I've used the drive through ones now and then to remove dust and light dirt, and after I've been on a salty road.
Most of the time I use the bays with the high pressure wand. They do a better job cleaning.
Hand washing is the best, of course. I used to hand wash my cars every week like it was my religion, but these days I'll just hose it off at the car wash and do a thorough hand wash 2-3 times a year.
I hand wash my car and the wifes car about every 2 weeks. I use a lower power electric pressure washer and the 2 bucket method. I listen to music and it is sort of a Zen thing for me. A simple task that yields immediate positive results. The key to a good hand wash is touching the car as little as possible. When you do you have to make sure the wash mitts and drying towels are clean and free of debris. Drying and washing is where most people introduce swirls in their paint. My process is the following:
-Pressure was the car starting with the wheels and wheel wells. I spray those out and then put a citrus cleaner on them and let it dwell. I then rinse the car from top to bottom.
-I pre-treat any bugs, tar etc.., with the same citrus based cleaner.
-Then I use a foam cannon and foam the entire car. I let that dwell for 10 minutes.
-While the foam dwells I wash the wheels with wheel woolies and and rinse the wheels.
-From there I rinse the foam off and do a 2 bucket wash from top to bottom. I leave the rocker panels and underside of the body panels for last and I use a different wash mitt for those areas.
-I then rinse the car with the pressure washer.
-I used dry the car either with microfiber towels with detail spray but these days have switched to using a $30 Black and Decker electric leaf blower. It is faster and I don't touch the paint.
-Clean the glass with glass cleaner and microfiber towels.
-Finish up with a little detail spray in a few spots and then do a quick tire dressing.
It takes a little over an hour. A bit longer if I am doing the inside too but most of the time that is just a quick wipe down. It keeps the car looking good and swirl free so far!
I think you underestimate the CFF braintrust.
And drive-through washes are fine...when you drive a battered old pickup you've been using for construction for 15 - 20 years.
Looks better'n it did!
I will use touchless drive thrus for my truck which is black and is parked outside. Keeping a black truck looking good is a commitment and is almost impossible if you park it outside. It gets a real wash maybe 2-3 times a year. I would not buy a black truck again.
The other part about the drive thru car washes is that they are hard on rims. They should have bumpers and protectors on them which are somewhat effective when new but they are not replaced often enough and mar and scratch today wheels many of which are painted and clear coated.