I have a 325Ci convertible that I would like to run thru an automatic car wash but was wondering if that was a good idea. A friend of mine ran his Mustang convertible thru one and the drying stage blew his top loose in the back of the car ruining it. Is something like that a possibility with my 325 convertible? Thanks for any help.
I would avoid auto car washes. e46 (and other bmw) convertibles are known to have issues with roof sealing, so while it may not blow your soft top off, you may need to have a bucket inside to collect the water at various points. While you can do a test at home with a water hose, it will not be an accurate representation of what could go wrong at the pressurized commercial car wash.
If you don't have time to wash it, I'd take it to a hand wash place. While you can machine wash canvas tops, I wouldn't want to do it to mine.
Caprica Junkie
I have never taken my vert through a carwash. It might be OK, I just didn't want to risk it. So I've learned to do fast rinseless washes myself. If you try it, let us know how it turns out.
Having a convertible car is so risky to let someone do the car washing they are very sensitive in fact.
I have a 2002 330ci and do not take it to automatic car washes for that reason. I use Surf City Garage "Top End" -------vacuum, spray and rinse with a soft brush/microfiber cloth and it stays clean, soft and more importantly nice and black. The best thing about it all is that it is reasonably priced at less than 10.00 a bottle which last about 3 - 4 washes. Good luck my friend and enjoy the ride!
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