Transit vans are a gift that keeps on giving. They're handy for various situations. It's impossible not to love what a Ford Transit can offer. But, the largeness of the van can also be a detriment. If you wonder if a Ford Transit can fit in a carwash, let's find out!
A Ford Transit should be able to fit in a car wash. Though, you might have to make adjustments to ensure it goes through easily. Car washes typically have a height limit of 84 inches tall. A standard Ford Transit with a low roof should pass with little trouble because it stands at 82.2 inches tall. For more clearance room, you can also take the aerial off first.
Now, you may be wondering, what about the other variations of Ford Transits? Low-roof transits aren't the only vans in use! Additionally, what can you do if you can't find a carwash that your Transit can pass through? Are there alternatives to standard carwashes? If you'd like to find out more, keep reading ahead.
What Is a Typical Carwash Height Limit?
First, let's address the vehicle restrictions of standard car washes. The limitations of a carwash depend on the location. Some can accommodate up to 96 inches in height. However, after looking through several carwashing services, we can conclude that the standard limitation ranges from 83 to 90 inches in height.
If you'd like the list of Transit heights, they are:
- Regular-length and low roof: 82.2 inches
- Regular-length and medium roof: 99.1 inches
- Long-length and low roof: 82.9 inches
- Long-length and medium roof: 101.3 inches
- Long-length and high roof: 109.6 inches
What It Means
For Ford Transit users, it can be either good or bad news. For Ford owners with a low roof, you will have no trouble getting the van through a car wash. Other variations, like medium and high roofs, will not find such luck. Medium and high roof transits can range from 99 to 110 inches in height. It's too tall to fit in a majority of carwash services.
Carwash Width Restrictions
Again, we run into the same problem here for width restrictions. It depends upon the carwash. Some have a limit of 70 inches wide. On the other hand, other carwash services can handle car widths of up to 83 inches. In terms of width, all models of Ford Transits should be able to able to fit narrowly.
Taking It All In
Now that we know the restrictions a carwash can have, you might be wondering if taking your Ford Transit through a standard one is a bad idea. After all, you are most likely going to meet the restrictions by a narrow margin. So, if you don't have well enough clearance, you might end up damaging carwash components. Additionally, your Ford Transit might end up getting damaged too!
Low roof Transit owners will be happy to know that other users have found decent results in standard carwashes. One user also notes that removing the antenna provides more clearance for less chance for a screwup. If you want a visual guide on how it would go, here's a YouTube video for a demonstration:
As you can see, it gets a small amount of clearance to be able to go through. If you want to take the least amount of risks, it's crucial that you call up the carwash services beforehand. You can discuss the details with them before you go to get your car washed. This way, they can accommodate your needs. Both you and the carwash services won't have to worry about damages!
After having covered low-roof Ford Transits, what about the big guys? Will you have to go through extra measures to get your cars cleaned?
How To Find an Oversized Carwash
Fortunately, no, you won't have to go through extra measures. But, it depends on where you live. If you live in a city, you can look for specialty car wash services. Since your medium/high roof vans won't fit inside standard car washes, you will want to look for a truck wash.
If you're lucky enough, you may have truck wash services like Blue Beacon around your location. However, they are located in 110+ places. So, chances are, you might not have access to a truck wash. What can we do from here?
Automatic Carwash Alternatives
The size of a Ford Transit is too hard to ignore. And, while you might love how spacious it can be, cleaning the van is a different story. You'd probably want to avoid cleaning the car yourself because it requires a bit of effort. So, if you can't find truck washes, you might want to consider auto detailing companies.
They specialize in cleaning dirty vehicles. Though, it's not by doing it the automatic way. Instead, you'd find these services operating in a garage. A person does the tedious job of hand cleaning the van for you.
Detailing Services
This type of service ranges in what they can offer. Some will pick up the car and deliver it back to you all clean! Alternatively, you can leave your van at their garage and return it once they finish working on your vehicle.
Cost
One thing to note is that going this route will cost more than a truck/car wash. It can range anywhere from $50 to $300. Although it might seem expensive, it doesn't come without a justification. Auto detailing requires more labor and precision than a car wash. The goal is to restore your vehicle to a new-like condition.
How To Wash a Ford Transit by Hand
After exhausting all of our options, you might have found that none of these services are near you. Your area might not have much to offer. So, unfortunately, you will have to wash your Ford Transit by hand.
The process is simple. But, it requires a bit of effort. Let's go over how to clean your Ford Transit by hand. First, you will need a few materials:
- Soap
- Sponge
- Scrub brush
- Pressure washer
- Stool or self-supporting ladder
One quick note: the ladder must support itself instead of leaning onto the car. As others have experienced, leaning the ladder on the van can result in dents. The reason is that the metal on top is thin.
Now, let's get to washing!
- Get the car wet first. Use soapy water and a brush to start moving along the van. Make sure to get it nice and foamy all around.
- Using your brush, begin scrubbing visibly dirty areas. Though, don't scrub too hard unless you want to ruin the decals and stickers on your van!
- Once you want to start working on your windows, use a sponge to scrub away the dirt. For tires, use a stiff brush.
- After you finish scrubbing off the dirt and grime, you will need to use a pressure washer to complete the job. Using a pressure washer is the easiest way to wash off the soap on the car. Since there's nothing intensive on your van, use a low setting on the pressure washer to finish cleaning up.
Soap
Click here to see this soap on Amazon.
The type of soap you use is up to you. But, as a precaution, you will want to get a dedicated carwash product. Just using any soap won't work. It might even end up damaging your vehicle. Hand soap and dishwashing will most likely wash off the protective wax on your car.
Dedicated carwash product, on the other hand, is much milder. Of course, these types of products are made with automotive paint in mind. If you'd like help picking out a soap, you can check out our post here.
Will a Ford Transit Fit in My Garage?
Finding a way to store our Ford Transit is one way to ensure it doesn't get as dirty quickly. Of course, leaving it in the garage will be one of the first options. But, that begs the question, will it even fit in the garage?
As a quick recap, a Ford Transit ranges from 82 to 110 inches in height. That's a lot of height to consider. Since we don't know the specifics of everyone's garage, we'll have to look at the standard dimensions for a garage.
The dimensions are:
- One car garage: 144 inches wide by 264 inches deep
- Two-car garage: 216 inches wide by 240 inches deep
Additionally, the standard height for a garage is around 84 to 96 inches.
Bringing It All Together
A Ford Transit can range from 219 to 264 inches in length and 82 to 110 inches in height. In general, a Ford Transit will not be able to fit in your garage. In the best case, you will be able to store a low-roof Ford Transit in your garage. Though, it will be a very tight fit. As for the other variations, no, it won't fit in the garage at all.
Final Takeaway
Owning a vehicle that can come in handy for many situations will also have its downsides. As we can see, you'll find it a bit tough finding car washing services for your van. But, it's not the end of the world. There are still options you can choose from!
Before you go, do you have other Ford Transit questions? Are you curious to know how much weight it can carry? To find out more, check out our post here. Until next time!