Hi Folks,

Because of the hood vents, should I take extra precaution when taking the Evo to a automated car wash? Would excess drainage of water and soap into the engine bay cause problems for me? Additionally, this car wash has an option to clean the underbody of the car as well- if I were to go ahead and let it do that, could the water & soap potentially harm any of the underbody components?

Thanks in advance.

 

nope, shouldnt have any issues

if you have an open element air filter, maybe id be a little more cautious

 

I've never had any issues. Don't worry, the car is designed to be washed.

 

The one that I go to uses an overhead air dryer that holds itself up by its cushion of air...it thunks my antenna when it goes over it. Doesn't seem to hurt anything but if you have a metal shorty antenna then it might be a consideration...

 

the one i used to go to actually pushed the thin aluminum roof in making this HORRIBLE sound, but it would pop back into its intended shape.

 

The first time that happend to me i swear i was freaking out haha!.

 

Seems you live in CT, and probably have salt on the roads. I would definitely recommend that you use the undercarriage wash when you wash your car. The road salt is corrosive and will cause rust to any exposed metal that isn't stainless.

 

It's not the hood vents you have to worry about, it's the large spoiler (if your X has one on) that some car washes will refuse to wash if they use automated washes.

OT, but personally I would highly reccommend against taking your Evo to automated washes. Take it too many times and your paint will have nasty swirls and you'll be spending money to make it look good again.

 

have no worries, i have a carbon hood on my car with a just mesh over the giant cut out in the hood with no vents, goes through rain, car wash, and anything else, water and soap wont do nothing else

 

I haven't seen an automated car wash that wasn't touchless in a long time. The water pressure from a nozzle isn't going to do anything to the paint.

 

There're still several non-touchless around the bay area, unfortunately

 

handwash your car budy, those mashines are the devil, i would never wash my car were 5 minutes before me a truck full of sand and dust was wash.

 

Same, touchless car washes won't harm your paint!

 

Oh, im not too worried about the paint, it's just that I worry about the excess soap collecting in areas where it shouldn't be, like in the engine bay underneath the hood scoop.

Do you guys know if the automated washers clean the wheels well? Like everybody else, I get a ton of gunk and buildup in the creases of the stock enkei wheels, and it's such a pain in the *** to clean them by hand.

 

Be careful of the touchless washes if you have a polished UICP. I went through one and I guess the hot pipe caused the soap that came through the vents tarnished the polish. I was never able to get it right, so now I hand wash every time.