My son recently purchased a new '06 roadster and was told that to hand wash only. Is this the absolute truth, because this could be a real pain in the dead of winter here in Michigan.

 

Are you planning to drive the crossfire in winter in Michigan? Washing the crossfire should be the least of your problems. JK.

 

You don't have to. It must of been meant as advise. You can take it through a car wash, but here are some of the reasons I don't.

1. Car washes tend to be hard on the finish of all cars.
2. This car has very low profile tires. Be careful that they don't scratch the wheels when putting through the track.

These are the only reasons I would stay away from crappy car washes. If you decide to use one, make sure you find one that is well run and pay attention to detail. Also make sure you get it polished and waxed to clean-up any swirl marks typically caused by car washes.

 

I have found detailing shop hat will hand wash, should we stress any special care for the top?

 

I would also be a little concerned with the high pressure causing some potential leaks into the interior.

 

I actually ran it through a couple of times, and had no water leaks.

 

I bought my XF on a rainy day. The next morning on my way to work, I took it through a quickie wash so it would look good when I my co-workers first saw it. Big mistake.

I think it is nearly impossible to align these low-profile, wide tires into the track without damaging the edge of the rims, which is what happened to me. Fortunately, my gouges were small, but still, the damage was done. I learned my lesson. No more drive-thru washes for me.

 

If you ever have to go through a car wash, ask that the manager drive it in for you. They are very careful because if they damage them, they have to have them repaired of replaced.

 

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My WIFE drove her '05 Limited Roadster throughout our last Michigan winter without any issue and we live off a gravel road. I put two bags of Morton softener salt in the trunk and she learned quickly how to use the winter/summer transmission setting. The car was hand-washed as much as possible, or was taken to the self-service "quarter wash" to remove the road salt.