[Mike H]

Hi everyone… I have another MX30 newbie question.
I was a bit worried about putting my car through the car wash in case it’s safety feature try to do an emergency stop, or something when the rollers approach the car.
I found in the manual the automatic carwash mode sequence of button pushing. I am worried I get the sequence wrong and the brakes come on, and I end up stuck in the middle of the car wash 😬.
How do you all set your car for car washes?

 

[Thebriggie]

I just switch the car off and let the car wash do its thing. What is your concern as I don't fully understand? It's the same as a normal car as far as I am concerned.

Alan

 

[Fyldeman]

Sorry can't help as I would never let any car of mine anywhere near an automated or hand car wash.

 

[Thebriggie]

I assume it's section 4.32 that's worrying you. I would recommend trying it at home first to get used to the procedure. I have always used car washes where the car stays immobile.

Apologies, someone else with more experience may assist

Alan

 

[Mike H]

Thanks for the response.

Alan, it was more section 4-63 that worried me… forward drive detection - Smart brake support, that automatically puts the brakes on.

My local car wash the driver side wheels sit on a conveyor belt, and the passenger side wheels roll when in neutral.
If the brakes come on, worried the car would twist, as the conveyor belt would still be moving the driver side forward.

Maybe I am overthinking it, just wanted to check if anyone had problems or experience with this.

 

[birillo_79]

I think you need to look at 2 things:

• ADAS - car was should be now used to this - as most of car have them
• Conveyer Belt - this should concern ANY electric car, as you cannot really pull or push them correct?

question: why don't you use a self-service car wash where the car stays put and you walk around it? Or even better a hand wash service?

 

[Mike H]

Hi birillo, thanks for the above.

I had a bad experience with my last car.
I got home after my first self service car wash with my brand new E-pace, to find it covered in tiny scratches.
Not sure if it was the hose rubbing grit or a stone embedded in the brush, but I vowed never to use them again.
Luckily we took out the extra paint/scratch protection policy when we got the car.
Tried complaining to the garage, but got fobbed off, as it’s your own responsibility to check brushes, etc.

Never had any issues with the drive through type car wash so far… 🤞

I suppose hand wash is another option I never thought about.

 

[Thebriggie]

I now use a power washer to prewash the car then foam the car using a snow foam, such as autoglym polar blast snow foam, for five minutes then power wash off. Now go for warm water in a bucket with grit trap. Using a lambswool mitt wash all over the car. Use a separate mitt for the wheels. Then using a large fat boa drying towel on the bodywork dry it. Use a microfibre cloth to dry the wheels. This method avoids micro scratches you can get using a sponge and bucket. I was shown this method by a car detailer. It works for me and doesn't take as long as it sounds. I also use Duel Autocare Flex Polymer Spray Sealant to seal the paintwork after cleaning it. Works for me but down to what you can be bothered doing.

P.s never ever and I mean never...use the brushes at garage power wash and clean machine. It will scratch the hell out the paintwork in no time at all. Swirls will appear like magic one day!

Alan

 

[Charlie]

Two bucket wash method for me. Well, three really as I use separate bucket for wheels with Garage Therapy's ultra dense wheel shampoo.
I'm with Fyldeman - I would never go near an automatic car wash unless I was washing the car of someone I didn't like. Hand car washes are OK for a car you're not too bothered about - I take our work fleet cars to them - but not my own pride and joy. They generally use quite brutal products that strip off any layered protection you have on the car. Their wash cloths are used over and over and doubtless contain many swirl-creating grit particles etc.
On the subject of swirls, one of the reasons I chose the SEL-Lux model was the fact that it DOESN'T have the piano black door pillar trims which on my last 2 cars have had swirls on them before I've even taken delivery.

 

[Fyldeman]

My son is so particular about his and my car that he didn't even let the dealer vacuum, put down the floor mats or wash our Mx-30 prior to handover. Needless to say the dealer wasn't that impressed but had no option. My garage is so full of specialised car cleaning products that anyone would think we ran a car valeting service.
My son's pride and joy a Ford Focus ST Line was written off in an accident that was caused by the Police and is awaiting delivery of a new 2022 Ford Focus ST which will get cleaned/polished more than once a week.

 

[ElectricMonkey]

Ahaha this is the type of question I am too embarrassed to ask, so I always hope somebody else will do it for me. Thanks!

As a matter of fact, I washed my car three times at the automatic carwash and it was always an embarrassing nightmare.

I still have no clue what are exactly the steps needed to keep the car in neutral, with no auto braking so that the rolls can freely move the car forward. And yes, I had also the car twisting for a second before the guy pushed the emergency button to stop the rolls. Nothing bad really happened, mind you, besides feeling dumb and embarrassed.

Typically, after some minutes trying to put the car in neutral, with no brakes on, the guy at the carwash just opens the door and helps me, making me feel like a 10 years old kid trying to drive a car for the first time.

So yeah, I can only remind you to turn off the parking sensors to avoid endless beeping. That's something I learned immediately.

Beside that, I always try to go through the procedure in my head before I approach the carwash, but as I said, without too much success. Let's do it together here, maybe the other guys can help us and we come up with a proper procedure:

1. Drive the car in position
2. Smile at the guy outside, pretending that you know what are you doing
3. Turn off the parking sensors
4. Put the car in Neutral
5. Disable the Parking brake
6. Make sure Auto Hold is off
7. Make sure you are not touching the brake pedal

Normally at this point something is wrong and the car does not freely move on the rolls. The annoyed guy knocks on the window trying to explain what I should do, but I don't speak well German so I panic. The guy opens the door and does something.

Any help with the procedure is really appreciated.

 

[Charlie]

My son is so particular about his and my car that he didn't even let the dealer vacuum, put down the floor mats or wash our Mx-30 prior to handover. Needless to say the dealer wasn't that impressed but had no option. My garage is so full of specialised car cleaning products that anyone would think we ran a car valeting service.
My son's pride and joy a Ford Focus ST Line was written off in an accident that was caused by the Police and is awaiting delivery of a new 2022 Ford Focus ST which will get cleaned/polished more than once a week.

Absolutely this on all counts. I too ask the dealers to supply the car "as is" straight from the transporter after completing the standard PDI removing suspension chocks etc. I give them a full paint correction before their first wash/wax, usually fully clay the car on delivery too if I have the time. I've had cars delivered to me still with paint protection panels on etc.
I also had a car written off parked up after getting broadsided by a stolen car being chased by the police at high speed. Police just left a note on the smashed windscreen for me to find when I tried to get to work the next morning, after that they weren't interested in the slightest, just left me to cover all costs as my insurance was voided as the other car was stolen.
On the subject of auto-washes, I really didn't know they were still a thing as they seem to have died a death in the UK due to the shocking reputation they have, damaging paintwork and also mangling mirrors, wipers etc. I can think of maybe 10 or so sites in my area that had them but that are all now either derelict or are just bays used by the very common hand-washing teams.

 

[Mazda Groupie]

Hi everyone… I have another MX30 newbie question.
I was a bit worried about putting my car through the car wash in case it’s safety feature try to do an emergency stop, or something when the rollers approach the car.
I found in the manual the automatic carwash mode sequence of button pushing. I am worried I get the sequence wrong and the brakes come on, and I end up stuck in the middle of the car wash 😬.
How do you all set your car for car washes?

I use a drive treu carwash no need to worry the battery is watertight

 

[Thebriggie]

Groupie, it is not as much water incursion into unwanted areas as much as scratch scratch 🤯 whilst the machine moves (or not) the actual car. How's your paintwork holding up so far? I honestly hope it is OK based on my previous machine washesThey are now a thing of the past...

Alan

 

[Mazda Groupie]

Groupie, it is not as much water incursion into unwanted areas as much as scratch scratch 🤯 whilst the machine moves (or not) the actual car. How's your paintwork holding up so far? I honestly hope it is OK based on my previous machine washesThey are now a thing of the past...

Alan

My car has no scratches from the car wash
But if you are worried about scratches maybe you can apply a ceramis coating to your car to prevent those it enhances shine and prevent scratches
Like this girl did

 

[ljorg]

The car wash sequence in the manual is only for having the car pulled through a wash hall when the power is off, I believe. I just drive onto the conveyor track, fold in the mirrors, switch off the parking sensors, put the car in neutral and leave the power on. That has worked fine so far.