Are auto car washes really that bad?

Sadly, the answer is potentially yes. While some types of car washes are worse than others, any time you wash your car—even if you are carefully hand washing it—you are essentially applying an abrasive and/or harsh chemicals to the paint finish and the risk of swirls and scratches in the finish is always there.

Why you should avoid automatic car washes?

3 Reasons Why You Should Avoid Automatic Car Washes

• Skip The Cheap Chemicals and Abrasive Brushes. Automatic car washes are designed for speed and convenience, not attention to detail.
• Avoid The High Pressure Water Blasts.
• Questionable Drying Methods.

Are automatic car washes worth it?

Many enthusiasts prefer to have their cars detailed and hand-washed for the ultimate in appearance and paint protection. But for the average consumer, an inexpensive automatic car wash is a good way to go. Even professional detailers see it that way. “Car washes are meant to maintain a clean car,” says Budhai.

Are touch free car washes safe?

The most widely recommended type of car wash is the touchless type. Touchless car washes tend to be the least damaging to your vehicle’s paint. if you use a touchless car wash that offers hand drying, make sure the type of towel used to dry the car is non-abrasive in order to avoid scratches to your paint.

Why are hand car washes bad?

Although these can be very effective at absorbing water and drying your car, unfortunately they can also easily inflict a lot of damage onto the surface of your paintwork in the form of light scratches, swirl marks and marring.

Is automatic or manual car wash better?

Automatic car washes are gentle on your car. These machines are designed to gently remove debris so you don’t have to worry about scratching it. This leaves you with a clean car while extending the lifespan of the paint job. That said, the strength of a hand car wash is that it can get that hard to remove grime.

Is it better to hand wash car?

The hand-wash is the most traditional way to clean a car. When you are the one taking off dirt and reaching into crevices, your car may get a superior wash. PRO: Low cost. All it costs to clean your car is the expense of buckets, quality sponges and wipes — like the ones we offer at CleanTools — water and soap.

Is it bad to wash your car with the wrong wash?

CON: Using the wrong one can damage your car. As vehicle paint protection experts, we tend to focus on damaging your clear coat. But automatic car washes can also damage other parts of your car. In fact, there are some that have been known to tear off antenna, sideview mirrors, and even front or rear bumpers.

Do you use car wash soap to clean your car?

In general, I don’t use car wash soap as it removes the nice coat of wax I put on twice a year. I only use soap once in the spring and fall, just before clay barring and waxing my car. Other times, just pure clean water. Avoid automatic car washes.

Do automated car washes damage your car’s paint?

As such, the potential for swirl marks, paint chips, and other damage to the vehicle’s paint surface is greater than the touchless or hand wash system. There are hybrid automated car washing facilities that use a combination of both touchless and friction materials.

What can we learn from the Car Wash investigation?

As the Car Wash investigation was to prove, if you could unravel the secrets of this company, you would unravel the secrets of the state. First, though, investigators had to get executives to talk. Until very recently, that would have been unthinkable. A culture of impunity had long reigned in Brazil.