I put my Smart through a automatic car wash

[spdickey]

It should not detach if the latches on the front grill are in place.

[SloPok]

Originally Posted by Bremer Speck

I tried to go through one of these laser assisted drive-through car washes, where the laser beam detects the front and rear ends of the car to determine its proper positioning in the car wash. It refused to accept the shortness of the Smart and had me move forward and backwards several times and then it shut down. This was a $10 experiment.... :-(

"AND THEN IT SHUT DOWN"

[mdfortwoguy]

Oy... what's this car wash thing you all are talking about?

I've always been a hands-on guy for washing, personally, but I'm glad to hear that they are capable of being used like a normal vehicle in these.

Spdickey - perhaps the spinning brushes grabbed the levers and popped the front bonnet?

[mekil]

I'm an eight years owner of many smarts in France and i want tot tell you to wash your car manualy..not with an automatic brush carwash!!

In fact, and for all others vehicules, after few months you will see lihe "lines" on your paint.

So be carfeul and wash it manually..iy's short to wash a smart and priceless, no?

[2009Aveo5]

Really you have to use your judgment...not all car wash machines are the same. I've had some serious scratches happen at a car wash. It was a cheap automatic car wash places that I went to for the sake of saving some money rather than going to the slightly more expensive ones with newer/better equipment, but then again it was an oversized vehicle that pushes the limits of these car washes. Luckily most of the scratches were on the windshield. The Smart car is so small that the thing will probably barely touch it. I guess I'd be more worried about the water pressure on the soft top than scratches...and then there are the hand automated car washes where people wash the car on the track and it only gets suds and rinsed lightly with some dryers at the end...some of these automated/hand wash car wash places do such a great job that plenty of six figure cars come out of them which speaks quite a lot about the quality that can be achieved in a car wash but these places are twice the price as the cheaper places. Smart cars should get a discount at the car wash for being undersized....it'll never happen.

Then again, an entirely new panel set is $900 to $1100 to replace all the panels on your Smart so should something happen you could get a new color scheme.

That's kinda funny about the laser car wash that refused to recognize the Smart car as a real car in the washer...ha!

[rrrucke]

I took my baby through a track system after two weeks of ownership. I made sure they didn't power wash the top just the lower half of the car. Then they did a little scrubbing on the wheels and just used soft mits to clean the rest. He came out real clean and no leaks. Now that I have mud flaps, I can't use that type of car wash. So now I drive to another car wash that is just a large bay and the cleaners wash it with lots of love and no power washing. Loved it!! Regina

[Montana Smart 1]

Hi...I'm new here but I read the manual (yes, I actually read the car manual!) and it said to not take the car through a car wash and if using a power washer to make sure I don't go too close to the car because the power will create lines in the paint. However, I think that hand washing it will be fun, so I might as well go the "old fashion" route and do it myself!

[sheureka]

Originally Posted by Montana Smart 1

Hi...I'm new here but I read the manual (yes, I actually read the car manual!) and it said to not take the car through a car wash and if using a power washer to make sure I don't go too close to the car because the power will create lines in the paint. However, I think that hand washing it will be fun, so I might as well go the "old fashion" route and do it myself!

Which manual do you have? Mine doesn't say that, and neither does the one here on the forum. It just talks about removing the antenna and making sure the automatic wipers are turned off. The whole car washing thing starts on page 228 of the manual if you want to check again.

Anyway, my insurance guy, who has a sports car collection, recommended a car wash to me and they were great! The first time I took the smart through they gave me a free wash because they were so intrigued and they wanted to make sure they could set all the tracks for it.

[saronian]

Originally Posted by sheureka

Which manual do you have? Mine doesn't say that

Mine says it on page 229 under Power Washer.

Like Bremer Speck noted, I tried taking the smart through a touchless auto wash, but the sensors wouldn't sync up with the length. It was a Belanger Vector Rapid Wash. I know it works with the Scion xA and Mini, but the smart is out of range for the sensors.

[Dean Smith]

NOT TO BE A SNOB, but my little Smart has never even seen water! I dust it daily with a "California Car Duster", and if there are still dirty areas, I use 'Maguaires Quick-Shine' and a micro-fiber towel. I use a "bench brush" to brush the top. The windows are then treated with Rain-X.
Does anyone know if the top can be Scotch-Guarded?