Since the pollen has been so bad down here, I’m not physically able to wash the teg myself and decided to go through one of the good automatic car washes out here. (My paint is in horrible shape unfortunately so I’m not too concerned with scratches etc.)
I don’t think I’ve ever been through one in my car. I folded in my mirrors, but completely forgot about my rear wiper. The rubber-like “brushes” ended up lifting the arm and ripping off my rear wiper. It’s now bent pretty badly
So I was thinking aftward that I would probably have to move the wiper arm so that it’s in its horizontal position and shut the car off so that it doesn’t get ripped off again. Would that be the way to go? If any of you guys have to go to these car washes, how do you prevent that the arm from damage?
And no, I’m not deleting that wiper. It has come in handy many times. Thanks.
This is what I do for a living. there are 2 different types of washes. friction, which is where there cloth or brushes as most people refer too are used to clean the car. Or there are touch free, where its primarily all chem and high pressure water with maybe a set of hanging cloth.
I run a friction wash and I can tell you from personal experiece and other member here im sure will back me on this that your car will just fine in these washes as long as you remember the one key fact, Shit Happens:) as long as its an oem parts that is broken. most wash owner and operators will be happy to work with replacement of broken part. as long as there is no prior damage of course
If all your concerned with is your 3rd wiper. investigate the wash your considering and see if they have a top roller brush, if so in most cases it can be retracted(kept up and out of the way) and you wont have any problems. unless your car has the typical G2 leaks:angel:
I have a nagging feeling that making it horizontal might make it worse, since your giving the brush more surface area to grab onto.
Never use touch less car washes if your car has rear wipers. IMO It’s better to keep your car dirty and wait out for a day or two than to risk this happening. Here’s some other Honda related horror stories with touch less car washes…
wise old dragon. those are not touch free washes, they are friction type
those are the specific brush’s I was refering too. Taping the wiper down is not only pointless, but useless IMO. there is no way masking tape will hold in the water and duct tape will just leave residue that needs to be cleaned up. if you ask me those inciedents are most likely operator error or sheer lazy ness.
Sad thing is they are becoming more and more used in today’s carwash’s, so it something your going to have to deal with at some point.
I know A guy that owns a car wash with one of these. I will ask him, in the 2 years hes been open, how many incidents hes had? this has kind of peaked my interest now:sipread:
i took the rear wiper off my teg but i’ve gone thru plenty of washes with other rear wiper equipped cars. they always slip a long plastic sleeve over the rear wiper, i assume, to prevent damage.
Coming from my point of view as a guy who used to detail cars for a living a $10 car wash will do about $150 worth of damage to the car even the touch free ones I know of many detailers in Florida you can usually get a wash and wax for $30 or something in that range sure it’s a little more expensive but the wax will help keep it a little cleaner as well
you dont keep a rag and tape in your integra at all times, just in case?
if my car all of the sudden got mega dirty to where i needed to use the car wash, i use a rag to wipe the glass around the wiper blade and run two strips of tape along the glass and wiper. masking tape works ok, duct works awesome.
everyone should have a rag, tape, a lighter, something flammable and dog treats in their cars.
I used to go through a friction type wash periodically and the operators would tape the rear wiper on my da down with a piece or 2 of duct tape. Worked like a charm.
who else has had experience with tape being put on there wipper and what kind of tape was it ? in my 10+ years of washing cars, working for over half a dozen different washes have never seen this trick used.
this is very interesting to me, As I do have this problem. Not with the tegs or hatch’s for that mater of fact, but more suvs and utility type vehicles then anything.
for shits and giggles im going to have to experiment with this a little at work:)
my father has exclusively driven either ford winstars or ford taurus station wagons for the last 20 years. Both of these vehicles have rear wipers. He spends a few days a month driving all over northern NJ making sales calls. He’ll take the car to a car wash if too much pollen or rocksalt coats his windows. He keeps a roll of duct tape on hand just in case the car wash doesn’t have it.
who else has had experience with tape being put on there wipper and what kind of tape was it ? in my 10+ years of washing cars, working for over half a dozen different washes have never seen this trick used.