Car wash...
 

/begin rant

I have a monthly membership to a local car wash, they do the whole-9-yards, vacuum, interior,etc.
I usually go every time I drive the car, and usually dont have an issue.
Today I pulled up with the top down, and before I got out, I put the top up, and they started cleaning it. I went inside and waited as usual, and after about 20 mins (usual timeframe) I look to see if it was done, and saw it was in the detail bay... With a wet/dry vac next to it...

Long story short, the passenger window was Still down when it went thru.
I obviously got the manager and let him know my concerns. They cleaned it up pretty good, and there doesnt seem to be any electrical issues. Hopefully I got
Lucky, but if there is issues, they better believe they are getting the bill..

/end rant

Lessons to be learned:

1) You should probably get in the habit of looking to see that the windows are actually up before handing it over to someone in a car wash. How could they not notice something like that? Unbelievable what some people don't notice.

2) You're better off just doing it yourself. These are small cars, it takes very little time, especially if you are just washing and not doing any additional detailing. Heck, lots of times you don't even have to do a full blown wash---do a search on "Optimum No Rinse". It's fast, easy, does a good job and is friendly to your car's finish.

I have never taken my Boxster through an automatic car wash. I just can't get comfortable with the idea. It's a little car; hand washing and towel drying takes less than thirty minutes.

Beside washing it myself, I'd only let a professional detailer detail my car.... no drive-thru car wash for me...

I thought one of the issues of the automatic car washes was the problem of the side sprayers spraying water into the air intake behind the driver's door? Is there the potential for hydrolock here? Or is that just from motor oil?

I lost your detailer's phone number. What is it again ?

No automatic car wash for my Boxster either.. I rather her wash it. :dance::D

Autowash? Thats beyond me. No one touches my car like that but me...just like my woman.

Her number
 

I'd say 9 :cool:

I would remove both seats & dry the ECU's under there. If they corrode you will have to replace them & have a major hassle trying to get the car wash to take responsibility.

Good call.

Nothing better then suds'n up the Box on a sunny afternoon, save money on therapy, wash your Porsche yourself.

You may also want to pick up some of those silica packets that are meant to absorb moisture and throw a few under the seats, a few in the footwells, and maybe in the door pockets too, anywhere that there's fabric in the cabin, really. Those may help, too. Maybe even stick a little portable dehumidifier in there to soak up everything it can.

I've heard of cars being totalled because the owner left the window down during a rain storm.

I'd take it to the dealer and have them do a full diagnostic of everything electrical/hvac.
Top to bottom.

Word on the street is: white rice works as well as anything! :cool:

i took out the seats and carpet. the immobilizer was bone dry, no water got on that side of the car. I have a ton of reuseable silica packets I use when I store it for winter, and loaded it up with those, and it was like 85 degrees... the little water (if any) that is left is history now.

Touché, sir...my only parry to that is that it's food, and rodents and critters don't need any more temptation to make their way into my car. :cheers:

That's racist. Just say "rice".

I believe white rice absorbs water better than brown rice. :p ;)

Drive through??? I get nuts when someone tries to use the Ford wash mitt on the Porsche.

I find it hard to believe that someone who is willing to voluntarily run a Porsche through a tunnel car wash is concerned about a little water getting into the cabin from the window HE LEFT OPEN.

I would not run my Porsches through a car wash even if they were on fire.

I share the sentiment. Although...if it were actually on fire, I might make an exception. Just this once! :D

Just pee on it.

Pee on me Box??? Never!

Yours catches on fire, give me a shout...I'd be glad to help out. :D

Hey, now!!!

I feel, it's your car, do as you wish. If you want to use an automatic carwash, who cares.

Realistically, even though it is a Porsche, it's just a car. However, there are at least two compelling reasons why using an automatic carwash isn't a good idea. The first being, it's too risky having a stream of high water pressure shooting sideways right into your engine air intake. Sure, the "snorkle and cup" should deflect most of it. And then the airbox and filter will catch more. But eventually, the water can build up enough to enter the air intake system and into the engine. The second reason is, and this isn't Porsche related, is that it's a convertible. Sub reason a, the canvas top should not be getting a full dose of sudsing. Sub reason b, the convertible top seals aren't known to be very watertight. High pressure water can shoot through between mating surfaces, such as the door gasket and window seals. Says so in the owner's manual. The car can sustain being water resistant to rainshowers and able to drive through rain. But not the horizontal component of an automatic carwash.

Again, it's your car. Don't let anyone berate you for running it through an automatic carwash just because it has a Porsche badge on it. But if folks are recommending that it's not a good idea because of the inherent risks, well that's a different story. Take that into consideration, but ultimately that decision is only yours to make.

I was sitting in the waiting area at the end of the car wash, as my Cayenne was being ushered through. As I watched each car shoot out at the end of the wash and driven off with just seconds to spare before beinging rear-ended my the upcoming car, I thought to myself: you know, an alarm that stops the assembly line HAS to be in place to avoid collisions right? Of course there is.... That would be really dumb to risk it...

Just as my mind wandered off that topic, I shifted my gaze to the cars being towel dried. Suddenly I see a woman in my peripheral vision flailing her arms and screaming: "hey! Hey!" followed my a distinct bumper-on-tailgate "crruunch".

No way. Not today. I look over and see a Rav 4 tickling the tailgate of my Cayenne. Of course.

Damage.

Moral: Use the car wash with caution!!!!

No car wash. I like putting my hands all over her, and she likes it, too. :)

Hey stop that you'll spawn an entire theme week of Dr. Phil with that kind of smack.

He'll be saying stuff like "you try to fill your spirit with metal and you'll end up gayer than Elton John for the tin man" you know him, he's a pot stirrer!