MR G

The cost of $30 a week for a hand wash plus super unleaded for $4.29+ in So Cal is starting to wear on me. There is a fairly new higher end dedicated drive through car wash (not a crappy gas station drive through) near me that is 1/3 to 1/2 the price of the hand wash place I normally go to, but I am concerned about it messing up the paint on my truck (I have a stubby radio antenna and a BakFlip MX4, so I am not concerned about anything getting yanked off in the car wash). Right now in So Cal the pollen in the air literally coats everything in a thick yellow dust and it is hard to keep your vehicle looking clean without a weekly washing. I keep the interior pretty spotless, but hand washing the truck myself is too much of a chore and ends up being a rabbit hole of money and time finding good cleaning supplies and towels.

What is the consensus on drive through car washes on our trucks? This is the one I would use http://www.rapidsexpress.com/

Thanks!

AricsFX

iTrader: (3)

You’re putting super unleaded in your truck and washing it weekly in so cal? Both sound like a waste to me.

Ricktwuhk

I can't comprehend paying $1,560 a year, after tax (meaning you're earning over $2,000 before tax) to wash my truck.

Also, Super Unleaded is a waste of money.

srb1194

I'd say it depends on many factors. If the truck is a dark color I'd say no. It doesn't appear that the car wash uses brushes so that's a good thing. My brother has a 5 year old Ram that's a dark gray and he uses a similar car wash. Overall it still looks really good and it's never even been waxed. It really depends how meticulous you are about it. Personally I don't use them but understand some people just don't have time or resources for routine hand washing.

T Diddy

Hand wash. Period.

Whysoangry

My F-150 and the rest of my cars are black, so hand washing is my only good option. I get set up quickly, and I don't do anything real fancy: 2-bucket system, a large soft brush for reach and for speed, and bath towels to dry and wipe out the door sills. It is time-consuming to detail and wax or apply sealant, but that protection also makes washing easier. I don't mind the quiet time.

MR G

91 Octane is about 30 cents more a gallon than 87, so I am looking at an extra $7-8 a tank. Every vehicle I have owned that I ran 87 on ended up pinging after 5 or so years. Every vehicle I have ran only 91 on, they never pinged. I also found that I get marginally better gas mileage (as long as I stay in Eco mode and not Sport mode) with 91 octane in my truck. So it kind justifies the higher octane in my opinion.

I live in a condo, so I can only park outside. And the spot I generally park in is under a tree that is close to my bedroom window where my security camera can keep an eye on it. Unfortunately the tree drops these berries/***** throughout the year, they do not stain anything, but the come down by the hundreds. I drive the truck enough to keep them from building up and having the BF MX4 lets them roll off as soon as I leave the neighborhood. All in all I just like a clean truck and if I sign up for the unlimited club, I can get unlimited car washes every month for $27.95 ($335 a year). That is a substantial savings compared to $1440 a year for hand washes.

tvsjr

I always hand-wash, but do it myself. As far as fuel, premium provides substantially better results in both of the 3.5EBs I own, plus the 2016 I traded. Better performance, less pinging.

Whysoangry

One of my cars requires 93, and the others are small turbos and require 91. They like it, and so does the 2.7 Ecoboost. From the manual: "For best overall vehicle and engine performance, premium fuel with an octane rating of 91 or higher is recommended."

Truckin

iTrader: (4)

My platinum hits the wash at least once a week. Unlimited washes for 20 a month. Not one scratch or swirl mark in over a year