What are you guys doing about taking a convertible through a car wash? Not worried about leaks as much as damage to top.

Randy

 

Never have and never will... hand wash only for my girl

 

+1 with Chris.

I would have no concerns about the top taking the punishment. Its more the paint's clear coat that will suffer.

I have never run any of my Jaguars through a car wash that uses equipment that touches the car.

The touchless ones are safe enough but then again they don't really get the car that clean anyway.

Plus I can hand wash it in less time than it would take me to drive it to a car wash.

 

Agree with Rothwell and Chris...Never run your Jaguar through a car wash.

For any car, especially a convertible... water is the enemy.

Hand wash only.

With a few buckets you can efficiently get the job done. Plus you know exactly what kind of soap and wax are being used.

 

Randy,

I would never take my cars to the automatic car washes, especially a convertible.

For the convertible top, brush down first, normal car sponge and bucket with any soapy detergent. Lightly rinse and then let it dry. Easier, gentler and safer than a machine wash. The rubber seals for the top are old now so i don't suggest power washing either.

 

I always hand wash my Jag also for all the above reasons. It's really not a bad job because the car is relatively small, unlike the Range Rover which is a major pain ! Always use a good quality car wash soap as I've heard dishwashing detergent is harmful to the clear coat, and probably other things too.

 

I have a little bit of a different take. I’m a car guy for sure.
I agree hand washing is the best BUT I will take my cars through a touchless wash if all they need is a light cleaning. If for example they sit outside for a day and get a layer of dust on them, or maybe driven through a light rain.
There’s a touchless wash near my house that does an excellent job. And it has a blow dryer as you exit that almost completely drys the car. A quick wipe of the few remaining drops and the vehicle looks like it was just detailed. Plus if it’s one of my trucks that I drive in the winter it pressure washes the underneath to keep the frame and underbody somewhat clean.
As for taking a vert through I’m hesitant. Used to take my M4 vert through but it was a hardtop. Have not yet taken my F Type vert through.
BTW I would only ever use a touchless, never one that drags dirty rags across the paint. Lol.

 

I completely agree with the comments regarding damage to the paint. Jet wash is perfect, quick, and rather fun, too.

 

Touchless car washes are WORSE for your paint. They use harsher chemicals to detach the grime from your paint and will hasten its demise.

Modern soft touch car washes are not going to damage your paint. I have no qualms with using them.

 

It's been 24 years since I have taken one of my daily drivers to the car wash (still take my wife's vehicles there though). This started when I bought my 1995 Corvette and has continued with the XKR. One reason is that it is fairly easy to wash these "smaller" cars by myself but another reason is to have "quality time" with the vehicles (I know I'm weird). Plus in southern California the cars stay clean much longer and I just use dusters (carefully) between washes.

Doug

 

Yikes, no. No car wash. Have been trying distilled water through a sprayer. Not particularly clear that there is a benefit, placebo effect.