Exterior Self Serve Guide Estimated reading: 6 minutes 3396 views Summary: An introduction to washing at the self serve, a necessary for some, a good option for anyone not able to wash at home. We’ve all seen them or driven past them: the self-serve or coin wash where you buy time with a pressure washer. These exist in many places and in some areas with environmental restrictions they are the only real legal way to wash. They might also provide a spot to wash for people who can’t wash at home. If you can wash at home, it’s highly likely you won’t gain from reading beyond this point. What makes a good self-serve? Sometimes exteriors can be deceiving. What really is needed is a good rinse and DI water as an option. Check how long the wash programs run for, as there can be big differences. Also check if you can use your own products, more on that in the “Things that should be common sense” part. What programs should I use? That totally depends. As you have no control over the chemicals used, try to avoid anything with a chemical in it, so just use the high-pressure rinse and the DI Rinse. Some offer a pre-clean foam. That’s likely a pH neutral foam so don’t expect much cleaning power, but in some cases, it can be a viable alternative. If you can, ask the owner what products they use – it might be something very good if you are lucky! Be mindful of the rules Check if bringing your own stuff is allowed. If it is forbidden, have a chat with the owner, sometimes they are more chill than expected. Even if you’re allowed to bring your own products, some – such as strong degreasers – might still be forbidden. Also, this is not the place to use a Hydrofluoric Acid (HF) based wheel cleaner or other super strong chemicals. Don’t clog up the self-serve with your multiple hour wash during the time where it is profitable for the owner. Self-serves can vary. One may have explicit times for hand washing and the others may have a rule that for hand washing to be allowed, two stalls need to be empty. Respecting the place goes a long way in keeping it nice and being welcomed back. What does a self-serve car wash add to detailing? The self-serve adds a third level (apart from being efficient and as scratch free as possible) to your wash process: maximizing use of the coins and allocated time. Where in other situations it would be beneficial to rinse more often e.g., after every wheel, at the self-serve you try within limits of safety to do all in one go as in most places you can’t stop the timer, so you want to get the most out of your money. Also, you need to carry everything there in your own car, which limits your options on what kinds of products you can bring. You will need to plan to make sure you have everything you need; scan the car for existing contamination so you can take what you need with you. How do I detail at a self-serve car wash? If your local self-serve doesn’t allow you to bring your own products, you can still use the facility but you may want to follow up with a light wash at home. Buy a brush cover to bring with you. Using the bare bristle brushes at a car wash will scratch up your paint. Foam the car with the given pre-wash or, if none are available, rinse thoroughly. Put the brush cover over the provided car wash brush. Make sure that the program runs the whole time, as that running water is providing the scratch safety. Work top down to wash with the covered brush and do the wheels last. Rinse (ideally with DI water) to clear off all the soap. Drive out of the stall to dry the car, then put a spray sealant on. Be careful with bucket lids!Not all self-serves have taps to fill your bucket with water. If they don’t, you can still bring a bucket full of water using a bucket lid, but please keep in mind that those are almost never 100% tight and could leak if the bucket falls over. However, if you properly secure them, that shouldn’t be too much of a concern. How do I detail at a self-serve car wash with my own products? If your local self-serve allows you to bring your own products, pack up the car and follow this process. You’ll want DI (deionized) water in a pump sprayer to avoid leaving hard water spots. Pre-clean with a pre-wash of your choice. The best recommendation is to use a pump sprayer and rinse with DI water unless temperatures are too cold. Now do the wheels. As you used DI water earlier, water spots are no worry and the whole car pre-wash will make your job much easier. Rinse the wheels and surrounding areas. Do your contact wash, rinse, followed by specialty cleaners as needed for things like tar or tree sap. Final rinse with DI water. Drive out like a boss with a clean car! Dry as needed and apply a sealant if necessary. Can I use a self-serve in winter? Yes! You can do a quick in-between clean or maintenance wash at a self-serve. Use an alkaline pre-wash, spray the car, rinse with DI water, and drive off to dry the car. It doesn’t take long and you shouldn’t get too cold or damp. This won’t get your car 100% clean but it’s a good way to stay on top of heavy grime and salt during the colder months.