It won't "mess up the cameras." You just need to turn off obstacle detection/pre-collision braking. Otherwise, the car may apply the brakes as it goes through the car wash bay ... because EyeSight (correctly) detects something immediately in front of the car.

 

It likely shuts itself off when suds are on the windshield..as it cannot see any better than we can. But no need to tempt fate, turn off with one of the 8 buttons to the left of the steering column...

 

It didn't shut the ES off but it apply the brake as soon as the dryer suddenly drop down in front of the car. I was shocked. I was told to shut the buttons off but I forgot lol

 

Good advice. It never occurred to me before reading these posts. Thanks!

 

I too was frustrated there was nothing in the manual re: eyesight and car washes. I guessed that all I needed to do was turn off the three eyesight related switches on the left. Was relieved when I guessed correctly.

 

I hadn't even thought of that, I ran it through the car was with ES on and it did nothing at all.

 

My assumption is that when a car goes through a automatic car wash, the engine is off, therefore deactivate all eyesight functions. Is that correct?

 

2015 EyeSight booklet (included with Owner's Manual), page 24:

• In the following situations, turn off the Pre-Collision Braking System. Otherwise the Pre-Collision Braking System may activate unexpectedly.
- When the vehicle is being towed
- When loading the vehicle onto a carrier
- When a chassis dynamometer, free-rollers or similar equipment is used
- When a mechanic lifts up the vehicle, starts the engine and spins the
wheels freely
- When passing hanging banners, flags or branches, or when thick/tall
vegetation is contacting the vehicle
- When using a drive-through car wash

[Emphasis added.]

 

Not only included as written instructions but the Eyesight manual has this as well.

 

I "assumed" that Subaru was referring to car washes where the car actually travels through the wash bay to be washed. I used a "touchless" auto car wash yesterday with no problem. Drove in, sat in park with engine running and drove out when completed. No lights, nothing turned off. Perhaps I was lucky. We'll see next week

I used the car wash system exactly like the car wash shown on the picture above. when you enter the bay, of course you put the car in park with the engine still running(there is instructions on the panel outside & inside the carwash bay tell you what to do) but when you exit the bay you have to drive through the dryer which drop down right in front of the car. The car applied the brake when the dryer suddenly drop down in front of the windshield. That was my own experience.

 

I "assumed" that Subaru was referring to car washes where the car actually travels through the wash bay to be washed. I used a "touchless" auto car wash yesterday with no problem. Drove in, sat in park with engine running and drove out when completed. No lights, nothing turned off. Perhaps I was lucky. We'll see next week

 

I use a car wash where employees drive your car into a "tunnel" and onto a conveyor belt that pushes the car thru. Shortly after taking my new Subaru to the car wash I was watching it go thru from the viewing window and something didn't look right. I figured out later that my DRLs were on, indicating that the Engine was running. When it got to the drop-down blow dryer, eyesight hit the brakes and the car stopped. Then the brakes were released and eyesight hit them again. So my car was just sitting in one place bouncing up and down as the rollers went under the tires. I ran to the operator and had him hit the all stop button.

If there had been another car behind mine like is usually the case, it would have been pushed into the back of my car, damaging both. The operators are supposed to leave the engine off but this one didn't.

Now I carry a roll of wide masking tape in the glove box and cover both cameras before giving my car to the wash operator. That also protects the lenses from being sprayed when the inside windows are hand washed.

 

Now I carry a roll of wide masking tape in the glove box and cover both cameras before giving my car to the wash operator. That also protects the lenses from being sprayed when the inside windows are hand washed.

So you tape on the inside of the windshield, tape stuck on the camera housings? Doesn't that risk getting adhesive on the camera lenses?

Sorry, I have yet to see a car with the new ES in person, so maybe this isn't a concern in reality!

 

On my MY, the actual lenses are recessed from the housing to protect them. I put the tape over the housing and it doesn't touch the lens. I'm careful to keep the tape tight over the opening. Writing this, it occurred to me that I only need to cover one lens to disable ES. duh

 

But you have to protect both lenses. If your cleaning the inside of the windshield.

 

my car wash the car doesn't move, the carriage moves
so im in park
do i need to turn eyesight off??

 

do i need to turn eyesight off??

No ... only if you are moving. Think about it.

 

No need to tape over the camera's just turn off the Pre Collision Braking. From the Eyesight manual:

In the following situations, turn off the Pre-Collision Braking System. Otherwise
the Pre-Collision Braking System may activate unexpectedly.
- When the vehicle is being towed
- When loading the vehicle onto a carrier
- When a chassis dynamometer, free-rollers or similar equipment is used
- When a mechanic lifts up the vehicle, starts the engine and spins the
wheels freely
- When passing hanging banners, flags or branches, or when thick/tall
vegetation is contacting the vehicle
- When using a drive-through car wash

 

The laws of unintended consequences strike again!

I don't have ES, but curious. Will turning it off this way make it stay off, or does it re-enable itself the next time you start the car? If it's the former, then simply turning it off should be sufficient for any type of car wash; if the latter, it's probably not enough.

Either way, protecting the lenses, especially in "attended" washes where someone else cleans the interior, doesn't sound like a bad idea. If the lenses really are that sensitive, maybe Subaru or someone should offer lens caps (business opportunity here?) or, better, shutters for the Eyesight cameras.

 

Went through a belt/trolley/conveyor type carwash with my wife's Subi that has Eyesight. didn't think about turning off the pre-collision braking system. It did alert me to an "obstacle detected" when the hanging pieces were being approached.

 

On my '13, the cameras are recessed from the housing, so tape over the end, if pulled tight, does not touch the lens.

 

From the Eyesight Manual:

When cleaning the front windshield, cover the camera with plastic wrap, such as food wrapping or something similar to prevent glass cleaner from getting on the camera lenses.

I'll just keep a box of Saran Wrap in the glove compartment!

 

It is obvious that not all car washes are created equal and Subaru (read lawyers) was trying to give a "general" warning to the very limited situations where you are actually in DRIVE and moving inside of a car wash.


Many car washes you enter and get on the "conveyor" for you wheels, you stop when it tells you too and you put it in NEUTRAL and hands off the wheel...the car wash has a "chuck" that PUSHES you through the car wash. While I have not experimented enough with our OB...will being in NEUTRAL and rolling cause the brakes to activate with ES?...in my experiences in this type of car wash my experience is NO.


The scenario described previously in this thread is only one of many where you PARK in the "wash" area and DRIVE to the "dry" area...if ES is ON...and the exit door DOWN...sure your brakes would apply as ES detects the object you are attempting to drive INTO. MANY different configurations of car washes and MANY scenarios where ES can be left ON without issue.


The bottom line is that ANY scenario where you just aren't sure...the safest (and easiest for that matter) thing is to simply USE THE OFF BUTTON at the drivers left knee area to turn ES OFF (clearly described previously).


The scenario where you have a "hand wash" (I see many of these out in SoCal where I travel a lot for work)...in a situation like that you would (and SHOULD) be concerned with the attendants while cleaning the INSIDE of your vehicle and getting OVERSPRAY on the camera lenses...in THAT situation where an attendant will be going INSIDE your vehicle to clean that area too (especially the windshield)...in that case you would need to protect the lens area somehow...I'm personally concerned with putting tape over the housing as this will certainly leave a residue behind (hopefully only on the housing) which will then potentially act as a magnet for dust...but that residue may also collect the flying dust more so it "could be" a benefit? Using the saran wrap seems more controllable and safe...but I'd be concerned with the attendant brushing up against the housing and dislodging the saran wrap and then the loose saran wrap brushing across the lens causing variations in the "uniform outgas film" that will certainly be forming on the lens as the plastics "outgas" in the hot sun...so...what to do?


In the situation where someone is going to clean the INSIDE of your vehicle...man...that's a tough one as I'm personally probably more paranoid than most when it comes to optics given my background in the space optics business...I'd probably sit there and instruct them to clean everything BUT the windshield and take care of that task personally.


The point is that all car washes are NOT created equal but how could Subaru put caveats in the manual to cover them all?...they couldn't...the point is that the operator should understand their system and operate their vehicle within the bounds of the system.


The car wash we use personally is that drive to a point, stop, put car in NEUTRAL and the car wash PUSHES it through...we've used it multiple times with ES ON without issue...but if you think about YOUR scenario and the car wash YOU are using...understanding what ES is attempting to do (i.e. PREVENT FRONTAL CRASHES WHILE DRIVING)...well in your situation you may need to disable ES and if IN DOUBT...DISABLE...just to be safe it doesn't hurt anything to be cautious and is simple and painless to do! :grin2:


Joe.

 

It is obvious that not all car washes are created equal and Subaru (read lawyers) was trying to give a "general" warning to the very limited situations where you are actually in DRIVE and moving inside of a car wash.


Many car washes you enter and get on the "conveyor" for you wheels, you stop when it tells you too and you put it in NEUTRAL and hands off the wheel...the car wash has a "chuck" that PUSHES you through the car wash. While I have not experimented enough with our OB...will being in NEUTRAL and rolling cause the brakes to activate with ES?...in my experiences in this type of car wash my experience is NO.

* * *

Joe.

My experience with our 2014 OB with ES in a "conveyor" car wash has been mixed but this thread has helped me know what to do the next time I go to the car wash.

The car wash I went to requires you put the car in NEUTRAL and keep the engine running while a conveyor belt "chuck" pushes the car through the car wash as things that hang down and come at your from all directions. The first two times I took the OB to this car wash there was no problem. The last time, however, the ES system kicked on a couple of times in rapid succession as soon as I started to enter the car wash. The workers hit the system stop button and ran up yelling at me to not touch the brakes. I explained the car was doing it on its own (and got the "Yeah right!" expression). I pushed every fricking button I could find to turn the ES off as they started the system up again and I proceeded through the wash with no further problems. Not wanting a repeat of that, I looked but couldn't I couldn't find anything in the 2014 OB Owners Manual or the OB and Forester ES manuals to turn off ES. This thread has helped prepare me for the next time. Thanks all.

 

Took my car to the car wash this past weekend as we were out of town and I needed to get the salt off. 15 Outback with Eyesight. Turned off all the safety features. Then took a 3x3 sticky note and a piece of scotch tape and covered the Eyesight lenses. The only sticky note I had was bright pink. Looked funny. However, it protected the lenses when the attendant cleaned the front windshield. Easily removed the sticky note and scotch tape without any remaining residue. Actually if you put a 1/2" fold in the note, it will go over the top of the lens casing and you only need a small piece of tape to hold the bottom (I used a longer piece and went across the front). I will now keep some stick notes and small role of scotch tape (or blue painters tape) in the car.

Gary

 

Good one Gladstone.
I have (2) 3"x5" index cards I keep in glove box. Fold over a 1/2" - 3/4" or so and tuck between the windshield and the top of ES housing. Wrap around the bottom of the housing and fasten w/ a small piece of tape. Shuts off the ES and keeps the lenses protected.

 

My car has been through a conveyor car wash several times with no issue. I've assumed the use of neutral takes care of the problem. The only "incidents" I've had with the anti-collision system have involved approaching gates in parking garages. I only get a warning -- no braking -- but the system certainly stays on guard.

 

I am curious too as to why people are having problems with this if the car is in "neutral" when going through the car wash...we've taken ours through multiple times in "neutral" and have not had any issues...we've never "disabled" the eyesight either or put tape over the cameras or anything...are we just lucky or is our system just lulling us into a situation where it may react differently sometime?

Anyone have the answer as to why some cars will appear to engage emergency braking in "neutral" while others aren't?

 

Just more reasons my car will never see the inside of an automatic car wash...

 

Agreed, I just turn off the anti-collision and eyesight systems using the buttons on the dash. I do not understand why one would need to tape over the cameras and risk getting adhesive on them?

 

The only reason you would need to do this would be if the inside of the windshield is cleaned by spraying a cleaner on to the windshield. You need to make sure that the cleaner does not get on the camera lenses.

 

There seems to be lot of conversation about something that is simply solved by pushing a button.

 

Any updates on whether someone is selling aftermarket snap on covers for the Eyesite Cameras?