snowman

Do machine car wash really hurt the paint?

TypeR0149

dont think so I have been washing my car in a touchless one for years.

Progessive on Marco Island. it was Voted the number 1 machine wash in the county.

but it also costs $23

AllMotorITR

I keep wanting to try a touchless carwash, but I'm worried that the tracks you line your wheels up in are going to scratch my rims!

JoshRambo

touchless ones aren't bad, but the ones that use the giant brushes may scratch the paint

norice

Depends what you mean by 'hurt'. They rotating brush ones leave hundreds of swirl marks; the brushless one drag pieces of fabric over the entire length of the car, which is about the dumbest thing I can think of to do.

The touchless ones do not damage the paint, though they also leave the car dirty.

The $20 hand wash places are also useless - the 2 minutes these guys spend 'washing' the car is simply not enough time.

Only decent car washes I have ever had are when I have done it myself or a $100 detailing.

py1188

Ditto to that

1GreyTeg

Yes, over time they will leave those swirl marks like posted above. IT is especially noticeable on a black car.

I actually go to a hand wash. It may be a little better than a machine but, it still leaves small swirls. The absolute BEST thing to do is wash your car by hand yourself with a proper car wash detergent, 2 buckets or warm water, 1 just water for rinsing and 1 soapy and sudsy, micro piber towels or a real lambswool applicator. Wash the car in sections out of direct sunlilght, rinse thoroughly and then dry with either the Absorber or a real chamois. The microfiber towels can be used for drying as well and may even be better than the chamois.

What you need to do the keeo your finish looking good is to wash the car often and polish about 1 time a month or so depending on where in the country you live and what type of contaminants are in your local air. Polishing and Glazing are also a good idea about every 6 months.

Goto: http://integra.vtec.net/tips/detailing.html

And another is Meguire's they will create a plan for you to use on your car that fits your needs and devotion: http://www.meguiars.com/

Good luck guys,

A.

jond

I've been using a touchless for 2 years now, and it seems fine.
The only thing that bothers me, is the barrels that the soap comes in has warnings on it about being corrosive, ovoid contact, etc...

Stock R

guys, try this.

wash u'r car once by hand and wax it up.
now try going to a touchless car wash.
now try feeling u'r car..... u can feel all the pain of the car from the highpressure water.

wax u'r car up again.
wash it at home by hand.
touch u'r car. u'll feel the difference.

i only hand wash my car. ever since the dealer gave me a complimentary wash, i've been careful about pressured water.

koy

yes, they do scratch the rims...happened to a set of brabus wheels i had...their rails took a bite out of two rims. ---they have insurance

1GreyTeg

Agreed,

If you are using high pressure water and more corrosive soap to remove grime, grease and dirt then It is also removing layers of wax and the paints essential oils.

Like posted above, if you run your hand over the car after a hand wash and then again after a touchless, you Will feel a difference. After a waxing is the biggest difference though and you should maintain a good barrier of wax after you wash, detail, polish and glaze.

A.

ITRaholic

machine car wash can hurt your paint and make scratch on it,exspecially on dark colors or metallick colors.
i have never mashine washed my car before but i work at a new/used car dealership and we never use the machine on new cars only on used.

ahh i need to sleep now

Simon
Red ITR 98
#4022 http://www.live2cruize.com

Renegade

Yeah, the car wash will make more scratches on your paint, the brushes at the self wash places will too. I only had wash mine. I tried going to one of those touchless car wash but the car didn't make it over the rail. I save money that way.

Chris

Those spinning brush type... THEY ARE RUBBER..

Imagine 100,000 rubberbands being WHIPPED at your piant at about 100MPH or more...

One trip through I guarantee you will have NO WAX whatsoever left on the car..

Edwin

Touchless if it's so friggen cold outside. Or get someone to hand wash the car.

Ideally if the hose isn't frozen I'll be washing and waxing. But get real it's -10 celcius in Toronto.

magic hat #9

it is not possible to own a beautiful car in connecticut, your fellow residents make sure of it. besides, there is no such thing as a show race car! i get it handwashed at the local place twice a month to get the salt/sand off.

machgo5go

Light color car, swirsl are not so noticeable but dark color, especially BLACK, one wash with those big spinning brush, the whole car has swirls!!

Rory Breaker

Think about it...those brushes or long strips of fabric that are touching your car now just got finished with Billy Bob's F150. Billy Bob just came straight from offroading, and left a nice bunch of pebbles and dirt in those same brushes that are now rubbing up against your paint...

They all do a shitty job anyways. If you want your car to stay clean for at least more than a few hours, you have to do it yourself

J_Edwards

The machine car washes brushes will easily put scratches in your clear coat. If you look at the brush material when they are dry you will see that they aren't made of anything that is soft, they aren't meant to be soft, they are meant to be durable. The harsh material moving against the surface of your car will leave small scratches that run front to back...if you look closely at your paint you will probably see them if you have been to the car washes like that before. The only way to get it clean without hurting it is to wash it yourself...sad but true.

NONKonformyst

I say goto one of those $1.25 do it yourself washes and clean it quick, yet more effeciently than the touchless washes. I do these every couple days in the winter to make sure I stay salt free.

civicguy

i work at a car wash and what they use is a corrosive soap and yes it will take the wax on your car right off

hooptie157

I think to touchless uses recycled water it that true????

Willard

yes... look at the spray coming out of the nozzles... brown chit.

in the city they do that (sometimes have to use recycled water) to cut down water usage and water disposal.

Will
-who takes the "work cars" to the machine wash....

Leo95SE

yep..
DEP mandate, have to recycle water at those places..

if you cant hand wash it, just rinse it off, or let it sit in the rain once in a while..
when its warm again, wash away..

my gf lives in Toronto. uses the touchless kind. the 1-2 times/yr i wash her car, there is NO wax on it. damn its hard to wax that way!

JohnnyBoy

Touchless don't really clean the car that well. Suck it up and clean the cars by hand yourself. Dosn't take that long to do....just buy the right tools for the job and go! The car will look way better and you will have more satisfaction in knowing it was done properly....