I normally wash my car by hand, but don't always have the time to give my baby the cleaning she deserves. So I was wondering if anyone knows if the detergent they use at the brushless automatic carwashes will remove the great wax job, that my girlfriend put on the crossfire last week? YES... I SAID THE GIRLFRIEND, she's a keeper!

 

yes, the strong detergents WILL remove the wax. been there done that.

 

...all soap will strip wax, even the ones that say they won't. What they mean is, they won't strip it completely. If you are hand washing, use a minimal amount of soap to do the job, and you'll keep more wax on your ride.

I have been using one of those Mr. Clean spotless car washes recently, and if you follow the instructions carefully, it works extremely well. I premix the soap in a bucket and use a mitt, and make sure to rinse very thoroughly with the filtered setting after getting the soap off. No drying, and no spots. Takes twenty minutes to do the car, top to bottom. It's awesome.

 

Thanks for the info, that's what I thought, but wanted another opinion. Thanks again.

 

From using these for MANY years I can answer the question very confidently...NO!

 

wow...these touchless car washes must be different in your area.

i touch the paint surface after leaving one of these systems and my paint in no longer smooth/soft. the surface becomes squeaky/very dry without "any" protection remaining.

these detergents are "very strong" in order to break down the dirt on the cars surface without any contact. they also break down the wax at the same time from all my experiences.

 

Actually I don't know how much it actually breaks down the cars wax job. Because I wax my car alot, 7 times as of right now So, I'm probably not too much of an expert on the subject. I know the touch-free washes I buy have the wax and clearcoat protectant in them, so maybe that's why mine doesn't feel the same way. Another factor could be the hardness of the water in your area. Living here in SE MI I know for a fact that our water isn't hard, so that could help out as well. In closing I don't use the touch-free wash alot, but when its closer to the weather getting cold I do. But for right now I'm using the Mr. Clean with great results, although I only use the spot-free rinse, not the carwash soap. I just wash the car with my Griots carwash soap, rinse and then hit it with the Mr.Clean. I do use my California waterblade on the windows and then take the car down the road to get off the excess water. Thus not really using the Mr.Clean for what it can do. But then again, I don't have to wipe anything when I get back, because whatever water is left, just dries up, just like its supposed to!

 

I think that the water pressure in the "no touch" car washes will actually blow the wax of off your car. There are two here in my area of VA that are just set to high.