04/15/2023
Many people have been contacting us about automatic car washes, here’s some facts!
Will an automatic car wash hurt my car?
The answer really depends on the type of automatic car wash you’re taking it through, but the short answer to this very common question is: YES! Absolutely do not take your vehicle through an automatic car wash because it IS very bad for your vehicle’s paint finish! It’s an excellent way to scratch your car!
Let’s talk about some of the different kinds of car washes.
First, there’s the tunnel car wash with spinning “brushes.” I always refer to these as scratch-o-matics! These are typically very abrasive, and the dirt, grime, and abrasive debris from all of the other vehicles that have gone through the “swirl-o-matic” are now being applied to your car at a high rate of speed. “Scratch, ding, OUCH!” Avoid these at all costs as they will damage your cars clear coat. Next, there are the “gentle” or “soft-cloth” car washes. The selling point on these is the fact that (1) they are made of soft cloth hanging vertically from the machine, and that (2) they just gently agitate the surface of your car’s paint. They are more gentle than the spinning brush tunnel washes, but they are still abrasive! The “soft cloth” isn’t so soft because it’s caked with abrasive debris from all of the other vehicles that have been there such as grease, dirt, micro pieces of sand, rocks, you name it! The small amount of water being sprayed on them between each wash isn’t enough to thoroughly clean them. And it’s not like they have a maintenance crew cleaning the cloth after each use. Avoid these types of washes as well.
