I did the unthinkable and paid the price... :(

[LSNAutoDetailing]

67408

So, for those that don't know I'm recovering from a cervical disc-ectomy. Meaning, they removed a herniated disk in my neck (through the front), rip the bad disc out, put in a titanium disc and then fuse c5/c6 with some bolts... I'm recovering incredibly quickly but have some muscle soreness. But no car-washing or detailing for me for at least another few months... Doc's orders... no lifting, pushing, pulling anything more than 4.5 lbs or bending or twisting... for least 6-8 weeks. One more month to go this coming Wednesday!

Well, it rained and the wife's car, Honda Fit sits outside and anyone who knows here in AZ, you get a fair amount of dust/sand/minerals mixed in with your rain. Then the sun comes out and it gets to be about 109 degrees...

Rather than end up with a car with baked in water spots, I (thought it was a good idea at the time) to go through the old touch-less laser wash. As long as it's touchless who cares right?? I'm a big spender so I splurged for the full works $12.00.. lol

What I got was every toxic, caustic chemical thrown on my finely CarPro CQUK 3.0 coated Honda Fit. What I came out with was a bad case of stains in the coating. Using some of Mike's recommended "Green towels" I used some Ech2o and was able to get the worst of it out.... but under LED lights it's bad. The whole car will need a polish and reapplication of CQ. Well, that's not going to happen for at least 4 months... :(

Moral of the story... IF you opt to use the touchless system, DO NOT chose the full-blown options... All that blue/pink/green/red crap they splash on your car is so not PH balanced it will destroy just about anything. If you have to use one, just choose the rinse and blow dry (water only) option...

If you have PPF, DO NOT use these wash systems.... Sizzle Chest posted a thread a while back where his customer drove his (Corvette, I think...) with PPF through one of these and all those caustic dies in the chemicals stained the PPF.

I should have known better.... Luckily it was the Honda Fit... and it needs to get polished anyway. Last month, a rock chip cracked the windshield. The Safe Repair / Safe Replace guy scratched the hell out of the top of the door frame (part above the passengers window) and roof line where he had to pry the old windshield off. He CARVED the door pretty good. I got 70% by hand yesterday... gentle rub down by hand (no machine) with BOSS FCC... But I cannot apply any more than 4.5 lbs of pressure (doc's orders).

It sucks when you're a detailer, you know what needs to be done to fix a problem, have the materials, tools and know how but can't!!!! UGGGGGGHHHH!!!! Soon enough though... healing is more important than paint!!! :)

I'm actually starting to formulate some ideas for the Honda Fit. It's a 13 w/ now over 90K miles. Synthetic from day one, and she runs like a top!!! Never had one problem with the car. It's great to haul the dogs (two greyhounds) so the inside is a mess... But this is a car I'd love to keep.. AZ sun is starting to change the deep red to a little lighter shade of red so maybe in a few years we'll do a custom red-flake with Greyhounds painted on it! lol!

Anyway, this is my PSA for the day.

[Klasse Act]

I had a 2010 Revolution Orange Fit sport and it was a great car, other than the fact it was an auto because they "said" they couldn't find a stick. The "magic seat" was so useful and people couldn't believe how big it was inside, don't get me started on the cool cupholders, right infront of the vents and during the summer it was great because it kept the drinks cold[emoji362]

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[Mike Phillips]

Thanks for sharing Paul.


:dblthumb2:

[Sizzle Chest]

Rest it up buddy! That way you will be back at it in no time!

Yes, those touchless wash places can be ridiculously bad news for your vehicles! My client took his white Porsche Turbo Cabriolet to one of those places, and as Paulie stated, it stained his PPF purple! It is still stained! Bad, bad news for your finish.

Glad you are doing well amigo, keep up what the good doc's say and you'll be good to go and back at it soon!

[PaulMys]

I feel your pain, Paul!!

It has to be killing you that you cannot perform your highly skilled magic, and I think I would have thought the same thing as you.

I'm always thinking of you, brother. You'll be back to making cars shiny before you know it man. :)

[Klasse Act]

Like the saying goes, time heals all wounds, let it happen[emoji6]

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[Mgavin1985]

Interesting story. With the title ... I did the unthinkable.....I wasn’t sure what to expect in this thread. I’m just glad it wasn’t a story about a guy eating 40 demon level hot wings and then the next day paying the until price resulting in a burnt coolie and the only way put the fire out was to take a tub in cold milk.

[Coatingsarecrack]

Glad it wasn’t your mustang. Thanks for heads up. After getting service done from ford ask them not to wash so they gave me a voucher for a free brown bear wash. Was saving for winter for when I was feeling lazy. Saved me a recoat.

Thanks for the heads up amigo.


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[Paul A.]

Hang in there, Paulie! You'll be back in the saddle in no time and hopefully feeling great doing it.

Good story and thanks for sharing the experience. It's downright scary what those places take money to do to a vehicle.

[TTQ B4U]

I use the local touchless but mainly in the winter months and I tend to rinseless it right after in my garage. A customer however took his new Volvo I coated through one and then went to work and when he came out it stained his anodized aluminum trim and it can't be fixed. He is leaving it for now but is considering a wrap.

[expdetailing]

When I got to: "Rather than end up with a car with baked in water spots, I (thought it was a good idea at the time)..." I thought you were going to say you re-injured yourself trying to take care of your car.
Get well, and resist temptation!

[Belo]

i use the touchless a decent amount on my car in the summer with my busy schedule, but almost always do a qd when i get home. I use a mostly toucheless (microfiber hanging things) on my other 2 rides all year round and they've always been swirl free and the undercarriage needs it with all our salt. My cars aren't coated though. sucks man.

[LSNAutoDetailing]

Thanks for sharing Paul.


:dblthumb2:

Thanks Mike... There has been another theory I've been working on (in my spare time)…. As you WELL know when you're unable to physically do things, and being of the "engineer type", the brain finds problems, forms hypotheses' and wants to work out answers.

I found an interesting phenomena on all three of my vehicles, (and not just mine), including the new GT/CS prior to going into surgery, which allowed for some experimentation with different pads and products (while I still could physically). I reduced it to 3 possibilities and finally concluded on one, which under a 3x loop confirmed one of my hypotheses or at least I think is true. If I can get a camera with a macro lens, and just the right light (which is tough), I'll be able to write a short article and publish it... If I'm right in my suppositions then there will be more fodder for some paint defects we see "after" a thorough paint correction process. :)


Rest it up buddy! That way you will be back at it in no time!

Yes, those touchless wash places can be ridiculously bad news for your vehicles! My client took his white Porsche Turbo Cabriolet to one of those places, and as Paulie stated, it stained his PPF purple! It is still stained! Bad, bad news for your finish.

Glad you are doing well amigo, keep up what the good doc's say and you'll be good to go and back at it soon!

Thanks Sizzle... we're working on it! :) I've got Frank Rizzo down here and he thinks he knows what he's doing.... ;)


I had a 2010 Revolution Orange Fit sport and it was a great car, other than the fact it was an auto because they "said" they couldn't find a stick. The "magic seat" was so useful and people couldn't believe how big it was inside, don't get me started on the cool cupholders, right infront of the vents and during the summer it was great because it kept the drinks cold[emoji362]

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Thanks Klasse… Magic seats are greyt for Greyhounds! :)


I feel your pain, Paul!!

It has to be killing you that you cannot perform your highly skilled magic, and I think I would have thought the same thing as you.

I'm always thinking of you, brother. You'll be back to making cars shiny before you know it man. :)

I know you are! Thanks Paulie!


Like the saying goes, time heals all wounds, let it happen[emoji6]

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Thanks Klasse, we meet with the doc tomorrow to see what the next steps are.


Interesting story. With the title ... I did the unthinkable.....I wasn’t sure what to expect in this thread. I’m just glad it wasn’t a story about a guy eating 40 demon level hot wings and then the next day paying the until price resulting in a burnt coolie and the only way put the fire out was to take a tub in cold milk.

LOL... Well, if you're on this forum then you're well aware of the ill feelings most have about automated car-washes, especially the tunnel of swirls and scratches. However there has been some for forgiveness for the touchless laser washes. Mainly for folks in Northern climates where water lines freeze, (thus no hose), snow, salt, grime and dirt are far too much for a waterless wash. I've published several articles on the alternative to use the Touchless and then come home and do the waterless to finish off the job. Few articles I've presented photo's with amazing results. Problem is, the chemicals are getting stronger and stronger. At one time they just sprayed some soap and blasted the car with water and blow dried the vehicle. Now you get 4 passes of multi-color, intense smelling bubble gum goo... So the point is, DON'T chose anything other than a quick rinse and blow. :)


Glad it wasn’t your mustang. Thanks for heads up. After getting service done from ford ask them not to wash so they gave me a voucher for a free brown bear wash. Was saving for winter for when I was feeling lazy. Saved me a recoat.

Thanks for the heads up amigo.


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Thanks CAC, as long as there is an option for just a rinse & blow, you should be fine. That way when you get home you can do a waterless.


Hang in there, Paulie! You'll be back in the saddle in no time and hopefully feeling great doing it.

Good story and thanks for sharing the experience. It's downright scary what those places take money to do to a vehicle.

Thanks Paul! Yup hanging in there....


I use the local touchless but mainly in the winter months and I tend to rinseless it right after in my garage. A customer however took his new Volvo I coated through one and then went to work and when he came out it stained his anodized aluminum trim and it can't be fixed. He is leaving it for now but is considering a wrap.

That's typically the way to do it as long as you chose rinse & blow and no other options...


When I got to: "Rather than end up with a car with baked in water spots, I (thought it was a good idea at the time)..." I thought you were going to say you re-injured yourself trying to take care of your car.
Get well, and resist temptation!

Ha! We've been resisting.... Pushing the envelope a little here and there... but knowing the limits! Thanks! :)

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

Dang, that sucks Paul. Sorry to hear.

Wish someone was there to help you out.

[vobro]

Sorry to hear of your medical issues, I just tore my ACL and am presurgery. Right now I can do a decent rinsless wash but not sure what to expect the first few months after surgery. Sure sucks getting older!