Automated (Revolving Brush) Car Washing - Taking one for the Team

[steven]

Originally Posted by DRMAT

Well I’ll take it all back. Since that meeting I’ve sent two emails for no response, I’d imagine if there was no problem they would have let me know pretty quickly.

Ben: I wasn't seeking any reimbursement, nor was any offered. I was offered a free wash on the day which I declined.

So I wanted to see myself what was going on

I present the work car!!!!





As Dr Mat knows I have been trying to get to do this for a while but is hard when you have a little 2 year old and a pregnant wife........

So a quick polish (I know it is not perfect but if I wanted it perfect I would have given it to D) but was happy with the time I spent on it which was a whole 20 mins. The results during the polish were





I then put some Pinnacle Wax on to protect a little and ended up with these







As you can see above - a few marks left , 95% removed which I was happy with to test. And yes prob needed to run the wax in a little more as you can see some streaking...

Off to Grand Auto wash for a Premium wash (in which they pride themselves on 100% Safe Wash Guarantee and Satisfaction Guarantee) and it was packed - had to wait but got in after about 5 min wait. This time it was a little different - there was a man standing at the start of the wash giving the bonnet a rinse with a high pressure hose before entering which was strange I thought. Went through the wash and ended up with this





As you can see - lots of swirls introduced and I have to say I think at least a few scratches.
I then thought I would go and approach Alfie (away from his car wash and customers) and let him know what I had done in which his first words were they have only had 1 complaint which was Mat and he had proved him wrong...... (would like to hear Dr Mats side of things)
I wasn’t entering into that but showed him the new scratches on the door and the swirls - I got told this was hard to prove and he then proceeded to show me all the other panels which were not corrected (and the point is???)

After 20 mins of going back and forth - he wants me to send pics so he can look at them and prove to me it wasn’t them... He asked me if I wanted to see a new Audi that has 3 - 4 washes a week there and then talk which I declined.

I have to say I got a little angry at him as he was very quick to shut me down after every sentence - I got angry back telling him I was not after money just wanted to see if I would allow the wife to wash the CRV there which D corrects every year and the answer was NO..

Anyway - do people think these pics are okay to send him and show accurate results?

and one last thing - If you want to use Grand Auto Wash - USE AT OWN RISK!

[Damian@FI]

Oooh, geez, I'll leave this post becuase, well I think it's just OK, but please (don't get me wrong, I hope you understan where I'm coming from) please don't bash a company here on DA. Please, PLEASE understand what I mean when I say that before & afters are OK, but please be careful not to bash company names around on DA, I'd like DA to be independant & unobtrusive when company names are involved.

I think your post is OK and, in my opinion and for the record, on a Black car and for a mass production style wash, I think the above results are industry standard. I don't recommend nor use these for my own car (mainly becuase I am a Detail Addiction Afficionado ), but they appear to be run of the mill 'industry standard' results. You can also get MUCH worse, which I have and I have detailed.


Thanks for your post Steven, I'm sure many will find it useful.

btw, those marks from the wax (the smears) are definately smears and from excess. Try using much less product nad allowing it to bond for longer. Also, did you Cleanse (or alcohol wipe) after correction to be sure all your marks were removed in the correction process?

[Woteva]

If I didn't know any better I'd say the polish you used contained fillers and the machine washed them out

[Damian@FI]

hmmm, I don't think so, not for most of them anyway, they look long & oval, typical wash marks and far too deep to be filled by most polishes. I think Steve uses Menzerna, which doesn't fill.

'tis a Black car too, the most difficult to maintain, so many variables. But yes, if the wash process is indeed inducing those marks wash after wash, within a dozen washes the car will look very tired.

[Woteva]

Could the Pinnacle have masked some of that up? I'm not familiar with it. The reason I brought up fillers is because I'm surprised he got all that out with a quick hand polish. I tried to hand polish that Murano I posted in another thread and got nowhere. I know first hand how soft Jap paint is (especially black) but this is an Aussie built Jap car. Or is the paint the same still? My view of these car washes is simply don't use them. Operators can make all the claims they like but I'll never take mine or my wife's car to an automated wash.

[DRMAT]

Originally Posted by steven

As you can see - lots of swirls introduced and I have to say I think at least a few scratches.
I then thought I would go and approach Alfie (away from his car wash and customers) and let him know what I had done in which his first words were they have only had 1 complaint which was Mat and he had proved him wrong...... (would like to hear Dr Mats side of things)

HA! Well his version of 'proving me wrong' was ignoring the two emails i sent in the week following having a chat with him and then 6-7 weeks after that i got a reply out of the blue saying they couldn't conclusively say where the scratch came from ie. could be from them or not (and i know what the car looked like prior). If thats proving me wrong so be it lol.

I would have loved to have seen a bonnet Steve and see if you could replicate the long, curved scratches Lu's car got that were the exact motion of the flaps of the machine. As i've told you as well, i have another friend with a black car who loves the wash itself but has noticed very odd shaped scratches appearing that couldn't come from anything else.

[steven]

Originally Posted by Woteva

Could the Pinnacle have masked some of that up? I'm not familiar with it. The reason I brought up fillers is because I'm surprised he got all that out with a quick hand polish. I tried to hand polish that Murano I posted in another thread and got nowhere. I know first hand how soft Jap paint is (especially black) but this is an Aussie built Jap car. Or is the paint the same still? My view of these car washes is simply don't use them. Operators can make all the claims they like but I'll never take mine or my wife's car to an automated wash.

hey Woteva, as D stated i uses Menzerna (203 and 106ff this time) so i would assume there are no fillers. And i didnt hand polish - i used a forced rotation machine which i have been using for a while. As i said - this was just a quick polish to get it half decent to see what the wash would do.

D to reply to some of the questions you asked -

Yes the bonding time for the wax was about 20 mins hahahahah - just wanted to protect it a little while going through the car wash. And no as i was in a rush did not use Cleanse (or alcohol wipe) so those marks might be left over Menz??? I also used very little wax ( i think anyway) anyway will show you when i come in next..

I had to laugh re your comments though D as i thought my post was very objective and had to hold back a lot. The way i was spoken to was not good (could of used other words here) but tried to hold back my post as much as possible as i had just come back from the wash. All i was trying to do was stand up for my mate (DrMat) and show people what this wash was doing... i did not tell people not to go there just told them to use at own risk which i thought was fair - if you need to and feel better to - please delete my post - i dont really care was just trying to help others..

And wait for my review on your services next when you clean up the CRV next time aahahaahhahahahahah (joke if anyone takes this serious)

[Damian@FI]

Originally Posted by steven

hey Woteva, as D stated i uses Menzerna (203 and 106ff this time) so i would assume there are no fillers. And i didnt hand polish - i used a forced rotation machine which i have been using for a while. As i said - this was just a quick polish to get it half decent to see what the wash would do.

Process sounds good/thorough and materials would not fill.


Yes the bonding time for the wax was about 20 mins

Waaaaaay too long, that'll be your cause for the smearing issue. Won't affect the finish post wash or cause the wash process to scratch/marr more.


- just wanted to protect it a little while going through the car wash. And no as i was in a rush did not use Cleanse (or alcohol wipe) so those marks might be left over Menz???

Not Cleansing can cause smearing as the product build up and the fact that the wax not bonding properly (due to oils between the wax and the surface) makes the wax sit on the surface and move around rather than bonding and you removing the excess cleanly.
Just another point, is the wax old?


I had to laugh re your comments though D as i thought my post was very objective and had to hold back a lot. The way i was spoken to was not good (could of used other words here) but tried to hold back my post as much as possible as i had just come back from the wash. All i was trying to do was stand up for my mate (DrMat) and show people what this wash was doing... i did not tell people not to go there just told them to use at own risk which i thought was fair - if you need to and feel better to - please delete my post - i dont really care was just trying to help others..

I know, I know, but you'd be suprised at the emails I get and I ifI thought it was out of line I'd have removed it, I didn't edit it at all Don't get me wrong, it was more of a very gentle reminder if anything. I hope you understand.


And wait for my review on your services next when you clean up the CRV next time aahahaahhahahahahah (joke if anyone takes this serious)

OH NO'S! *runs* I/we hate CR-V's, as if Honda paint isn't hard enough to correct, they make them in a larger size See you next time

[BBQshapes]

The car wash place that is operated by my employer has started using a new line of chemicals.... One of them is a big drum of RainX, which is used as a 'protective clear coat' now I have never used RainX, but ive certainly never heard of it being used on anything other than glass, so how that goes ive got NFI!

Anyway, I doubt the RainX will be able to protect much once the new car-wash solution is used on the car... they had a container dropped off a few days ago, and its a dilute solution of Sodium Hydroxide! it was covered in warning labels saying it shouldn't be handled without gloves, goggles, masks etc! the rep that dropped the container off said it would burn your hand off if it went for a dip in it... the old stuff that we used (which never had any warning labels, although I did find out it too was a Sodium Hydroxide solution as well, but not strong enough to warrant a HAZMAT warning!

it does seem to get resounding approval from the people that use it though, cars come up very clean... I suppose they give it time they might not have any paint at all left on their cars, let alone dirt!

[DRMAT]

This wash place has a rain-x option (for $$) available, AFAIK it is directed at the windows only though.