sl8anic

My 06 GT black covertible is a daily driver and this being Northeast it gets plenty of salt both on top and bottom. What I was wondering is:

1) is it safe to take the car through auto-carwash (normal or touchless)?
2) how to wash the underside if #1 is a no-no?

What can I say, it's my first vert

Hambone

Congrats on the black 'vert! I'll share my experiences with you.

A "good" touchless car wash (it's a Laserwash here) will work, but let me make a few recommendations based on experience:

1--do the "lowest" level wash that you can and still get it clean; the foam and "protectant" seem to leave an undesirable waxy layer on the real wax. So, the "economy wash" with just soap/rinse is probably the best and safest!

2--avoid the TURBO BLOW DRYER cycle!! It really makes the top flap around...it WASN'T a good idea

3--Oh--before I forget---please be sure the top is UP and the windows are fully UP, too [8D]

I have had a few trickles, but a napkin was enough to blot it from the window/door.

When I can, I do it with bucket/mitt. When I must, I'll use the automatic..

6xStang

the only car wash my cars ever see is my hose and mitt. I spray the wheelwells and most of the underside with the hose. Whatever I miss will get washed away in the next rain.

Car washes leave scratches (or the "touchless" are usually only half a wash anyway), and can take away antennae and wiper blades (and I have heard of a mirror but never actually seen that).

topless05GT

I'll use a carwash only to take care of the underside... other than that I use one of the speed shine products to maintain a decent look and then I'm outside with warm water and a wash mitt when the salt build up gets bad... not much fun, but it's worth it.

BigFloppy

Is this quote from an unfortunate experience...?

BUT I definitely agree with it

sl8anic

Thanks so much for the advise I'll plan on taking a shower, just not in the car

wildabouthorses

I will never take my Mustang through an automatic wash, am afraid it will damage the convert top or something else. The one near here is pretty rough with my truck going through it, the dryer makes the heavy rubber mat in the back of the truck flap around.

Once in a great while I will take it to a "do it yourself" wash but mostly I will just do it here with the hose and my own cleaners. Rarely have to deal with salt on the road, we've been in a drought so it gathers dust really easily just a day after cleaning it.

Pyrat

So far, my vert has not seen the inside of a automatic car wash, but I'm not in a place where they use salt on the roads in the winter, so you are in a different situation. If and when I run it through an automatic wash, it will be the touchless kind and I agree with Hambone regarding the chemicals, use just the lowest option (rinse) cycle for the undercarriage wash, drive through the blow dryer and then go home and wash the exterior normally.

A better overall solution where salt is used on the road in winter is to get a beater to drive in the winter and garage your vert. In the long run, you will get many more enjoyable ragtop summers this way. In places like Minneapolis this beater strategy is very common. In such places you will also not see very many old cars that are not rusted out hulks, so if you are planning on keeping your GT for a few years, the garage/beater thing is the only way to go.

sl8anic

Pyrat,
I'd love to get a beater but I live in the city and don't have garaging option, unfortunately. I guess better find a touchless place so that I can wash the undercarriage and then take the car home and washing it good.

AD

Pyrat

If you do a good job of washing her off and do it frequently you should be OK. Look for places on the body where water pools up (like around the base of the top) and make sure you get it all soaked up. On my old '69 Road Runner it use to pool up around the edges of the rear window. You would be amazed on how much water I could get out of that spot using a sponge. Also you might consider taking her to a regular car wash after running through the auto wash and doing some extra work on the wheel wells (especially the back of the wheel wells), behind the rocker covers and rear quarter panels and under the rear bumper, . These spots usually get a lot of grief from stuff thrown up by the tires. The doors sometimes have problems with water soaking down from the windows so keep an eye out for drips from this area after you have her otherwise dried off. Since you are in a big city, you might look for a speciality car wash place that actually puts cars up on a hoist and steam cleans the undercarriage.

Good luck, winter sucks! [sm=smiley2.gif]