We live in the rust belt where they spray the roads with that calcium chloride stuff or whatever it is all the time. Then salt the crap out of the roads. I'd like to wash the truck more often to get that stuff off to prolong the rusting as long as possible. But Everytime I pull up to a car wash that door looks so small. I do wash it in the hand wash bays but that doesn't get the under carriage and it's a pain in the winter and there is no way I would be able to get the wife to do it when she has the truck.

So does anyone use the automatic washes? Any particular ones that the truck will fit for sure? We live in a smaller town that has two car washes and both look to be too small. But we get to the Des Moines area once a week or so which should have more options. We just moved so not too familiar with the area yet.

Any other precautions to take if they can go through the automatic washes? Thanks.

 

I haven't done it, but I asked at our local auto wash and the owner told me folks take their trucks through all the time including their duallies. He said a lot of folks don't want anything to touch the finish on their trucks. So the word from Bristol, TN. is "no problem". I would ask at whichever wash you choose.

Steve

 

I work with guys that tell me I am crazy for doing the automatic car wash thing, one of the reasons I don't lift my truck or anything is because it fits in car washes, drive throughs, parking garages, my garage as long as I have about 7 feet of clearance Clarence.

 

One of our local car washes has package deals. You pay for one of 3 packages on a monthly basis. You can go in once a day, every day of the month if you like. Mine pays for itself if I use it 3 times. They have a couple of people just outside or just inside the door giving a little pre wash before I enter the automated part.
I just get out of the truck and push my mirrors in. No problems going through. Sure it's not a cure all, but I figure every time I can wash the salt and corrosives out isn't going to hurt.

 

I used to have a 94 F350 CC Dually 8Ft bed. I had to remove the Slide from the hitch on the back but that truck fit into a touchless automatic easy. Just go to the car wash, measure your truck with a tape front to back and ask the attendant if it'll fit, He should know, If not measure the bay you want to drive into.

 

Since you are not having any problem, why not continue as you have been?

 

I prefer the wand car wash, don't use the brush because you have no idea who used last and you'd be surprised how crap builds up in them and they can scratch your vehicle. I carry some terry cloth and as I soap the truck I use the cloth to get stuff that doesn't just spray off. As to the salt and calcium Chloride I take my time spray the underside off good and at least spray all the tight spots out. Myself the touch less car was doesn't do as good.

 

I took mine to an automatic car wash ONE TIME AND ONLY ONE TIME.
Those large spinning side brushes on the line took to my paint like a sandpaper drum.
If you have a service truck, that's one thing but if you have a nice dark metallic paint job you want to preserve, then by all means have it done professionally.

 

Ours just has the high pressure sprayers, no brushes.

Steve

 

I use Crews (formally Mike's) here in Indiana. I am not sure were they are outside of Indiana. They do a GREAT job on my 2016 F250. They are a higher class car wash and I feel they maintain the car wash pretty good. It is $20 for the ultimate package, but if you buy gas at hear by gas station you can get a $4 discount on the car wash. The truck is too big to wash by hand. It drys too fast and leave water spots everywhere. I run it through the car wash and then I wipe it down good with a micro fiber cloth.

 

Some of you all may think I'm crazy, but I have a metallic grey crew cab and a unlimited membership to the auto car wash. There is a clearance bar at the entrance, and I clear by just over 6", I measured for the upcoming lift and tires. Length does not matter in the style car wash I go to. I go 2-4 times a week depending on weather and my work schedule. I have 0 scratches on my truck, maybe I'm just lucky. I use Lucas spray wax about once a week as I'm drying. I dry the door jambs every time and a quick vacuum, and interior wipe down about once a week. Been doing it since the truck was a week old, and the truck still looks new. Takes me 20 minutes or so and it always looks detailed. One problem I had was when they had a special going and I upgraded to the top package for 19.99 a month. It includes the buffer wheel at the end. Which I didn't like. Second trip through, it grabbed the antenna. Luckily, it just bent it, and didn't rip it out. They allowed me to down grade to the middle package for 14.99 a month and no buffing wheel and a free month to offset the cost of an antenna. I took the rubber boot off the bottom of the antenna, cut it to 15" long, and remove it every time I go through now. I use to never go to these auto washes. But with a wife that works second shift, and two kids, one of them being autistic with lots of therapies, the other involved in a shooting team, life is way to busy to hand wash and detail this giant. And I hate a dirty vehicle.

 

Or maybe you just have a good car wash like I do. I've taken the last 2 trucks there often. No scratches. I think it all has to do with the style of brushes used.
It's the dead of winter here. I'm not laying on my back in a self serve car wash to get the underside. I'm not running a hose out to the garage that will have to be blown out and coiled back up before putting it away so that it doesn't freeze solid. If my garage was heated and I left a working hose out there year round, maybe I would. But that's not the case.
With my monthly plan, I go as often as I want without all the work of doing it at home for weather that will have the truck filthy again in a day or two anyway.

 

I use an automatic car wash for my f-450 dually on 19.5 rims.

i have 4" on each side of the rear fenders as I pull in and about 6 " on the roof. Looks like the max height is 7' and the max width about 9'

there are 3 prices and the everything was is 13.00

it does a pretty good job and does reach into the underside.

its called express wash and its at Exxon stations.

in between washes I wash the radiator area and wheel wells with salt away. About 4 ounces in a 2 gallon sprayer.

 

I've used the neighborhood drive threw car washes (Here in Florida) on several of my vehicles without an issue. But .. the vehicles that go threw these don't have a lot of Road Grime on them. The Under Carriage Spray options here would have minimal effects at best on cleaning the chassis.

 

I use an automatic car wash here that has guys who spray it down with a wand at the beginning and then guys that dry it at the end. They have an underbody spray that does a really good job blasting the underbody as you go through. It costs $12 dollars. I only use them during the winter months and then use my power sprayer and hand wash it during the warmer months.