Do you take your Mach-E through a car wash?

[PilotMark]

I read somewhere that you had to be careful taking your Mach e through a car wash as some car washes do not give enough ground clearance. Am I imagining this or is there a concern with taking the car to a drive through wash? I'll hand wash it the first year or so but I can see the day when I'll let a machine do it.
Thanks

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[Neil4Real]

I'm not sure I read about ground clearance, most suggest to either avoid drive-thru car washes or make sure it is a brushless, preferably stationary. If it is not stationary, make sure you know how to put your car into true, free-rolling neutral (tow mode essentially). Whether it is brushless or not, it is advisable to put tape on your charge port door as it is very easy for it to open in washes from the heavy spray or a brush.

 

[Arjan]

Every week ....

In my defence, the car wash is one of the newest and also being used as a showmodel for potential buyers. So everything is designed for a gentle wash

 

[highland58]

I was mostly washing at home, but lately I have been going to the touchless car wash and bringing along some microfiber cloths. I pull into the vacuum stall and wipe down the car with the microfibers after the wash. I use a damp cloth for any areas with remaining dirt, then dry cloths to finish it off. This is quick and easy, the results are almost as good as washing it at home.

 

[Nklem]

Touch free only. I try to hand wash with Mircrofiber stuff when not. I like my "x"s and charge door. Everytime I look at my perfectly glossy car with no swirl marks, I am so happy I do.

 

[RickMachE]

Never. But if you must, read the manual about putting it in "L" mode.

 

[Swirls78]

Every week ....

In my defence, the car wash is one of the newest and also being used as a showmodel for potential buyers. So everything is designed for a gentle wash

When you do, is neutral okay. Do I have to do anything else?

 

[Garbone]

Neutral then hit L in the shift dial and it rolls.

 

[RickMachE]

When you do, is neutral okay. Do I have to do anything else?

No, neutral is not ok. If you put it in neutral and open the door, it will shift to park.

Follow the instructions in the manual:

Put your vehicle in stay in neutral mode when entering an automatic car wash. See What Is Temporary Neutral Mode (page 183).

ENTERING TEMPORARY NEUTRAL MODE
1. Power your vehicle on.
2. Bring your vehicle to a complete stop.
3. Press and hold the brake pedal.
4. Shift into neutral (N).
Note: An instructional message appears.
5. Press the low (L) button.
Note: A confirmation message appears when your vehicle enters the mode.
6. Release the brake pedal.
Note: Your vehicle is free to roll.
7. Switch your vehicle off.
Note: Do not tow your vehicle in this mode.
Note: The neutral (N) indicator on the transmission selector may flash in this mode.

EXITING TEMPORARY NEUTRAL MODE
1. Press the brake pedal.
2. Shift into park (P), or power your vehicle on and shift into drive (D) or reverse (R).

 

[JamieGeek]

Neutral is fine. I do it all the time. I go to a car wash when required. In winter, yeah like every week, in summer I may go a whole month (gasp) without a car wash LOL.

The trick is to turn off auto-hold. If you drive in 1-Pedal you don't need auto-hold anyway.

If you like Auto-Hold and drive 2-pedal then the above procedure is required (or shift into neutral with a very slight forward roll...its only when you come to a complete stop with your foot on the brakes that the above procedure is necessary).

I've only had the charge port door open once--I didn't have it fully closed. Fortunately it was the last brush that opened it so no damage ocurred. Showed up right away on the dash.

In addition, I use the manual retract button for the side view mirrors. Otherwise the attendants will push them in..sounds nasty when they do so I just retract them when pulling up.

Oh yeah and the car's sensors freak out LOL love the 360 view highlighting where the car wash is touching the car.

When I had the Bolt I could shift back into drive while the car wash was pushing the car and it would regen all the way through. I tried that a couple of times with the Mach-E and it wasn't happy about that at all! LOL.

 

[ElectrifyME]

I wish the charge port cover could be locked closed. Seems silly to have to tape it closed? Also, car wash mode… add that to the wish list.

 

[rfischer]

I also go through a brushless car wash and have had no problems but perhaps I need to be more careful...???

 

[azerik]

4 times through the local cheapie (if $8 to kinda hose off the outside is cheap..) without issue. I use neutral and didn't plan on opeing a door. However the thought of the door button actually causing the door to open didn't occur to me because I have to press 2 or more times. I'll use L from now on with that in mind. We have 1/2 inch more ground clearance than a MoodleY. I also fold the mirrors.

My cheap wash brushes don't contact all that well (read: all the bugs are still there usually). I use it mostly to knock the dust off and finish up with microfiber towels and the air hose as the tail lights/hatch seem to be collecting massive amounts of water to hide. You get it all dry then drive away, it's like taking a truck through as it all pours out the back (not quite as bad but you get the idea)

 

[CurtW]

This is an easy vehicle to hand wash, so that is my only approach. With all the sensors, cameras, etc, can't see using high pressure or automatic washes. Besides, I enjoy washing the car.

 

[melissphillips]

I use a car wash all the time. no problems. There are a ton of videos on YouTube about how Ford built a car wash and used it multiple times during testing of the MachE in 2021

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