Running MIC hard top through car wash?

[wrbix]

Prior to my installation of the GOBI rack, mine went thru such car washes a few times - spun off antenna, mirrors retracted -> no harm, no foul.
Don’t believe the ‘21s had the sticker - anyone know what FOMOCO’s concern was/is?

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[BossMann]

I've taken mine through the carwash about ten times, no issues with damage.... now with being 3" taller and on 37's the wheels slip at times.....

 

[Less11]

Wait the bronco wildtrak mentions not to go to car washes ?????

No, I have the Bronco “Outerbanks” with the Sasquatch package

 

[jasonkosi]

Prior to my installation of the GOBI rack, mine went thru such car washes a few times - spun off antenna, mirrors retracted -> no harm, no foul.
Don’t believe the ‘21s had the sticker - anyone know what FOMOCO’s concern was/is?

Ford was concerned with the image that would be portrayed to people when they see a group of spotless Broncos lined up at a car wash.

 

[Scott R Nelson]

This is mainly for Bronco Hardtop owners that have had their vehicles for over a year.
Has anyone run their Bronco Outer Banks “hardtop” through a regular carwash without out damage the top?

I'll be at one year at the end of this month, is that close enough to "over a year"?

I run mine through a car wash pretty much every time I get back from taking it off road, which was about once a week before the snow came. I cannot detect any damage whatsoever from the car wash on any part of it. But I'm not one to worry about scratches and dings - I bought it for its off road capabilities and use them regularly.

 

[Less11]

I'll be at one year at the end of this month, is that close enough to "over a year"?

I run mine through a car wash pretty much every time I get back from taking it off road, which was about once a week before the snow came. I cannot detect any damage whatsoever from the car wash on any part of it. But I'm not one to worry about scratches and dings - I bought it for its off road capabilities and use them regularly.

Thanks, and yes, that’s close enough

 

[skipole70]

I have a 2 door Big Bend SAS with the hardtop, and have not seen any sticker like that. Any chance you can post a pic? I haven’t had a choice BUT to run mine through the soft cloth wash (up in Jersey), due to the amount of brine and salt they put on the roads. We live in a multi unit historic building, so there is no spigot for me to hand wash the Bronco or the Challenger.
Been to the local car wash 4 times since the end of October and have not noticed a single issue.

 

[huey]

You should never ever run any vehicle through a brush style auto wash.

and why is that?

 

[ET13]

Find a touchless auto. The chemicals are harsher than what you'd use at home, but they aren't going to damage your car.



All they do is trash your paint if you're lucky. Those things are notorious for ripping parts off cars as well. They are far too aggressive to take any car you even slightly care about through.

I havent been able to locate a single touchless auto car wash. all of them seem to have the brushes or some scrubber.

 

[greatlakes]

I took mine through the brush style car wash once...

 

[edernest]

This is mainly for Bronco Hardtop owners that have had their vehicles for over a year.
Has anyone run their Bronco Outer Banks “hardtop” through a regular carwash without out damage the top?
We have a sticker telling us not to do it, and to “only go” thru a hand wash or a touch less car wash.
Thanks, Les

Here's the wording from the latest edition of owner's manual from Ford. You can see they advise against auto washes for Raptor, Sasquatch or Soft Top owners. I think they just recently started putting stickers to that effect on hard top windows, sometime toward the end of 22.

I hand washed through the summer (when I was running soft top) but I can say that now that it's winter I regularly take my hard top SAS through the local auto wash and I've noticed no problem with paint, hard top or tires. If I did spot a problem I would discontinue doing it but for now I'm just glad to be able to rinse road salt off the frame.

 

[vbrad26]

I think the reason they say not to run the Raptor or Sasquatch through is because of tire size.
However, that depends on the car wash.
The one I use is a conveyor belt system. So tire size doesn't matter. There are other car washes out there that use a different system to run the car through the wash that may not be able to accommodate the larger tires.
Soft top is obvious because the plastic windows can be prone to scratching.
But all the years I've been running cars through these washes I've never had any issues, and I honestly believe my paint has not suffered a bit.

 

[hozer]

and why is that?

Because it will scratch your finish.

This is undoubtedly true, but the degree to which it bothers most is a hot topic.

Would I take a Ferrari through a brush wash? No

Would I take my Bronco through one? Yes

 

[mpeugeot]

Because it will scratch your finish.

This is undoubtedly true, but the degree to which it bothers most is a hot topic.

Would I take a Ferrari through a brush wash? No

Would I take my Bronco through one? Yes

Yes.... and I have a Ferrari to prove it.

 

[huey]

Here's the wording from the latest edition of owner's manual from Ford. You can see they advise against auto washes for Raptor, Sasquatch or Soft Top owners. I think they just recently started putting stickers to that effect on hard top windows, sometime toward the end of 22.

I hand washed through the summer (when I was running soft top) but I can say that now that it's winter I regularly take my hard top SAS through the local auto wash and I've noticed no problem with paint, hard top or tires. If I did spot a problem I would discontinue doing it but for now I'm just glad to be able to rinse road salt off the frame.

thanks for posting this - nice to have some facts to avoid any unnecessary drama. Nowhere does it say you can't was your hard top bronco. Ford spells out floor tracks due to the width of the tires. Wide tires like sasquatch don't run as well or in the case of older conveyors are too wide. Maybe also Ford covering their butt as the Raptor vehicles are wider. Fixed driver side mechanical tracks or conveyors pushes the vehicle over to the right. I can't understand why some washes would not have the clearance but it is possible.

I personally have always hand washed, just something I like to do. Having said that a good auto wash will not destroy your vehicle. A moving floor conveyor vs the traditional single sided steel tube conveyor is a good option and that is where I will take my truck when not handwashing.

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