How To Wash Safely At A Coin Operated Car Wash

While we’ve had the luxury of having right equipment, and space for a number of years now to wash at home, we haven’t always been so lucky and in the past, would regularly wash our vehicles at a coin operated car wash.
As the years have gone by, we’ve realised some of the mistakes we were making, and damage we were inflicting on the paint when regularly using these types of car washes.
In this video we head back to the coin operated car wash, bringing along a few items from home to show you how you can properly wash, without damaging the paint on your vehicle.
Check out the Omni Garage website omnigarage.co.nz
#CarWash #Detailing #AudiSQ5

[@joevanseeters2873]

I was a cop for 30+ years and I had a take home patrol car. I always went to this type of car wash facility during the middle of the night or late evenings when I worked night shift and enjoyed washing my car at one of these places. I would bring a small bucket with my own equipment so as to not scratch my paint. About 5 of us who were really into detailing our vehicles would enjoy having friendly competitions to see who could have the best looking patrol cars on the department.

[@OmniGarage]

@Jo Van Seeters these type of places are good option. Made even better when you take you own bucket and wash mitt.

[@justkilmygamer670]

I like this reaction. A man that takes care of his patrol car (company car). That means he love's his job. Great 👍 👌 please don't arrest me when my car is dirt. Lol just kidding 😂 😅 my car shines day and night

[@ryanfortin9166]

Lol I've been to a few that really don't like you bringing your own buckets. Some even have posted signs saying you're not allowed

[@OmniGarage]

That’s a strange business model. They are happy to loose out on a sale because you want to take your own wash mitt and bucket? A person who takes their own wash mitt is also probably someone who cares about their car and likely to be a regular customer.

[@ryanfortin9166]

@@OmniGarage just greed. The way they see it, if you're using a bucket etc than you're not on a time limit pumping in more coins or tokens. The worst is when you run outta time midway thru. Not sure about the car washes there but here it's usually $4 to start and from there you can add time in $1-2 increments but if you run outta time you're back at that $4 to start price point. I'm in Canada and we have 1 and $2 coins. I always make sure I have a bunch separated and ready for the machine so I'm not digging thru nickles and dimes while my countdown timer is beeping away at me lol

[@JayShah910]

Very in depth video, yall cover the important bits that other videos of this nature neglect. thanks Omni Garage

[@OmniGarage]

Thanks mate, appreciate the kind comment!

[@Jules-740]

Not exaclty related to washing the car but since Im a woman I try to be careful about when I go out. I avoid going out for errands after dark. I never pump gas in the dark. I will take precautions when washing my car in a public place. It is good to have situational awareness even for men.

[@gardenturkey]

I like to go chill at the carwash, obviously when no one is around, early morning 6 am then off for coffee and breakfast

[@riceburner4747]

Yep. Peaceful👍

[@JayjNoah]

wtf , why dont u stay home lol

[@Bcha268]

@@JayjNoahprobably lives in a apartment or just doesn’t have a drive like myself… obviously

[@jamiedriscoll9781]

I never use their soap. I bought a quality foam battery operated pump sprayer. I foam my car and use the wand to keep my wash mit clean and 7 years later still no scratches or swirls

[@dakibmw]

9:52 People always bug me, ask me about the car, make stupid questions...at the gas station, wash facility, even parking lots and garages...and I try not to be annoyed, try to play cool, sound like a sane person, etc. BUT - as soon as I bring out my bring-from-home leaf blower, they all stop. Nobody approaches me, nobody starts asking questions, no one talks to me. Everybody keeps doing what they are doing, starts minding their own bussiness...and tries not make eye contact with me. It's kinda useful tool....that leaf blower thing. 🤣🤣🤣

[@OmniGarage]

That’s really funny. You must have a nice car if people approach you to chat about it.

[@bigdaddysshop8180]

Lol.. I've used a leaf blower on my vehicles and Harley's for a long time.. They work great.

[@Jules-740]

They don't want the leaf blower on them. It may be noisy for them and they might be afraid it will blow them away.

[@justkilmygamer670]

I wash my wheels rims first to prevent brake dust coming on the Car then I rinse the whole car and after that I begin the cleaning process from down to up. Down is the dirtiest 😊

[@OmniGarage]

Everyone has a slightly different process. Do what works for you.

[@justkilmygamer670]

@@OmniGarage that's right.

[@Beauty_Fashion]

@@justkilmygamer670 I wouldn’t want the dirty stuff to contaminate the cleaner parts of the car (top) so I’d suggest wheels first then wash from top down for best results!

[@OmniGarage]

Yeah always wash top down.

[@who-v]

One way to get foam is to carry a pump foam sprayer like the iK Foam Sprayer

[@OmniGarage]

Totally. I would love to try them out.

[@davidwashington1917]

many self serve washes do not allow bucket washing... Hog hair foam brushes are easy on body of car. Always inspect the brush prior to using.

[@OmniGarage]

The brushes are always worn out and full of dirt and grime. But yes definitely inspect it. Better still take your own wash pad.

[@kimnewling5728]

Cool video. I bring my own soap in bucket and then rinse. Ph too strong at car wash.

[@OmniGarage]

@Kim Newling I’m not too sure what kind of soap they use at this one but it didn’t appear to strip much of the Beadmaker off. This soap also felt pretty slick.

[@antonyv8171]

Great vid lads. Haha I used to try and bring my stuff to a coin car wash like this - but the owner comes running out saying “nooooo noooo scrub scrub”. Essentially wanting me to be in and out quickly so he can get maximum amount of $ and customers through the wash lmao. Basically didn’t allow me to use a wash mitt or bucket or anything that isn’t provided at the car wash😂😂😂 so after that experience I went and got myself a Kranzle 1152TST and said f*** it 😉

[@OmniGarage]

Thanks Antony! That’s frustrating, because even though you’re using your own wash mitt, I imagine you’d spend the same, if not more than anyone else bringing their vehicle in using only the supplied equipment. We tried to avoid this issue by bringing in the car late in the evening, which seemed to work well (minus some of the odd looks from other car wash users!).

[@OmniGarage]

@Antony V I can imagine that would be the case at some places. My argument would be that I am coming back every week to wash my car and on average spending more money so could I please bring a few of my own tools etc.

[@ryanfortin9166]

Same

[@horitauri]

Thankyou. I used a carwash last night and didnt realise how much pressure the sprayer has. Oh no! What damage have i done? I now know what i should do next time. Like you have shown, i will be taking my own gear next time. I actually like the leaf blower!

[@OmniGarage]

Hopefully you have a better experience next time.

[@alexlohidonov5612]

I love your Q5 so much !

[@OmniGarage]

Thanks! It's a pretty awesome daily.

[@dalesmith4985]

Here where I' am in QLD Australia it is forbidden to bring your own buckets or anything other than what is there, there are cameras and signs everywhere and employees will pull you up and tell you to leave. there is a auto laser wash that is touchless with high pressure soapy water but it doesn't do a great job on it's own. you can pay extra for employees to assist but they use brushes on long handles. and then auto wash and a chamois dry

[@OmniGarage]

People who enjoy having a clean car and are passionate about keeping it that way are more likely to keep going back which equals more money for the car wash place. Having rules around taking a bucket and your own wash mitt to use with their water and soap you paid for is a bit of a shame. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@moulychandran1916]

Ooh my god that ‘soap with brush’ is a nightmare 😮

[@OmniGarage]

Yip, that thing will definitely cause scratches on your paint.

[@lukevalentini1805]

Give you free space I find washing cars relaxing

[@jamesmeyer5281]

Hey, how about doing a clip on Polishing and covering some small scratches or chop paint marks. I am at the moment bought a scrap same colour door from the wreckers to practise on it. Got also some Polish stuff [ 3 different polish Bottles + assorted Polish Pads is well. That I would be interested in watching on your channel.I know it's a bit tricky, but possible. I went to some shops to get the idea on how to do it. Also of course, it never will get - or look like done at a professional place or Paint shop. Well, I can let you know how it worked out , will start in a few days with it. [Also got some free colour from the Tesla shop .... Love your video clips. Keep doing them, Thx, James [Tesla3 Red colour] from Brisbane QLD, Australia

[@m4dc4t]

How does wax work in these type of car washes? How to apply it? Is it even worth it short term?

[@OmniGarage]

It’s a spray on type wax. Unsure about durability.

[@julessanne-i1d]

@@OmniGarageis the being washed in the video got ceramic coating?

[@OmniGarage]

@julessanne-i1d no

[@OmniGarage]

@julessanne-i1d no

[@meglyo]

Can you use your mitt (at the end) to wash the tyres like you did? I wouldn’t want to buy extra tools / brushes / product so just wondering what’s best

[@OmniGarage]

Yes, absolutely. We just want to make sure that it’s done at the end of the process, not at the start. Make sure you wash the mitt thoroughly before the next wash.

[@meglyo]

@@OmniGarage Thankyou ☺️

[@AhriCRose]

Or a detailer but thats a bit more expensive.

[@justin_wayne_elrod_jrod]

Really nice video and if I had car wash right now my triple foam scent would be bubble gum

[@OmniGarage]

Thank you. Ooo yeah! Nice choice 👍🏻

[@ktpenny288]

What’s that bloower called😊

[@OmniGarage]

Ego

[@OmniGarage]

Sorry it was a RYOBI one, but I took the nozzle off.

[@ktpenny288]

@@OmniGarage do you know what exact model

[@OmniGarage]

No I don’t sorry. They don’t make that model anymore. I’ve upgraded to their new 36v blower. It is way better than the one in this video. Have a look on our KZbin channel, I made a video about it.

[@dodgeram3773]

I have two things against me one apartment that won’t allow you to wash your vehicle and two my truck is a dually so I have to go to a wash like this in order to wash the 31 year old truck 🤣

[@Shamim.keshavarz]

Is it possible to connect your foam lance to the high pressure washer in order to pre-wash your car?

[@OmniGarage]

No, they are all welded together to prevent you from changing them.

[@rj5822]

My local self car wash doesn’t allow bucket washing

[@hypnotico7051]

If you go out at night like him no one’s going to complain

[@hellowill]

Is this the one in Rosedale? Im about to go there lol

[@OmniGarage]

Tauranga

[@iiencarriere2664]

What coins?

[@OmniGarage]

Well tokens! Many of these types of car washes still accept and use coins. This one was a little more “high tech”

[@MsWnDrLnD]

Why spray the tricolour soap if you brought your own?

[@OmniGarage]

You could if you wanted to spray some tricolour in the bucket for your wash mitt.

[@MsWnDrLnD]

I've moved into an apartment complex and have nowhere to wash my car here, so I'm just trying to get all the details right so i can make a plan 😅 I was just planning on bringing my own bucket with my own soap in it, i just thought maybe there was a reason I was missing to use the spray foam first then use your own bucket and soap 🤔

[@OmniGarage]

Foaming the car helps to get soap onto the vehicle. This soap will start to break down the dirt and grim and slowly start pulling it down the vehicle. More importantly the foam on the car helps to provide lubrication for the wash mitt to reduce scratches. Ideally you would have two buckets (two bucket wash method). One with water it in to rinse/clean the wash mitt. The other with soap in it to re-lubricate the mitt and to have a soapy wash mitt to help with the cleaning process.

[@Unkown23285]

What

[@OmniGarage]

🤷‍♂️

[@Woodman-Spare-that-tree]

Why aren’t you doing it the typical way? What’s the point of making a video about how to wash your car if you start off by saying “I don’t usually do it like this”?

[@OmniGarage]

Correct, I do not usually wash my car at a coin operated car wash. Back when I was living in an apartment this was the only option for me. Going back to those days, this video was made to show people how I used to do it. If you were in a similar position then this video could be helpful for you.