As a neurodivergent person who can get overwhelmed and intimidated by things I don't fully know how to do before going to do them, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate this video man. I'm used to automatic washes or washing at home, and have been wanting to check one of these out but was intimidated by the whole system. Thank you so much man! Now I know what I'm getting into :)
@@russellpeffer7736 isnt it weird how we as humans will avoid something that feels uncomfortable, but in order to get comfortable you have to be uncomfortable for some time lol. probably isnt weird, but more or less maybe a sign to go and do uncomfortable things every now and then, such as eating out alone.
The main reason I go to wash booths is the spot-free rinse. Our water here tends to leave a yellowish residue. Our local stalls do not have as many functions but what you presented has helped me when I use this kind of self-service in the future. Good information, thank you.
Don't rinse car always pre soak first.thag is your partial rinse. Just rinsing with high pressure has potention to create more scratches. Do some research.
I've always used the automatic car wash, but decided that on Tuesday I'm going to use the hand wash for the first time and found this video as a way to figure out everything about it haha.
Winter in Massachusetts creates a mess of dirt & salt on a vehicle. In good weather I put a good layer of wax protection so I use the car wash rinse only. I put $3 bucks in quarters and run around the car to rinse off the crud. Good enough for me.
I don’t worry too much about my car. But I haven’t been a good place mentally, and just like my room (which I have gotten around to cleaning) it’s starting to reflect as in my car is covered in trash, dirt, stains, inside and out. The self serve car wash has always been intimidating, but I’m budgeting, and this place down the street from me is cheap. After watching this video, I have a better understanding of how all the notches and whatnot work, so I feel less intimidated and actually look forward to washing my poor baby today.
I knew this car wash looked familiar! I use to travel to Utah A LOT, and when I'd get there, I'd wash my truck at this car wash, and I love it! I'll have to stop by again next time I'm there. 👍🏻
Cool truck- takes me back to when I was in college. Mine was a 1989, standard with a V-8, same rims and everything. A friend had the stepside with a six banger. 🙄 (but he had an Alpine CD player so he was high tech compared to our cassette tapes) 😁
I really enjoy your carwash videos! Definitely second the idea on adding triple foam. If you've mastered getting your tire foam to look that good, you can have some excellent triple foam with some vivid colors. I'm good friends with a SS carwash owner and he says since adding triple foam he's seen a really good boost in revenue, mainly because people just love seeing all of the colors on the car. Most triple foam doesn't do anything, but if its visually appealing I love using it. Many carwash operators don't upkeep their triple foam so its runny but you look like you have that tire foam dialed in very well. Can't wait to see a video on it!
About one third of my washing process is at the end doing nothing but spot-free rinse. No matter how much work you put into the washing, it won't matter if a short rinse leaves spots...
@@therevestor So the goal isn't to be that guy that peels out of there bragging about how he has his total wash time down to 3 min $3, and everybody else is doing it wrong? Funny how that guy always has the girl under his arm who also has taken a few short cuts, that 70's glow is timeless, said none ever
I wash my car once a year and I always do it at these self service places. Of course, I use the brush and you can see every scratch on my car. It takes one day for the dust to settle on my car and then I think it looks amazing.. well at least comparing to before. It takes me about three hours because I basically detail my car. I would do it at home and take better care of the exterior but it's not allowed where I live so I'll settle with this. Just washed my car today and it feels amazing.
Same brush that goes on wheels and tires goes on paint? No. Never use the brush at the diy car washes on your paint. All it takes is one dirty truck to use it and it'll kill your paint after you use it.
Good video I pretty much follow the same procedure except don’t use the brush. I just use the car wash as quick maintenance wash’s and then do proper wash at home.
None of my local washes are this nice, but some are pricey at 30 seconds per 25¢. I too start with pre-soak every time. I also soak a clean wash mitt with pre-soak from the mat clips later at night (against the rules). That first, then power rinse the broken up material. Then I either go to power soap or foam brush. (Unless I’m dealing with heavy grime / films especially in winter, I skip the foam brush altogether, and only use it to apply the foam and NOT scrub). Once the car is covered in a film of soap OR foam I shut off the machine and spend 5-10 minutes lightly agitating the entire car with a mitt top to bottom before restarting the machine to only power rinse and then spot-free rinse. For the last 30 seconds I will power rinse the ground debris into the gutters and rinse the foam brush (courtesy to other customers and the operator!). Lightly hand/towel dry in the drying area afterward before heading home. Another tip is if you have big inner door bottom flanges on a truck or SUV you can open your doors and wash those off real quick with the power rinse in “pilot” mode (no trigger) while there is excess soap still on them.
Sorry for the length, but I have a gloss black car, which takes a lot of TLC during washes, so I thought I would leave my thoughts since black vehicles require extra care. I have always heard to skip the brush, especially on new black cars with gloss paint, because brushes produce micro marring and scratches. I prefer a contactless wash, but if I have to scrub, instead of agitating with a brush, I use a good quality microfiber towel used with a Swiffer sort of extendable plastic mop (this is also good on bathroom floors used with IPA). Swiffers also make it easier for short people to wash the roof. Washable, reusable microfiber cloths covered with soap, IPA, hydrogen peroxide, or bleach also make it unnecessary to buy new Swiffer refills when used to wash a car or clean a home's floors. I like the Mr. Clean ones for every day car and floor washing. I wash my car every week to 4 weeks (2020 Toyota Corolla XLE, #209 black sand pearl/mica paint), and as a daily driver it only gets a light amount of dirt on it driving about 9,000 miles a year--nothing like a truck. Still, I would never wash a black vehicle with a brush when a microfiber can do the job more gently. Avoiding brushes is why I avoid automatic car washes in the first place. We have automated brushless ones here but they are few because they are so expensive to build. I prefer paste or liquid natural carnauba waxes on black paint, but I often use the car wash wax if I feel the car needs a quick maintenance touch up on the wax between majoring waxings. Spray waxes from a bottle can be a little expensive for the limited protection you get from them. Cleaner waxes are okay for maintenance waxes but I prefer using them sparingly. They're more and more common now in stores though because they save time. But their added chemicals can be rough on paint and clear coat. I never knew that the car wash hot wax was a sort of clear coat and should be applied on a wet car. I thought the wax was like a spray wax that would not bond to the paint if the wax was applied to a wet car, since most spray waxes go on dry paint and then are wiped off. Good to know. In my experience, large drying towels, even high quality ones like from The Rag Company, often leave lint. I like using small to medium sized dry microfibers that are designed to get rid of smudges and fingerprints on paint and glass, even fine glass finishing microfibers, or a waffle weave cloth for really wet cars. These weaves seem to leave less debris behind. These smaller microfibers don't soak up water like the big towels, but they don't leave lint, either, and to be honest the huge towels are best used just on the hood and roof of a sedan. If used on the doors, they often drag the ground and contaminate the paint surface with dirt. I may go through more microfibers attaching them to the Swiffer to dry off the car, but I don't have to go back to make a second pass to remove lint, either. Again, the Swiffer makes it easier to dry the roof of small vehicles. I have some small electric air blowers to dry cars, but they often require so much time to push the droplets off the car that it is just faster to use microfibers. Air drying only works with really high pressure systems, I find. Since I lack a garage or covered driveway and my water at home is quite hard, I often wash, decon, clay, and wax in the shade of a self-serve wash bay with distilled water. Or I buy distilled water and use pump sprayers at home to wash since I lack a spigot hookup close to my driveway. For waxing, I find the little 20 volt DA/orbital polishers work well if no major paint correction is involved, and they lack a cord, making them easier to use. They also use reusable bonnets of various materials (foam, microfiber, wool, terrycloth) that can be reused. When doing a thorough detailing in the shade of a bay at a self-service wash, I make sure to buy gas or something else from the station to compensate them for the extra time I'm in the bay. The wash process takes me about 15 minutes, but going from wash, to decon, to clay, to compound, to polish, to wax on a single car takes hours. To not be a jerk to the car wash owners, I often only do a complete process on a major part like the hood, or on a few smaller quarter panels. I do this on the weekends early and late when there isn't a line to use all the bays. I return every week until the car is finished. So doing a whole car very thoroughly (wash/decon/clay/compound/polish/wax) can take me about a month. Washing the car repeatedly when I wax new sections recleans the parts I have already waxed, so even if the entire car is not waxed at exactly the same time, it's hard to tell the difference. The wax all fails at about the same time. I try to do a wax every 3 months with just a wash and a diluted 70/30 IPA wipedown if that, or sometimes I apply the new wax without a wipe down if it looks like the old wax is gone with the passage of time because the water is no longer beading. Usually the hood, roof, and trunk require wax every three months. The sides and back can go six months since they get less direct sunlight. The front grille often needs more attention because of bug splatter and rock chips. I only do decon/clay/compound/polish when absolutely needed since these remove a bit of clear coat and I try to keep a car for 20+ years under the hot Arkansas sun. I've only gone through this whole decon/clay/compound/polish process once in the five years I have owned the car, and even then only on the parts that needed it. Thanks for this video. I'll try the wax trick to help speed up drying. I always avoided it because when I would see the wax bead on the water I would think, "It isn't bonding to the paint." I thought I was supposed to apply the liquid wax to dry paint, then wash or buff it off. I'm not a big fan of bottled spray waxes/detailers anyway and would rather use the car wash's wax. The spray waxes don't last a long time, and for all the expense of buying them, you can just do a quick wash and accomplish the same thing for less money. Waterless washes I like a little better, as they are like detailers but work a bit better on paint defects. I keep bug/tar removers and a microfiber in the car in case of bird droppings on black paint on a hot day, but those tend to leave an oily protective film that I don't like, so I try to wash them off as soon as possible. I will also say if one uses a strong car soap like Purple Power, it seems to be hard on glossy black paint. Water will lie very flat on the clear after Purple Power is used. Sometimes if I'm just removing a light layer of road film, I only use the presoak (without even a pre-rinse since the soak has water in it and is going to encapsulate the dirt and wash it away anyway). It all seems to work fairly well. My only complaint might be wheel cleaning. A lot of decon iron removing products can't be used on many types of wheels without damaging them. You can get a brush into some wheels, but the best approach is just to remove the wheel and then scrub off the brake dust. That process, as well as putting the car on jack stands to wash underneath, is a big pain. I'm not sure if we have an automated wash here that only does the underside, but I'll keep an eye out for one. Thanks again for your video.
Again a great video. Most of the self serve carwash in the US look verry simple / Cheap compared to here in the Netherlands Here is common to have : PLC control for the complete system LCD screens with buttons(No rotary switch) Vacuum transport for coins to a central vault. Pumps with VFD control Direct soap injection ( no hydrominers ) Washing pressure 1400 psi ( Some even 2000 psi with a special high pressure rinse program ) Also products are all transported with water instead of compressed air. How do they get the low pressure for the pre soak ? ( Pump is only 1 speed ) Is there like a restriction valve or something.
Yup what Brian said its a seperate pump although my Pre-Soak is not a Flo-Jet its a different electric pump that runs constantly circulating warm presoak through the attic trough and keeping everything unthawed. All the houses are insulated as well. When Presoak is selected on the dial a solenoid in the trough directly above the bay opens for the pre-soak to flow out. Alot of Car Washes here in the states were built in the 70's and 80's and if maintained somewhat could still be running the very same equipment. What was surprising to me when I got into the industry is that there has been very little technolgical upgrades in the timers at the meter box. Dixmor timers are the staple with the simple red letter screens. It seems like a touch LCD screen should be the latest technology but there is no established vendor in that space.
I used to use self service car washes... Back in the 90s and 2000s.. The time was usually a quarter for 5 minutes or so, or maybe even a quarter for 2 minutes. It was cost effective and I could usually it just had high pressure water, or high pressure soap. Now they all have a scheme where you pay $5 for the first minute or something nonsense and then $1 a minute after. There are too many settings and some of them are just a waste of time. Makes it hard to justify it. I used to go not to just clean my car, but enjoy the process and to have something fun to go and do. Now I just do it at home.
Thanks for this! I always skipped the pre wash, because it seemed like a rip off with that boring low-pressure and it’s not a much fun, didn’t realize what it was!
Thanks for your sharing. The video is comprehensive for people who have just owned a car. May I suggest that you could make another video about car floor mats wash. (especially the dirty mats after beach time.)
A couple of things to add, The thicker the foam the more customers like it but it is all done with air and air doesn't clean very well a wetter product will penetrate and clean better, Wash from bottom to top and rinse from top to bottom to avoid dirt streaks. Low pH and high pH in a self serve is a tough thing to get right, I have thought about what it would take to do a true low pH / High pH set up and realize the educating the customers would be very difficult. In an in bay automatic I can get them to work well because I can control the parameters but you lose that in a hand wand. I worked at a company that produced extremely strong two step chemicals and required us to wash our work vans everyday and after3 years they still almost looked new. Btw high ph is good for bugs, oils and dirt, low ph is good for glass and, chrome and aluminum. You can get clear coat conditioner or clear coat polish, conditioner is a mild soap and polish is a wax. The polish will cost about two to three times what the conditioner cost but if you market it properly you can sell it that way, also ceramic infused waxes are starting to come online with most chhemical suppliers and that would be a very good option to install.
Ive got barely any good self serve car wash around here but one is pretty good, the owner just got a new system for 150K 1 1/2 years ago installed. He uses UV activated chemicals and also has Blacklights inside his boxes at night plus the foam is fluorescent as well. He got a prewash (High pressure) Power Foam with 3 colors alternating (First one in entire germany when it opened, strong dirt remover, booster and insect remover, sky blue, mint green and violet now) of course a rinse option, foam brush (PE brushes but pretty clean usually altho ive noticed today or some other time there must have been something in the brush that scratched my paint but on my car i dont really care anymore plus when i started using self serves i didnt know things like brush covers exist which i can only recommend anyone to use and or sell if youre an owner) the shampoo has some additives added to it which acts as a protection layer to the paint as well as builds a gliding foam under the brush, Hot and cold wax option with added foam killer so u can literally skip the rinse option if you want and obviously a spot free rinse option as well. The owner is very helpful when hes there and ive been talking with him quite some times already, he also got brush covers that you can borrow as well as tire cleaner and brushes. Hes working on replacing the vacuums for 33K as well as the coin changer for about 3K whenever he gets around to do it. He also wants to make the shampoo and foam brush colored and fluorescent too soon. He also got a floormat cleaning machine as well as brand new mat knockers. he also put up a pedestal on his free unroofed washing box for higher vehicles. He also plans on installing a vending machine. Under the week its open 24/7 from 8AM Mondays to 10 PM fridays and then 9AM to 10 PM on saturdays.
@@therevestor Germany is very strict on water protection barely anywhere ur allowed to wash ur car at home and if so only with water, ur not allowed to let anything flow into the ground or grass, fields u name it that could damage the ground water or foliage, 50K and even higher if someone reports you...... That self-serve wash is the main one i go to for weeks now. I was there yesterday the owner wasnt there, but hey he works all week in the paintshop next door and operates the self-serve as well he cant be there all day especially not on saturdays. And yeah i know self-serves with LCD Touch screens but these are rare to be seen usually its just buttons with monochrome displays also over here, but hey its robust and works well. Very modern self-serves over here work with foam wax, low pressure foam guns, Solar panels, concentrate recovery systems even sometimes. WashTec has a combi gun where you can use the high pressure gun also as foam gun. I know of self-serves offering underbody wash, some have cutouts in the drains so you can push a bike in it and wash it without falling over. This is the self-serve i was talking about in the first post: goo.gl/maps/BKFSAuxF3XbF7Xnb7 www.tiktok.com/@sbwaschanlage_olpe_wb Its crazy that all that tech fits inside a like 2,5 by 2 meters room and theres still space for shelves and storage....... BTW as i scratched my car with that brush, and i guess ur customers will too i bet, put up a sign that the brush use in on their own risk and that they should pressure wash it before using at least or even better start offering brush covers somehow. My recommendation would be generation 2 of the brush cover of Chemicalworks if you can get it in the US. Also noone can get after u legally if that sign is there as well u can just refer to it and noone can do you anything. Also rim brushes as well, tire cleaner only doesnt get rid of all the brake dust and without u cant get into the barrell of the rims. Ive also seen self serves with so called tornador guns for interior cleaning as well as automatic floormat cleaning machines too :)
that was very interesting what you said about presoak and foam pH, because in my mind good sequence would be to start off with presoak to soften all the dirt, then do pressure rinse, then soap/foam wash and rinse. so with that pH negating each other there's an argument for them to be in sequence like you mentioned I think
When you put it in stop, does the timer stop so you can wipe down the car then choose another option after without paying again, or is it that when you put it on stop, it will stop the whole session and you have to swipe your card again?
Wish we had a good car wash like yours in town. Naples Florida and we have one self serve. One! And it’s run like shit. I like doing my own vehicle. All we have are drive through quickies washes with homeless guys at the end with towels working for tips. If someone opens a nice good run wash here in Naples they’d make a bloody fortune
I assume I don't have to rinse off after each step. Like, between step 5 (pre-soak) and step 6 (soap) and step 6 and step 7 (foam brush). Or am I wrong?
Nice video. Learned a lot it explains a lot. I never use the brush head. One error I noticed was you used the foam brush on wheels and tires then put it back on the paint. That’s a big no no if your care about your paint. Brake dust on the wheels tires even small amount will swirl and haze your paint like crazy especially on dark colors. I would do the whole paint first then wheels tires last. And always start from top (least dirty ) to the bottom (most dirty)
You go through every single option on the dial (while the timer is running) you'll end up spending at least $50 bucks. I just do water spray > soap brush > rinse, and those three stops, very quickly deduct $10 bucks from my credit card...and I rush through it, so it could get really expensive. Don't do unnecessary options if you're just looking for a wash. As a "business owner", he'll suggest you go through all the stops.
But how many minutes do you get per $2.50? Seems like they use $2.50 per use at the ones I have seen, but I do not know how many minutes they give you.
1:04 you said counterclockwise, which is to the left when you were clearly turning the meter switch to in a clockwise which turns right other than that really great informative video
it was painful to watch you use the foam brush, but what made it worse was seeing you scrub the paint, then the tires, then right back to paint. Picking up all that dirt and grime from the dirtiest part of your car and brushing it into your paint, guaranteed way to scratch your paint.
my local SS bay looks the same. i use the lower pressure spot free to pre soak and rinse my ceramic coated car.i bring my own bucket and ph neutral soap. NEVER USE THAT BRUSH ! THAT BRUSH WILL SCRATCH THE F OUT OF YOUR PAINT, GUARANTEED..
$12 wash right there. For $27 I can get all of that while firing up my pipe lounging on a conveyor belt and that's as many times as I want monthly and includes the air blower thing and super high powered vacuums
@@Conner.Suzuki Yup. I was 'on the conveyor belt' two weeks ago and the belt stopped right when the huge brushes were in contact with the car. Chipped the shit out of my doors!
@@Wigglythegreat2these are good for when your car is lightly dirty and you can just quick wash it down but when it’s really dirty always wash at home with a wash cloth
The self serve I use looks like a complete shit hole compared to yours! I found out the hard way that the numbered sequence isn't just a suggestion. It's the best way to get a good wash. Thanks!
@@ShonTolliverMusic You'll never truly get all the grit out of that brush. If don't you want to ruin your clear coat and make micro scratches don't use the brush on painted portions at all!
I never use that brush, used it on my brand new car and scratched the fuck out of it. Too many hicks in my town use it to scrap the mud off their shit boxes.
The mfer self serve car wash near me, 4 minutes. What the f can be done in 4 minutes? And I got to keep dipping coins to keep the wash going. I’d as well use auto-wash if I’m spending that much
- Do not use credit cards at car wash. Coins almost always have better deals. - Do not go with the one that counts up. Its usually more expensive. - Do not use foam brush on car. - Definitely do not use foam brush on tires and then back on the body without washing it. Unless you love scratches. - idk why your bug remover looks like wax - Take break after soap to wash car with a mitt so you’re not spending unnecessary. Prob more but i didnt see full video
@@therevestor That’s ok, clock”faces” disappeared a generation before yours! I do like your content and would love to speak to you one day. Keep up the good work.
Great. And if you live somewhere cold where you have to shut off your hose spigots in winter you still need somewhere to wash your car. Plus all the setup and cleanup time you spend skiing it at home. Self serve car wash is actually one of the few remaining bargains to be had. 4 or 5 bucks for a solid car wash year round in 5 minutes or so.
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As a neurodivergent person who can get overwhelmed and intimidated by things I don't fully know how to do before going to do them, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate this video man. I'm used to automatic washes or washing at home, and have been wanting to check one of these out but was intimidated by the whole system. Thank you so much man! Now I know what I'm getting into :)
❤
I feel the same way. This video has minimized my anxiety tremendously!🙌🏽😁🥰
Never knew there was a name for this exact issue because I have this aswell with almost everything I do that’s new. I’m not alone lol
I avoided Subway for years cause I didn't know how to properly order it
@@russellpeffer7736 isnt it weird how we as humans will avoid something that feels uncomfortable, but in order to get comfortable you have to be uncomfortable for some time lol.
probably isnt weird, but more or less maybe a sign to go and do uncomfortable things every now and then, such as eating out alone.
The main reason I go to wash booths is the spot-free rinse. Our water here tends to leave a yellowish residue. Our local stalls do not have as many functions but what you presented has helped me when I use this kind of self-service in the future.
Good information, thank you.
DI filters are pretty affordable these days
1. Rinse Car, foam brush, and bucket
2. Tire cleaner / bug off degreaser
3. Pre-soak dirt buster
4. High pressure soap
5. Foam brush
6. Rinse
7. Clear coat / hot wax
8. Spot free rinse
THANK YOU!!!
Don't rinse car always pre soak first.thag is your partial rinse. Just rinsing with high pressure has potention to create more scratches. Do some research.
I've always used the automatic car wash, but decided that on Tuesday I'm going to use the hand wash for the first time and found this video as a way to figure out everything about it haha.
Same😂 i plan to go tomorrow lol
I think this guy owns the car wash.
I could really go for a pumpkin pie right now!
🎃 🥧 🤤
Fellow Car wash operator here- You did a great job!
Except where he went with the brush from the tires back up to the paint. Big no no.
Winter in Massachusetts creates a mess of dirt & salt on a vehicle. In good weather I put a good layer of wax protection so I use the car wash rinse only. I put $3 bucks in quarters and run around the car to rinse off the crud. Good enough for me.
I don’t worry too much about my car. But I haven’t been a good place mentally, and just like my room (which I have gotten around to cleaning) it’s starting to reflect as in my car is covered in trash, dirt, stains, inside and out.
The self serve car wash has always been intimidating, but I’m budgeting, and this place down the street from me is cheap.
After watching this video, I have a better understanding of how all the notches and whatnot work, so I feel less intimidated and actually look forward to washing my poor baby today.
I knew this car wash looked familiar! I use to travel to Utah A LOT, and when I'd get there, I'd wash my truck at this car wash, and I love it! I'll have to stop by again next time I'm there. 👍🏻
Thats crazy small world. We are very close to the Bingham Copper Mine. I see your in coal mining.
Cool truck- takes me back to when I was in college. Mine was a 1989, standard with a V-8, same rims and everything. A friend had the stepside with a six banger. 🙄 (but he had an Alpine CD player so he was high tech compared to our cassette tapes) 😁
I really enjoy your carwash videos! Definitely second the idea on adding triple foam. If you've mastered getting your tire foam to look that good, you can have some excellent triple foam with some vivid colors. I'm good friends with a SS carwash owner and he says since adding triple foam he's seen a really good boost in revenue, mainly because people just love seeing all of the colors on the car. Most triple foam doesn't do anything, but if its visually appealing I love using it. Many carwash operators don't upkeep their triple foam so its runny but you look like you have that tire foam dialed in very well. Can't wait to see a video on it!
I got my Triple Foam installed and posted the video. Let me know what you think!
About one third of my washing process is at the end doing nothing but spot-free rinse. No matter how much work you put into the washing, it won't matter if a short rinse leaves spots...
You make a good point I spend a significant time towel drying but I didnt want to drag the video out that long.
@@therevestor So the goal isn't to be that guy that peels out of there bragging about how he has his total wash time down to 3 min $3, and everybody else is doing it wrong? Funny how that guy always has the girl under his arm who also has taken a few short cuts, that 70's glow is timeless, said none ever
Crazy helpful! Thanks so much for the video!
I wash my car once a year and I always do it at these self service places. Of course, I use the brush and you can see every scratch on my car. It takes one day for the dust to settle on my car and then I think it looks amazing.. well at least comparing to before. It takes me about three hours because I basically detail my car. I would do it at home and take better care of the exterior but it's not allowed where I live so I'll settle with this. Just washed my car today and it feels amazing.
Same brush that goes on wheels and tires goes on paint? No. Never use the brush at the diy car washes on your paint. All it takes is one dirty truck to use it and it'll kill your paint after you use it.
Good job, Buddy! Thanks for sharing!😍
You actually maintain the soap room unlike many of the run down self service places lol
Good video I pretty much follow the same procedure except don’t use the brush. I just use the car wash as quick maintenance wash’s and then do proper wash at home.
None of my local washes are this nice, but some are pricey at 30 seconds per 25¢. I too start with pre-soak every time. I also soak a clean wash mitt with pre-soak from the mat clips later at night (against the rules). That first, then power rinse the broken up material. Then I either go to power soap or foam brush. (Unless I’m dealing with heavy grime / films especially in winter, I skip the foam brush altogether, and only use it to apply the foam and NOT scrub). Once the car is covered in a film of soap OR foam I shut off the machine and spend 5-10 minutes lightly agitating the entire car with a mitt top to bottom before restarting the machine to only power rinse and then spot-free rinse. For the last 30 seconds I will power rinse the ground debris into the gutters and rinse the foam brush (courtesy to other customers and the operator!). Lightly hand/towel dry in the drying area afterward before heading home. Another tip is if you have big inner door bottom flanges on a truck or SUV you can open your doors and wash those off real quick with the power rinse in “pilot” mode (no trigger) while there is excess soap still on them.
Sorry for the length, but I have a gloss black car, which takes a lot of TLC during washes, so I thought I would leave my thoughts since black vehicles require extra care.
I have always heard to skip the brush, especially on new black cars with gloss paint, because brushes produce micro marring and scratches.
I prefer a contactless wash, but if I have to scrub, instead of agitating with a brush, I use a good quality microfiber towel used with a Swiffer sort of extendable plastic mop (this is also good on bathroom floors used with IPA). Swiffers also make it easier for short people to wash the roof. Washable, reusable microfiber cloths covered with soap, IPA, hydrogen peroxide, or bleach also make it unnecessary to buy new Swiffer refills when used to wash a car or clean a home's floors. I like the Mr. Clean ones for every day car and floor washing.
I wash my car every week to 4 weeks (2020 Toyota Corolla XLE, #209 black sand pearl/mica paint), and as a daily driver it only gets a light amount of dirt on it driving about 9,000 miles a year--nothing like a truck.
Still, I would never wash a black vehicle with a brush when a microfiber can do the job more gently. Avoiding brushes is why I avoid automatic car washes in the first place. We have automated brushless ones here but they are few because they are so expensive to build.
I prefer paste or liquid natural carnauba waxes on black paint, but I often use the car wash wax if I feel the car needs a quick maintenance touch up on the wax between majoring waxings. Spray waxes from a bottle can be a little expensive for the limited protection you get from them.
Cleaner waxes are okay for maintenance waxes but I prefer using them sparingly. They're more and more common now in stores though because they save time. But their added chemicals can be rough on paint and clear coat.
I never knew that the car wash hot wax was a sort of clear coat and should be applied on a wet car. I thought the wax was like a spray wax that would not bond to the paint if the wax was applied to a wet car, since most spray waxes go on dry paint and then are wiped off. Good to know.
In my experience, large drying towels, even high quality ones like from The Rag Company, often leave lint. I like using small to medium sized dry microfibers that are designed to get rid of smudges and fingerprints on paint and glass, even fine glass finishing microfibers, or a waffle weave cloth for really wet cars. These weaves seem to leave less debris behind.
These smaller microfibers don't soak up water like the big towels, but they don't leave lint, either, and to be honest the huge towels are best used just on the hood and roof of a sedan. If used on the doors, they often drag the ground and contaminate the paint surface with dirt.
I may go through more microfibers attaching them to the Swiffer to dry off the car, but I don't have to go back to make a second pass to remove lint, either. Again, the Swiffer makes it easier to dry the roof of small vehicles.
I have some small electric air blowers to dry cars, but they often require so much time to push the droplets off the car that it is just faster to use microfibers. Air drying only works with really high pressure systems, I find.
Since I lack a garage or covered driveway and my water at home is quite hard, I often wash, decon, clay, and wax in the shade of a self-serve wash bay with distilled water. Or I buy distilled water and use pump sprayers at home to wash since I lack a spigot hookup close to my driveway.
For waxing, I find the little 20 volt DA/orbital polishers work well if no major paint correction is involved, and they lack a cord, making them easier to use. They also use reusable bonnets of various materials (foam, microfiber, wool, terrycloth) that can be reused.
When doing a thorough detailing in the shade of a bay at a self-service wash, I make sure to buy gas or something else from the station to compensate them for the extra time I'm in the bay. The wash process takes me about 15 minutes, but going from wash, to decon, to clay, to compound, to polish, to wax on a single car takes hours.
To not be a jerk to the car wash owners, I often only do a complete process on a major part like the hood, or on a few smaller quarter panels. I do this on the weekends early and late when there isn't a line to use all the bays. I return every week until the car is finished. So doing a whole car very thoroughly (wash/decon/clay/compound/polish/wax) can take me about a month.
Washing the car repeatedly when I wax new sections recleans the parts I have already waxed, so even if the entire car is not waxed at exactly the same time, it's hard to tell the difference. The wax all fails at about the same time.
I try to do a wax every 3 months with just a wash and a diluted 70/30 IPA wipedown if that, or sometimes I apply the new wax without a wipe down if it looks like the old wax is gone with the passage of time because the water is no longer beading. Usually the hood, roof, and trunk require wax every three months. The sides and back can go six months since they get less direct sunlight. The front grille often needs more attention because of bug splatter and rock chips.
I only do decon/clay/compound/polish when absolutely needed since these remove a bit of clear coat and I try to keep a car for 20+ years under the hot Arkansas sun. I've only gone through this whole decon/clay/compound/polish process once in the five years I have owned the car, and even then only on the parts that needed it.
Thanks for this video. I'll try the wax trick to help speed up drying. I always avoided it because when I would see the wax bead on the water I would think, "It isn't bonding to the paint." I thought I was supposed to apply the liquid wax to dry paint, then wash or buff it off.
I'm not a big fan of bottled spray waxes/detailers anyway and would rather use the car wash's wax. The spray waxes don't last a long time, and for all the expense of buying them, you can just do a quick wash and accomplish the same thing for less money.
Waterless washes I like a little better, as they are like detailers but work a bit better on paint defects. I keep bug/tar removers and a microfiber in the car in case of bird droppings on black paint on a hot day, but those tend to leave an oily protective film that I don't like, so I try to wash them off as soon as possible.
I will also say if one uses a strong car soap like Purple Power, it seems to be hard on glossy black paint. Water will lie very flat on the clear after Purple Power is used. Sometimes if I'm just removing a light layer of road film, I only use the presoak (without even a pre-rinse since the soak has water in it and is going to encapsulate the dirt and wash it away anyway).
It all seems to work fairly well. My only complaint might be wheel cleaning. A lot of decon iron removing products can't be used on many types of wheels without damaging them. You can get a brush into some wheels, but the best approach is just to remove the wheel and then scrub off the brake dust.
That process, as well as putting the car on jack stands to wash underneath, is a big pain. I'm not sure if we have an automated wash here that only does the underside, but I'll keep an eye out for one.
Thanks again for your video.
Nice
Will the time ticks even though the trigger is released?
Bring your own washing sponge 🧽
What's the end cost here $15
Here in Canada to follow your suggestion will cost be $28 cdn .
Again a great video.
Most of the self serve carwash in the US look verry simple / Cheap compared to here in the Netherlands
Here is common to have :
PLC control for the complete system
LCD screens with buttons(No rotary switch)
Vacuum transport for coins to a central vault.
Pumps with VFD control
Direct soap injection ( no hydrominers )
Washing pressure 1400 psi
( Some even 2000 psi with a special high pressure rinse program )
Also products are all transported with water instead of compressed air.
How do they get the low pressure for the pre soak ? ( Pump is only 1 speed )
Is there like a restriction valve or something.
No , it's called a flojet pump, it's a separate low pressure pump, some operate via electric, and some operate via air
Yup what Brian said its a seperate pump although my Pre-Soak is not a Flo-Jet its a different electric pump that runs constantly circulating warm presoak through the attic trough and keeping everything unthawed. All the houses are insulated as well. When Presoak is selected on the dial a solenoid in the trough directly above the bay opens for the pre-soak to flow out.
Alot of Car Washes here in the states were built in the 70's and 80's and if maintained somewhat could still be running the very same equipment. What was surprising to me when I got into the industry is that there has been very little technolgical upgrades in the timers at the meter box. Dixmor timers are the staple with the simple red letter screens. It seems like a touch LCD screen should be the latest technology but there is no established vendor in that space.
I used to use self service car washes... Back in the 90s and 2000s.. The time was usually a quarter for 5 minutes or so, or maybe even a quarter for 2 minutes. It was cost effective and I could usually it just had high pressure water, or high pressure soap. Now they all have a scheme where you pay $5 for the first minute or something nonsense and then $1 a minute after. There are too many settings and some of them are just a waste of time. Makes it hard to justify it. I used to go not to just clean my car, but enjoy the process and to have something fun to go and do. Now I just do it at home.
What chemicals do you recommend a new owner look at
Thanks for this! I always skipped the pre wash, because it seemed like a rip off with that boring low-pressure and it’s not a much fun, didn’t realize what it was!
Damn he really used the sand paper pole
is washing it down not enough? Or are the bristles themselves pretty abrasive?
@@AnzelLmaothis guy showed that some places have nylon brushes which are abrasive but his is a diff material i believe he said
Thanks for your sharing. The video is comprehensive for people who have just owned a car. May I suggest that you could make another video about car floor mats wash. (especially the dirty mats after beach time.)
A couple of things to add, The thicker the foam the more customers like it but it is all done with air and air doesn't clean very well a wetter product will penetrate and clean better, Wash from bottom to top and rinse from top to bottom to avoid dirt streaks. Low pH and high pH in a self serve is a tough thing to get right, I have thought about what it would take to do a true low pH / High pH set up and realize the educating the customers would be very difficult. In an in bay automatic I can get them to work well because I can control the parameters but you lose that in a hand wand. I worked at a company that produced extremely strong two step chemicals and required us to wash our work vans everyday and after3 years they still almost looked new. Btw high ph is good for bugs, oils and dirt, low ph is good for glass and, chrome and aluminum. You can get clear coat conditioner or clear coat polish, conditioner is a mild soap and polish is a wax. The polish will cost about two to three times what the conditioner cost but if you market it properly you can sell it that way, also ceramic infused waxes are starting to come online with most chhemical suppliers and that would be a very good option to install.
Ive got barely any good self serve car wash around here but one is pretty good, the owner just got a new system for 150K 1 1/2 years ago installed. He uses UV activated chemicals and also has Blacklights inside his boxes at night plus the foam is fluorescent as well.
He got a prewash (High pressure) Power Foam with 3 colors alternating (First one in entire germany when it opened, strong dirt remover, booster and insect remover, sky blue, mint green and violet now) of course a rinse option, foam brush (PE brushes but pretty clean usually altho ive noticed today or some other time there must have been something in the brush that scratched my paint but on my car i dont really care anymore plus when i started using self serves i didnt know things like brush covers exist which i can only recommend anyone to use and or sell if youre an owner) the shampoo has some additives added to it which acts as a protection layer to the paint as well as builds a gliding foam under the brush, Hot and cold wax option with added foam killer so u can literally skip the rinse option if you want and obviously a spot free rinse option as well.
The owner is very helpful when hes there and ive been talking with him quite some times already, he also got brush covers that you can borrow as well as tire cleaner and brushes.
Hes working on replacing the vacuums for 33K as well as the coin changer for about 3K whenever he gets around to do it. He also wants to make the shampoo and foam brush colored and fluorescent too soon.
He also got a floormat cleaning machine as well as brand new mat knockers. he also put up a pedestal on his free unroofed washing box for higher vehicles. He also plans on installing a vending machine.
Under the week its open 24/7 from 8AM Mondays to 10 PM fridays and then 9AM to 10 PM on saturdays.
Thats incredible. Some day I would like to visit more car washes in foreign countries and see the different setups.
@@therevestor Germany is very strict on water protection barely anywhere ur allowed to wash ur car at home and if so only with water, ur not allowed to let anything flow into the ground or grass, fields u name it that could damage the ground water or foliage, 50K and even higher if someone reports you......
That self-serve wash is the main one i go to for weeks now. I was there yesterday the owner wasnt there, but hey he works all week in the paintshop next door and operates the self-serve as well he cant be there all day especially not on saturdays.
And yeah i know self-serves with LCD Touch screens but these are rare to be seen usually its just buttons with monochrome displays also over here, but hey its robust and works well.
Very modern self-serves over here work with foam wax, low pressure foam guns, Solar panels, concentrate recovery systems even sometimes. WashTec has a combi gun where you can use the high pressure gun also as foam gun.
I know of self-serves offering underbody wash, some have cutouts in the drains so you can push a bike in it and wash it without falling over.
This is the self-serve i was talking about in the first post: goo.gl/maps/BKFSAuxF3XbF7Xnb7
www.tiktok.com/@sbwaschanlage_olpe_wb
Its crazy that all that tech fits inside a like 2,5 by 2 meters room and theres still space for shelves and storage.......
BTW as i scratched my car with that brush, and i guess ur customers will too i bet, put up a sign that the brush use in on their own risk and that they should pressure wash it before using at least or even better start offering brush covers somehow.
My recommendation would be generation 2 of the brush cover of Chemicalworks if you can get it in the US. Also noone can get after u legally if that sign is there as well u can just refer to it and noone can do you anything.
Also rim brushes as well, tire cleaner only doesnt get rid of all the brake dust and without u cant get into the barrell of the rims.
Ive also seen self serves with so called tornador guns for interior cleaning as well as automatic floormat cleaning machines too :)
that was very interesting what you said about presoak and foam pH, because in my mind good sequence would be to start off with presoak to soften all the dirt, then do pressure rinse, then soap/foam wash and rinse. so with that pH negating each other there's an argument for them to be in sequence like you mentioned I think
Great video. Thanks for making it. I learned a lot.
I've never used tire cleaner or pre-soak. Is it okay to use the tire cleaner on the rims?
You are the best bro ❤
Best tips to spend the most money
😂
When you put it in stop, does the timer stop so you can wipe down the car then choose another option after without paying again, or is it that when you put it on stop, it will stop the whole session and you have to swipe your card again?
No the timer continues running even when the switch is on Stop position. The Stop button needs to be pushed on the payment terminal.
Hi is using drying aid (ceramic spray) when drying is a must to achieve screatch free drying?
Btw in using twisted loopd drying towel
How much (avg) would I spend to wash my car following the complete process?
At my car wash this would be $8-10 for a sedan and $10-12 for suv's and trucks.
Wish we had a good car wash like yours in town. Naples Florida and we have one self serve. One! And it’s run like shit. I like doing my own vehicle. All we have are drive through quickies washes with homeless guys at the end with towels working for tips. If someone opens a nice good run wash here in Naples they’d make a bloody fortune
I've never been to a self serve car wash, how much would it cost to do what you just did?
I assume I don't have to rinse off after each step.
Like, between step 5 (pre-soak) and step 6 (soap) and step 6 and step 7 (foam brush).
Or am I wrong?
I would only rinse after foam brush as thats when your going to agitate the dirt and debris.
What a great video!
Nice video. Learned a lot it explains a lot. I never use the brush head. One error I noticed was you used the foam brush on wheels and tires then put it back on the paint. That’s a big no no if your care about your paint. Brake dust on the wheels tires even small amount will swirl and haze your paint like crazy especially on dark colors. I would do the whole paint first then wheels tires last. And always start from top (least dirty ) to the bottom (most dirty)
Thanks for the info!
You go through every single option on the dial (while the timer is running) you'll end up spending at least $50 bucks. I just do water spray > soap brush > rinse, and those three stops, very quickly deduct $10 bucks from my credit card...and I rush through it, so it could get really expensive. Don't do unnecessary options if you're just looking for a wash. As a "business owner", he'll suggest you go through all the stops.
This is probably a $10-12 wash going through all cycles. Less if you have a sedan car.
Great video. How did you find your location ? Did you buy the business
Great video.. took notes.. question: if the triple foam option was present would there be a rinse before going to the hot wax?
Krystal. You could jump straight to hot wax from the triple foam. At least with the chemicals I use. Final rinse at the end of both of those.
But how many minutes do you get per $2.50? Seems like they use $2.50 per use at the ones I have seen, but I do not know how many minutes they give you.
awesome video man!!!
1:04 you said counterclockwise, which is to the left when you were clearly turning the meter switch to in a clockwise which turns right other than that really great informative video
Thanks for explaining each step. I use this type of washing my car in the winter being in upstate NY the land of salt! Not.
it was painful to watch you use the foam brush, but what made it worse was seeing you scrub the paint, then the tires, then right back to paint. Picking up all that dirt and grime from the dirtiest part of your car and brushing it into your paint, guaranteed way to scratch your paint.
yeah that threw me off
hes washing a work truck and not his cherished garage baby
Buy a hose attachment and car soap. Buy wax and or polish. All good. Also, has anyone ever seen any options other than soap work?
Hi. Where did you order your meter boxes from?
I never use any brush in car wash 😅. Soap and rinse and that's it
So u want all of us to spend more in washing our cars by all of this steps of yours huh? Nice hustle😂
You only get what you put into it.
Question can’t u just unscrew and put your own cleaning stuff to the wand🧐
my local SS bay looks the same. i use the lower pressure spot free to pre soak and rinse my ceramic coated car.i bring my own bucket and ph neutral soap. NEVER USE THAT BRUSH ! THAT BRUSH WILL SCRATCH THE F OUT OF YOUR PAINT, GUARANTEED..
Good job, well done, and best of luck
If you were closer I’d stop by and do a chemical swap for you and really dial in your soaps. 👌👌 I’m in NC
That would be cool if you could give me some tips. There are still a few things I havent figured out with mine.
Can you elaborate?
Must be nice to have hot wax. Or hot anything. Just cold water here in my local California wash.
Those lines looked pretty kinked going into the top of your soap jugs - does it not cause an issue?
They just have a bend but it doesnt restrict flow. There are one way foot valves at the bottom of the jugs
So this would cost $40 at my self wash place. I think I'm just gonna wash my car at home from now on. Greedflation is everywhere.😢
Between $8-12 depending on size of car
$12 wash right there. For $27 I can get all of that while firing up my pipe lounging on a conveyor belt and that's as many times as I want monthly and includes the air blower thing and super high powered vacuums
While also scratching your paint
@@Conner.Suzuki Yup. I was 'on the conveyor belt' two weeks ago and the belt stopped right when the huge brushes were in contact with the car. Chipped the shit out of my doors!
Gratitude
Pretty sure that was a clockwise motion.
ddid he go from tire to paint with that brush lol!!!!
He really using the brush😂
Thats when I quit watching
It’s always painful to watch
I think I will stick to washing my car at home. I do use these car washes in the northern winters though mainly to rinse the road salt off.
That paint job is 30 years old and has already encountered plenty of whatever is hiding in that brush.
@@Wigglythegreat2these are good for when your car is lightly dirty and you can just quick wash it down but when it’s really dirty always wash at home with a wash cloth
No drying?
Only car wash a detailer would want to go to
Thank you I appreciate that comment
Nice..
Says there are bunch of extra steps to maximize revenue from time, but then suggest skipping 2 steps of the 12.
If the hose isn’t slapping the shit out of your ride as you brush it you aren’t doing it right 🤣 jk
Where is the engine degreaser?
Seems like the cheapest way to go is bring your own soap, bucket, and washing mit and just use the water.
The self serve I use looks like a complete shit hole compared to yours! I found out the hard way that the numbered sequence isn't just a suggestion. It's the best way to get a good wash. Thanks!
Never wash tires with the foam brush then wash your car with.
Even if you rinse the brush with high pressure water?
@@ShonTolliverMusic You'll never truly get all the grit out of that brush. If don't you want to ruin your clear coat and make micro scratches don't use the brush on painted portions at all!
Nice truck
I never use that brush, used it on my brand new car and scratched the fuck out of it. Too many hicks in my town use it to scrap the mud off their shit boxes.
That'd be like a 40dollar wash ea time
The mfer self serve car wash near me, 4 minutes. What the f can be done in 4 minutes? And I got to keep dipping coins to keep the wash going. I’d as well use auto-wash if I’m spending that much
Bro used the public scrub brush on his paint your entire video became invalid after that lol
First of all how do I even find a nice self service cash wash? All the ones I’ve seen are ugly and don’t have foaming cleaners like this!
I can't take advice from someone that uses the same brush to scrub their vehicle right after scrubbing their wheels 😤 5:10
Sorry
Everything this tool said goes out the window once I saw he used the brush on the paint 🤣 dude used it on his wheels and went right to the paint 😡
It is horse hair, so it’s probably only bad for old paint jobs. Newer car paints are far tougher than the basic latex paint used on older cars.
5:04 Let me show you how to scratch the shit out of this truck.
that’s clockwise not counter
He just spent like 30 on the car wash he knows he trying to get ya money 💰 lol
This wash would be between $8-12. Thats what my customers spend.
A lot of bad advise in this video. Then I realized he is the owner of the car wash so yh, ofcourse.
What do you recommend?
- Do not use credit cards at car wash. Coins almost always have better deals.
- Do not go with the one that counts up. Its usually more expensive.
- Do not use foam brush on car.
- Definitely do not use foam brush on tires and then back on the body without washing it. Unless you love scratches.
- idk why your bug remover looks like wax
- Take break after soap to wash car with a mitt so you’re not spending unnecessary.
Prob more but i didnt see full video
Well. The. Revestor. That’s. Very. Hard. To. Do. With. Self. Types. Of. Car. Washes.
True true but I am only talking self serve car wash in this video
“Clockwise”
You got me!
@@therevestor That’s ok, clock”faces” disappeared a generation before yours! I do like your content and would love to speak to you one day. Keep up the good work.
Not the brush on PAINT!!!!!!
Bruh it’s literally in numerical order
You dont want those chemicals anywhere near your head or face.
Buy a $100 pressure washer + maybe $100 in accessories, and simply wash your car at home. You'll save yourself A LOT of money in the long run
Having access to all these cleaning agents on demand is probably worth the cost of convenience in my opinion
Not everybody has the luxury of living somewhere where this is an option
Great. And if you live somewhere cold where you have to shut off your hose spigots in winter you still need somewhere to wash your car. Plus all the setup and cleanup time you spend skiing it at home. Self serve car wash is actually one of the few remaining bargains to be had. 4 or 5 bucks for a solid car wash year round in 5 minutes or so.
OMg Never use the foam brush ever!!!! Worst thing you can do to a cars finish
Clicked off when he used the brush on the body then tires, then back to body. Yikes
Insane for using that nasty ass brush on your trucks body
Could’ve made it shorter bro. I’m in a hurry and I’ve only got so much fkn $