Car Wash + Low Car = OWCH! -- Hand Wash = Winter Fresh

[catch]

Against my better judgement, my best friend convinced me to go through a car wash with rails. He ran his lowered e93 M3 through it a few winters ago, barely fit, but it fit. At the time I drove a slammed e92 335i, so I never even tried to fit through. I was confident that my S4 was a little higher then his M3... not the case lol
So I barely cleared the front on the rails. Mid front door I started hearing rubbing. Didnt sound bad, so I proceeded slowly... until the banging started! Once those scary noises started, I backed up and got off the rails. I pulled over off to the side to inspect the damage. a plastic cover off the bottom of the car was dangling. I found a way to secure it and drove home carefully. Once I got the car jacked up I was pleased to find that this piece is designed to take a hit forcing it back. Instead of being fastened by tight secure clips, its designed that if it gets hit it will come loose and not break the clips. It is secured in the middle of the car with clips that could break if forced. I was moving slowly, so it was knocked off, secured only by the middle. The plastic fortunately didnt break, just got scraped lightly. The fabric under the car (under the front door area) suffered a few scrapes and rips, but nothing major at all.
Moral of the story, if your car is lowered, measure the rails on the car wash against the LOWEST point on your car, not the lowest part of the bumpers like I did lol
Once I got it all bolted up and good to go, I got the bucket and detailing supplies out and took it to the coin wash, which is what I usually do in the winter.

BTW, yes its still winter here in Canada... we've had some unseasonably warm weather the past few days. More snow coming later this week.

Heres a few shots of how it looks now, I call it Winter Fresh :)

http://sphotos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/23759_10150274120639975_218468859_n.jpg

http://sphotos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/150992_10150274120649975_688012955_n.jpg

http://sphotos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/69648_10150274120669975_815040854_n.jpg

http://sphotos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/150011_10150274120614975_1283103698_n.jpg

http://sphotos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/734738_10150274120519975_744279340_n.jpg

http://sphotos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/72275_10150274120534975_830662326_n.jpg

http://sphotos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/408744_10150274120594975_1216467115_n.jpg

http://sphotos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/320904_10150274120584975_647461682_n.jpg

http://sphotos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/734689_10150274120589975_449126024_n.jpg

http://sphotos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/379304_10150274120619975_1815272091_n.jpg


And a few shots of the car wash damage

http://sphotos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/205988_10150274120694975_1873780206_n.jpg

[Capt. Slow]

whats that sticking out your arm rest?? [;)]

[r32breeze]

Does you floor mats has red S4 logo? Is it rubber or carpet? Where did you get them? :)
Nice car btw

[Liquidsystm]

Sorry, but why would you EVER run your car through a car wash?

[Vito Roma]

lol whats in the glove box? Nice car like the look.

[phillips2024]

yikes. that was not smart. those car washes are brutal even without rails. touch or touchless ;stay away

[boss2k]

i think the touchless laser ones are fine , it doesnt clean like a handwash but dont cause any damage

[SorenR]

Sorry, but why would you EVER run your car through a car wash?

Don't know about you guys but over here they spray salt on the roads during winter... If left there for too long it starts chewing on the parts not galvanized or covered i underbody coating.

On a bad day you can wash a black car 3 times, otherwise it becomes "Daytona Grey" ;-)

[richib86]

yea i saw that too... lol
whats that sticking out your arm rest?? [;)]

[Akatsuki...]

Hey that valley mede wash is awesome for self wash! Call me out to chill an photoshoot nexttime!

[fesmail]

yea i saw that too... lol

You'll see a lot of that here in canada, but more commonly on the westcoast [:D]

[staticuxo]

hahaha, thought i was the only one who saw that in your arm rest...

[AudIIan]

i would neverrrrr take a car through one of those things, even for a standard truck those places scratch the shit out of your paint let alone a new lowered s4 ur out of ur mind

[MadZane]

Sorry, but why would you EVER run your car through a car wash?

I take mine through a car wash weekly. It's all forced water based - no brushes or anything actually touch your car.

[Stereodude]

I take mine through a car wash weekly. It's all forced water based - no brushes or anything actually touch your car.
Those can be dicey too. Either from recycled water with grit in it, or harsh chemicals to make it more effective.

[phillips2024]

Those can be dicey too. Either from recycled water with grit in it, or harsh chemicals to make it more effective.

Exactly. Since there are no brushes they need to make up for it somehow. Angles of spray and not so friendly chemicals.

[CreoSTi]

I use a local car wash (that has brushes... *gasp*) pretty frequently, because it's close to my office. I really don't notice any scratches/excessive swirls on my white car. If you're anal about it, then definitely do it yourself. Me, not so much because I can use the time for other things and I have yet to keep a car longer than 2-3 years anyway (why put in all this work for the next owner?!)... [;)]

I polish/wax my car every 8-10 months and hand wash when I feel like it, and it's still pretty shiny to me... [:p]

[esz61]

I use a local car wash (that has brushes... *gasp*) pretty frequently, because it's close to my office. I really don't notice any scratches/excessive swirls on my white car. If you're anal about it, then definitely do it yourself. Me, not so much because I can use the time for other things and I have yet to keep a car longer than 2-3 years anyway (why put in all this work for the next owner?!)... [;)]

I polish/wax my car every 8-10 months and hand wash when I feel like it, and it's still pretty shiny to me... [:p]

I run mine through a car wash with brushes (gasp!) just about every other week, wax it once a month, and have it detailed twice a year. I do wash it by hand on the weekends when I have time (there is no substitute for a hand wash). Finishes on modern cars are very durable. I have a 2004 Lexus SUV that has been through the car was at least 150 times and it looks great!

Does a car get scratched in a car wash? Yes. Are those scratches detrimental to the finish? No. They are usually microscopic and can be buffed out by a detailer. Automatic car washes are essential if you don't have time to hand wash but you want to keep your car looking good!

[Chestlock]

whats that sticking out your arm rest?? [;)]


LOL, my thoughts exactly [:D] Must be a ham sandwich


So OP, is he still your best friend?


Carwashes - destroying paint finishes, trim, radio antennae, and apparently underbodies since the 1930s

[B8 S FOR]

Sorry, but why would you EVER run your car through a car wash?

+1 Man . . . You're crazy! Especially the Rail Type! I would never unless it's Touchless! (No Brushes) [o_o]

[Seinsmeld13]

If it's plus 3C 36F or higher I'll wash mine in my driveway. If it's colder I will go to one of those places to rinse the salt and crap off. I work hard for sh;t and therefore ake care of it. My dad always hand ashed his cars and still does. He would kill me if I took it through a wash. I actually enjoy washing my car.

[catch]

Just to clear a few things up....
I detail cars! I know the harms of going through a car wash, as well as the benefits. With that said, this was the first time ive ever taken the S4 through a car wash, or at least tried to. This one was touchless (obviously not for a lowered car lol), touchless washes ue chemicals that i dont like touching my paint. We've had a decent amount of salt on the roads in the past month, my car was actually pretty clean as i do wash it by hand weekly in the winter, but i dint get to spray down underneath it. Thats where the touchless washes come in. I typically run my cars through a touchless once every two weeks to get the undercarriage sprayed.
On top of the chemicals, car washes just dont actually clean your car! I was confident it would come out clean today since it wasnt really dirty.

As for he center console, its not what you guys think lol

The floor mats are oem all weather mats with the S4 painted white and red, how hey should have come from the factory imo

[S4dad]

I learned my lesson the hard way with a rail guided wash (touchless too) with my Subaru STI. Dinged the finish on my wheel because the sport tires were lower profile, not unlike our S4s. Can't believe that didn't worry you before even considering the vehicle height.

[Louge]

I learned my lesson the hard way with a rail guided wash (touchless too) with my Subaru STI. Dinged the finish on my wheel because the sport tires were lower profile, not unlike our S4s. Can't believe that didn't worry you before even considering the vehicle height.

Same here. Those rail type car washes are notorious for scratching the crap out of your wheels and leaves you with curbage that makes it look like your car hug sidewalks.

[catch]

I learned my lesson the hard way with a rail guided wash (touchless too) with my Subaru STI. Dinged the finish on my wheel because the sport tires were lower profile, not unlike our S4s. Can't believe that didn't worry you before even considering the vehicle height.

I would NEVER even think about going through one with my 20s!
My winters are 17s though, 50 series sidewall, and theyre winter wheels. If they got scratched id just touch em up, wouldnt loose much sleep

[aaron1085]

i hear ya on this one....it becomes a love hate relationship with a lowered car and your local car wash. it's a bit of a nuisance if you ask me.

[S4dad]

I would NEVER even think about going through one with my 20s!
My winters are 17s though, 50 series sidewall, and theyre winter wheels. If they got scratched id just touch em up, wouldnt loose much sleep

Ah, that makes some sense.

[ahcow]

Sorry, but why would you EVER run your car through a car wash?

You don't live in an area where they salt the roads like crazy, do you?

In the winter, car wash is basically the only option. I only use railless ones though.

[Mr_Goodkat]

@catch

Is your entire windshield tinted? 35%?

[mikeeo4]

those mats are sweet where did u get them!?

[Liquidsystm]

You don't live in an area where they salt the roads like crazy, do you?

In the winter, car wash is basically the only option. I only use railless ones though.

I usually give my car a good blast with a pressure spray down, exterior, wheels, brakes under carriage when i come back from the mountains. Takes like 10-15 mins before i pull in the garage, and a good hand wash about once a month.

[thedollardoctor]

I use a local car wash (that has brushes... *gasp*) pretty frequently, because it's close to my office. I really don't notice any scratches/excessive swirls on my white car. If you're anal about it, then definitely do it yourself. Me, not so much because I can use the time for other things and I have yet to keep a car longer than 2-3 years anyway (why put in all this work for the next owner?!)... [;)]

I polish/wax my car every 8-10 months and hand wash when I feel like it, and it's still pretty shiny to me... [:p]

Yep, me too on everything you said :-)

I think a lot of the noticeable swirl marks or surface scratches depends on the color of your car as well. Black would be worst, Blue would be bad as well, for my silver..... what scratches!?!

[FITZ TITS]

Anyone who rides dirty knows to keep it in the trunk...At least I would hope.

[richib86]

lol
Anyone who rides dirty knows to keep it in the trunk...At least I would hope.

[catch]

My issues with the railless ones in the area here are:
1. The lineup is always long! takes 5-6 min per car, one car at a time. The rail ones (this one I went to is where I pull my fiancees car through) pulls in a car every 45 seconds. Long lines clear fast!
2. the railless one near me SUCKS! probably the worst car wash ive ever seen. You could probably get more dirt off your car with an air can lol

Around here, its pretty necessary to bring it through a car wash to get the salt off
Heres a pic of some of the salt from 2 week ago:
http://sphotos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/536985_10150274345139975_1818720553_n.jpg

Yup, the windsheild is tinted :)