# Coin operated self-wash



## Stanislav (Dec 12, 2007)

Just took delivery of a black/black E92. I own a townhome and don't have access to wash my cars at home. There is a coin operated self wash station not too far away from my house. 
A few qs: 

Is it safe to wash my car using their soap foam brush?
Are there any precautions I should do before or after?

I figure that it is better than taking it for a carwash where they run your car through the machines.

Also, if someone can recommend alternatives, I would really appreciate (I live around Sherman Oaks area - Los Angeles county).

Thanks


----------



## charlesberry (Nov 19, 2009)

I live in a development with no car wash rules. So..............I wait until 11:00 on Friday nights and open up "Midnight Car Wash" 

I'm not a big fan of rules.


----------



## hhibmw (Nov 8, 2007)

Yes, it is better than a brush type car wash, but be careful of the soap foam brush. Many people use those brushes to wash their dirty work trucks, ATV's, etc. They hold all sorts of nasty grit and debris. I'd just stick to the high pressure spray and a careful wipe down. If you want to get it really clean, buy a big (5 gal) bucket and lid from Home Depot. Fill with warm soapy water, go to the car wash and wash it down, then rinse and dry. Not the most convenient way, but it works.


----------



## dboy11 (Mar 6, 2006)

Stanislav said:


> Just took delivery of a black/black E92. I own a townhome and don't have access to wash my cars at home. There is a coin operated self wash station not too far away from my house.
> A few qs:
> 
> Is it safe to wash my car using their soap foam brush?
> ...


I wouldn't use the soap brush at all, the person before you could have been a guy washing the mud off his 4x4, those are traps for dirt.

As for precautions, what I do in the winter is use a waterless wash like Poorboys World Spray and Wipe. I go to the coin places and wash the car using and the wand getting off as much dirt as possible. Then while drying the car I use the spray and wipe on the car and wipe that off panel by panel using a wafle weave micro towel. I finish up using a clean plush mirco fiber towel with some quick detailer spray like Poorboys World Spray and Gloss


----------



## TOGWT (May 26, 2004)

^^^ I'd agree with this


----------



## Johnz3mc (Jan 5, 2005)

What Dboy11 and the others said.
You could get an empty bucket, a good shampoo, a mitt and a couple of microfiber towels. That'd make up a little wash kit you could use at the coin place. Don't use their soapy brush, use your stuff. Use their spray gun for rinsing.

Use your kit when the dirt is too much for a waterless wash using Poorboys Spray and Wipe, ONR or the Eco Touch waterless wash.
-John C.


----------



## ronkh (May 11, 2007)

Poorboys Spray and Wipe
or
ONR


----------



## heathtx (Apr 24, 2010)

The guys that own those car washes can get pretty upset when you use a bucket. One threatened to call the police on me and I was using the bucket to clean wheels.

There was a sign posted saying "No bucket washing" Check before you do it.

They only make money when their pumps are running. I don't use them anymore because I believe their chemicals are very harsh. I have no proof of that.


----------



## dboy11 (Mar 6, 2006)

heathtx said:


> The guys that own those car washes can get pretty upset when you use a bucket. One threatened to call the police on me and I was using the bucket to clean wheels.
> 
> There was a sign posted saying "No bucket washing" Check before you do it.
> 
> They only make money when their pumps are running. I don't use them anymore because I believe their chemicals are very harsh. I have no proof of that.


You have to go early or later in the day, when its the off times. The chemicals that are used in those are safe on the paint and other surfaces.


----------



## jfs356 (Oct 14, 2010)

As long as there are "no bucket washing" signs, I have bucket washed at the local spray wash. I take a bucket with my detergeant (Turtles Zip Cleaner, Meguiar's Wash, etc. and my mitt and use the spray for overall soap and rinse. I do not use the trigger on the handle, but the normal spray which is less forceful.


----------



## rsutoratosu (May 5, 2011)

The self wash by me is 24/7!!! after like 8pm, there's no one there and you can take hours to wash your car, only problem is at night, its not well lit. I would not use their brush, Its just good to rinse and drain all the soap away..


----------



## cali311soca (Oct 24, 2009)

I don't trust using the brushes. For all you know Jimbo and his crew just got done muddin' and there's trapped dirt/rocks/mud still in the brush which is abrasive on the paint. I've seen terrible swirls on a friend's car after he used the brush at the local DIY wash. There's an Andy's Auto Sport car wash I use a few times a year when my car gets dirty, and I don't have the time to clean it. Costs around $10 for a basic hand wash + tip.


----------



## tjcin (Oct 2, 2011)

I agree with all of the above. Especially the part about BillyJoeBob just coming from a swamp expedition in his monster Chevy Blazer with 33" mud tires. If you listen closely you can hear the Dukes of Hazard horn in the background.


----------



## M40i4me (Jan 16, 2011)

Don't use the brush it will damage your paint! I bring two buckets, a mitt, and small wheel mitt to a coin operated self car wash. I fill the buckets with soap and spray done the entire car with soap until the time runs out. I wash the entire car by hand using my rinse and wash buckets, and of course doing the rims last. Next I spray the entire car with soap switching to rinse making sure all the soap is removed. Towel dry with a micro fibre cloth, and finally a spray wax. The high pressure hose of the coin operated car wash does a great job of loosening road dirt. This coupled with the fact that I have a water softener at home, so using my garden hose is out of the question since it would be dumping a small percentage of salt on my car. I am sure I could run a bypass, but I would be bypassing my PH booster as well.


----------

