AWD car wash compatibility

November 25, 2023 9:57 AM

I've owned an always-on AWD Subaru for over a decade, and this line in the manual has always haunted me: "When having your vehicle washed in an automatic car wash, make sure beforehand that the car wash is of the suitable type" What is the suitable type of automatic car wash and how would I know it when I see it?

As an example, those automatic car washes you often find installed at gas stations. I don't even have a language to describe how they vary in operation or how to identify them.

I understand compatibility has something to do with the AWD transmission, but an explainer would really reduce my anxiety around getting this car washed.

posted by pwnguin to Travel & Transportation (7 answers total)

There are pretty much two kinds: the kind where you drive in, and the washing equipment moves around you, and the kind with guide rails for your tires and a drive dog on a continuous chain that pushes your car through the wash. I suspect the latter would be a problem for an AWD, as you have to be in Neutral with a transmission that allows the car to freewheel as its pushed along.

The guide rail type usually has some kind of mirror set up so you can line up your wheels with the guides. The rails also extend some distance out the front of the carwash, so it's something you can look for before you commit to the wash.
posted by scruss at 10:30 AM on November 25, 2023 [1 favorite]

(According to Wikipedia, the guide rail type is a Conveyor-driven/tunnel wash (picture), and the drive-in-and-park kind is a touchless in-bay type.)
posted by scruss at 10:36 AM on November 25, 2023 [1 favorite]

AWD problems occur when the wheels are experiencing different revolutions. In a guiderails/track sort of automatic car wash, all the wheels are turning at the same, very very slow, speed.

You should be fine in those automatic car washes.
posted by cooker girl at 10:37 AM on November 25, 2023

FYI from a fellow Subaru owner...If your Subaru is of recent enough vintage as to have their Eyesight system, you should disable the system before going through a carwash. There have been instances where the Eyesight system is triggered by some of the brushes coming at the car in the wash, and the car’s brakes are activated. It’s a rarity, but, it’s happened.
posted by Thorzdad at 11:45 AM on November 25, 2023 [5 favorites]

FYI there is TONS of discussion here: https://www.google.com/search?q=AWD+Subaru+automatic+car+wash

In pretty much all modern cars these days you need to disable the parking / collision sensors when entering such a car wash. Actually, you don't HAVE to -- you can just let it scream at you the whole time :)

Information about the Eyesight system and automatic braking during carwashes (mentioned by Thorzdad above) can be found here: https://www.google.com/search?q=Subaru+Eyesight+carwash+braking
posted by intermod at 9:27 PM on November 25, 2023

Response by poster: Good news, my car is too old for EyeSight. I'm mostly just wondering: what are these random car washes Subarus AWD isn't compatible with?
posted by pwnguin at 12:00 AM on November 26, 2023

I suspect it isn’t necessarily an issue unique to Subarus. It’s just that all Subarus are exclusively AWD, so you’re probably going to see a lot more discussion among Subie owners than, say, Honda owners.

I have no idea how the Eyesight system compares to other makers’ collision-avoidance systems, in terms of sensitivity.
posted by Thorzdad at 4:50 AM on November 28, 2023