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  1. #1
    Super Member Eric7810's Avatar
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    Tunnel wash rant - Free speech thread

    It could be said that tunnel washes are the reason my business exists, but it just blows me away every time I get a gloss black GM truck in for correction the sheer damage these car washes do to these vehicles.

    They’re the ‘microwave’ of car care. You take your $95k Denali through it and in 60 secs you have what appears to be a clean vehicle.

    “Oh no, the farm truck ahead of me in line is covered in sand.. what’s that going to mean for my gloss black paint when those spinning brushes contact me?”

    Wrecked.

    I can run a flex 3401 with foam interface wool pad tilted on edge using 3d One and STILL not get all the tunnel scratches out.

    It’s just insane to me that people use these disgusting car washes.

    Then again, I’m a detailer and am cursed with having the eye for it. Tunnel wash rant - Free speech thread

    I make a lot of money doing these jobs, but it’s painful to see just how destructive these microwave car washes are.

    Todays job…




    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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  3. #2
    Super Member Bill D's Avatar
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    Re: Tunnel wash rant - Free speech thread

    I vomit a little in my mouth at every thought of one of these car washes
    Treat it like it's the only one in the world.

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  5. #3
    Super Member Optimus Grime's Avatar
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    Re: Tunnel wash rant - Free speech thread

    Quote Originally Posted by Eric7810 View Post


    I can run a flex 3401 with foam interface wool pad tilted on edge using 3d One and STILL not get all the tunnel scratches out.



    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    This is pretty much how the last coating I did went. I used 3D One with with Urofiber pads and while it made a hell of a difference it was far from perfect. It passed the 10 foot test and exceeded the customer's expectations but there were still some deep scratches left over. The sad part is that the truck was only a 2022 and the customer had only had it for 6 days when he booked the job. The original owner must have had a subscription to the tunnel wash based on the damage.


    It still amazes me how many people inquire about getting a coating and want to know if they can still go to a tunnel wash afterwards. Even after seeing the damage, they still want to take the easy way out.

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    Super Member Bill D's Avatar
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    Re: Tunnel wash rant - Free speech thread

    The clearcoats of today's vehicles are thinner than ever. I hope customers will eventually realize there's a limited amount that can be polished before permanent paint failure
    Treat it like it's the only one in the world.

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  9. #5
    Super Member Optimus Grime's Avatar
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    Re: Tunnel wash rant - Free speech thread

    Quote Originally Posted by Bill D View Post
    The clearcoats of today's vehicles are thinner than ever. I hope customers will eventually realize there's a limited amount that can be polished before permanent paint failure
    Add to that the fact that a ceramic coating is not in any way, shape, or form a replacement for a healthy clear coat.

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  11. #6
    Super Member chilly's Avatar
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    Re: Tunnel wash rant - Free speech thread

    What gets me is around here the brush tunnel washes cost considerably more than the touchless tunnel wash, yet people plunk down $25 a pop or pay a hefty subscription fee and are lined up out to the street

    I get a $50 monthly for the cheapest wash that includes an undercarriage blast off at the touchless place closest to me and I never wait to get into a bay

    I recently had a 2023 Lexus NX250 in a black color for a week and a half as a loaner from the dealer

    The dealer has, of all things, a brush tunnel wash

    The car looked like it had been scrubbed with a Scotchbrite green pad

    When I picked up my car they were so proud to point out the coupon for a free wash on the receipt

    I keep a sheet of computer paper with "do not wash and do not wipe down interior" all in bold caps in my glove box and I stick it on the nav screen when I go to the dealer

  12. #7
    Super Member chilly's Avatar
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    Tunnel wash rant - Free speech thread

    Quote Originally Posted by Optimus Grime View Post
    Add to that the fact that a ceramic coating is not in any way, shape, or form a replacement for a healthy clear coat.
    You mean the dealer lied to us about the many benefits of ceramic coating and how it deflects ballistic missiles and shopping carts?

    (looking for sarcasm font)

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  14. #8
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    Re: Tunnel wash rant - Free speech thread

    Quote Originally Posted by Bill D View Post
    The clearcoats of today's vehicles are thinner than ever. I hope customers will eventually realize there's a limited amount that can be polished before permanent paint failure
    Yeah, but...most people lease and they are going to have the car 2, 3, 4 years and then it will be on to a new one, like a new cell phone. And they will likely be in an accident sometime in there--so new paint!

    As far as the astonishment over people not washing their own car, even forgetting that us forum members are the crazy 1%, what percentage of the population ever was "hands on" who would be doing anything like washing their car or, thought it was something worth doing themselves? And with the loss of manufacturing over the last 50 years, we have a reduced culture of people who are even exposed to that kind of thing (the DIY home-improvement boom perhaps being a counterpoint).

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  16. #9
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    Re: Tunnel wash rant - Free speech thread

    The problem is finding a touchless wash, around here anyway. I managed to get my new buggy through it's first "winter" with only rinseless washes. Then last week it was at the dealer for service, at the conclusion of which they ran it through a brushed wash. I should anticipated better I guess

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  18. #10
    Super Member chilly's Avatar
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    Re: Tunnel wash rant - Free speech thread

    Quote Originally Posted by Thunderchicken View Post
    The problem is finding a touchless wash, around here anyway. I managed to get my new buggy through it's first "winter" with only rinseless washes. Then last week it was at the dealer for service, at the conclusion of which they ran it through a brushed wash. I should anticipated better I guess
    There was a long article in the Anchorage newspaper this last winter about how few car washes per capita Anchorage has and how several companies are jumping to fill the need

    I was amazed that the talking heads who were interviewed actually acknowledged the difference in brush vs brushless and how they were building to suit both preferences


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