Those who have large custom wheels, have you ever taken your car through a car wash? If so, will the wheels get damaged? I always wash my car but sometimes I am too lazy to wash it and I really want to send it thru the car wash.

 

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If you have to go to an automated car wash at all, I suggest always to use the no-touch type, no tracks to damage wheels, nor swirlmarks from the brush or dirty cloths.

 

It depends on your wheel/tire combo. Some wheel combos have tires narrower than the rim so the rim will rub against the metal track. As long as your sidewall sticks out a tiny but more than your rim, it should make it through. My 997S has 305/30/19 Michelin PS2 rears that have rim protector beads so it makes it through the automated wash without issues. Also, you should be careful if you have a deep polished/chrome lip. Some washes use a rotating bristle brush that can be very abrasive.

A touchless wash can also damage your wheels. I had a 2004 Denali XL with 22" wheels and 2 of them got mangled going through a touchless wash. Even though they don't have a moving track, some have fixed positioning tracks that you drive into to activate the wash.