I'm sure it's fine but all the steam did worry me a bit. There was so much that I had to pull over to the side and let the front windshield clear out before I could drive off!! This won't warp the exhaust manifold will it??

 

no It shouldn't. When it rains water gets down on the manifold the same way. I would be worried about the paint, wing, anntena.

 

I run my car through the car wash all the time. The first few times I was worried about the wing but it seems pretty bullet proof. I did have a problem with the rear wiper. It got spun around on the post (it turns out the the nut that holds it on the the post was loose ........ I took it to the dealership and they said that has happened on a few others. WTF? You may want to check your rear wiper. The little cap that is over the stem just pops off so you can tighten the nut if yours is loose). Anyhow, I do make sure that when I go through car washes now that they put a jimmy cap (plastic bag) on the wiper just to be safe and (of course) I remove the antenna before I go through.

 

Car washes w/ attendants should be putting a piece of tape over your rear wiper.

The steam is evaporating more off the exhaust manifold heat shield than the manifold itself, so it's no problem. That thing is bolted down to the point that I think you'd have to drop liquid nitrogen on it when it was red hot to get the slightest warpage.

My stubby antenna hasn't had any issues at the car wash, but I imagine the longer one would get all bent out of shape.

 

why would you be concern about the wing and antenna? Well then what could you do to maintain those two... some kind of spray product?

 

I only use the touch free car wash

 

Brush type car washes (and even some touchless units) aren't able to 'sense' the presence of your rear wing. As a result, the boom that holds the brush (or high pressure water nozzles in a touchless) can bash into your wing when it is attempting to lower down to clean your rear bumper.

I would suggest that no-one use an automatic car wash unless in a pinch. Even if it is touchless, the solvents used in the cleaners can strip your wax. Most places also recycle their water to cut down on waste. But most filtration units can only filter down to a specific particulate size. So your car is still being subjected to water that has grit in it. If there are brushes in the wash, it'll act like sandpaper on your paint. If it is a touchless unit, the grit acts like a sand blast....

Show me a car that has gone through an automatic washer, and I can show you the damage it caused...

SC~who would rather have a dirty car than go through a car wash.

 

You drove your $30,000+ car through a car wash......just one statement here....ARE YOU INSANE?!?!?!

 

You guys sound like a few guys I work with. One has an RSX and the other a Jetta. They were so appalled that I use the car wash that they have both offered to wash my car for me. Ha. Unfortunately, I don't have hours that I can set aside to wash, wax, buff, polish, stroke, fondle, vacuum, etc. my car. Sorry.

 

uhh yeah I drive mine through a brushless car wash all time and park it outside everynight EXPOSED. For gods sake its 30,000 not a freaking ferrari man!!

 

If ....I didn't work everyday until dark, wasn't colder than 30 degress in the winter, haven't driven in salty slush for 5 days straight,

then I would say that's great advice!!!

 

Brushless is alright if you have to.....better to find a heated garage. Speaking of washing the car....GOD I wish it would stop raining/misting/slight snowing long enough for me to wash it and put it away for the winter!!!

 

Try washing your car by hand when it's 10 degrees outside, you think it would be better that I didn't wash my Evo until spring? Get a life, if you have the ability to wash your car by hand all the time then do so, but don't think everyone looks at the world through your eyes. Heated garages are cool, but it's illegal in Maine and New Hampshire to put a drain in your garage.

 

I have washed my car when I had a Prelude I drove through the winter in 10 degree weather....

Do what ya want with your own EVO....just makes mine worth more when people don't take care of theirs....

As far as Maine and New Hampshire's law....oh well...that's another reason I won't live there! LOL

 

Utilizing an auto car wash was something I swore against a few years ago. I used to be a NUT about cleaning my cars, check out my novel of a write up @ http://webguysi.330i.net/detailing.html

Yes your clearcoat will take a beating. The harsh chemicals of a touchless wash or the brushes of a brush wash or even the "soft" cloth of a brushless cloth wash -- they will all cause damage. It is reversable however, all you need to do is buff out the swirls. That's all that will happen. Soap is a lubricant, so even the most massive of microparticles that aren't filtered out will cause extremely minimal damage.

'Round here we have delta sonic, and they do a pretty good job. Some of you have probably heard of Buckmans, they do a decent job also. The part I worry about most is the towel dryers -- you know, the kid who gives 2 ****s about your paint (or getting your car dry, for that matter). That, honestly, is where most of the swirling action occurs. Those towels are tiny, never flipped, and dry your car top to bottom. Guess what? Those rocker panels on the sides and your bumpers are FILTHY without a good hand washing, and all that left over crap is just getting dragged across your now-non-lubricated paint surface.

Bottom line is that it's true, in the winter, it's a PITA to wash your car up here in the north. I use the auto washes on occassion, but in between I just hit up the local DIY place and spray it down just rinsing. If the wheels are clean, which I do while I'm there, the car looks 99% clean as well.