No need for a flame suit from me. I am one of the older owners too, but am still in my 20s (barely). This isn't my first performance car (and I don't mean I had a mad phat civic yo). I simply meant that I have seen continued exposure to automatic and high pressure washers, cause paint problems. They won't show up in a short period of time, but over several washes, the paint started looking worse and worse. I prefer hand washing since I understand that the paint isn't the best to begin with.

My response was more pointed towards the type of owners that I hear about abusing their cars or post that they have never driven a stick before and now complain about the transmission/clutch. I looked at washing the car this way as the same type of thing. Just my opinion, but that's how I feel. Don't group me in with those body kit having youngsters.

 

Austin EVO, you old fart ! ( just kidding )

If an Evo owner lives in the cold areas, like me, we may not have much of a choice.

Either don't wash it during the winter and let good ole salt corrode the body...

.. or ..


.. freeze your *** of while washing (and fondling & stroking) your Evo in 30 degree weather or less

- or -

take it to a car wash.

 

Instigator,
I have removed my flame suit. But keep in mind when I put up this post I wasn't asking for an *** chewing, to be called "Insane" etc just because during the winter I like to keep my car clean! As you know during the winter months your car gets covered with crud from the rain, snow, mud etc and I can't stand that ****!! Just looks awful, so during the winter I will run her through the touchless carwash every once in awhile(during the warm months it's hand wash and wax baby!!) but when I ran her through the car wash for the first time and I saw how much steam was rising from from the hood vent it worried me a little bit. I mean I couldn't even drive for a minute or two it was so bad! Just was curious what other owners thought about it.
I enjoy taking care of my cars and I bet if you saw my Saleen you would be shocked, it's 18yrs old(older than many EVO owners on this site)and looks like it rolled off the showroom floor about 6 months ago. Anyway, not meaning to group you in with the "Ricer" crowd!! Thanks for the response.


Motogp (you young whipper snapper!! j/k),
Yeah I am getting old and it SUX!! I agree with you on the cold weather washing, I'm just not going to stand my *** out in the cold freezing my *** off to hand wash my car in the winter!

 

You guys are right about the cold weather washing. I wasn't really considering that. It's just that it doesn't get too cold here, so I don't worry too much about that. I definitely understand needing to get that crud off the car asap.

 

AustinEVO,

I'm actually not young anymore; I'm in my thirties

So don't feel bad; after all, we're supposed to be smarter as we age...

 

AustinEVO...I'm with ya...I don't know who is more insaine...those of us that use the automatic wash or those of us that put 12 coats of Zaino on?

I'll attest that I use to use the automatic washes but damage definately started to show. So now I TRY to hand wash and be a little more careful with the paint. But keeping the paint looking good is a PITA (at least with a black EVO). Here in Texas it's either too hot or too cold...and those days that it's just right, I have better things to do than wash my car all day.

 

After these last few days of driving in the snow here in Michigan I am worried less about the car wash and more about these damn snow trucks. I've been pounded twice now with the overspray of the snow trucks heading in the opposite direction. The kind of hit that makes a loud thud and requires you to "use the force" while the windshield wipers slowly clear the slush out of the way so you can see again. That can't be good for the front of my evo. Not to mention all I hear now is the tink tink tink of all the salt hitting the sides of the car as I head down the road. arrrg.

 

Whoa man, I didn't even notice that your in TX also! Where are you? I'm in Austin, weather is nice right now but the rain is soon to come. We need to get an Austin meet going sometime, all just meet up and check each others cars out, maybe go eat somewhere. That would be cool.
John

 

Holy Crap! Your in Austin, another Texan! Do you guys ever have a meet or anything along those lines here? So you actually started to notice some damage from the auto car wash's? I wonder what a good paint shop would charge to shoot a couple of coats of clear on this car?? I might check into that.

[QUOTE]AustinEVO,
I'm actually not young anymore; I'm in my thirties
So don't feel bad; after all, we're supposed to be smarter as we age... [/BQUOTE]

I do feel old, I turn the BIG 40 on the 22nd....... sux man, I only have two days left in my thirties!! and for some reason I don't feel smarter? !

 

Sorry about all these seperate but you know how us "old guys" are, computer dumb..... I know exactly what you mean about those snow trucks, we lived in Chicago for a while and they can just about knock you off the road with that spray! First couple of times I got hit I would pull over because I swore that it hit my car so hard that it had to of damaged it(and this was in an SUV), never did but it sure sounded like it did. Glad to be away from that!

 

I'm in Dallas. I think some of the local youngsters get together sometimes, but it's not too organized. I usually stick with the DSM crowd. I'd love an excuse to come down to Austin for the weekend.

 

My car has 1400 miles on it and it is covered in salt, so ne car wash cant hurt it... but i will not go through a one that is not touchless, i drove our Boxter S through it and it was fine, and the our Lexus LX470, touchless car washes are fine.

 

"Use the force".. I laughed out loud (in a quiet office full of people) when I read that one.

I tried hard not to go thru an automatic car wash at first, just because I was afraid of the wing getting damaged. After a month of cold weather, we had a slightly warmer day in MI and I tried to hand wash it. The stupid hose was frozen, even though it was >32 degF outside. I got pissed just gave in. I had no trouble in the auto wash (or the 4 or 5 times since in two other places). But I did enjoy the huge plume of steam that came out the hood vent. It was actually very educational to see the airflow. It shocked me that the air flows out at a high rate even when the car is only going 2 or 3 mph. Very impressive.

I agree that most damage is done by the people at the end with drying towels. I think you need to shop around and find a wash that gives you a comfortable feeling -- there are definitely better and worse examples around.

Here at work, there's some guy with a black STi in the parking lot. Every day his car looks like he just washed it. I don't get it. I had to use my wiper washers 6 or 7 times on the drive in this morning just to see through the salt spraying up and drying on my windshield. How's this punk keeping his BLACK STi so clean during December in MI??

 

AHHH yes I do remember those days of salty roads, snow plow trucks, frozen door handles, snowing so hard you can't see anything, leaving hours early just make it to work. Now I get mad when it rains for 2 days in a row.

 

the EVO is a $30,000 mercury tracer