Car Wash got my antenna

Noticed my antenna was gone today on my 2019 Limited... Grrr... Figure the dang car wash got it yesterday and I just noticed. I ordered the stubby (car wash proof) antenna mentioned here, but how do I get the threaded portion of the one that broke off out? It broke right off at the top of the part it screws into, so theres nothing to grab..

 

Those automatic car washes are one of the worst things you can do to your paint.

 

Use a small "easy out" left hand twist drill bit. Will take maybe 20 seconds. no......2 seconds.

 

I strongly suggest not using a car wash. My 2019 has been through it three times and I have major swirl marks all over the truck but the worst part is that my side mirrors were damaged and needed to be replaced, the tips of those spinning brushes moving at a pretty decent speed... After I saw that, the convenience of driving through a car wash wore off quickly.

 

Not to mention the parts the carwash misses, everyone else’s grime and crap all of the brushes... I could go on.

I now hand wash/dry IN my garage, with beer and music.

I love this stuff, year round:

 

Going through a car wash is kind of a must in the winter time (mostly for the underbody wash), otherwise everything will corrode in a few years. The pre-treat they put on the roads now is killer.

 

yeah, hand washing my car in a Minnesota winter is not going to happen. Not a lot of options to the car wash to keep the road salt / spray off my truck.

 

I have no issue or problem with the touchless one I go through occasionally.

 

I don't know what a bay wash is, but of the three car wash joints in my town, only one of them had a touchless but it doesn't wash the under carriage. I've been using them for years and never had paint issues on my vehicles.

 

None of the car washes here have that.

 

We have monthly passes for our car wash. I take the antennae off - the one time I didn't it was bent but fortunately not broken.

 

Sorry bout your antenna, shouldn’t be hard to get the rest of the antenna removed from underneath.

as far as drive through car washes go, I LOVE my local wash. Does a great job and I haven't had any swirls or other issues. Keeping it clean and rinsing off the winter road garbage is saving my tundra. They actually claim to use a protectant to fight against winter corrosion at the place I use. Prob not true, but my cars have not had any issues.

 

Took mine off too. It left the screw in there. After 3 months it vibrated loose enough that i could grab it a finished takin it off. Im goin to buy a small antenna and replace it.

 

Meh. I've got a monthly pass to my local automated and I go through it several times a week sometimes and then hand wash it once or twice a year and wax it. I think the quality of the wash and the color of your truck is the key. Being silver I've looked over and over and it's very difficult to notice any paint imperfections. Now, if the truck was black that would be a different story. I also removed my antenna off every time and fold in my mirrors.

 

Do the car washes with the foam type fingers still leave swirls? I imagine they do but not like the old brush type.

I have a black truck so I'll be sticking to touchless and hand washes. Anyways in the winter it's basically impossible to have a clean truck at least around Calgary AB with all the freezing and thawing we get so a good hose off in a bay and go park it pretty much all you can do.

 

The material isn't the issue. It's the leftovers from vehicles that used it before you. The debris left behind and the aggressive chemicals lead to sub par paint protection is all.

 

No doubt the wash soap isn't the safest but if you apply a good sealant periodically can't imagine anything terrible will happen. The mechanical fingers are what I would be mostly concerned about. Also not everyone has the time or desire to hand wash their truck all the time.

 

Oh, I hear you. I don't have the space to do proper care, but I stick to touchless washes. I will save up and get it professionally paint corrected and ceramic coated, I think.

 

Yeah I put quite a few swirls and light scratches in my black truck by going through a small car wash with those foam brushes. I previously had a silver 08 and used it all the time with no problem but not this truck. I'll be sticking to touchless and hand from now on.

Apparently those ceramic coatings make clean up a lot easier. It'd be interesting if it makes a touchless a more efficent cleaner.

 

For sure. I took my silver WRX through them and never had an issue, but I also didn't know what I know now. lol.

 

I used used to be so particular about washing my truck. Winter time washing is just too much of a pain in the butt. Use to do ONR washes in the garage and bay washes. But everything freezes when it’s -10 outside.

I figure this, I polish and coat my truck every spring. I also hand wash it throughout the spring, summer and early fall. The 2-3 months I use the car wash doesn’t really matter since I’m polishing it the first time it’s over 50° In the spring to get the swirls and scratches out.

 

Yup we all do the best we can but at the end of the day it's just a truck.

 

True good point, the touchless ones I have used in the past on other vehicles and had no issues, I should have clarified that I was talking about the ones with the massive spinning brushes... I don't have a touchless one near me so back to bay washing or at home in the driveway

 

This seems like a good way to smear grit all over your truck. No way I would use this on a dirty truck regardless on how they pitch it. Plus I like an undercarriage wash. No offense, if you like it then by all means. It’s your truck.

 

24.99 from Amazon

 

You DO have to know how to use it, and sometimes that does mean a pre-rinse with some pressure. If there is caked dirt or mud, you have to spray it off.

Other than that, I have used it for years with absolutely no swirls or scratches.

Pressure washer for the underside of the truck.

 

I usually try to avoid the drive through car wash and use the touchless DIY bays during the winter on warmer days. Its sometimes hard to get every area underneath the truck so I do wonder if I drive through wash occasionally would be better for that.