Do automatic car washes actually destroy your car’s paint? – Jalopnik

At a time when the average price of a new car is reaching record highs of more than $50,000, according to Kelly Blue bookthe desire to keep your investment looking its best may be stronger than ever. One of the easiest ways to maintain the appearance of a car is to wash it regularly. You might not want to overdo it, though, because you can ruin your car if you wash it too often.

Either way, it’s not always convenient to clean your car by hand because it’s labor-intensive and takes up perhaps your most valuable asset: time. It is for this reason that the most common option in the United States is an automatic car wash, with the total number of US locations in 2020 being just under 29,000 per year. Grand View Survey.

While it is certainly convenient, the automatic car wash unfortunately presents problems that could potentially cause unnecessary wear and tear on the exterior of your car. Depending on the type of automatic car wash, you may experience scratches, visible swirl patterns, and damage to your car’s outer layer. There are a number of different types of automatic car washes, and some automatic car wash systems are riskier than others, although neither is the ideal option when it comes to protecting your car.

There are a number of different variants of automatic car washes: one with rotating implements and scrubbers, and the variant with touch-free spraying. In terms of damage, the automatic car washes with rotating brushes can cause more damage to your paint job. The problem is that even when used with filtered water and cleaned regularly, these bristles can trap dirt and debris from countless vehicles. What looks like cleaning to the uninitiated can actually translate to these brushes rubbing contaminants across the surface of your ride, which can cause small scratches that sometimes look like swirls on the paint.

By comparison, touchless washes use streams of water and soap to clean the vehicle without the use of rough brushes. These car washes are considered safer than the brush alternative, but they still raise some concerns. Although nothing physically comes into contact with the car during a touch-free wash, these jets cannot clean as thoroughly as other options. With this fact in mind, some facilities will add additional chemicals to improve cleaning performance, which can cause damage to your car’s finish. This is especially apparent with frequent contactless washing, which can reduce the shine of your paint over time. Although at least in one case it didn’t matter which method was used, as a driver reported that his Tesla Cybertruck was apparently not up to a car wash.

If you want to preserve the exterior of your car, nothing beats a manual wash with the right tools and approach. Many car detailers use the so-called two-bucket method, which includes one bucket for washing (with shampoo added) and one for rinsing (clean water only). First, you should gently rinse your car with water to loosen and remove any grit on the surface. Then use a clean, high-quality microfiber glove, dip it into the rinse bucket and squeeze out the water. Immerse the glove in the shampoo bucket and then move the microfiber in straight lines so that the cleaning solution is distributed over an area of ​​the car. Moving in straight lines reduces the chance of those awful swirling patterns left behind by some automatic washes.

Before moving on to wash any other part of the exterior, dip the glove into the rinse bucket each time and remove any dirt you may have picked up. After covering the entire vehicle with shampoo, rinse it gently.

The two-bucket method is just one approach and there are several alternative options. We’ve even rounded up tips and tricks for cleaning your car, some of which offer interesting advice, like avoiding car washes in general. Nevertheless, for the best and safest results, a hand wash and some elbow grease are required.