Driving My 2023 Subaru Outback Through Automatic Car Wash
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- In this video I show you what it looks like to drive your new Subaru through an automatic carwash. There are multiple safety features on modern Subarus so it's important to know how to turn them on and off, especially when going through a car wash.
Comment below with any questions you have!
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Cars should have a "car wash" mode, just like cell phones have an "airplane mode". "Car wash" mode would automatically do all these things in one push of a button!
YES!!! I was just about to post this as I was getting more and more annoyed by this video. (Sorry Alex...annoyed at Subaru) Our Subarus are pretty advanced with technology. Yet they don't have a bloody "car-wash button" that automatically shuts down these systems? So aggravating, short-sided, and frankly just plain stupid!!!
I’ve only needed to turn off AVH. I used to turn off everything, but only AVH has given me an issue. But I do agree, a car wash button would be so simple to create. Or even let us create our own quick settings!
We should tell this to Subaru.
@@MrSunlander I can't believe my comment has received 62 likes!
@@toronado455 not without good reason
If you are going to do this, change these 3 settings. Make sure auto vehicle hold is off if you use that. I know many of you don't, Make sure collision braking is off, lane assist and anything related to eyesight that can take control of your car. It's not that hard, it's all under the same section. and make sure that the back hatch sensor open feature is off. You don't want your hatch opening up. This happened to me last time I power washed my car because I forgot to shut it off. I wouldn't want the same to happen within a machine. The button for that in the Outback is by your left knee. Databyter
When you turn these settings off do they come back on automatically when the vehicle is turned off and then back on?
@@stevec2665 Most do not come back on, some may.
Great video! I love this information! You are SERIOUSLY clearing up some major anxiety i've been having since buying my new 2024 Outback last week! THANK YOU!!
It's good practice to turn off the automatic rear tailgate as well (if you have it) so when hand washing or going through a car wash and your hand or brushes from carwash pass by the rear emblem the tailgate doesn't open. 😁
These automatic features are more a problem than a help.
It won’t open unless the car is in park.
It shouldn’t do that in an auto car wash because it has to sense the key fob from the outside of the car near the emblem. It won’t work with the fob inside, otherwise anyone could open your car with you sitting inside.
It would be nice if automakers would have an on/off button for automatic car wash that would disable all the things that might cause an issue in one. If they're concerned about safety have it to where when the car is put back in gear they all enable again.
Thank you for the info. FYI... Crew car washes will let you go through again immediately after the first wash if your car isn't clean. Great video!!
My Subaru ❤ appointment consultant did mention the AVH, but couldn’t remember everything he said. Good thing this video popped up we haven’t had rain in the PNW in a few weeks but it’s time for a wash
At our car wash they asked us to retract our mirrors so as to protect them
All these things you have to worry about on new cars, lol. Makes me enjoy my zero bells and whistles manual transmission car even more.
Those REVOLVING Cylindrical BRUSHES in Car Washes.. I avoid them like the Plague. LOL
Thanks for posting! FYI: Use “recirculate” setting instead of turning off climate controls. Speaking of “health” & pollution… I use “recirculate” nearly 100% of the time. Studies have shown that Smog is reduced by over 90% (fact check?). 3:13
Great video. One thing that threw me off was when you said "AVH" a few times. It too me awhile to figure what that meant. Thanks for doing these videos, though. They really help.
Great video! Big Fan... So I just bought a 2025 Outback Onyx Edition. Love it! Well it's been 2 years and Subaru still has not just implemented a Button Labeled CAR WASH! This button would disengage everything you and others have suggested. Auto Vehicle Hold. Pre-Collision Braking...etc... Don't you agree? Who do we see about getting this button on these Subarus....
I appreciate your videos!
Fortunately, the Auto Stop-Start is non-existent on my '24 Ascent, so the AVH button is where your Auto Stop-Start button is.
I guess I'm far less, ummm, for lack of a better word, picky about how the car looks after going through an automatic car wash. With hatchback type vehicles, I have low expectations of how the tailgate will look. Our 2015 Forester does OK, my former 2014 Nissan LEAF was horrible. We just took delivery of an Ascent (it has 80+ miles on it) so we'll see!
Beyond that...$11!!!! Post-pandemic my $3 car wash went up to $5 (in Suburban Chicago). I can't imagine $11 for a basic car wash!
I forgot to shutdown the auto vehicle hold. My outback shut down the carwash. I think Honda turns off AVH in neutral. Find your videos very helpful. Thanks. OleDave😎
I've brought my 2019 Forester Touring through automatic car washes a few times now, and everything went well with each wash. The washes actually did not get the Forester as clean as I wanted, but they were all okay. I did not turn off anything really -- left Eyesight and all the other 'defaults to on' features turned on. The towing thingie set into the floor of the car wash towed us at a majestic rather slow rate. The Forester got through the washes with no surprises for me. Perhaps the size of the Forester makes it easier for it to navigate an automatic car wash.
AVH in neutral makes sense - you want it to hold - even more so in neutral.
I leave the a/c or heat in. Fresh smell is great!
Unless it's chemicals 😅
Always appreciate you so much! Many blessings!
I just got my 2023 Touring Outback and was wondering about car washes and then this pops up. Thanks for the info!
It’s like UA-cam can read minds 😂
You should have paid extra to have the undercarriage rinsed also. It's very important to try to wash all the salt off undercarriage there too at least after the snow storms.
Need , 1,:2, 3. What I should turn off for a car wash????
Alex I love your videos, but their killing me lately because I'm still waiting for my outback to come into your dealership! :)
Hopefully you’ll get it soon!
Same here.
if you have no choice, i agree a drive thru can be used or some locations have an option to offer internal sites to do a hand wash, but better for the paintwork to be hand-washed or contact-less (MF pad or mitt, no sponges or chamois 😉). I did my Gen 6 the other day it was about 6C/43F, non contact, just rinse, citrus pre-wash, snow foam and rinse. finished with spray/rinse wax. took about an hour to get rid of all the salt & bird crap, cleaned up quite good. Its the ice/snow scratches that need polished out in the spring that worry me!!
Hi Alex, thanks for your handy videos. Question please : do you have a DIV video on how to clean interiors of an outback with leather seats? Thank you
I know that if I needed to get my outback towed, I need to get a flatbed truck rather than let it get pulled on two wheels. I wondered if that would mean that belt-driven carwashes were a bad idea too.
Thanks for sharing your experience but you should remember that not everyone has a living situation where hand washing is feasible at home, winter or summer. And public hand wash places may not be convenient. So auto washers might really be the best option especially if the choice is getting the car clean or waiting until hand washing can be done. Are there important issues to be aware of using auto washers that make hand washing a much better choice?
*talks about going through a car wash to not scratch paint
*proceeds to go through a meat grinder
😅
The razor blade wash.
Not a good idea to have anything hanging from your rear view mirror. It’s illegal in some states! Love your videos!!
Would you be able to take a photo of the pedals that come on a 2023 Subaru Outback Wilderness? I test drove several Wilderness models that all came with alloy pedals with black rubber dots (found on WRXs). I received my 2023 Outback Wilderness and it didn’t come equipped with alloy pedals.
Thank you for sharing this with us. Blessings!
Did you turn off the rear hatch so it doesn’t open when movement is near the back?
I just got my 2023 Outback Limited XT. In the book it says you can remote start the car with the supplied key fob. See page 365 of the manual. Anyway, I went through the steps, but it will not work. Can you do a video showing us how to do this. Thanks David
Hey Alex did you fold the side mirrors before going through or leave them open? Also, I find the Outback rear window never gets fully clean in a car wash, the design prevents the brushes from fully accessing the windows so a pre wash scrub is typically required.
Brush wash? Yikes! Love your videos though. Learned more about my Outback XT Limited from you than my dealership TBH. BTW where is all the 3M the dealerships try to get me to purchase? I did'nt but almost did.
It’s better to go to a manual car wash in my opinion. I did that for my outback and crosstrek.
Yes, probably much easier than the auto wash.
Hi Alex, how much if I want to change my alloy wheel to black ones as yours? My outback is same model as u
Alex can I put bug deflector on my 2024 outback onyx edition, I watch all of your videos
Thanks, Alex. Looks uncomplicated. That's good. 🙂
Thanks for your very useful videos. We recently ordered our families 6th Subaru since 1996, an Onyx 2.5, no sunroof or GPS, only extra items are wireless charger and auto dimming exterior mirrors with approach lights. Why are the approach lights also activated during the daytime? Can these be adjusted from the settings? Other sites mention that if the tailgate is left open for long periods of time the battery will drain. Has this been corrected? Campers address this problem with a carabiner placed in the upper locking latch.
These car washes with brushes will put marks in your clear coat paint. If you car about the finish on your car, particularly on dark colors, only use no-touch car washes.
I 💯 agree with you. Car wash brushes carry other people’s dirt and debris from their cars, so it’s like washing your car with sandpaper. Unfortunately, it looks too cold to hand wash or pressure wash, so there’s probably no other option.
@@cindylk11 The wash I use took out the brushes and hand wash the cars at the front of the line. As car is pulled through, it receives the various rinses and spray wax.
I got my car washed today and forgot to turn off and had to quickly put it in park and turn off the AVH.
Hi, does the Subaru 2023 have ambient lights?
Would I need to turn off my rear hatch sensor before going through the automatic car wash?
My collision thingy goes off for a couple seconds when I go through the car wash in my 2023. Still better than the 2022. Question: any idea what kind of mount the rearview mirror is using? It looks like a Dodge twist mount. I want to install my dashcam and it's actually a rearview mirror with a bracket and not the rubber straps.
Thanks for the video! Do car washes damage the paint?
Car washes like this one in the video create fine scratches (swirls) in the clear coat. On a white car it's not as noticeable. Black cars come out of these looking horrible. It's best to wash any car by hand. If it's too cold to do a regular wash by hand in your driveway (with a hose, bucket of water, and wash mitt) I'd recommend using one of those self-serve power washing types of car washes using the available brush only on glass surfaces and using only the power washer on all other surfaces. An automated touch-free car wash where you sit there while pressure washers clean your car without anything touching your car is better than nothing, but won't clean a dirty car very well if the car is dirty from typical cold-climate road grime. The benefit of these last two types of car washes (touch-free self-serve, and touch-free automatic) are that the clear coat will never get scratched.
Use touchless car washes, how many cars do those brushes touch daily? you're just getting stuff from other cars onto yours.
I have tried to disable the seat belt bell by following your instructions. I have repeated the process over 8 times with no success. Mine is a 2023 outback
I do not like a brush car wash I was in one once and a antenna was caught in the brushes beat the hell out of the side of my car the car wash would not cover damages
I had to re~watch this one. But this time I toke notes. Heading to the carwash..... bye.
Hi Alex-fun video-question-is it my '22 Forester Sport 4.5k miles-do you have an explanation for why engine rpm’s go up significantly when I turn on cruise control? I never use it because of that- bummer. Does your Outback do that?
So does putting the car in N disable the I-Sight system? Or did you just get lucky that time?
Will that be an issue with a Crosstrek Premium manual 6-speed?
Alex, is the a way to set up a driver profile that would turn off all the necessary settings to go through the carwash? Closest thing to “car wash mode” as @T455 is suggesting.
ty my g, now make video how too car wash DIY and what chemicals you use :)
That’s the plan here once spring hits!
Great tips. Thanks Alex.
Thank you Alex for posting this!! My crosstrek needs to get cleaned and I’ve been wondering what to turn off and everything to safely take it to the car wash. (Way to cold to hand wash it at the moment.) So thank you again for posting this info! Such a huge help! 😊
You’re welcome! I’ve waited too long to get mine cleaned 😅
Why is your windshield busted?
Do you think with an update from Subaru that they can add a on/off Button titled CAR WASH that can turn all these selections on and off automatically?
Hmmmmmm. That's a good idea!
Must you go back into the system to turn the AVH and pre-collision breaking back on? Or does that automatically come back on the next on/off cycle of the engine?
The AVH has to be turned on each time the engine is restarted on all but the Subaru Ascent (this could have something to do with the auto stop/start system because it's not on the Ascent). However, the pre-collision braking will default to whichever setting you last changed it to on all Subaru models.
Have you ever had issues with the drainage down from the sunroof after using a car wash? Has happen several times to me w/ my 2015 outback - :(
I do the ultimate so it cleans underneath salt
The toys are to keep the kids distracted in the back seat. Also tho types of car washes will give your paint instant swirl marks.
Subaru needs to add a “car wash” button !!!
Would make things easier!
Alex, great video! So a few weeks ago we took our 2020 Outback through an automatic washer also with a belt and those rollers that come up behind your tire and push you along. I never thought about the AVH but three times in a row, each time that roller hit the back tire, the electronic parking break came on causing the roller to go under the tire and shutting the washer down. Each time, the attendant had to restart the washer. I'm sure people behind me were getting frustrated. I know I was because I didn't know what was going on. I thought I'd turned off the AVH but maybe not.
Lol that's clean live on a dirt road. 5 miles in from a paved road.
People wash their cars? Lol. Just traded in my 2012 Impreza Sport. A bit over 10 years in Buffalo,NY with maybe 7 washes total over that time, and not a single spot of rust on it. (And kept outside the entire time, no garage)
I learned that lesson two weeks ago not to have the AVH on.
Is there a secret EQ setting for music like the old Forester’s?
Yes. Just purchased new 2024 Ascent “onyx” edition after driving other new Outbacks, Foresters, and Ascents… all have Audio EQ settings. Our current 2017 Outback “Limited” has EQ, as well.
I suppose if a car has automatic windshield wipers, those need to be off
You must not be too far from me cause that looks like a Mike's carwash it I've ever seen one lol
Yep! Sure is. Mike’s does a great job. They seem to have the most in the Louisville, KY area.
@@alexpmo yep, that's a huge market down there! I live around fort Wayne where it started and worked for them back in highschool. It really is a great carwash as far as safety and quality. Anyways, thanks for keeping the great outback/Subaru content. Have a 23 wilderness outback so I try to keep up with all the info! 👍🏻
The stuffed animals are for kids and is most likely to make the car wash seem like a fun place vs a scary place.
The stuff they put on our roads eats concrete and causes our vehicles to rust, so I run our vehicles through the car wash and they clean the underbody of our vehicles.
Good advice, but I avoid auto car washes, I take my car to a hand car wash.
The reason the car wash has the stuffed animals is for the kids, duh! lol
Love your videos, but I hate seeing you put your new Subi through the scratch-o-matic. Try to find a good brushless wash. They don't clean quite as well but also don't destroy your beautiful paint. After 8 or 10 of those washes you will definitely notice the marring and swirl marks.
Rather than shutting off the Climate Control you can change it to recirculate instead of drawing air from the outside.
8 minutes?
Noooo…..never run your car through a car wash with brushes. You don’t know what kind of grit and grime is stuck to those brushes and could thrash the crap out of the paint on your car. An automated spray wash without brushes or a DIY car wash is the way to go if it’s too cold to do it yourself.
Putting your car in neutral disengages all the things you're worrying about.
auto vehicle hood will still engage while in neutral. I made the mistake in this video of thinking it would disengage, preventing my car from moving forward on the auto car wash.
@Alex Prestigiacomo That never happens in my 2017 Outback.
@@johnkillmar9560 It does with the Gen 6 vehicles.
You need to do NOTHING when you put the car in NEUTRAL… non of the systems are active
Car washes scratch the hell out of your paint. Everyone’s dirt and grit adhere to the brushes and basically sand your paint. I NEVER use car washes. If you must find an exclusively hand wash place.
I was so concerned about this with my new car so I found a touch free car wash close by. It is still not as good as doing it by hand, but the best I can do in the winter.
I only use touch-free car wash now.