Picked up 2012 q5 s line 2 weeks ago and been to the esso touchless car wash about 5 times already! It's black so it shows everything......I'm just curious where you guys get your cars washed or what you do to clean them in the winter... as each visit is costing me about $14

 

i go through a touchless wash we have out here because i like that it gets dried after. if I'm going strait home i will just do the manual wash bays they have and give it a quick rinse and then just park it in the garage and let it dry there just to get all the road salt/sand off it.

 

Blast it at a Self-Serve pressure washer carwash for 2bux.

compound/wax it after the winter.

 

PetroCan does a season pass - all you can wash for 90 days. It's about $180+tax IIRC.

 

In Edmonton, we don't have any touchless car washes for petro canada

 

I tend to just give it a soap and rinse at a wand wash to get the salt/slush off, nothing fancy in the winter since it usually doesnt stay clean for very long.

 

Since your in Edmonton , which place do you go to? Have you tried Arctic Autowash in the west end? If so, is it any good?

 

Touchless washes suck. my car is still very dirty after.

 

Do NOT use any of those crappy automatic car wash if you actually do care about your vehicle!

They use very abrasive/strong soap that will attack the clearcoat and it will never wash your car properly. Best is do rinse it and wash it yourself often making sure you remove all the salt and dirt under your wheels...
If you cannot wash it yourself then spend a couple extra $ and have it hand washed at the very least

 

Yes, i've been going to Arctic since I found out about them. I'm very impressed with the facilities and its nice that I can use my credit card instead of having to bring coins all the time. Place is always clean and they are open late enough that its easy to go in when its not busy so you can take all the time you want.