Will a Car Wash Hurt Your Car's Finish?

Do you think that running your vehicle through an automatic car wash harm the appearance of your vehicle? Unfortunately, the possibility is high. While certain kinds of car washes are more harmful than others, every time you clean your car, even when you're hand-washing it, you are applying abrasive or harsh chemicals to the paint and the possibility of scratches and swirls on the paint finish will always be there. This is the downside.

The good news is that when you take care with your choices, you can limit the degrading of the appearance of your paint. Furthermore, many modern automobile finishes that are applied by the factory have a topcoat that is extremely robust and will last for at minimum 10 years.

It is also crucial to remember that the efficacy of a car wash varies in accordance with the model of the car as well as the quality and type of the car wash. Therefore, use your own judgment when choosing the best car wash for your car and the amount of scratches you're willing to take on.

The tunnel car is washed with rotating brushes.

It is the "traditional" old-style car wash that uses rotating bristle brushes and is often criticized over other modern car wash techniques that claim to be more gentle on your car's finish. However, head-to-head tests have proven that traditional car washes actually cause less harm to the car's finish as compared to the modern alternatives since brushes don't retain abrasives (like grit) to the degree as soft cloth scrubbers do.

Car washes with soft-cloth

Certain car washes have "touchless" feature flaps of cloth that gently massage your car and appear less aggressive. But they also hold the roughness of every vehicle that came before yours, which is more than brushes can. In addition, the latent abrasives inside the scrubbers are among the most frequent cause of damage to the finish on cars.

The car is washed as "touchless"

Car washes that employ an approach known as the "laser wash" approach do not have the abrasive effects on the paint finish as car washes in direct contact with your vehicle's paint have. But, there's an unintended consequence. They don't make cars as sparkling since a bit of scrubbing is required to remove some of the grime and grit. Additionally, they employ more acidic detergents to make up for the absence of direct contact. A car wash that is touch-free can be fine for a short time, but frequent use of these detergents has the potential of deteriorating the surface.

Hand washing

Many auto detailers who strive for the perfect finish for cars claim that hand-washing is the only way to bring you to that point. Even with hand-washing, there is the potential for dangers. The use of the same sponge to wash the paintwork of the vehicle as well as the wheel wells and tires is a common error, which introduces abrasives to the cleaning process. Be sure to separate your sponges, wash and rinse them, and your microfiber towels daily.

Here are some suggestions to ensure safe and efficient auto-washing:

• If you're waiting in line for car washes and the car ahead of you appears like it's just emerged after a week of off-roading in the mud, put your foot down in the line and return next time. Car washes of all kinds "self-clean," but not as quickly. It requires a couple of cycles of washing to clear the soft cloth or brushes of the grit that may harm the surface.

• Assess the facilities. If it's modern and clean from the outside, the odds are high that they'll take good care of washing equipment also.

• A majority of "extras" are probably not worth the cost. Spray-on "wax" will give a lovely sheen but will lose its shine within a couple of days. Make sure to select the undercarriage clean; however, only once or twice a year.