Reply: Car Wash

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John seeks a safe car wash for his M3:

>Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1998 10:49:04 -0700
>From: "John Jensen" <JJensen@domain.elided>
>Subject: <E36> M3 - Safe car wash in bay area needed.
>
>The management of my residence has decided that tenants can no
>longer wash our cars on the premises. Until I can move, is there any
>place in the South Bay area that is safe to take my ///M3 to. I am
>concerned about scratches (obviously) and clearance.
>
>TIA
>John Jensen
>95 ///M3 Bright Red <some good stuff added...> w/ Tilt Wheel!

I don't know specifically of car washes in the South Bay, but I do have
some general advice about car washes.  I prefer to wash my own, but
sometimes I don't have time, so I've tried a few places in the East Bay.

First, we all know to avoid like the plague any automated wash facility
that has spinning brushes.  I'm also not all that crazy about places that
have cloth or foam strips that hang down from the ceiling.  The cloth or
foam strips trap dirt and then drag the dirt across all the other cars that
come along, possibly scratching the paint.  So what you want is a hand
car wash.

There are hand car washes and then there are hand car washes.  The
biggest problem is the lack of training for the workers.  In the East Bay
(my experience), the workers are generally low-paid,
non-English-speaking men and women who probably want to do a really
good job, but no one ever told them how.  Typically they'll dry all parts of
the car with the same towel.  So, they'll wipe under the wheel wells and
rockers (nasty stuff down there sometimes), and then continue to wipe
the body panels, dragging any dirt from the lower parts across your nice
paint.  

They're usually also unclear on the proper use of the rubber protectant
(many use Armour-All (sp?)).  They'll slather the tires, then not wipe off
the excess.  When you start driving fast, the excess spins off the tires
and onto the fender lips and lower panels.  These rubber protectant
products are not intended for paint, and I've heard they are bad for paint,
although I don't know why.  At one car wash a worker applied
Armour-All to the painted rear spoiler on my 1987 325is.  I told him not to,
but my Spanish is poor and I'm sure he had no idea what I was upset
about.

When they clean the interior windows, they usually use an up-and-down
motion across the rear defroster wires.  We all know (don't we?) that
you're supposed to go horizontal, parallel to the wires, to minimize the
possibility of damaging the defrost wires.

Another problem with all of the above types of car washes is their
method for getting your car through the wash building.  There is usually
an inner and outer guide fence, a couple of inches high, for the left-side
tires.  Usually the fences are too close together for wide tires, so your
tires rub the fences all the way through the wash building.  My 205's fit
through some, rub and squeal their way through others.

One type of car wash with which I have had success is operated out of
an upscale detailing shop.  There are just a few workers, and they're
usually somewhat better trained.  I did this a couple of times in Fremont
many years ago (forget the name of the place), and they did a very good
job, for about $20.  You wait longer than at the mass wash places, but it
is worth it.

Another option might be one of those do-it-yourself car wash places
where you pay to use a high-pressure hose.  I recommend that you bring
your own bucket and soap, preferably bio-degradeable, and don't use
the soap setting on the hose.  This way, you continue to wash your own
car the way you want, it doesn't cost as much as the other types of car
washes, and you can certainly communicate better with the person
doing the work!

A final option would be to find a club member nearby with their own
house who would be willing to let you use their hose and driveway for
maybe a 6-pack of their favorite beer (probably not Rolling Rock here on
the West Coast).  Heck, you can come over to my house (San Ramon) if
you wash my car, too!???!!

There's still nothing like doing it yourself, eh?

Scott Miller
Golden Gate Chapter
BMW CCA #44977
1990 325i/is hybrid with scratched Delphin paint

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