Soft Top car wash experience?

[Soggybottomboy]

Hello all.

Notwithstanding the "I wouldn't do that, or should be ok" crowd, I'd like to hear from the horses mouth about automatic car washes. Personal experiences if you will.

Have you taken your soft top through an automatic car wash?
Did it negatively effect your soft top in any way?
Was it brushes or was it "No touch" car wash?
How many times have you been through an automatic car wash?

Thanks for sharing your experiences.

SBB

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[Heimkehr]

Have you taken your soft top through an automatic car wash?

Did it negatively effect your soft top in any way?

Was it brushes or was it "No touch" car wash?

How many times have you been through an automatic car wash?

Yes, once, and not the Wrangler. 'Twas another convertible that I owned. I wanted it glossy for the car show to which it was being driven (and shown) that morning.

The water pressure revealed, or perhaps caused, a small perforation in the soft top that I wasn't previously aware of. Granted, the vehicle had only been hand-washed up to that point.

No-touch.

Just that one time. Never with the Wrangler, or any other convertible. I broke my own rule that morning, and was plainly reminded why it is a personal rule.

 

[Soggybottomboy]

That's what I wanted to know. Thank you.

SBB

 

[AcesandEights]

Yes, I have. The brushes or microfiber flailing things hold dirt. They scratched, more finely, my windows. The soap didn't fully rinse from the top and was discolored, hazy, after it dried. I had to hand wash it later for it to look "clean". I was told by the carwash place that the "wax" would coat the plastic windows and damage the fabric so I just got the regular wash.

 

[gjeepguy]

Used to take mine (YJ, TJ, JK) through often. Touchless. Minor water intrusion at zippers/seams. Nothing worth not going again.

Once took my YJ though a brush carwash and it ripped one of the Hella lights off the front bumper.

Worst experience was on my JK with the hard top. Panels weren't properly seated and had a waterfall.

 

[Soggybottomboy]

^^^ Thank you for sharing your experiences guys!

SBB

 

[bonniejf]

Yes with brushes probably a dozen times before I sold the soft top and moved to a hard top. I don't baby my jeep and I never saw any negative effects. It doesn't clean it as well as you would think it would but I never thought it scratched my windows. I have a bestop sunrider with my hardtop that I have taken thru the carwash many times too. A soft top can be replaced for around $1000 with one of the many for sale on the forum so It didn't seem like that big of a risk to me. I was more worried about it leaving swirls/scratches on my paint.

 

[Soggybottomboy]

Thanks Bonnie.

SBB

 

[Xcoaste]

I will go through a touchless in the winter to get the salt off the undercarriage, but I have my hard top on.

I won't go with the soft top since it seems like if you sneeze on the windows they scratch.

I see you are from Atlantic Beach! I was stationed at Fort Macon about 20 years ago. I still vacation there every August.

 

[Soggybottomboy]

Ben -

I love going to Fort Macon to walk the trails with the wife and dog or cruising right by it on the boat!
We'll actually go visit more with the Jeep I'm sure. You ever take your jeep out on Atlantic Beach?

SBB

 

[EJH220]

Yes and frequently.

Have a monthly memberships to a brushed car wash a few minutes away. I have a bad habit of rubbing against the Jeep in the garage and getting clothes dirty.

Have a hardtop for winter, rarely have I had a small leak, but when I did, it was nothing bad.

Have a Bestop Trektop Ultra for summer. Go through when I have the doors on, which is not that often, but it holds up pretty well. Haven't noticed scratches on the plastic windows and the seal around the header is pretty good. Some slight spray through the driver's side but that's about it.

 

[JeepinJason33]

I have a ton of car wash experience as I ran the world's largest car wash group (1,000) units globally. I would say the answer depends on the car wash equipment. Most newer express car wash tunnels that are dialed in correctly will not leave soap residue on your soft top. Most will scratch the windows though. The windows are a very soft material and easily scratched using soft brushes by hand. My windows get trashed on the trail so the small brush scratches are not noticeable, so I take my Jeep in with the soft top and the hard top on. The way the water is jetted up and down in a car wash may also cause some water to get into the vehicle as the soft tops are made for downpours and not jet blasts. I have not had a significant amount of water from a car wash even in my TJ with a crappy soft top.

I have a silver Jeep so the swirl marks from the brushes really don't show up either. White and other lighter colors will show less marks than black vehicles. I see people bringing expensive black cars through all the time. Personally, I would not do it even in the newest car wash. The darker colors will show marks. Most people don't care because they use crap brushes on the car if they wash it in the driveway anyway and from a few feet away, the car looks fine.

 

[jaardappel]

Hello all.

Notwithstanding the "I wouldn't do that, or should be ok" crowd, I'd like to hear from the horses mouth about automatic car washes. Personal experiences if you will.

Have you taken your soft top through an automatic car wash?
Did it negatively effect your soft top in any way?
Was it brushes or was it "No touch" car wash?
How many times have you been through an automatic car wash?

Thanks for sharing your experiences.

SBB

--Yes, at the Texaco station a few miles away from my house.
--Nope, I only get the basic wash though...the attendant (whom I asked about soft-top damage) said "no damage but extra soap residue that won't be washed-off and neither will the dryer get rid of it--if you choose a "more than basic" wash."
--Brushless/touchless. I'd never take it through an automatic car wash otherwise (unless Hard Top was on).
--About 10 times. I prefer to wash it myself. It doesn't get very clean with a "Basic Touchless" car wash. But if it's cold out and/or I am too busy--it works decently. Just lots of after-wash work yet until it's truly clean.

Probably best to do it yourself, or get a hard-top for winter. But, if you are in a pinch and you cannot--I think a wash-rack self-serve carwash is best. They still have those out there. I use one of those after wheeling and before I truly wash it.

 

[Spank]

You can use the softest, most bestest, most amazingest, cleanestest microfiber towels in the world with the purestest filtered water from the mountains of Chile on your soft top windows and they'll still scratch.

 

[Xorak]

A real Jeeper would go through the carwash topless

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