Picking up a car that has a stealth car bra…will post details later.
I’ve read online that its not recommended to take a wrapped car through a regular car wash with brushes as the brushes can left up the edges of the wrap. I understand this is a risk but I’m looking for insight on whether this is likely or not.
As I daily driver, I normally go through the local wash 1x per week. It’s a 12 month lease so just trying to gauge likelihood something might go wrong with the wrap during that time. If the car wash does pick up the wrap edges, can I just use a hair dryer to fix it? And worst case, if the wrap damages the stealth clear bra, any idea how much it costs to have it removed?
Why would you ever take any car you care about through a wash that touches your car with brushes or etc. those absolutely scratch your car and basically ruin it over time. By definition they accumulate debris which then gets rubbed on the next car and can slowly ruin it.
The person that wrapped my car said even pressure washer you should keep at least 18 inches distance. A lot of car washes are poorly maintained at least where I live.
I don’t have time to hand wash cars every week. And I’m not obsessed with any of my cars. I’ve never taken any of my NSXs through a car wash but had no problems taking new 911s through them.
This is a 12 month lease and I would rather keep dirt, bird crap, and brake dust off the car rather than worry about light scratches that can be buffed out.
I’m just worried about creating a bigger issue with the wrap coming off.
Wraps and clear bras can start peeling at the edges for many reasons. That is not really a big deal and isn’t a good reason to avoid your normal routine.
Genuine question.
Not sure where you live but the “brush” car washes in NYC have long lines. Cars are bumper to bumper down a city block.
The hand wash places have shorter lines, but the wait is about the same, since service is slower
If you spend an hour on those line plus 15 to 30 minutes driving to the car wash, why not just wash at home? Even if you do a 20 or 30 minute quick wash, aren’t you saving time?
It will 100% cause issues between the high pressure from the water and the fans they use to dry the car at the end. Edges will start peeling over time. Save yourself a future headache and hand wash.
Car wash is 1 mile from my house and I drive by it in normal commuting. I have a monthly membership with unlimited washes. I pull in, the gates read the sensor off my windshield, 2-3 mins to wash, 5-7 mins to hand dry including cleaning wheels. I go to the wash 2-3 times per week across 4 different cars.
My last 911 was a 2015 C2 coupe. It went through the car wash regularly. Sold it in 2017 and it received a 5.0 Condition Rating (CR) at Manheim. I don’t think the light scratches made a difference. And as I said before, don’t the light scratches easily buff out? Many people also argue that you have to hand wash cars a certain way to avoid light scratches but I would bet that most people don’t hand wash that way.
Based on all the feedback, I guess I will avoid car washes only because of the wrap. I’ll try to use the Meguiar’s quick detail spray to keep it clean.
Anyone know how much it costs to remove a wrap? Is it closer to $250 or $1000?
Because if it’s a lease, I don’t really care what it looks like for the next owner when I’m done with it as long as it doesn’t incur chargeable damage.
My last leased 550 and X5 practically lived at a brushy brushy car wash down the street as I have an annual unlimited wash membership. I ran them through there at least 4 times per week, every week, both had zero noticeable scratches much less chargeable ones.
