Best products for new cars that go through automatic car washes frequently?

[mikec35]

I have a newer silver colored Mercedes that goes through one of the automated soft rag type car washes about once a week. What wax product would you recommend to use and how frequently should it be applied? The car is on the road about 40,000 miles a year and I know that the automatic car washes are not the best idea but I travel so much and don't have time to hand wash. I am looking for the best protection I can get with the easiest application. Thanks

https://i.postimg.cc/jSjS3FS6/IMG-4273.jpg (https://postimg.cc/7fp4fX7b)


https://i.postimg.cc/Wz701Hq1/IMG-5133.jpg (https://postimg.cc/jnLD8vhp)

[DETAILROOKIE]

I have a newer silver colored Mercedes that goes through one of the automated soft rag type car washes about once a week. What wax product would you recommend to use and how frequently should it be applied? The car is on the road about 40,000 miles a year and I know that the automatic car washes are not the best idea but I travel so much and don't have time to hand wash. I am looking for the best protection I can get with the easiest application. Thanks

https://i.postimg.cc/jSjS3FS6/IMG-4273.jpg (https://postimg.cc/7fp4fX7b)


https://i.postimg.cc/Wz701Hq1/IMG-5133.jpg (https://postimg.cc/jnLD8vhp)First off, congratulations on the new car, it is beautiful.

When I lived in an apartment, I took my car through the car wash frequently and used Collinite 845 and Fk1000p with great success! My car was Black and used to get asked how I kept the car so wet looking.



Sent from my SM-N960U using Autogeekonline mobile app (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=87407)

[dlc95]

Highest performance I ever used was Duragloss 111. Probably even better when used with their 601 Bonding Agent.

A customer had Collinite 476 that delivered incredible repellency.

We at the car wash were surprised at how long the Duragloss lasted on the bosses car though.

I used Zymol Concours on his Sunday driver (2011 Corvette), that managed to withstand multiple tunnel washes..

[hoyt66]

I would suggest touchless carwashes. Do a search "touchless car washes near me" and you might find one close

[briarpatch]

I would suggest touchless carwashes. Do a search "touchless car washes near me" and you might find one close

^^^^^this

[buddiiee]

This is it? The most relevant and important question on the entire board and it gets 5 posts? lol. I want to know more, as I now don't have time to spend 4 hours hand washing my car every week. I was told by a guy that said touchless washes can be harsher because the soaps have to be harsher to dissolve dirt without physical agitation. So now should I be avoiding touchless car washes? I'm going to use collinite 476 this month.

[Mrproduce]

This is it? The most relevant and important question on the entire board and it gets 5 posts? lol. I want to know more, as I now don't have time to spend 4 hours hand washing my car every week. I was told by a guy that said touchless washes can be harsher because the soaps have to be harsher to dissolve dirt without physical agitation. So now should I be avoiding touchless car washes? I'm going to use collinite 476 this month.

4 hours to wash!
Every week! Wow I been so doing it wrong... [emoji50][emoji50]


Sent from my iPad using Autogeekonline mobile app (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=87407)

[fightnews]

First off, congratulations on the new car, it is beautiful.

When I lived in an apartment, I took my car through the car wash frequently and used Collinite 845 and Fk1000p with great success! My car was Black and used to get asked how I kept the car so wet looking.



Sent from my SM-N960U using Autogeekonline mobile app (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=87407)


Highest performance I ever used was Duragloss 111. Probably even better when used with their 601 Bonding Agent.

A customer had Collinite 476 that delivered incredible repellency.

We at the car wash were surprised at how long the Duragloss lasted on the bosses car though.

I used Zymol Concours on his Sunday driver (2011 Corvette), that managed to withstand multiple tunnel washes..

Does collinite have chemical cleaners in it?

[tcope]

This is it? The most relevant and important question on the entire board and it gets 5 posts? lol. I want to know more, as I now don't have time to spend 4 hours hand washing my car every week. When a vehicle is maintained and you have a decent set up, you should be able to hand wash in about 30 minutes.

[fightnews]

This is it? The most relevant and important question on the entire board and it gets 5 posts? lol. I want to know more, as I now don't have time to spend 4 hours hand washing my car every week. I was told by a guy that said touchless washes can be harsher because the soaps have to be harsher to dissolve dirt without physical agitation. So now should I be avoiding touchless car washes? I'm going to use collinite 476 this month.

Everyone has the same amount of time. You just choose to spend yours on something else. It shouldn't take you more than an hour to hand wash a car and bi weekly is more than enough.

[Thomkirby]

When a vehicle is maintained and you have a decent set up, you should be able to hand wash in about 30 minutes.

I agree with tcope with the time to do a RINSELESS wash. If you have enough time to drive to a car wash and wait in line then you can use that time for hand wash at home. On the road, yes you can still go thru the car wash tunnel of scratches.

Your first question is correct, what product best will protect your car. There is no single best product and all are giving you great suggestions. The best product in your case will be to apply any of them more frequently. I suggest the spray products as part of the hand wash drying aid. They work and keep it protected for a few months or more. Seriously, full hand wash with Optimum ONR with the red sponge followed by a spray product as you dry and done in less than 45-minutes on that sedan (beautiful car).

Product Suggestions (easiest to highest price, check out Mike Phillips reviews):
Sonax Polymer Net Shield Sonax Polymer Net Shield 75 ml. (https://www.autogeek.net/sonax-polymer-net-shield-75ml.html) (easy to use)
McKee's Hydro Blue
Pinnacle Souveran Liquid Spray Wax Pinnacle Souveran Liquid Spray Wax (https://www.autogeek.net/pinnacle-souveran-spray-wax.html)
Pinnacle Black Label Diamond Surface Coating Pinnacle Black Label Diamond Surface Coating, paint coating, nano glass paint coating (https://www.autogeek.net/diamond-surface-coating.html)
Optimum Spray Wax

Liquid waxes are another option and I have used the following:
Collinite 845 and 915(paste)
Pinnacle Liquid Souveran Wax
Griots Garage Polymer Wax

[Mike Phillips]

This is it?

The most relevant and important question on the entire board and it gets 5 posts? lol.



I a agree - this is a good question for a lot of car owners interested in taking good care of there car. Interesting that the OP never came back after this singe first post.


I try to chime in on as many question threads as I can - especially if they are directed towards me. But sometimes I can’t get to every thread and often times if they are posted later at night, after I’ve already invested time all day doing this - well sometimes I miss them.


https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190630/b33fcdf916abd04a9386e94a5218c07a.jpg



Luckily we gave some great and experienced forum members that are always willing to lend a cyber-hand.


:)

[Mike Phillips]

I would offer up

SONAX Polymer Net Shield

See my article here


SONAX Polymer Net Shield - Closest thing to a coating without being a coating (https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-to-articles-by-mike-phillips/120275-sonax-polymer-net-shield-closest-thing-coating-without-being-coating.html)


:)

[SWETM]

This is it? The most relevant and important question on the entire board and it gets 5 posts? lol. I want to know more, as I now don't have time to spend 4 hours hand washing my car every week. I was told by a guy that said touchless washes can be harsher because the soaps have to be harsher to dissolve dirt without physical agitation. So now should I be avoiding touchless car washes? I'm going to use collinite 476 this month.

To you and the OP.

Yes the touchless washes do use stronger chemicals to desolve the dirt you have on your vehicals. Then you have the different quality of the touchless wash or swirlomatic car wash them self. As long as it don't take so long between the different stages of the car wash so any chemicals has the chance to dry on your car. Many times it's not the paint that is the most sensitive surface on your vehical. But your lights and different trim material and the rubber trim. This is often damage before the paint. As you get a hazy headlights or the aluminum trim gets etched or streaking stains on the plastic trim and rubber seals. To mentioned some damage you can get by one wash or it's building up. So it's important to have a great protection to minimize that it damage your vehical.

Also it's important that the car wash rinse off the chemicals used in them. So they don't damage after the wash. And with everything else this is different qualities that separate a good touchless wash from a bad one. To see how the one you use if it's good or bad is to sit in the vehical through the wash and see how it works. If it's able to rinse thoroughly you can get a feel from how it looks like through the windows.

Sonax PNS is a great choice to protect your paint. A SiO2 spray protection or coating lite or even a coating would be a great protection. The problem with a coating is that to have the best performance from it in self cleaning ability from it. Is to have it very clean. And even with strong chemicals you don't get that with touchless washing only. But at least once a month or so do a Carpro Reset car soap wash to get the performance back and every 4-6 do a decon wash and use chemicals that desolves the kind of dirt and contaminants you have in your environment. Or use a mix of decon products as a tar remover and iron remover and maybe a water spot remover if you have problems with that.

Most coatings is very resistant against chemicals and a great one is Carpro CQUK v3. Maybe you will see a very little lower longevity from it. What useally happens is that's the coating gets clogged and many thinks it's done. But with a thorough decon wash you will revive it. If you have a aggressive wash media or drying towel the hydrophobic layer could be degraded faster than expected. But the protection is useally still there and a topper can restore the water behavior and self cleaning ability from it.

As for the swirlomatic car wash and you want to have your car looking great. And that's is about to have as little of swirls and scratches as possible. That I would say is impossible quest to be doing in the longrun. Find a touchless wash and a great protection is the way to go. Sure there are those that is better than other car washes that swirls less. But it still swirl up your paint sooner or later. Even with a great protection as a coating gives you. It's still gets swirls and I think they go through the coating layer rather fast and gets to your paint. A paint protection film PPF would be a way to don't swirl the paint. But the expensive PPF will be getting them anyway. Maybe a self healing PPF can get it to look better a little longer down the road. Just an option to go with. The best is to avoid the brush and cloth automatic car washes and use good touchless wash in combo with once and a while a touching hand car wash.

Don't know my self about this product. But have heared good about the light swirl protection it has. Remember that you still will get swirls if useing a swirlomatic car wash but maybe it can reduce the amount of them. It's Sonax Speed Protect and is a carnuaba based sealant. Use it after every third or fourth wash. If you see the water behavior degrades faster than that you apply it more often so you have a protection all the time.

SONAX Speed Protect (https://www.autogeek.net/sonax-speed-protect.html)

Also in both cases. Chose a program on the car wash that has no protection left behind or no faster drying product when it gets rinsed. This will clogg the LSP on your vehical and reduce the performance from it. In the longrun the build from these can look awefull and be a mess to clean up the paint from it.

/ Tony

[FUNX650]

I have a newer silver colored Mercedes that
goes through one of the automated soft rag
type car washes about once a week.

What wax product would you recommend to
use and how frequently should it be applied?

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/500/A4D395AD-27E0-45AD-9498-8742990132C1.jpeg

From its ad copy:
”Meguiar's Paint Protect provides 365 days
worth of durability, delivering tenacious
protection with easy application. No rubbing.
No buffing.

Even after a year's worth of weekly washes,
it still beads water so you know its protecting!”



I know that the automatic car washes
are not the best idea...

If you’re using modern-day Tunnel Wash
facilities that use high quality equipment
(that have proper preventative maintenance
controls in place); and, where their chemicals
undergo daily QC’ing; then, IMO: incidents of
Car-wash damage(s) are rare; extremely rare.


Sometimes you got to do, what you have to do.


Bob