Automatic Car Washes…..

[the1sen]

Is there a "carwash mode" for the car I should be aware of so the charge door etc don't open up when going through the washer?

 

[borski]

Is there a "carwash mode" for the car I should be aware of so the charge door etc don't open up when going through the washer?

No, but the charge door won’t open with a pressure washer or anything. Rivian has that issue, but I’ve never seen it with a lucid (and when Kyle Conner tested it he didn’t either)

 

[babwine]

no . the VERY important issue is to ensure the car remains in neutral ... I suggest only visit car washes where you remain in car

 

[Bunnylebowski]

Optimum No Rinse, seriously. 2 gal of H2O, 1oz of ONR, wash the car with microfiber towels then dry with drying towels. Takes 20 minutes, looks better than any drive through or touchless car wash. No pressure, no massive water waste, and cheaper.

 

[the1sen]

no . the VERY important issue is to ensure the car remains in neutral ... I suggest only visit car washes where you remain in car

Yeah, I forgot to put my MXP into neutral, and sat in the carwash with the roller pushing the car up and down a bunch of times once... LOL
(Yes, I am pretty dumb and don't write very well)

 

[hmp10]

After our recent accident, I'm either going to get a replacement car or our car will come back with a whole new front end. The car had Opti-Coat Pro3 applied when new, and an automatic carwash was not recommended. After 14 months of obsessively hand-washing the car, though, I'm considering using the new automatic Brickyard carwash they are building near us. To facilitate that, I might have Xpel PPF applied to the car instead of ceramic coating, as Xpel says its film can be put through an automatic carwash.

I see in an old post on this thread that Lucid recommends against putting the cars through a carwash that has a push/pull transport system.

What experiences have Lucid owners had with any of this over the past year?

Does Xpel PPF really hold up with automatic washes?

Do the Airs with 21" wheels really make it unscathed through these side-railed push/pull systems?

And how do you put the car in neutral?

 

[SCOOTERSD]

I normally have a good local guy hand wash my car at my house every few weeks - he also does ceramic coating. He has been unavailable since I got my car due to his father passing. I decided to try a local car wash that my neighbor uses for his BMW - 7 series. I was worried about all the issues raised here but my car came through unmarked with the 20” wheels clean and no sign of contact or rubbing. I’ll go back to my handwashing schedule but I would also not be afraid to occasionally use the car wash. OBTW - neutral is on the normal gear shift stalk….

 

[SDHacker]

And how do you put the car in neutral?

Put the gear shift into the neutral position and hold for about 3 seconds. The requirement to hold in position prevents inadvertently shifting into neutral.

 

[ebr]

Optimum No Rinse, seriously. 2 gal of H2O, 1oz of ONR, wash the car with microfiber towels then dry with drying towels. Takes 20 minutes, looks better than any drive through or touchless car wash. No pressure, no massive water waste, and cheaper.

Agree but I use the P&S. if its really dirty because it rained or something, then I run it through a touchless first and then do the rinseless wash. It doesn't take long and comes out pristine.

 

[elusive7]

I

After our recent accident, I'm either going to get a replacement car or our car will come back with a whole new front end. The car had Opti-Coat Pro3 applied when new, and an automatic carwash was not recommended. After 14 months of obsessively hand-washing the car, though, I'm considering using the new automatic Brickyard carwash they are building near us. To facilitate that, I might have Xpel PPF applied to the car instead of ceramic coating, as Xpel says its film can be put through an automatic carwash.

I see in an old post on this thread that Lucid recommends against putting the cars through a carwash that has a push/pull transport system.

What experiences have Lucid owners had with any of this over the past year?

Does Xpel PPF really hold up with automatic washes?

Do the Airs with 21" wheels really make it unscathed through these side-railed push/pull systems?

And how do you put the car in neutral?

Have XPEL front clip here and take my car through an auto wash once a week (Delta Sonic here in the Midwest). No issues at all and the PPF guys I used (Chicago Auto Pros) even recommended getting the basic unlimited wash over the premium one with the underspray/tire dressing stuff since those tend to damage the paint if they spray in places they shouldn't be (which they tend to do, not intentionally)

 

[blueice89]

I've run my Porsche through twice a week for a year, no swirls or paint issues. The Lucid, twice a week so only about 6 times so far. No paint issues BUT some tiny swirl marks on the wheels. The finish on the 21s is brutally unforgiving. However, these are so small and shallow it would be easy to buff out at home. I too am in South Florida, and live in a condo so this is the route Im going.

How is the car looking now with almost 1 year of washes ?

 

[jdetar]

How is the car looking now with almost 1 year of washes ?

I moved into a house so was able to wash from home again, and did a full ceramic myself so haven't used it in a few months now. I needed to do a very fine compound/paint correction (finishing only/glass like, nothing course at all) mainly to the front and rear corners as I noticed some swirling in certain lighting. That was not a big deal, otherwise the body paint was perfect and did not have an issue after ~9 month of at least 1/week use.

The wheels never did get chipped or large scratches but the fine scratches on the wheels are noticeable, especially when parked right next to another one that hasn't gone through a wash. I haven't yet looked into a product to buff that out but otherwise I would say if someone is in a situation that needs to use one of these washes it's fine to do but maybe not an unlimited membership going 1-2x/week like I did. You'll slowly wear away at the already thin body point, and I'm not sure what would happen at that point if you need to buff your clear coat smooth again. I imagine after 2-3 years of continuous use you'd end up with spots on the corners without clear coat.

Use these washes 50x or so, with no "real" damage. Thanks for bumping the thread, it made me think about making my wheels 100% again Now to find a good product to do that!

 

[Hoosier Owner]

I have been running my 2022 Lucid Air Dream Edition through a rail-based carwash since I received it in Jan2022. Probably about 20 times without any issues. I've run my 2018 Mercedes S560 though the same carwash (Crew carwash in Indianapolis) since I bought that vehicle.

However, the last two times I took my Lucid through the carwash, which was after a recall repair made at the Coldwater Michigan service center, the car shifted into park on its own causing much anxiety. The first time it did not allow me to move from Park into Drive. So the entire carwash shut down. Fortunately I knew how to reboot the software (Settings>About>hold "Air" for 15 seconds), and after a minute or two I was able to move the vehicle. The next time I tried to run my Lucid through the carwash, it got all the way to the end and then gave the same Frunk icon on the dash flashing, and the same issue. This time I tried to move to "Drive" and was successful, but only after shutting down the carwash for maybe 30 seconds. See the video below on what happenned.

The service manager, Jason Johnson, believes this is an issue with the software, and not water getting somewhere it should not get to. After the first time, they towed the car to the service center and "Found nothing wrong". But they did not try to take the vehicle to a car wash to replicate the issue. So I did that myself , and encountered the problem shown in the video.

I understand the risk to the paint, but I believe that is minimal. Other EVs can be run through a carwash. In fact, I saw that Tesla has a "mode" that the driver can turn on specific for carwashes, making sure the vehicle stays in neutral, closes tightly all possible openings, etc.

Anyone else have this issue with carwashes?

 

[Lucken]

I've only taken mine twice to the carwash but haven't had an issue either time.

 

[hmp10]

Anyone else have this issue with carwashes?

I haven't had the issue in a carwash, but I've had some episodes where the car would not go into drive. This happened most often at the same spot on a friend's driveway for several weeks, and then the problem spontaneously disappeared.

I understand the risk to the paint, but I believe that is minimal.

When we replaced our original wrecked Air with another Dream Edition, I decided to try Xpel's new Ultimate film. I finally screwed up the courage to put it through the local carwash a few weeks ago and have run it through several times since. This Zenith Red car comes out in pristine condition, glowing like a jewel. (I have not yet been there without someone approaching me to comment on the car's beauty and to ask about it.) However, even the powerful blowers at the carwash still don't keep the car dripping water off the trunk and frunk lids and the rearview mirrors for the next half hour, no matter how much toweling I do.

 

[Bunnylebowski]

Frunk temporarily thinks it’s unsecured from either the high pressure water jets or drying fans, and doesn’t reset fault until you reboot. Did you try to forcibly push down on hood after the alert on both sides of the Kucid logo? Maybe that can help it recognize frunk is closed. I used to have to do that with an old version of the frunk latches before I got them replaced.

 

[Bunnylebowski]

I haven't had the issue in a carwash, but I've had some episodes where the car would not go into drive. This happened most often at the same spot on a friend's driveway for several weeks, and then the problem spontaneously disappeared.




When we replaced our original wrecked Air with another Dream Edition, I decided to try Xpel's new Ultimate film. I finally screwed up the courage to put it through the local carwash a few weeks ago and have run it through several times since. This Zenith Red car comes out in pristine condition, glowing like a jewel. (I have not yet been there without someone approaching me to comment on the car's beauty and to ask about it.) However, even the powerful blowers at the carwash still don't keep the car dripping water off the trunk and frunk lids and the rearview mirrors for the next half hour, no matter how much toweling I do.

When I wash the car by hand I just leave the frunk and trunk open and put towels around the edges to let the drips run out. Leaf blower takes care of the mirrors, then just wipe down the excess water.

 

[Lucken]

Frunk temporarily thinks it’s unsecured from either the high pressure water jets or drying fans, and doesn’t reset fault until you reboot. Did you try to forcibly push down on hood after the alert on both sides of the Kucid logo? Maybe that can help it recognize frunk is closed. I used to have to do that with an old version of the frunk latches before I got them replaced.

Damn, you got a Kucid logo? I want one!

 

[Hoosier Owner]

Frunk temporarily thinks it’s unsecured from either the high pressure water jets or drying fans, and doesn’t reset fault until you reboot. Did you try to forcibly push down on hood after the alert on both sides of the Kucid logo? Maybe that can help it recognize frunk is closed. I used to have to do that with an old version of the frunk latches before I got them replaced.

This is an excellent suggestion. I have not tried that, but I will ask the Coldwater Service Center to please try replacing the Frunk latches. I was wondering what that flashing had to do with the vehicle going into park, but I can understand if that happens when the car believes the frunk is not open.

 

[hmp10]

When I wash the car by hand I just leave the frunk and trunk open and put towels around the edges to let the drips run out. Leaf blower takes care of the mirrors, then just wipe down the excess water.

I use a leaf blower on the car when washing at home. With the mirrors, I blow from the front, from the back, from above, and from underneath . . . over and over. Then, when I drive off, droplets of water still blow down the sides of the car. I've never seen anything like it.