Can I go through a carwash with a bike rack ? Quick answer
No definitely not!, well not an automatic car wash anyway, especially those with a brush system. We would definitely suggest removing the bike rack completely before entering the car wash, or maybe just wash by hand.
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Can I go through a carwash with a bike rack ?
Welcome to our ‘ Can I go through a carwash with a bike rack ? ‘
Bike Rack Beginners Guide
Although we highly recommend washing your bike rack for maintenance, Please DO NOT take your bike rack through an automatic car wash.
This type of car wash will definitely damage your bike rack and in most cases your car. Most manufactures of bike racks do not include cover for this in warranties.
It might be tempting after a long day of Mountain Biking to just quickly run through the car wash with bike rack and bikes attached, but this quick method will soon turn in to a disaster rather than a shortcut.
What could happen if I went through an automatic carwash with a bike rack ?
Automatic car washers are built and designed for your car only. The sensors can detect edges of your vehicle and know when to move, rotate. Just like some car washes ask you to remove a car ariel in case it catches on the big spinning brushes.
The same could happen with your bike rack, the roller may start to descend down your rear window and not detect the rack and forcible pull the rack off.
Which would certainly damage the bike rack and in most cases your vehicle.
Can I go through a touchless carwash with a bike rack ?
Can you keep a bike rack on your car if you go through one? YES!
Of course you can leave your bike rack on the car if you go through a touchless carwash.
Touchless car washes don’t use brushes to clean your car and are a much safer alternative.
They use high powered jets of water and detergents to clean your car. Nothing will come into contact with your car or bike rack that could cause any damage.
Warning: Please do not use jet washers / touchless washers if you are carrying ebikes / electric bikes etc. This can damage the bikes motor and or electrical components.
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How do you safely wash your bike rack ?
How to safely wash your bike rack
The best way to wash your bike rack.
We highly recommend just using soap and water to keep your bike rack clean, although a specialist solution like Super Bike Wash will also work well. Recommended also is each time you use your bike rack, you should wipe it down salt and grit is hard on your car and hard on your bike rack, so just give a quick rinse down will suffice.
Every few months, a full bike rack wash is maybe in order. Remember, wash your rack by hand – never take your bike rack through the automatic car wash.
Bike washing kits are ideal for bikes and bike racks.
8 Pieces Precision Bicycle Cleaning Brush Tool , includes:
- Professional Bike Chain Scrubber
- Chain Cleaning Brush
- Tire Scrubber
- Tarpered Detail Brush
- Wheel Brush
- Sprocket Scraper
- Sprocket Brush
- Bike clean mitt
Bike rack maintenance
- Keep it clean
- Keep it moving freely
- Put the rack away when not in use
Summary - Can I go through a carwash with a bike rack ?
So just summarize ‘ Can I go through a carwash with a bike rack ? ‘
short answer NO not an automatic car wash because this will probably result in damages to your bike rack and your car.
Check out – Will A Bike Rack Scratch Your Car ?
So please consider alternative ways to clean your car, bike rack and bikes maybe:
- Jet washer / touchless wash
- Hand washing
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Finally please do not forget to pay a visit to our Bike Rack Gallery page containing lots of different Bike Carriers for Cars, Vans, SUV’s, 4×4’s and VW Campers too.
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