Do You Self-Wash Or Auto-Wash Your Car In Minnesota Winters?

Winter this year hasn't been overly brutal on our vehicles so trips to the car wash might have been less for some.  I know we certainly haven't been washing ours as much.

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My truck has a decently recent ceramic coat, so when I do get it washed, I go with a brushless or touch free option when getting mine done, that is when I don't hand wash it myself.

My wife's car is another story, it's kind of at the point of just wash it any way and it's good enough.  I took it this morning to a do it yourself type self-serve wash as was feeling motivated but debated taking it through an auto-wash instead.

The auto-wash types are nice as you just roll through and let it do its thing, it's also nice because the dryers at the end do at least an okay job of drying it.  With costs from usually round seven to thirteen bucks, the convenience is nice.

As I mentioned, I did it myself today in a wash bay.  Being a Toyota Yaris, it's a small car so I didn't think it would cost much.  Said and done, I had about fourteen dollars into it, and didn't bother to dry it myself with reasonable temps.

My biggest gripe besides the cost of doing it in a wash bay, is almost everyone I have ever gone too seems like the timer goes faster than it should.  I always end up feeling rushed and then today once I got it home and, in the sun, noticed a bunch of spots I missed.

Next time with her car, I'll just roll through the auto-wash, spend less, and probably have a better job done than I can clearly do while feeling rushed.

What's your preferred way to wash your car in a Minnesota and Wisconsin winter?