[ej]Jonathan

you know those brushes at car wash booths? are they bad for your paint at all? it seems like they would scrape the crap out of your paint

thoughts?

StillRunnin

If I cared about my paint, I'd always go for the hand job. That, or just let a "protective" layer of dirt collect on the car.
Seriously though, I think most automatic car washes are ok, but it's pretty easy to hose down a car and do it right, and it saves a little cash.

Scott.

iTrader: (1)

I use them. But before I do I rinse the crap out of them with the high pressure soap

mattyfo0z

^ Yeah, same here.. I clean my wheels/tires with them a bit after I clean the rest of my car, and I could imagine other people doing the same. Can't forget about all the muddy cars with small pebbles and whatnot getting washed with the brush too.

ChaseIntegra

Rule #1 Caring for your paint: NEVER use the car wash brushes.

If you have never seen someone scrub down a boat, a quad (4 wheeler), muddy work truck, snow covered car, etc. at a car wash, spend a few minutes at one, observing, on a nice sunny warm day after it's been sh!tty outside. Watch what goes down in those car washes and how people use those brushes to clean their cars. The only safe thing there is the pressure washer, and even then those can peel up some paint or spread a chip of paint.

Use caution with the pressure washer & NEVER use the brush if you care even the slightest bit for your paint.

postman

using those brushes is like washing your car with some 220 grit.

98civdx

You will never catch me at one, ever.


For your muddy *** work truck that you don't really care about scratches, sure. But anything you care about, **** no.

My buddy washes his truck once a month at the booths. You don't even want to know how muddy it gets.

kingyeddi

iTrader: (2)

my paint is shitty so i use them. I still spray the brush first w/hps

ChaseIntegra

Approved for shitty paint

WhiteSlips

I watched a kid with a brand spanking new black S2000 CR take the brush first, not even let the soap start to come out and just start scrubbing the car top to bottom with it.... I wanted to cry just watching him slowly destroy a perfect black paint job.

I take my cars to the car wash, spray them off with high pressure soap, rinse them, then go home and do a hand wash. The pressure gets the heavy dirt off the paint and from inside the wheel wells and then I go home and get the little stuff with a mit.

D!melo

i bring a bucket, soap with a nice sponge and use their pressure washer you should be good with that

ChaseIntegra

I prob would have punched him in the back of the head.

I've done that many times as well.

NOFX

A hand job shows you care.

Nylon brushes are too likely to scratch paint on their own. To top it off, you're using a dirty brush that's likely been used to wash thousands of disgusting cars, trucks, boats, etc. before your pride and joy. There's bits of rocks, mud, and bugs all ground up into that brush.

I've watched pressure washers peel paint off cars before. It doesn't have to be a strong pressure washer either. I'm not talking about the sort that would take your skin off even. I was washing a car at a job one day, a black coupe, everything went fine, just like all the cars before it, and suddenly a chunk of paint was gone off the front bumper. It left a probably 3 inch bare yellow spot on the front of the car. Ugh. At least it was a car destined for the used car lot.

r_Senik

thanks for the sig NOFX

but i take my car there...since the paint is 17 years old.
and i always spary the brush before i use it.

Xybris

I always do it by hand. Tried the brush once and it was scratch city on my paint. Ran me into a jam when I was stationed in Biloxi and the faucet I used at the park on base froze and ruptured leaving no other option but to use the booth but I still brought a bucket and mit and only utilized the pressure washer.

Tekkno

use it if ur paint is only a $300 paint job and you havnt wash it for 1 year, otherwise, ALWAYS hand-wash by yourself with the correct method!