AZ). They work great for about 5 or 6 washes, then you need to pull out the bucket and brush to get the "road film" off. I fit in all washes and never have had scratches. Definetly worth the $5 charge.

Paying 5 or 6 bucks for what would take me an hour or so in Houston's heat; well, thats a no-brainer for me. I guess if I was to have a problem, I would have to reconsider. Until then, carwash, here I come.

The problem with that is you sit and wait for the 30-40 minutes it takes to finish your truck. You can do it yourself in that amount of time. You would then have 5-6 bucks in your pocket plus tip (that's a big lunch) and the job is done right. Plus, you would be encouraging an illega alien to return home . . .

The problem with that is you sit and wait for the 30-40 minutes it takes to finish your truck. You can do it yourself in that amount of time. You would then have 5-6 bucks in your pocket plus tip (that's a big lunch) and the job is done right. Plus, you would be encouraging an illega alien to return home . . .

What kind of car wash are you going to?:eek:

The Laser Wash touch-less systems take less than 5 mins to wash a truck, maybe 8 mins if you by the "blow dry".

I had my truck serviced 2 weeks ago and forgot to tell them NOT to run it through the carwash. Came back to pick up my ride and noticed to things. 1st. My shorty billet antenna was bent to Sh!t and 2. I had a scratch on my rear passanger door.
So after whining and moaning I was able to get them to pay for some touch up paint and my antenna.
Moral of the story, Dont forget to tell the service people what to do and what not to do... Oh and wash your truck by hand...

I go through the automatic ones. There are two in the area that use felt brushes. It usually costs me about 10-14 per wash/dry with all the wax.

The cheap $4 washes I avoid. These are the ones that have rubber brushes and are full of junk and crap from people who cant afford the nice one.

I try to wash my truck at least once every two weeks.

No scratches, buff marks, etc.

Yes, the quality of the car wash facility matters!!

Those cloth/felt automatic car washes hold dirt too. It may not scratch the first time, but after several washes I'll bet you'll start seeing 'swirl' scratches. Besides that, they never rinse all the soap off to my liking. I favor the touchless Laser 4000 carwash I get w/ discount w/ fuel fill-up.

the way i see it, i payed waaay to much for me to chance scratching the paint up in a car wash that i have to pay for. plus, i work inside all day so any chance i get to get outside is one worth taking, so, i wash my truck by hand and i know it gets clean with no scratches. the only scratches my truck will get is from bushes and trees which is almost unavoidable when checking fences back home.

Im from St. Louis, In the chesterfield valley theres a touchless mobil carwash. Seeing as im a lazy bum i go through about twice a week. Nothing but soap and water touches my car, comes out looking freshly waxed everytime.

Anybody who lives in the area should check it out