Car wash Info, I picked this up from another forum.

[mrmickeymouse]

"Ouch! Took my '99 Boxster 2.5 (40k) through a touch-free car wash this morning. The car was running perfectly (and always has). This is the kind of wash that hoses your car down with high pressure soap and water. While in the wash I heard a horrible mechanical sound and my engine seized. I think the high pressure water got forced into the air intake and into the cylindars. The car wash is only a block from my house, so the car wasn't even up to operating temp yet.

I had the car towed to my mechanic. His preliminary diagnosis is water in the cylindars, but he won't know for sure until next week.

Has anyone heard of this happening before? I'm looking at needing a new motor. Obviously, I'd like to have the car wash pay.

As for new motors, can I replace with a more powerful one? What are my options?

Thanks.":ah:

http://forums1.roadfly.org/porsche/forums/boxster/5684118-1.html

[donv]

What a way to ruin your day !

Did your mechanic say you'd need a new motor?

I presume the car stalled when this happened, if so you should not need a new engine (no cylinder damage) -- just a way to get the water out of the cylinders and oil (assuming it made it past the rings).

A purist might want to pull the head to check but a shade-tree mechanic approach would be to pull the spark plug and use a hose to blow warm dry air into the cylinders. If you do this for a day or so and change the oil, I bet you'd be all set.

Now if you can get the car wash to pay for a new engine then of course that is the way to go... but I expect you're going to find some argument from them on that!

Good luck!

[donv]

OK, never mind -- MrMM did not have this problem, the person on the other board did... guess I should register there to respond

[Richard Truss]

The best way to avoid this problem (and to save water, plus be able to wash your car in the comfort of your garage) is to use this product:

http://www.driwashnguard.com/

Dri Wash N Guard was demo'd here in vegas at a PCA event, and I thought i would buy some (we have strict water restrictions). Boy am i impressed. Not only is it fast, but it cleans like no traditional car wash has ever done for me. Plus, it polishes at the same time. I have a 3x Black car, and I am telling you.... no matter how dirty your car is, this stuff works and it is safe (NO scratches, NO swirl marks, NO water spots). I will always use it.

I have nothing to do with the company, I am just a very satisfied customer.

[tqtran]

Yeah, I tried the "touchless wash" once and never again.
The one I went to, the pressure washer was too strong and it forced water through the soft top (inbetween the two plastic beams on the side).
So for now on, I do it by hand.
Either the old fashion way with soap and water or if I am in a hurry, I use the "Armorall Car Wash Wipes" ( in the green package). I have a tripple black 986 and it only takes 2 wipes to do the entire car in 5 mins. Best of all, it appears to have some sort of gel in the mixture so that it doesn't scratch your paint as you wipe. A great roduct. I keep a package with me in the front trunk just in case I ever run into a 10 min rain storm one day that is suppose to be clear and sunny, so that I can wash it off and enjoy the rest of my day in a clean car.

if them wipes are in a black and green packet, they are amazing... they really do work, it takes 1 cloth for all 4 alloy wheels, i also use 2 for the whole body.. they are great them amor cap wipes.. heres a little pic incase someone wants to try them..

[Stryke]

I own a hand car wash/detailing center and can tell you that for anyone who cares one bit about their car it is the only way to have the car washed. I would never ever put my car through a machine wash. They will damage your car and do a ****************ty job at best. They will also put you on a rail which will damage your wheels.

I'm really sorry to hear about this and hope it turns out well for you.

A high pressure wash i have no trouble with, but again i wouldnt put mine through those automatic things.. i am sure it says in the porsche handbook only manually wash the car.. i am sure it does, it says it in the main book or the boxster car care kit


sorry to hear about your bad news mickymouse, that could happen to anyone with a boxster.. good post!

[Tool Pants]

His air box must have filled with water. That is why I tell people on the desnork fad to beware.

[QporscheQ]

My two cents on car washing:

In general the less effort and chemicals that you use to wash your car the better it will look over time. Power washers and abrasive chemicals will make your car look pretty today, however over time they will remove your wax. They basically clean by removing the top coat of what ever is on your car and this includes the grim that is in it. If you wash your car gently, it will help protect your car's finish, and overtime will leave your car looking awesome.

My suggestion -- get a good terry cloth or micro fiber mitt, a bucket, some nonabrasive auto shampoo, and a few micro fiber towels. Don’t hose your car down with you hose’s maximum setting. Just let the water sheet off your car and don’t use circular motions ever!!! On the hood and rear deck lid use front to back (or visa versa) motions for washing and drying. On the sides use only an up and down motion. Eventually, all the "swirl" marks on your car will be in the same directions and will be polarized so that when people look at the car, the light that is caught in the "swirls" will be polarized 90 degrees out of phase of the look angle, and will therefore be almost unnoticeable.

I love washing my car, its actually one of the things that I look forward to on the weekends. In no time your car will be like a big mirror like mine.

[Lux]

Although I feel bad for the guy with the dead motor, I don't like the fact that he's going to try and get the car wash place to pay for it. If his motor indeed hydro-locked, it's his own fault. Should've known his intake is on the side and turned off his motor during the wash.

But I still don't understand how the motor locked up. It takes quite a bit of standing water, no?

Most of the touchless washes I've seen have the sprayers moving back and forth. Not really any worse than driving in a heavy storm.

[Stryke]

Here are some shine photos I took this week after a detail.

I washed and clayed the entire car, then machine polished it, glazed it by hand and then waxed it by hand.

[TO2IMAGE]

stryke when is the next meet for yall?

[Stryke]

You mean the 6Speed meets we had over the summer? If so you need to email Michele (Porsche Babe) for info as she is the one that organizes them.

the car washes in the UK are well covered they have signs that state they take no blame for any damage caused by the machine and you have to agree to this by inserting the token into the YES button on the machine..

nice pic porsche Q black is always a great colour, i hate waxing mine as i find a new scratch everytime and its heart breaking!

[larez2]

I've heard that crap about car wash places using high pressure washers and screwing up cars. That suck! =( The car wash owner should be insured, but it is not always easy to get them to sack up and pay. Just like an accident make sure you document everything, like when it happened, and any names of the workers that were around. Good luck.

A quick note about carwashing. I recently purchased the Mr. Clean Autodry. It is the best thing for car washing since sliced bread. Not only does the think look like a phaser gun from star wars, but it uses filtered water to wash your boxster. I can't believe someone didn't think of that earlier. It really works without having to hand dry it.

Larez2

[QporscheQ]

I also use the Mr. Clean autodry thing. However, I don’t entirely trust it and I still hand dry my car. If you are washing your car in an area that has a lot of pollen or is very dusty, the junk in the air will collect in the filtered water that is on your car and will spot when the water dries. I agree that it is a very good idea, and I would recommend it. If you are the kind of person where good enough is good enough then you will be very happy with it, if you are crazy like me it is a good tool to add to your car's beauty regiment.


Stryke: Your car looks awesome. I was going to leave claying for another lecture. When you say by hand, do you mean with a random orbital buffer or really by hand? Cause if you did it by hand, man that is seriously hard core.

Thanks, 986. Remember that 99% of people that see your car will never notice anything that is wrong with it. I have to remind myself of that when I find little stone chips and scratches every time I wash it.

[QporscheQ]

Here is another good shine pic:

[Stryke]

The polish was with a rotary buffer (do not try one unless you are very experienced with it), the glaze was with a Porter Cable orbital and the wax was by hand with an applicator.