Is 2010 Prius safe at a car wash?

I think you will find if you read any owners hand book that similar recommendations are given for maintaining the instrument clear covers as are given for cleaning the MFD. Also all manufacturers warn against automatic car washes with brushes.
I put my work car through an automatic car was weekly and they look fine when we dispose of them with 60,000 to 80,000km on them and 2 years old. I guess I'm not that fussy. I normally hand wash my car but I'm not afraid of a car wash. I use automatic car washes when I'm travelling, because I'd rather drive a clean car when I'm away. I also use hand wash bays when I feel energetic.

I don't like touchless car washes, I worry about what those chemicals which can remove the dirt from my car are doing to my paint and the planet.
I never wash my car on the driveway, it won't grow and the water runs down the storm water with detergents that I have no idea what they contain. I wash my car on my front lawn. Yes I know my front lawn contributes to urban sprawl, I am a victim of that urban sprawl, I live on the southern fringe of the suburbs and work in the inner northern suburbs, 40km apart.

What this has to do with spoilers and MFD cleaning, I don't know.

 

The hypocritcal environmentalists tried to pull a move. Saying that car washes are using land but not caring that everyone else is using land for their own purposes is not defendable.
If we all lived in apartments in higher density and used car washes, we would still be way ahead of the environmental curves than having half acre estates out in the burbs.
The original poster was concerned that a car wash could hurt his spoiler and nav screen.
Then everyone piled on implying that people that use car washes are lazy and don't care about their car or the environment without any regard that hand washing is not an option for everyone.

You don't wanna go to a car wash? Fine, don't go; it just means my line is shorter when I go.
But don't act all superior about it. Cars can survive them. They have for years and the technology has gotten way better. The link I posted is for a touchless wash that most likely has better chemistry and ph balancing than anything you could whip up in the bucket in your driveway.


Nuff said. And the Prius you rode in on.

 

You mean you get heat waves in the winter where you live?
10 degrees, wow would that be great! This past winter we had an ice storm that knocked out power for days and that was pretty warm weather! We had a lot of days/nights well below zero.
I have pics of the snow in my driveway after a couple of storms!
No way you'd wash your car in this until maybe late March!
Of course we got a lot more snow after this but we had a strong beginning.
But you just KNOW that some new Englanders will be out there washing their cars anyway. Heck we use our BBQ grill all year around for 2 meals a day! Really!
Oh and for reference the reflective markers are sticking about 1 meter out of the ground.

 

Your piss poor attitude is fairly annoying. If you would like to hash intellectual on environmental issues please visit that forum and we can talk about whatever issue you choose.

I assume you are a newbie to car forums or forums in general because it is quite rare for a thread to stay 100% on topic, especially when there are issues related to that topic that people feel strongly about or think should be mentioned. Deal with it.

As for acting superior. You took it that way because of your own issues. I didn't see anyone acting like they were better than anyone else because they hand wash their car nor did I see anyone outright slamming someone for their choice not to hand wash. It seems you are far too sensitive to such issues. Maybe you watch/listen to too many political shows where such behavior is part of the agenda? I sugest you find a more diverse group of friends so that the next time talk of saving water comes up your ears don't burn and you don't freak out like you did today.

 

I'm fascinated that many people believe washing at home uses less water than a car wash. I guess it depends on the state - here in Colorado it is against the law to have a car wash that does not recycle, reclean and reuse the water. And it is against the law to wash a car in your driveway on off-watering days. They check and they write tickets in both cases (much about this on the local news).

I am no longer able to hand wash often or hand wax due to health considerations. I have used touchless car washes for the last few cars with no ill effect. I use one of two different wash locations (I tried others and had various problems, up to the loss of an antenna by the attendant trying to remove it, not from the car wash itself). I have both cars cleaned weekly, usually, depending on the amount of dirt/weather during the week. I get them waxed at least twice a year, and try for four times a year. My shop hand waxes, just like I would at home. My cars have no swirls and no damage.

 

Well actually, we Prius owners live here, this place was created for us, kind of like the garden of eden for Prius freaks.
You and your mate rode in.

 

I don't diagree with you mate. Only finding a decent car wash that will not "destroy" my paint is difficult. I live in an apartment complex so washing here is not easy nor can I allow my yard to soak up the water so I use a touchless car wash occassionally but it is in another town so I work the washes into my scheduled trips to some of our Preserves. Since I cannot hand wash due to lack of energy (still undergoing treatments) I am forced to either "ride dirty" or use the touchless system.

Could you point me to a better source for water used in car washes vs. hand washing? The one I saw was provided by a car wash company and included some figures that were laughable. If there is a better one I'd like to see it so I can re-examine my opinion of them.

 

Think yourself lucky that you don't have the paper thin paint that I have on my Audi.

I am pretty fanatical about my cars, but I have never known paint that gets scratched when the flap of a cardboard box touches it, or lacquer that is permently damaged when a bird has done its business on it, but is wiped off in less than 30 mins of it happening.
[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluorescent_lamp"][/ame]
I always wash mine by hand with plenty of water yet it makes me weep sometimes when I see my roof and bonnet (hood) under the flourescent lighting of my garage.

 

I avoid flourescent lights for that very reason. I messed up buffing a scratch out of my old Corvette and it looked perfect till you got the car under a flourescent light. I'd cringe everytime.

That is why white is such an awesome color. It hides sooo much!

 

I use eye glass wipes for the nav screen. I bought a big box at costco for about $10. I also use it for my sunglasses and iPhone screen. Works great!

I personally like to wash my cars by hand, but it probably does use a lot more water than a car wash. I have taken my cars to a car wash before and you know what, I'm pretty sure they know what they are doing or they'd go out of business. If they damage cars, like some claim on this thread, they'd all be sued and be out of business. So I assume they are safe. Ideal? No, but safe.

BTW, that's why I like silver for my cars, it hides dirt a lot longer than any other color.

 

I'm in NE too and yes this winter was particularly cold. But it's much warmer down here in Boston. We get those warm ocean breezes.

 

Apologies. I was in a cranky mood this morning and shouldn't have been posting.
I just saw someone have a legit concern about going to a car wash and then a bunch of posts denouncing car washes.
I am not new to forums; I have been thrown off of plenty. (J/K)

You are passionate about your paint job and that is your right. My passions are different. You would be hard pressed to maintain a mirror like finish in Rochester, NY unless you are keeping a classic car in a garage and taking it out for shows and fair weather rides.

I percieved your posts as being biased to your preference for perfect paint without regard to the tens of thousands of people that use their car as a commuter vehicle in all sort of weather.
I drive a 2001 Prizm that is still getting over 34 MPG. I am interested in Prius to save more gas. (Your tutorial about tire pressure was informative and backed up with evidence and I appreciate that.) While my 8 year old Prizm is free of rust, dings, and scratches and the paint is still shiny, and I hope my new Prius will be the same, the unspoiled showroom appearance is just not in the cards for the way I use the vehicle.

 

No worries man. I really appreciate your post and I will apologize as well for coming back so strongly.

Stick around and you'll find we are a pretty diverse group here at PriusChat and while we don't always agree we all still get along just fine. Or we put each other on ignore. lol

:tea:

 

The Electric Me’s Car Washing Tools and Tips:

Some people might find my approach excessive, maybe even anal. But I think upon further evaluation I fall simply within the realm of concerned car owner, protecting what is an investment.

Tip: I wait to wash my automobile until it’s a cool but clear afternoon as we are entering a night inwhich the moon will be full. The increased gravitational pull of the full moon will aid in removing dirt from the clear coat finish without causing damage. I also try to time the actual washing to coincide with the tide going out.

Tool: To wash the automobile, I use a self crafted wash mitt made from the shaved bellies of baby kittens. It goes without saying I wash the mitt first using Woolite and recently blessed Holy Water.

Tip: With so much controversy over the enviromental impact of either using a car wash, or washing at home with a bucket ( I use an oversized Silver Chalice) I’ve decided to employ the simplest but most enviromentally supportive technique. I save and wash my automobile using my own recycled urine. The urine is put through a 10 stage filtration process that utilizes reverse osmosis. Although during the summer this means I have to up my fluid intake if I want to keep my car show room clean, I find the sacrifice cleansing not only to the car but also my kidneys.

Tool: I use Lama Wax and Polish Ver.3.0. (Ver. 1.0 and 2.0 were disasters) This is almost impossible to obtain. It’s produced only in a hidden high altitude Tibetan monastery by a high Lama. However I’ll illustrate because I think Meguiars offers a very similar product. Basically the instructions for use are that you squeeze a circle of the wax around yourself, sit crossed legged in the middle of the circle and " Visualize The Shine You Want Your Automobile To Become". Eventually after 3.4 days of constant meditation within the circle everything will indeed begin to look shiny. At this point you are encouraged to stop the Wax and Polish process and go get something to eat. I can absolutely say I have never suffered a swirl mark or spider web scratch using this product and method.

Tip: Drying. I paid a local seamstress and professional escort to fashion me a full body suit ( Zipperless) made entirely out of Shamwows. Once wearing the suit, I find I can quickly dry a medium size vehicle by simply rolling all over it in a manner that frightens the neighbors and usually gets the police dispatched to my driveway.

So as you can see, it’s all about maintenance. It’s not really that difficult once you have the proper tools and techniques. There’s a certain pride one can take in maintaining a show room clean automobile, especially as the years pass. I hope my tools and tips have been of use. Feel free to adapt them and improve as you see fit. Remember Visualize The Shine You Want Your Automobile to Become!

 

Remember, Grasshopper: the dirt only exists because you believe it exists. When you truely believe the car is clean, only then can it be clean. To achieve this you must achieve a state of Ultimate Holy Cleanliness in mind and body before you can ever believe anything else is truely Clean.

A Master was once driving in his Cobra when he was stopped by a policeman. "Your car is filthy!" the Policeman said. "No," said the master, "Only your PERCEPTION of my car is filthy!" Remember, Grasshopper, it is all in the perception- we achieve the reality we believe.

 

Talk to your seamstress and get 9 tiny ShamWOW suits with numbers on the back. Donate them to a local neighborhood Little League team. Drive your wet car through their dugout. As the small bodies collide with your fenders and hood, you get a showroom shine without the dents your adult body might leave as you roll around on it. Added benefit: the little crumb crunchers are not going to be able to grow up and key your car in your driveway.

 

From the Washington Post:

Keys to an Eco-Conscious Carwash

[SIZE=-1]By Nina Shen Rastogi
Thursday, June 4, 2009 [/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]

[/SIZE]
I've heard that modern carwashes actually use a lot less water than I would use washing my car at home.
Is that true?

As with so many eco-questions, the answer is: It depends. If your idea of a fun summer afternoon involves spending hours lathering up your car and then frolicking in the hose spray, then yes, you'll probably use more water buffing your wheels than a well-managed carwash would. On the other hand, you could probably beat the pros if you committed to a super-efficient washing regimen using a bucket, a sponge and a little elbow grease.

Hose habits are the biggest variable. A common five-eighths-inch garden hose, operating with a typical water pressure of 40 pounds per square inch, spews about 11 gallons per minute. Spend just 10 minutes rinsing your car, then, and you've used about as much water as you would doing seven loads in a dishwasher -- and that's not counting any water you've used to mix up your cleanser of choice.

The pros generally stack up quite favorably against those numbers. Carwashes come in three basic flavors: in-bay automatics, in which the car remains stationary; conveyors, in which the car moves through a washing tunnel; and self-serve stations, in which customers use coin-operated devices such as spray guns and foam brushes. A 2002 study commissioned by the International Carwash Association analyzed about a dozen of each type among three cities. In-bay automatics were the thirstiest, using 17 to 69 gallons of fresh water per vehicle, though one outlier averaged 111.5 gallons. The conveyor systems studied performed similarly, using 19 to 45 gallons per vehicle, though the authors reported that up to 60 gallons wouldn't be unusual.

The self-serve stations, in turn, used just 12 to 18 gallons per vehicle. You might be able to come close to that at home if you were extremely dedicated; for example, using a towel dipped in a bucket of water to scrub off most of the grime and reserving the hose for quick rinses. It would also help to invest in one of those hand-held nozzles that allow you to start and stop the spray as needed, so that water isn't gushing out continuously. (A pressure washer is also an option: According to ConsumerSearch.com, these use about one-fifth as much water as a garden hose to accomplish the same cleaning task. Of course the trade-off is that it takes fuel to operate them.)


[NOTE from Jay: these figures are without recycling, as hinted at later in the article]

If you decide to go to a commercial carwash, look for one that recycles its wash water. Depending on how efficient the system is, anywhere from 10 to 80 percent of the water can be reused. And check to see if your water utility has a certification program for water-conscious carwashes, as San Antonio does.

[Required for all in Colorado, possible other states]

But water use is only one factor in this equation. What happens to the dirty runoff also matters a great deal. When you wash your car in your driveway, the discharge generally flows into a storm gutter and then straight into a river, stream or bay, carrying with it not only the cleaning solution you've used but also all the oil, grease, heavy metals and other pollutants that had been clinging to your car.

Under the Clean Water Act, carwashes have to follow guidelines when collecting and disposing of their dirty wash water. Most send their runoff to municipal wastewater plants after pretreating it to remove oil, as well as grit and other sediments. So if your car needs a heavy-duty cleaning -- one with the potential to release a lot of gunk -- going to a professional makes a lot of eco-sense.

[Not discussed on this thread, and a valid issue]

Look for companies that have phased out the use of toxic ammonium bifluoride and hydrofluoric-acid-based cleaning solutions in favor of phosphate-free, biodegradable detergents. The well-regarded EcoLogo program has certified a number of environmentally preferable products for use in commercial facilities; ask your local carwash to stock them.

[Actually, I believe phosphate based detergents have been illegal for some time]

Washing at home means saving energy, though, because there's no equipment to power or water to heat. So for a simple exterior spit-and-polish, home might be the greener option if you take precautions. Park in a place where runoff to storm drains can be minimized, such as on grass or gravel. Keep as much dirty water in the bucket as possible, and pour it all down your sink or toilet. The third-party Green Seal program has one carwash product on its list of certified household cleaners; in general, you should be looking for phosphate-free soaps that are readily biodegradable. And though the Lantern can't vouch for how well it will work on your Prius, you could try using a green boat cleaner, like the ones certified by EcoLogo, that's designed to be safer when going straight into waterways. Waterless carwash products are also an option, though they may not be powerful enough for truly grubby cars. Look for ones that are labeled "low VOC," meaning they emit fewer polluting volatile organic compounds.

If you're really worried about your water footprint, though, look past your driveway. As noted in a past column, the average American lawn guzzles 21,600 gallons of water annually. At that rate, you could give your car a 10-minute hose bath every other day.

[I couldn't agree more - I HATE the idea of watering lawns. We live in a Townhome and this is one major reason - practically no lawn]

 

This explains why my car always needs washing. My mind is FILTHY! I'm always thinking of :cheer2: + :whip: and then I ray: for :bump: and in the end they fall :wub: with the :hat:

 

The :whip: is more information than we needed. ound: