Car wash

    Do any of you folks with soft tops (who still actually wash em from time to time) take them through the car wash? I usually wash it myself but for those times I'm feeling lazy I'd like to know if the car wash was okay or not. I have this vision of one of the mechanical arms jabbing through the material and wreaking havoc.

    No worries! Just put the top down and you're golden. :innocent:












    I take mine to the DIY car wash on Old Baltimore Pike ($5/hr...I think). I ususally only wash it if it's really muddy/dirty. There's a few that are brushless/touchless washes but they're just a waste of $$ IMO.

    Your life is made up of 2 dates and a dash... make the most of the dash!

    I went through both the brush style and the "no touch" style with my JK soft top and both times it scared the hell out of me (the kids loved it). The brush style pushed hard on the top and the touchless had so much pressure that I thought it was going to shoot a hole in it. I haven't been through another automatic since.

    When I have my softop on I use the DIY wash bays. The auto washes are a bit to harsh for the softop plus it usually doesn't get all of the soap out of all the channels where the top pushes into the body and door surronds.

    Quote from JKgray10


    I would like to hear why. We take my wife's cherokee though the auto wash.


    I'm looking forward to his answer, too. :) But, "car guys" avoid auto car washes like the plague, at least the brush washes. They WILL scratch the paint (combination of the brush material and picking up dirt/sand from previous washes). Maybe not bad if you're lucky, but at least tons of micro scratches like swirls that will drive some people crazy. Plus, you hear a lot of complaints about breaking stuff on the car. The brushless washes (lots of high pressure nozzles) aren't too bad, but can't remove all dirt and can force water in where it doesn't belong. "Car guys" will use brushless washes in the winter to clean off the road salt when it's too cold to do a hand-wash.

    Jerry / Whatevah

    2020 Gladiator Mojave - 33" Falken mud tires, LoD side steps, Zroadz bed rack, Quadratec QRC winch bumper, Superwinch EPi 9.0, Kleinn on-board air, Kleinn air horns, lots of lights, Yaesu ham radio with GPS tracker.

    Gone- 2012 JK Rubicon with stuff. Long gone- Long-arm 2001 Cherokee with stuff.

    Quote from Keith_C


    I serviced automatic car washes for several years.


    I wouldn't take anything I owned through one.


    Extra stab... High pressure water in general is bad. It will force water into sealed areas not meant to get wet, then hold that moisture. It will also vibrate/flex the paint causing it to crack and peel as it ages. Many car guys will avoid both automated and pressure washers.

    Nobody belongs anywhere, nobody exists on purpose, everybody's going to die. Have a beer.


    Jeeps Owned... 89YJ, 81CJ-8, 99XJ, 93XJ, 00WJ, 05LJ, 22Bronco Badlands !

    I have a detailing business and use a rinseless car wash for my vehicles. Except for really dirty and grimy cars it works great. You soak a microfiber cloth in the solution, wring it out a little and apply. Start from the top including the convertible top and wash and dry one section at a time. Use a microfiber towel for drying or get a large waffle weave towel from www.detailedimage.com. You can use it on the plastic windows as well. You can also get the wash and good wash mits from them. Try not to do it in the sun. Since it requires no hose it can be done in a garage which is a plus in cold weather. Use a seperate cloth for the lower panels and wheels and DO NOT use this towel on the upper areas. Takes me about 20-30 minutes. Also, the wash solution leaves a "just detailed" finish on the paint.





    Fixed duplicate post: KnoxRents

    Quote from Beachjeep


    I have a detailing business and use a rinseless car wash for my vehicles. Except for really dirty and grimy cars it works great. You soak a microfiber cloth in the solution, wring it out a little and apply. Start from the top including the convertible top and wash and dry one section at a time. Use a microfiber towel for drying or get a large waffle weave towel from www.detailedimage.com. You can use it on the plastic windows as well. You can also get the wash and good wash mits from them. Try not to do it in the sun. Since it requires no hose it can be done in a garage which is a plus in cold weather. Use a seperate cloth for the lower panels and wheels and DO NOT use this towel on the upper areas. Takes me about 20-30 minutes. Also, the wash solution leaves a "just detailed" finish on the paint.


    And you're volunteering to demonstrate this on my Jeep at Billy's for the Spring Fling? :mrgreen:

    FWIW, I decided to give Turtle Wax ICE a try. It seems to really reduce the ability of dirt to adhere. A quick rinse in the DIY car wash and it looks pretty clean.

    Little side track here... But It just hit me. A little preventative, I read somewhere to shoot a little wd-40 or similar spray to wheel wells or undercarriage stuff (back of wheels) to keep some of the mud and dirt from sticking... Never tried it tho. Just throwing it out there

    Quote from cj8


    And you're volunteering to demonstrate this on my Jeep at Billy's for the Spring Fling? :mrgreen:

    I would be happy to as long as I have access to some water to fill 2 buckets. Where and when is this event. Still in Fla until 4/19.

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