How to wash new CX-5

Hi guys!

So, I want some opinions on how to wash the CX-5. I live in an apartment, so I don't have access to a hose. I know that there are no rinse soaps out there, but honestly, I don't have the desire or time to do that. I know you're going to say that I don't care about my car then. That's not true, I really do care. Up to this SUV, I used a car wash with a conveyor system. It did a great job, and it didn't cost all that much. Plus, it was quick, and I never suffered scratches, etc.

Since I have a nicer ride now, and the rims look like they would be pretty difficult to match if they get scratched, I was wondering what my options are. Do the car washes that use the closed cell foam (PDQ gas station) work ok? Would that cause any problems to my white CX-5? I could run it through where I went, but these tires are lower in height than my previous car.

How do you all keep your SUV clean? Do any of you use conveyor belt car washes? Do any of you used the closed cell foam gas station car washes?

I would love to hear your thoughts!

Thanks!

Lots of info in the recent thread i started on general cleaning.

I didn't like the conveyor belt washes. I am scared of the big brushes(foam) And the touch less always seems to miss spots.

I went the ONR route because I too am in an apartment and don't have any hose access. Washing with ONR is at most an hour. This past weekend was about 30min. Pretty therapeutic too.

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Aznbagel said:

Lots of info in the recent thread i started on general cleaning.

I didn't like the conveyor belt washes. I am scared of the big brushes(foam) And the touch less always seems to miss spots.

I went the ONR route because I too am in an apartment and don't have any hose access. Washing with ONR is at most an hour. This past weekend was about 30min. Pretty therapeutic too.

Sent from my HTC U11 using Tapatalk

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Is that really my only option? Will the closed cell foam car washes cause damage? I can't really find any info stating that they will scratch/cause swirls. Everyone says because they can't absorb anything, and are automatically rinsed off prior to each wash, they are pretty safe.

I am not afraid of automatic washes, I just don't want my brand new rims scratched in one of those conveyor washes.

For how particular I am with my CX-5 I'd go with a No rinse option over any sort of automated Touch car wash. As far as swirls, they'll be there from the dealership. Just less noticeable since yours is white. You'd have to clay the paint to remove surface contaminants and then polish the clear at the very least and maybe even a buffing compound then polish.

Personally, I'd find a way to get a proper hand wash, clay, polish and wax as early as possible. Maybe just shelling out the cash for a detailer to handle this. Then maintaining the appearance would be easier, and a no rinse option should be fairly quick and easy. Finish it off with some spray wax and to maintain the wax.

If you don't have access to a hose at home I'd go to a manual car wash when they aren't busy. Bring your bucket, car wash soap, microfiber towels, and what ever else you need. Do the wash yourself using your own soap. The soaps that most car washes use are normally pretty harsh and can strip your wax. Once you get your car washed and rinsed pull out of the bay and into the shade to wipe the car down, don't forget the door sills.

+1. Go to a manual car wash with a bucket etc as Conrad suggested. Ed

When I lived in an apartment years ago I used to go to the coin-op car wash places, rinse the car down, spray with the foam gun, then use my own wash mitt, and then rinse off. The downside is that you have to pay extra to start the timer and water going again. NEVER use the soap brush. It will cause massive swirl marks all over the car. Use the foam gun only, and genuine sheepskin or microfiber wash mitts.

I used to get a roll of quarters each week (10 bucks) while at Kroger, wash the car on Saturday morning, and then do my laundry with the rest of the quarters. Ah the simple/single life, back when I was 21-22 years old. (hi)

PatrickGSR94 said:

When I lived in an apartment years ago I used to go to the coin-op car wash places, rinse the car down, spray with the foam gun, then use my own wash mitt, and then rinse off. The downside is that you have to pay extra to start the timer and water going again. NEVER use the soap brush. It will cause massive swirl marks all over the car. Use the foam gun only, and genuine sheepskin or microfiber wash mitts.

I used to get a roll of quarters each week (10 bucks) while at Kroger, wash the car on Saturday morning, and then do my laundry with the rest of the quarters. Ah the simple/single life, back when I was 21-22 years old. (hi)

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I don't know how many times I've seen folks scrubbing their cars down with the soap brush at the coin op (I use the coin op during the winter months, rinse only, cuz the hose at home would be frozen solid). I used to tell the folks that there's a reason the label on that soap brush says 'use on tires only'. I gave up though.

I would say a coin-op place where you can bring your own buckets as well. Just be sure to buy some grit guards for the buckets so that you aren't swirling dirt into the paint and making more scratches.

That said I agree with a previous poster, best thing you can do right now is to wash, clay, compound (only if needed), polish, wax. If you don't have a nice cool, shady area to do this, may be worth paying a reputable detailer to do it. Personally I have tried to compound/polish my CX-5, and I'm not sure it's worth trying to do by hand.

You really need a machine to make compound and polish do anything. Wax can be applied by hand, though.

I follow pro detailer Larry Kosilla of AMMO NYC on YouTube. He has some great how-to detailing videos. This recent one might offer some helpful tips:

The problem with car washes, any of them that use a medium to physically touch the car is that you don't know the condition of the medium before it touches your car. Even the "soft touch" ones with the closed cell foam can have dirt and grit stuck to the foam thingys. Think of this scenario, You go to the car wash, pay your money and pull around to the start of the wash bay, In front of you is a truck, jeep, suv that just got back from a day running the trails or from a dirty muddy construction site and is covered head to toe in mud. Do you really want to be the car that has to follow that thru? Do you think the 10-15 secs that it's suppose to Rinse the wash fingers is enough to reomove all the grit and dirt? I wouldn't want to risk it.

The problem with touchless car washes is that the soap they use is very harsh and will strip your car of wax or sealant very quickly. They won't scratch the car but you'll be "waxing" every 2-3 weeks if you go thru the wash weekly.

the best way with no hose, is to do a rinseless wash like Optimum No Rinse (ONR). You'll need ONR solution, one 5 gallan bucket, One Grit guard for the bucket, 5 quality microfiber towels, One larger microfiber drying towel. A garden pressurized garden spray is optional and nice for presoaking the car when it's really dirty or in the winter to help loosen the caked on road salt. Should only take about 30-45 min start to finish to wash the car which is probably about the same amount of time it would take to drive to the car wash, wait in line, go thru wash and then drive back home.

A DIY car wash is also a great option

Hey I like the garden sprayer idea with ONR, that seems like a good solution.

PatrickGSR94 said:

Hey I like the garden sprayer idea with ONR, that seems like a good solution.

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Yeah, it works really well. I have a 1 gallon poly sprayer that I keep ONR solution in. It's great for presoaking the vehicles especially in the winter to loosen the road salt from the lower parts of the car.

I have this one:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)

These work well too but you have to refill them almost every time:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)