Washing a Panamera

Yesterday, I decided to take my Golf through an automatic car wash at a gas station before heading to my parents’ house. I usually use an automatic wash for the Golf, but when it comes to the Panamera, I’ve only ever opted for a hand wash at a gas station. I worry that I might scratch the paint if I wash it by hand without knowing what I’m doing—and the thought of an automatic car wash damaging it is just as unsettling.

Still, I figured there must be Porsche owners out there who take their Panameras through automatic car washes. So I looked online, and…

Sure enough, I found one! lol

According to their blog, a JAVA touchless car wash can wash a Panamera without any problems. That said, JAVA’s touchless wash has a maximum vehicle size of 2.3 m tall, 5.0 m long, and 2.0 m wide.

That’s cutting it close for a Panamera! ((；ﾟДﾟ))

Actually, the Panamera is over 5 meters long, so it’s technically outside the stated limit.

Apparently, though, people have used it without any problems, and their cars came out clean and scratch-free. Even so, I’m still far too nervous to try it. The risk feels hard to justify when I keep thinking, “What if it gets scratched?”

・What if the side mirror gets scraped with a horrible grinding sound?
・What if I pull too far to one side and scrape a wheel?
・What if the car is too wide and gets scratched on both sides?

Even if I shouted, “Somebody—please help me!ヽ(｀д´；)ﾉ,” nobody would hear me with the windows shut. Just imagining myself helplessly watching as the Panamera’s sides get scraped again and again is enough to make me feel faint.

Tips for Hand-Washing Your Porsche

Hand-washing seems like the safer option, so I looked into how to wash my car by hand. From what I found online, the key to hand-washing is “gentleness” and “efficiency.”

・Choose a car-wash shampoo with no abrasives (one of Amazon’s best-selling non-abrasive car shampoos is Soft99 car-wash shampoo).
・If possible, use a wool wash mitt.
・Choose a wash cloth that’s soft and highly absorbent.
・Work efficiently and quickly, minimizing how often you touch the paintwork.

The Porsche Panamera has excellent paint protection, though, so a rinse with water alone is often enough for light dirt. It’s also mosquito season right now, so maybe once fall arrives and the mosquitoes are gone, I’ll give hand-washing my car a try on a day off.