has anyone run their p5 through a gas station car wash? do i need to worry about my antenna? will it break? if so, can i take it off temporarily, or should i just use a "no touch" car wash?

thx in advance
cam

 

since this is your first post, we'll cut you some slack
dude, YOU DO NOT TAKE A P5 THROUGH A CAR WASH, ESPECIALLY ONE THAT IS NOT TOUCH FREE. take your car home and give it a nice wash that it and you will enjoy. i wash my car every friday before i go out. takes me 2-3 hours and i don't finish b/c it gets dark.

if you take your car to an automatic car wash i will you

 

I either wash mine at home or at a self wash (garage style, put some quarters in and hose 'er off). If you are ever worried about the antenna for any reason, a simple twist will remove it. The antenna is flexible enough that a car wash would not break it.

 

I go to this carwash here in Richmond for like $15 and 20 guys jump on your car and hand wash it for you, hand dry it and then vacuum your interior and wipe down the dash + wipe down your rims clean + apply shiney black stuff to your tires... I do that when i'm lazy, but otherwise i wash it every friday for 2-3 hours unless it's raining.

 

My wife was reading the manual and said it states to remove it if parked for extended periods. I guess there's been a rash of antenna thefts

 

I'd stay away from the gas station car washes, but you should be okay with a touchless or a hand wash one like noodles mentioned. I prefer to hand wash but, when I have to go through one I do remove the antenna. It unscrews from the base pretty easily. I don't know where you're located but if you're like me I'd love to see some of these Southern area guys who think it's a crime to go through an automatic wash come up here and spend 2 or 3 hours lovingly wash their ride when it's 40 degrees or less with a 20 mph wind blowing! lol. It is not "enjoyable" in the least.

 

I go to a gas station car wash but ONLY to a 'soft-cloth wash' or wash it myself. Never to a gas station with a wash that uses any hard bristles, or even the self-serve washes you do yourself b/c all around here they have hard bristles on the brushes. I only use/get done a wash that uses soft cloths. The 'touchless' washes are a way to go but I find them a waste of money unless you have ALOT of dirt on your car. As for the antenna, I unscrew it everytime I go into a gas station wash.

 

Do you think its enjoyable for your car to be scratched in the car wash? 40 degrees, big deal
don't like cold weather, move south.

 

why did you buy a new car then? why not drive an old piece of sh*t if you don't care what your car looks like


I agree with you there but down the road we'll see who's car looks better and which car people will stop and look at

 

So... all you people who are against Auto Car washes.... what makes you think hand-washing is not also scratching your car? You have all the same ingredients... pressure, friction, and grit (the dirt that you are trying to get rid of). You're pushing that grit around your car with your sponge or whatever...but the 'touchfree' car washes do not do that .

 

I think of it like this.. The cleaner my car is, the nicer it looks. The nicer it looks the more compliments I get. I mean its all about people judging cars by how they look. I am one of those people that 5 minutes after its been raining I'm out with my chamois drying my car off. Its all a matter of opinion on how people want their cars to look. And although my protege (now my mom's) may not be a collector car who's to say that my SVT Focus won't? I'm not saying its rare but there's not a whole bunch of any color let alone my blue around here.

 

you have to realize that spraying a car with water will not clean it.
the dirt gets into the paint and spraying it will not remove it. just spray your ar cat home with water when you can see dirt on it and then run your finger through it. guess what? its ALL there still on the car. you have to constantly remove contaminants so they don't eat their way through the car. simple stuff. in any case i think if the person trully loves their car, they will invest the time and sweat to wash it by hand.

 

That's all you need to know.

 

yeah but some people just don't have time to wash there cars all the time. me personaly every time i wash my car i wax it too. but like in the winter it's not easy to wash your car. there are car washes that are done buy hands. you basicly pull in. get into the track and they take wool wash cloths and wash your whole car by hand. (there are two of the one for each side). then the track pulls you along and you go threw a water spray. then you go under a BIG *** blow drier that gets most of the water of you car. then you pull up and 5 guys attack your car and dry it.

This car wash sux if you have rims!!! on my MP3 it pulls little scraches in it due to the rolating brush that cleans the wheel. haven't brought it back there! but for stock cars it's awsome. always brought my ledgen there to get cleaned!

 

There is no need to flame an individual for asking a question

cbuschel if you feel the need to run your car through the car wash unscrew the antenna. Screw the antenna back on after you are done. Just remember that your vehicle may not be fully clean when you go through the car wash, so some touch up work may need to be done. Just remember to wax the car often to put back that protective coat.

Also chill out guys...this is only a question.