Gravity: Helpful Tips for Automated Car Wash?

bryway · Tuesday at 12:14 PM

Having returned home from my first road trip, the Gravity is in dire need of a wash. I don't have the bandwidth to handwash it myself (and know I'd be obsessive to the point of self ruin), so am going to take it to an automated car wash. There's a pretty good one near me in San Francisco (Tower on Van Ness at Mission) where I previously took my Model X. Of course the X had a 'Car Wash Mode' that would tame the automated stuff such as self-presenting driver and passenger doors, falcon wing doors, wipers, etc.

For the Gravity, besides the obvious wiper settings, are there other things I should do before letting them run it through the wash? The user manual isn't all that useful -- just mentions switching wipers to the 'off' position. Should I be worried about the door handles? The Model X didn't really have 'handles' per-se, so I never had the concern

I searched the Gravity section of the site and couldn't find more specifics.

iThinkEV · Tuesday at 7:14 PM

I think I set wiper to off (forever, never like it on auto till it rains) and that was it. Been through a local auto touchless car wash a few times. Maybe make sure they know how to switch to neutral for the automated track.

-iThinkEV-

Ron_Burgundy · Tuesday at 8:04 PM

I had to laugh when I read this because I always swear I will only do a “quick” waterless car wash regularly when I get a new car and cringe at the idea of a brushless auto wash…two months (and one hand wash later), I end up going through an auto wash…

Car Wash mode usually also turns off external sensors and cameras as they go nuts in a car wash…

9point81 · Tuesday at 8:14 PM

Aaarrgghh! Car washes! Sorry but no matter how tired I might get, dog hot summer day or freezing of winter, I’m gonna be out there (looking like a fool) hand washing my car. It’s just what you do, as a departed friend of mine used to say. Good luck with yours tho

hmp10 · Tuesday at 8:28 PM

After having it wrapped in Xpel Ultimate Fusion PPF we've been taking our Air through an automated carwash about weekly for over two years. I don't do anything other than turn off the wipers. I don't even retract the mirrors, as the cleaning at the top of the doors is better with them extended. Never had any damage, and the car finish still looks brand new. If the car is picking up any swirl marks the self-healing properties of the film are still handling them.

One of the reasons I had the Gravity wrapped in the same film is that I intend to do the same with it. The only reason I haven't yet is that I wanted to do the first couple of washes by hand, as it's a way to really catch anything I want corrected with the car or the film. (The only thing I've found so far is that the right tip of the "Dream Edition" tag on the tailgate has not adhered fully to the film.).

bryway · 2025-08-24T23:03:36-0500

Closing the loop here. Automated wash was a non-issue. Did what was suggested here (thanks to those who offered advice) and turned off the auto wipers, and also made a point to show the person who was going to drive the car into the wash how to put the car in Neutral. Overall, a good experience, and so nice to have it clean again.

Ron_Burgundy · 2025-08-24T23:09:50-0500

You’re incredibly brave. Glad it worked out bd appreciate the update!

There’s no way I would let anyone drive our Gravity through an auto wash. I’ve got no problem with the auto wash, but don’t trust the folks at any of the ones near me to drive it. It will need a thorough washing after this road trip, but I will do it by hand while still in my honeymoon phase!

bryway · 2025-08-24T23:10:19-0500

They did a great job inside and out

allenmhc · 2025-08-25T02:03:32-0500

Hmmm...is that a car wash on Vanness & 101 in San Francisco? The surroundings look...familiar.

Electrified · 2025-08-25T06:27:27-0500

I'm just shy of 36 months of ownership with my AGT, it's been through the Fuller's auto wash at least 100 times. Turn off the wipers and put it neutral.

hmp10 · 2025-08-25T07:50:53-0500

Electrified said:
I'm just shy of 36 months of ownership with my AGT, it's been through the Fuller's auto wash at least 100 times. Turn off the wipers and put it neutral.

Same with our Air and going to be the same with our Gravity (although I did put PPF on both).

A lot of the trashing of automatic carwashes you see on the internet is from people who own car detailing services or people just parroting what they've read from such sources. The newer carwashes use brushes that are developed not to scratch paint, and they run under a constant flush of water to keep them free of grit from other cars. Our Zenith Red Air would easily show swirl marks, and it has none.

Ron_Burgundy · 2025-08-25T08:39:15-0500

hmp10 said:
Same with our Air and going to be the same with our Gravity (although I did put PPF on both).

A lot of the trashing of automatic carwashes you see on the internet is from people who own car detailing services or people just parroting what they've read from such sources. The newer carwashes use brushes that are developed not to scratch paint, and they run under a constant flush of water to keep them free of grit from other cars. Our Zenith Red Air would easily show swirl marks, and it has none.

Don’t underestimate the protection of PPF.

Also, my biggest auto wash issue is rims. The tracks are relatively narrow and metal (in all the ones near me) and it’s not infrequent for my rims to pick up scratches from them.

californiaboy935 · 2025-08-25T09:39:21-0500

Ron_Burgundy said:
Don’t underestimate the protection of PPF.

Also, my biggest auto wash issue is rims. The tracks are relatively narrow and metal (in all the ones near me) and it’s not infrequent for my rims to pick up scratches from them.

Yeah damage to the rims would be one of my only concerns. Other than the brushes being full of whatever the Tacoma that just mud runned got scraped off of it…

Electrified · 2025-08-25T11:22:42-0500

californiaboy935 said:
Yeah damage to the rims would be one of my only concerns. Other than the brushes being full of whatever the Tacoma that just mud runned got scraped off of it…

My rims look just like they did three years ago, I also don't have any swirls in my paint, twice a year I have a Ceramic Pro ceramic put on the car, works great for a car that goes through a car wash like mine does.

bryway · 2025-08-25T11:39:22-0500

allenmhc said:
Hmmm...is that a car wash on Vanness & 101 in San Francisco? The surroundings look...familiar.

Yep. Good eye! Tower Car Wash (and Chevron Gas Station) at Mission and Van Ness in San Francisco. I’ve brought my cars here for at least 20 years — they always do a great job.

iThinkEV · 2025-08-25T16:10:29-0500

I would prefer a touchless wash. Those rubber rollers will no doubt scratch your paint or cause swirl marks. Get PPF, will help.

-iThinkEV-

raleighone · 2025-08-25T16:27:10-0500

Not sure if it will influence you guys, but have a look at Out of Spec's (Out of Spec Detailing) recent video fr 2 weeks ago where their detailing guy washed/buffed the Rivian R1S until it was perfect in the shop and then immediately took it to a brush car wash so he could see what it did. He's a detailing guy, so spoiler alert, he thought it absolutely destroyed the paint/finish on the car. Ha ha. I'm not sure I would even notice the swirls he was pointing out unless looking for them.

bryway · 2025-08-25T16:36:19-0500

I'm just not as precious about this stuff as some folks, I guess

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