Not a dumb question at all. Answer is YES they can go into any carwash just like any other car....

GoGemGo,

lars-ss is right, no problem with the HAH and car washes....

That being said, some car owners are very careful about car finish care and think that hand washing (with very specific tools and methods) is the only and best way to keep a car finish looking new or even better than new.

Most people I know who apply high quality wax polish by hand won't use commercial car washes for the same reason they won't dry with a chamois--the wax protects the car finish, looks good, takes some labor to apply properly and they want it to last as long as possible and think that the softer, more careful touch of hand washing and towel (terry or syn) drying is kinder to both wax and car finish over time.

Also, some like to get a car completely clean--removing all baked on bug goo, tree sap, road tar, stuff that most commercial washes have a tough time getting off. Over years of car ownership, the little bits can add up to ugly and lower resale value.

Finally, don't forget the hypermile value of a pefectly clean, perfectly waxed, perfectly slick car without all those baked on grasshopper legs creating FE destroying whorls of wind resistace.....:=)
Lewis

Personally, I enjoy washing my car.

I find touchless carwashes don't really do a good job in getting the car as clean as I want it to be. I don't trust the hand car wash places since I always have concern that they will use a dirty towel to dry my car which could possibly lead to scratches and swirlmarks.

I've had dealers tell me, on several occasions, that a swirl free car is a good indication that the vehicle has been well maintained.

I do both kinds of washes..... and my car stays beautiful and shiny and at 17,600 miles the finish is almost flawless.

I do use the "hand car washes" that usually charge $9.99 per wash for most of my basic cleanliness.

Then, about three or four times a year, I give the car the FULL ZAINO treatment in my driveway, with the claybar grit removal and the multiple layers of Zaino to make the finish feel like the smoothest glass and shine like nobody's business !!

I had a black 1992 Infiniti Q45 a few years ago and the first day I bought it, on a Friday, I spent most of the afternoon and some of the early evening putting several coats of blue Zymol on the car. That night I drove to Wal-Mart and parked the car and was walking toward the door when these two ladies said to each other (not knowing I had gotten out of the car) "Whew, will you look how shiny that black car is? Dang that car is shiny !!"

From that moment, I realized that hand cleaning and polishing is the best way to take car of a car. But it does not have to be done EVERY TIME the car is washed. Even if you are a "finish freak" you can save yourself some time by sprinkling in a few "paid hand washes" in between your own personal brand of TLC......

We have our cars hand detailed (about $260 per car - ouch) every 6 months or so. Salt winds and sun are hell on a car's finish. But in between those appointments we just go to the touchless car washes. The likelihood of us spending our rare spare moments together WASHING CARS is about as likely as us skipping a concert to pressure clean the deck. Won't happen.

So... good news the hybrid can go through the carwash! Any car that lives here needs to do that.

P.S. Thanks for not making me feel like a dumb girl.

I use my son's left over cotton reusable diapers. They are soft, highly absorbent, wont streak and wont unravel.

It is the perfect car cloth ever made. Believe me. If the cloth is good for a baby's bottoms, it is more than good for any car!

cal_cal