Minnesota winters are extremely tough on vehicles. Do you use a car wash in the winter? Soft touch or touchless? how often?
With having a new to me truck, I’m trying to be a little more diligent about washing the truck in the winter (I do it manually in the warmer months). I’m intrigued by the new Tommys express unlimited car wash but have never been a huge fan of the soft touch variety.
I’m probably the worst when it comes to washing my vehicle. My 2011 F-150 JUST started showing rust in the cab corners this summer. I wash it maybe once per winter…
Soft touch if I wash in Cook or touchless here in the Falls. I wash more in the winter to keep the salt & gunk off the truck. Plus the truck still looks pretty good clean. I never wash by hand, I’m to lazy plus the car washes these days do a pretty good job.
Won’t be washing it today, it’s -26 right now -44 with the wind chill.
I wash at the local quick trip every once and a while. I used to do it all the time when the truck was new. Now that the news worn off I don’t do it all that often.
We have a car wash just outside of our neighborhood that we have a membership at. $30/month and you get one wash per day at that price, which includes the underbody wash. The wife and I alternate washes and usually hit 2-3 times per week each. Our garage is heated, so no worries on anything freezing.
Buy a commuter car… 
Sorry, too soon. too soon.
My Vehicle is lettered and have found if you use touchless it will start removing the decals so i use soft touch.
I go to Paradise in Apple Valley.
BTW – I love it when I see someone getting their $100K suv washed, then not tip. What’s wrong with people?
I wash both my wife’s Escape and my F-150 about twice a month. The Luther card gets me a Works wash at Holiday for 6 bucks. Undercarriage wash is very important with all the salt, sand, and other debris in the winter. Both our vehicles are in the garage at night so that helps keep the snow off them too.
Once a year I take them to Waterworks in Golden Valley which is a full service interior and exterior cleaning, similar to Paradise that EPG speaks of.
Soft touch when needed, it really needs it now!!
I hit every warm shot over 20 degrees in the Winter with my F150 and the wife’s Jeep. During seasons outside of Winter I probably wash them each once every few weeks. The trucks by the buildings only get washes if I intentionally leave them out of a shed during a nice rain.
I don’t do the soft touch or automatic washes…just the hand sprayer versions. It’s hard to stomach $14-20 for a questionable wash through an automatic. I can hit mine with a hand sprayer and really wash salt underneath for probably $4 in quarters.
I do the hand sprayer wash anytime it gets above 25 or so, put it in the garage overnight so no freeze. Salt is deadly man. Every little bit I can off I jump at the chance. Rust is the MAIN thing that gets me to sell an ds buy a new/different vehicle.
On a related note from an earlier post a couple weeks ago. My son stayed home to watch the first period then left to go back to school in Kato. Sent a picture from a stop light in Burnsville ( we live in Eagan) had already seen 6 vehicles driving on the snowcovered roads with their flashers on. His text “WTF, am I supposed to have MINE on?!?!”
Seriously…..
Waterworks in Golden Valley which is a full service interior and exterior cleaning
I love that place, and usually go once at the end of hunting season, and once in the spring. It’s like $30 for full wash, vaccuum, wash the floor mats, windows and hand dried. Then a couple touchless washes on nice days in the winter, to keep some salt off.
If I do I never get the underbody wash as I have heard that some of the automatic car washes recycle the water that is used for underbody wash and the last thing I want is a salt water underbody wash.
If you have a Holiday carwash near you look into their monthly packages.
UNLIMITED washes for just $20-40 a month depending on your package (I think the $30 a month wash includes undercarriage). The break even point is about three washes a month, anything after that is “free”
My Dad does this and washes his truck virtually ever other day (parks in a heated garage).
I have one about 9 miles away and close to the kids school, thinking about getting a membership myself.
If you have a Holiday carwash near you look into their monthly packages.
UNLIMITED washes for just $20-40 a month depending on your package (I think the $30 a month wash includes undercarriage)
Just make sure you do at least the Works one. The basic and premium washes do not include undercarriage.
Nah lol, 250K on my vehicles not worry about it.
Unless you are washing everyday its kind of pointless no matter how the roads are in Minnesota, the dry salt dust is probably worse than the new chunk salt after a fresh snow storm.
Gimruis, it looks like the two higher packages have it ($40 and $30 per month respectively)
Also worth noting, I believe the membership works at every location, not just where you bought it (but could be wrong)
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I have an unlimited program at Tommy’s near work. I drive through almost every day. Guys at work give me a hard time anytime my truck is dirty.
Gimruis, it looks like the two higher packages have it ($40 and $30 per month respectively)
Yes that’s what I was trying to say. The one near me has a Premium option (in between the Works and Works Plus) that does not include the undercarriage. I always go with the Works wash when I get one so I think you will be satisfied with that option.
Roger that Gimruis 
Didn’t see that one available
I bought a quik trip card with like 10 washes on it when I got my 19 Silverado I think it has 4 left on it. Pretty sad but every time its nice out there is like 10 people in line. No way am I sitting in line an hour for a carwash.
KwikTrip has the best automatic car washes I have ever used. I had been using the touch wash primarily, but if its got a lot of dirt on it from gravel roads I wont use the touch.
Kwik Trip No touch. Huge lines are a problem. I try to go early but wont stay if there are more than 2 cars in line. I use to like mister car wash in Cottage Grove because you could almost always get in quickly but I have been disappointed by other things there so many times I gave up.
I have an unlimited program at Tommy’s near work. I drive through almost every day. Guys at work give me a hard time anytime my truck is dirty.
that is what I currently have and am a fan of the Tommys so far.. the speed at which you can get thru that carwash is amazing because of the conveyer belt system allowing multiple cars in the wash at once. But for $38/month or whatever it is for unlimited, its pretty nice. I usually go thru twice when I’m there and am in and out in under 5 minutes for 2 washes.
I just am not sure how I feel about the soft touch as I do think you can get some scratches from dirt and stuff getting caught in the things that touch your car
Once a year I take them to Waterworks in Golden Valley which is a full service interior and exterior cleaning, similar to Paradise that EPG speaks of.
I was in Mpls on business around Jan 11th. Took the truck to Waterworks. Busy place. 3 wide non-stop. They did a great job and I think it was like $26.00 or something close.
EPG, who do you tip? The vacuum guys, the windshield guys, the guys who dry the vehicle? The guy who dried mine actually opened the door on the truck cap to wipe of the inside. He was struggling to get it to latch but he didn’t give up. I handed him $5 for the effort and said thanks. He didn’t understand English but you could tell he took pride in his work which I appriciated.
I try to wash my truck every Friday when I drive it to work. Obviously this is hit or miss for 3 months out of the year. for me, anything 20 degrees or above, I’ll send it thru the wash. But, not very often at 3:30am is it 20 degrees on my way to work these few months.
Kwik Trip IMO is the best. Used Tobies in Hinckley for a little bit, But they are $3 more for the best wash & it isn’t that good. Kwik Trip in Mora is only $10 for the Ultimate Touchless Wash with a fill up. Hard to beat & it works great!
try to every couple of weeks but usually too cold, frozen doors suck= door seals coming apart
I get mine washed about weekly but my 2013 RAM is rusting in several spots so didn’t seem to help much.
Winter wouldnt be so tough on vehicles if there wasnt tons upon tons of corrosive chemicals dumped on the roadways.When shopping used vehicles it was amazing how clean they were from other states that have winter- Colorado,Montana,Washington.I drive vehicles until they die and then some so no way I will I ever buy used from a salt state,and no way I would pay $50+grand for a new one to watch it turn into a rusty p.o.s.Woolwax it once a year and wash it when ya think it can make it more than a day without being completely covered in salt again which isnt too often here.I see people lined up at the car wash when the roads are still sloppy,slushy and things are melting.May as well just skip the carwash toss a 10$bill out the window and head home.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>gimruis wrote:</div>
Once a year I take them to Waterworks in Golden Valley which is a full service interior and exterior cleaning, similar to Paradise that EPG speaks of.I was in Mpls on business around Jan 11th. Took the truck to Waterworks. Busy place. 3 wide non-stop. They did a great job and I think it was like $26.00 or something close.
EPG, who do you tip? The vacuum guys, the windshield guys, the guys who dry the vehicle? The guy who dried mine actually opened the door on the truck cap to wipe of the inside. He was struggling to get it to latch but he didn’t give up. I handed him $5 for the effort and said thanks. He didn’t understand English but you could tell he took pride in his work which I appriciated.
Mostly the dryers/window people but I do tip the vacuum guys every once and a while also.
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