Let me start by apologizing if this has been asked here before; however, I am really interested in your advice and opinions. I like hand washing my cars and I will wash them myself as long as the outside temperature is above 35 degrees. This 2011 Panamera 4S is my first Porsche. I have owned vehicles made by BMW, Lexus, Audi, and a few Italian companies that I won't mention, and all of them have, at some time or another, gone through "good" commercial car washes. Has anyone ever taken their Panamera to a car wash and, if so, what sorts of things did you look for at that establishment before you did? Thanks!

 

Depends on the car wash. You have to be really careful about the chemicals they use. Most car washes use very harsh chemicals that can dull your paint and trim. Especially 'touchless' washes - stay away from those!

Here in Cincinnati, we have the best car wash I've ever seen, and I take my car there about once a week. They only use soft water, very mild chemicals compared to other washes, and vacuum the interior and trunk, and wipe down all interior surfaces and hand dry the car and wheels. On average, the attendant will spend 10-15 minutes on your car. All this for $15!! They have a full wash and hand-wax for $59 that I use every 3 months.

Much, much better than the Porsche dealer wash, and I'm a big proponent of keeping the crap off the paint to preserve it's life. I did the same thing on my M5, and after 130,000 miles, it still looked like new.

 

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a wee story (not Panamera, but...)

after buying my 1st BMW 850i (a '91) I found it necessary to take it to a car wash. While standing at the windows watching as the car passed thru the process, I overheard the 2 fellows close-by talking - one said to the other something like "imagine sending a $90000 car thru a $10 carwash..."

I walked over to the fellow, pulled a $10 bill from my wallet and said " here's $10, I'll pull the car from the line and pay you to wash it - OK ? and, by the way, it's closer to a $100000 car friend"

the idiot did a couple of "uh, uhs" then shut up and walked away

also, I drove that 850, later a '93 850 and now my M5 to the West Coast a couple of times each year and ALWAYS use a carwash on both ends of the drive

just try to get recomendations

 

depends on the color of your car - if it's black taking it to any commercial car wash regardless of how good it is will create visible damage. They can't wash your car right after the guy who just brought his pickup truck from the construction site and not get some carry over debris. If it is a lighter color or a metallic - your still doing the same damage it's just not as visible, I've had all silver cars for years and every one of them passed through a car wash on a rare occasion - my PTT is black and even my hand washing has created swirls I can only imagine how bad it would be if I took it to a car wash.

 

As the owner of two "commercial car washes" I'll offer a few bits of info.

The most important thing to look for at a friction car wash is what type of wash medium they have. Most use cloth (sometimes marketed as "soft cloth" but it's very much like felt) which holds onto dirt and sand. It cleans very well so most washes in areas that get snow use this type.

In the last decade, a new type of material has been marketed. It called foam or closed-cell foam. It what my washes have. The foam feels similar to what wet-suits are made out of. The fact that its closed-cell means it is waterproof and dirt/sand doesn't stick to it. This material is very light and gentle but does not clean as well as the cloth. So pre-washing or prepping is required usually using high-pressure water guns which remove dirt/sand/mud before the vehicle enters the wash tunnel; this is a good thing.

The next thing to look for is chemicals. Good quality chemicals (Blue Coral, Armor All Professional) are expensive. They are formulated for modern clear coats and paint types and are rather mild. Cheap chemicals can be very caustic. The worst are chemicals used in "touchless" washes as any chemical that is strong enough to clean your car without touching it, is strong enough to remove all the wax also. These chemicals can also haze the paint and other parts (wheels for instance).

So, I know most porsche owners cringe at the thought of sending their car down a conveyor track lined with "brushes", the reality is it comes down to how the wash is put together, what chemicals and wash media will touch the car, and also the water quality the wash has.

I sold my 911 last year, but when I had it, I ran thru my wash quite often. At least twice per week. Nothing was ever damaged, the mirrors never ripped off and the wheels (HRE P40's) were never scratched. I did have the car detailed (polished, sealed and waxed) every 6 months.

Unfortunately, 99% of all carwashes are not owned/run by car enthusiasts, so do watch out. But if you do find one with the right mix of equipment and chemicals... fear not. An uneducated person hand-washing their car in their driveway can do much more damage to the paint if they don't know how to wash the car the proper way and with the right tools.

 

Thanks for that great advice...much appreciated!

 

This question haunted me for a while as well. After reading quite a lot about the art of washing a car I realized most places do a crappy job. The only reasonable ones are those owned by a piston-head. Now I am really into it and hardly ever take my car anywhere. I use Swissvax products. There are very few places that will wash your car with these products as their price is much higher than the regular higher-end chemicals. Nevertheless it is sure worth the cost. I took my car for a detailer that uses Swissvax and he did an amazing job. Now I just keep it up.

 

There are a couple of things that people aren't considering here.

First of all, if you don't regularly wash your car, you can do a lot of damage to the paint by leaving dirt, tar, birdcrap etc on the finish. I would say a frequent good carwash is a lot better than infrequent excellent washes. Secondly, if you always have a good coat of wax over the paint, you'll do a much better job of protecting your finish. I choose to wash my car weekly at least, and get a complete hand wax every two or three months.

I simply don't have the time to wash and wax the car myself, the only other real option to a carwash. Plus the weather here in Ohio doesn't lend itself to driveway washing during the winter.

I swore off black cars after my third. I hand washed weekly myself and used 6+ coats of Zaino and couldn't keep the swirls off. I just couldn't stand seeing the swirl marks every morning when I turned on the garage light. Silver all the way from now on...

 

Did you use the kid in South Miami? I did and the car came out beautiful, even at almost 7 months after the shine is still there as well as the texture. Nice stuff Swissvax.

 

Yes I did. The guy does an amazing meticulous job (www.scheerdetailing.com). My car actually spent the night at his place. There are 2 other guys in Miami Beach who also use Swissvax but they are not as good.

I agree that washing the car weekly is fundamental. My car is solid black and I am happy to say I have no swirl marks. I will try to get some pictures.

The only problem with Swissvax is that other chemicals will remove it. So once you use it you are kind of stuck.

Well, I have to agree that I do not have the problem with the weather... But I guess the best option in that case is to find a reasonable guy who will do as little damage as possible on your car and your pocket.

 

I take mine nearly every day and get it waxed about every 4 months. No probles at all

 

Hi,

I saw your post regarding the car wash in Cincinnati. I'm in Cincinnati also so wanted to know where you took your car?

I was wondering about using Mike's car wash but not sure.

Thanks.

 

DO NOT use Mike's. I took my E60 M5 there and after 3 or 4 washes the black trim started to fade so I had it replaced. Went back to the Sharonville car wash and no fading whatsoever after almost 100,000 miles of washes.

The Sharonville wash was voted best in Cincinnati and I agree. Never seen anything like it. For $12.20 (plus a couple bucks tip), you get interior/trunk vacuumed and exterior wash with interior windows and trim wiped. They spend about 10 minutes after the wash drying the exterior/wheels and wiping/cleaning the interior. The don't recycle water, don't use any super harsh chemicals, and don't use any brushes on the paint. My M5 paint looked like new after 120,000 miles. I also use their detail shop to get a full hand-wax for $50 every couple months.

I'd rather use a top-notch wash like this than depend on somebody I don't know hand-washing my car. I've had some really crappy hand washes done by people that don't really know what they're doing.

 

Thanks for much for the info. I'm surprised at the issue you had with Mike's. I have been very pleased with them on my Jag, CTS-V and other vehicles. Really appreciate the info on Sharonville's car wash.

Thanks!