Soft Top in car wash?

[Maddingo]

Some may think this is a dumb question but...Can you bring the Jeep through the car wash with the soft top? I know I did it with my TJ but wasn't too concerned with it since the jeep and top were old. Not sure about the new one though.

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[WXman]

Depends on the car wash. If it's a "touchless" wash, I do it all the time.

 

[OldGuyNewJeep]

I bring mine to a hand car wash place. (It does pass through a giant drier at the end, which the top weathers like a champ.)

Touchless is another option.

I would never take mine through an automatic wash.

 

[ECHO]

I have never risked it.. always hand wash

 

[Smooth9883]

So I’m wondering the same thing. I have a membership at the local car wash here and they do a great job cleaning cars. It’s a track system with the roller cloth brushes. I’m curious if the framing of the new soft top can standup to the brushes and the dryers.

I’m sure someone must have brought theirs through one. If so, can you let us know? I’m going to call my wash place and ask them if they do them. I’ll also ask if they can shutoff the spinning brushes section. That’s really the only part I’m worried about.

 

[ChrispyJL]

I take mine through in the winter, no problems
fall/spring and summer I wash it in my driveway

 

[Smooth9883]

I take mine through in the winter, no problems
fall/spring and summer I wash it in my driveway

That’s good to know. I talked with the car wash and they said they do wranglers with soft tops all the time. They said their spinning brushes are made from cotton so they don’t scratch. I’m still a little nervous, but I like my cars clean inside and out, and after a day of wheeling and it getting all muddy it would be nice to put everything back on it to run it through the wash and have it cleaned quickly for me.

 

[tCub]

Add me as a yes but for touchless only. I prefer washing it by hand because I go the extra mile with specific soap and wax, but, even with my pressure washer, it’s hard to beat a good automatic underbody wash!

One thing I’ve always done... avoid the washes with rain x, waxes, etc. Not sure if that’s ok for the soft top windows or not but I had a weird experience with wax in a car wash in my soft top one time.. I do spray it with turtle wax ice without issues though so YMMV

 

[lightsout]

Car wash will likely not get all the soap out. I have a soap foam cannon I use at home and it takes for ever to rinse the soap out, I doubt the short rinse from a car wash would be enough

 

[Fuel Fire Desire]

I took my JK through quite often before I added antennas. The automatic ones were fine for my JK, the driers are what made me nervous. Some were ultra high velocity, and really bowed in the top from the sides and on the back hoop support.

 

[laueddy]

Never had any issue with my 06 997.1 & 16 M235, but never try on a Jeep, since I am still hardtop only.

 

[Smooth9883]

I took mine through today and it was really uneventful. The spinning fabric pylons on the side hit the top but it wasn’t violent at all. It was the top pieces of fabric that hang down that dragged across the top that gave me more concern, but even that wasn’t bad. I’ll take it through without worry from now on. It’s nice being able to have a detailed Jeep in less than 30 minutes.

 

[xeon]

I have both the soft and hard top and having taken my hard top through automated car washes and loosing paint on the top...I am not interested in getting scratched windows on my soft top. Touchless might be an option but I think the chemicals might hurt the windows too over time so I am sticking to hand wash at home only.

 

[Markham]

Does anyone read their vehicle manual?

 

[xeon]

Does anyone read their vehicle manual?

Page 106 - “Do not run a fabric top through an automatic car wash. Window scratches and wax build up may result.”.

Leave it to Jeep to write something like this. The twill top and vinyl top ( both fabric technically) . And of course the disclaimer that problems May or May Not happen.

But scratches and chemicals are the bottom line

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