[golf_234]

Originally Posted by TheRetroGuy

I think the definition of havoc varies from person to person. Driving a car hard in sports mode, in terms of the dollar cost of wear and tear, is far more pricey than a few swirls in the paint, and wear and tear on mechanical parts cannot be buffed out during a detail job like paint imperfections. At the end of the day it's all part of the cost of owning a car. Thirty-five minutes of my time, now THAT's expensive. Every hour I spend not doing billable work is like gold to me, so to be able to get on my phone and get some work done while someone making minimum wage runs my car through the rails and dries it off is a value proposition I cannot pass up.

Around the 5th or 6th year mark, I stop being OCD about minor swirls in the paint that don't even negatively impact the overall appearance because I know I'm looking at a new car soon. I have them detailed and any minor wear and tear from car washes buffed out, and I'm always amazed that the paint looks brand new again. The key is to keep a good coat of wax on it --- that does take maybe close to an hour of my time to do, but I typically only have to do it 2-3 times a year so it's worth it.

Not really a money thing for me but just personal taste and attention to detail. With ya on that it can be overdone, and I don't freak out over normal wear and tear, use touch up and what not without it being a big deal. but I still draw the line at taking an extremely nice car through any kind of automatic wash. It is just completely willingly damaging your clearcoat, all over the car. If it is a touch wash with those spinning brushes, absolutely no. Absolutely *destroys* paint and have seen it first hand; it is not just possible, but guaranteed. Swirls, all over. Sure you can buff it out but never completely and why create it in the first place then.

I get people not being into the effort, but if a person is arguing that the spinning brush type washes don't do much to the paint, I will counter that all day, absolutely. I won't ever take my BMWs through those.

[TheRetroGuy]

Originally Posted by golf_234

I get people not being into the effort, but if a person is arguing that the spinning brush type washes don't do much to the paint, I will counter that all day, absolutely. I won't ever take my BMWs through those.

Bimmers have a reputation for relatively soft paint, so who knows, maybe this car will change my mind?

Swirls only ever seem to materialize very late in ownership for me (could be to waxing diligence). By the time they do, I've usually got another vehicle purchase in the cross hairs anyway.

[KoenG]

Originally Posted by -EndOfAnEra-

Today, had an unfun experience.

I had a 6MT E90 335i before my M340i, and nothing but manual transmission cars for the last 15 years. I have a local carwash which is literally around the block from my house, so I would tend to go first thing in the morning for quick washes.

The process with an E90 6MT is quite simple:

1. Line up by eye with the rails.
2. Clutch in, neutral, clutch out.
3. Ride and marvel at the suds and psychedelic light show.
4. Wait for the car to leave the rails, clutch in, gear, clutch out.

I've done this once before in the automatic M340i without incident. However I saw that the parking sensors went utterly haywire with bright flashes of red and screaming beeps. Very stressful! Afterwards I played with the camera settings and noticed a "car wash" setting. I figured that BMW thoughtfully included this to fix my problem.

I went this morning to the carwash. The process I used today was:

1. Switch to Car Wash mode in the parking camera view.
2. Using the lines on iDrive, position myself in the rails perfectly (it wasn't perfect...)
3. Shift into Neutral from Drive... forgetting for a moment that you need brake in AND press the Unlock button on the shifter, and tap up ONCE briefly.
3. Expect there to be a quiet and serene ride... but it was again a hellstorm of color and a cacophony of beeps.
4. Wait for the car to leave the rails, leave neutral and go into drive with the above procedure I literally did two minutes ago.

After the car left the rails, I thought, "Ah! Better tap backwards to get back into Drive!"

Nothing.

In growing consternation (there's a car inevitably trundling along behind mine!), I figured I needed to press the Unlock button (stupid complicated autos!)

Nothing.

The car is helpfully prompting me with what to do but now I'm in full panic mode and can't figure out how to make it MOVE!

Eventually I realize the missing piece (as it is in every single other automatic!) is the BRAKE. I slam the brake, hit the Unlock button, and pull back the shifter into Drive and finally leave my nightmare!

I've taken three lessons from this experience.

1. Not driving regularly thanks to COVID-19 sucks.
2. Cars really should be simpler again...
3. LEARN TO DRIVE YOUR OWN CAR!

I went practicing in a parking lot the super obvious afterwards

I'am wondering how many car washes are trashed by AT!? BTW, I drove a couple of miles since 2 months, I almost hit a curb or a parked car for 4 times at really low speeds!!! Not to be able to drive your car is a real danger! I feel like a total idiot!

[cnichols138]

M340I - To shift to neutral just push forward on the selector. To shift back to park pull it back. It really is that simple. If you use the button on the side you stand the chance of going into Reverse. ( i have done that too many times). Thank god the car does not actually go into reverse moving forward like that.

[golf_234]

Originally Posted by TheRetroGuy

Bimmers have a reputation for relatively soft paint, so who knows, maybe this car will change my mind?

Swirls only ever seem to materialize very late in ownership for me (could be to waxing diligence). By the time they do, I've usually got another vehicle purchase in the cross hairs anyway.

For sure, other factors can be in play too, like if you have a family and kids haha. Have to draw the line on the other end of things too, to not be too perfect.

I always like to remember James Bond bringing the Aston's in with bullet holes and barely in one piece and Q getting all mad at him, that is very cool and a good reminder to not go too perfect, either. The sweet spot is somewhere in between probably. (well maybe the Bond one would be a bit extreme)

[phillyd2]

Originally Posted by golf_234

Absolutely any way you break it down any kind of automatic drive through wash, touchless or not, with rails and all that jazz, is going to be havoc on the car. Hand washing properly takes me about 35 minutes, well worth the time to keep a car nice especially if you own it. On a lease I would probably care a bit less.

"How you do anything is how you do everything"

havoc huh?

[2011ninja]

Originally Posted by -EndOfAnEra-

Today, had an unfun experience.

I had a 6MT E90 335i before my M340i, and nothing but manual transmission cars for the last 15 years. I have a local carwash which is literally around the block from my house, so I would tend to go first thing in the morning for quick washes.

The process with an E90 6MT is quite simple:

1. Line up by eye with the rails.
2. Clutch in, neutral, clutch out.
3. Ride and marvel at the suds and psychedelic light show.
4. Wait for the car to leave the rails, clutch in, gear, clutch out.

I've done this once before in the automatic M340i without incident. However I saw that the parking sensors went utterly haywire with bright flashes of red and screaming beeps. Very stressful! Afterwards I played with the camera settings and noticed a "car wash" setting. I figured that BMW thoughtfully included this to fix my problem.

I went this morning to the carwash. The process I used today was:

1. Switch to Car Wash mode in the parking camera view.
2. Using the lines on iDrive, position myself in the rails perfectly (it wasn't perfect...)
3. Shift into Neutral from Drive... forgetting for a moment that you need brake in AND press the Unlock button on the shifter, and tap up ONCE briefly.
3. Expect there to be a quiet and serene ride... but it was again a hellstorm of color and a cacophony of beeps.
4. Wait for the car to leave the rails, leave neutral and go into drive with the above procedure I literally did two minutes ago.

After the car left the rails, I thought, "Ah! Better tap backwards to get back into Drive!"

Nothing.

In growing consternation (there's a car inevitably trundling along behind mine!), I figured I needed to press the Unlock button (stupid complicated autos!)

Nothing.

The car is helpfully prompting me with what to do but now I'm in full panic mode and can't figure out how to make it MOVE!

Eventually I realize the missing piece (as it is in every single other automatic!) is the BRAKE. I slam the brake, hit the Unlock button, and pull back the shifter into Drive and finally leave my nightmare!

I've taken three lessons from this experience.

1. Not driving regularly thanks to COVID-19 sucks.
2. Cars really should be simpler again...
3. LEARN TO DRIVE YOUR OWN CAR!

I went practicing in a parking lot the super obvious afterwards

Originally Posted by -EndOfAnEra-

Today, had an unfun experience.

I had a 6MT E90 335i before my M340i, and nothing but manual transmission cars for the last 15 years. I have a local carwash which is literally around the block from my house, so I would tend to go first thing in the morning for quick washes.

The process with an E90 6MT is quite simple:

1. Line up by eye with the rails.
2. Clutch in, neutral, clutch out.
3. Ride and marvel at the suds and psychedelic light show.
4. Wait for the car to leave the rails, clutch in, gear, clutch out.

I've done this once before in the automatic M340i without incident. However I saw that the parking sensors went utterly haywire with bright flashes of red and screaming beeps. Very stressful! Afterwards I played with the camera settings and noticed a "car wash" setting. I figured that BMW thoughtfully included this to fix my problem.

I went this morning to the carwash. The process I used today was:

1. Switch to Car Wash mode in the parking camera view.
2. Using the lines on iDrive, position myself in the rails perfectly (it wasn't perfect...)
3. Shift into Neutral from Drive... forgetting for a moment that you need brake in AND press the Unlock button on the shifter, and tap up ONCE briefly.
3. Expect there to be a quiet and serene ride... but it was again a hellstorm of color and a cacophony of beeps.
4. Wait for the car to leave the rails, leave neutral and go into drive with the above procedure I literally did two minutes ago.

After the car left the rails, I thought, "Ah! Better tap backwards to get back into Drive!"

Nothing.

In growing consternation (there's a car inevitably trundling along behind mine!), I figured I needed to press the Unlock button (stupid complicated autos!)

Nothing.

The car is helpfully prompting me with what to do but now I'm in full panic mode and can't figure out how to make it MOVE!

Eventually I realize the missing piece (as it is in every single other automatic!) is the BRAKE. I slam the brake, hit the Unlock button, and pull back the shifter into Drive and finally leave my nightmare!

I've taken three lessons from this experience.

1. Not driving regularly thanks to COVID-19 sucks.
2. Cars really should be simpler again...
3. LEARN TO DRIVE YOUR OWN CAR!

I went practicing in a parking lot the super obvious afterwards

You don't wash your car by hand?

[-EndOfAnEra-]

Wow, I never expected this topic to take off without me!!

I'm sorry to reply so late in here, I had the joy of having a house flood and subsequent cleanup all last and this week. Car is fine I'm not the monster some of you seem to think I am!

Last car was TiAg. Yes, I took that car through a carwash, yes it was railed, yes it had microfiber brushes (not hard ones!). If I got swirls, they didn't really show on TiAg so I never paid it any real mind.

Car prior was Black Sapphire, just like this one. I religiously washed my E46 with the two bucket method most weekends. I was in an apartment so I would travel across town to my parent's house to wash in their driveway. That was a massive time commitment easily made before wives and kids!

I'm well aware of the danger of swirls with a black car! I've taken my new M340i through twice, I determined the replacement schedule for the rollers and ensured I was the first car in after a replacement. That all said, I ordered my first snow foam lance and am waiting for it to arrive to end this worry. Hoping I can do a maintenance wash with snow foam and rinse only and do a proper detail periodically.

I thought about ceramic coating as well but I think I will start with a good wax, have used Meguiar's Gold Class in the past but will happily take recommendations on a good strong coat for black cars that will survive a snow foaming wash.

Thanks for the community shaming, it makes me feel welcome here!

[Gdiddy23]

Originally Posted by -EndOfAnEra-

Wow, I never expected this topic to take off without me!!

I'm sorry to reply so late in here, I had the joy of having a house flood and subsequent cleanup all last and this week. Car is fine I'm not the monster some of you seem to think I am!

Last car was TiAg. Yes, I took that car through a carwash, yes it was railed, yes it had microfiber brushes (not hard ones!). If I got swirls, they didn't really show on TiAg so I never paid it any real mind.

Car prior was Black Sapphire, just like this one. I religiously washed my E46 with the two bucket method most weekends. I was in an apartment so I would travel across town to my parent's house to wash in their driveway. That was a massive time commitment easily made before wives and kids!

I'm well aware of the danger of swirls with a black car! I've taken my new M340i through twice, I determined the replacement schedule for the rollers and ensured I was the first car in after a replacement. That all said, I ordered my first snow foam lance and am waiting for it to arrive to end this worry. Hoping I can do a maintenance wash with snow foam and rinse only and do a proper detail periodically.

I thought about ceramic coating as well but I think I will start with a good wax, have used Meguiar's Gold Class in the past but will happily take recommendations on a good strong coat for black cars that will survive a snow foaming wash.

Thanks for the community shaming, it makes me feel welcome here!

I know a lot of people don't have access to a touch less car wash or the ability to wash by hand. I fortunately have one less than a mile from my house so it's easy for me to forget not everyone has that same luxury!

Either way, hope you get the flood situation taken care of!

[-EndOfAnEra-]

Originally Posted by Gdiddy23

I know a lot of people don't have access to a touch less car wash or the ability to wash by hand. I fortunately have one less than a mile from my house so it's easy for me to forget not everyone has that same luxury!

Either way, hope you get the flood situation taken care of!

Thanks very much! Flood situation is in control. Had a much worse one six years ago that resulted in the demise of my beloved E46 (attached garage got it real bad). Made sure to save the G20 this time!!

I'm researching good long lasting waxes/sealants, heard good stuff about CarGuys Hybrid Wax Sealant and Meguiar’s G6207 Paste Wax for black car care. Curious if anyone has had any experience with either?

As a Clevelander, late spring/summer/early fall are no issues to maintain a good hand wash cycle, but ultimately for the winter stretch will need a good wax so I can use the local washes to keep the salt off. System's worked pretty good so far

[golf_234]

Originally Posted by phillyd2

havoc huh?

Havoc. Absolute havoc

[bray.nick99@gmail.com]

Originally Posted by MurrayB

Car wash mode works great for entering a narrow garage entrance.

Please elaborate, My beemer said “activate car wash mode manually by selecting PDC” but the manual states DON’T select P as it locks the wheels !
I selected N and let it glide through, but had a momentary panic when I had to start it to drive off 🤗