Should I avoid those places and wash it by hand? Or is that not true information?
2007-11-29 17:46:19 · 13 answers · asked by Cathy H 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
anything that uses a brush on the surface of the car you should avoid. If it's a touchless car wash, you should be okay.
2007-11-29 17:50:02 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Yes they do. I've read it across many sources on the internet - sorry I haven't got the time to give you some references right now, but take my word for it - your cars beautiful paintwork will have swirls and will fade ever so slightly after visits to the car wash. The biggest problem with the auto car wash is that it doesn't spray your car down properly enough. The same would apply if you were to hand wash your car. Ideally, you would have a pressure hose to blast off all the grit and dirt, and then you could lather up your car. Without getting the grit/dirt off properly, be it at the car wash, or handwash - you increase the chances of rubbing the dirt into your paintwork.
The problem with an auto car wash is it's built to do a job cost effectively and quickly. Some newer car washes are touchless - i.e. they just hit your car with high pressure water to clean it - some people say this is also not the best for the paintwork.
Here in the U.K. over the past few years - we've had a number of hand car wash joints spring up all over the place. If you don't want to wash it yourself - these are your next best bet.
All the best.
2007-11-30 01:52:28 · answer #2 · answered by Amit S 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Yes and no.
Yes. Any kind of high pressure spray and abrasive scrubbing can hurt your paint job....both in the short term and the long term.
No. Washing your car is good for the paint job, unless you do it too often. Washing your car, be it by hand, or car wash, keeps the road grime and dirt off of it, which, in turn, helps keep abrasive materials from scratching up your paint job.
On the same token, if you're one of those people that just has to wash their car every few days, then yes, you're gonna damage your paint job more rapidly.
If anything, automatic car washes are most likely better for your car since most no longer use those giant foam wheels, but instead use a spray system that doesn't 'scrub' the dirt into your paint.
But when you take into consideration that pretty much everything begins to damage a paint job the moment it rolls off the line....well, then you just have to accept that damage will be done no matter what you do and decide what is more important. Keeping your car clean, or not.
2007-11-30 01:59:12 · answer #3 · answered by Skyy 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The answer abut asking the car wash is totally wrong because they are not going to tell you that it hurts the car finish or they will be out of business. Remember that the brushes in a car wash are abrasive on the paint of a car and the water is recycled so any thing to contaminate that water can end up on your car. Suppose the car in front of you has road salt or tar that gets on those brushes and that is transferred to your car? If you don't want to get out and wash it during bad weather, even a quarter car wash is better because you control what contacts the paint on your car. There are touchless car washes now which are supposed to be better but I noticed when I tried to read more about several comments about automatic car washes, they had been deleted and I ended up at a pop up of one kind or another which makes me think that someone is trying to keep that off the internet - call me suspicious if you like but I would use a quarter car wash and enjoy washing my own car if it were new.
2007-11-30 01:53:51 · answer #4 · answered by Al B 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Most car washes these days use very soft spinning cloth strips. This is similar to hand-washing with towels. Car washes used to be murder on paint jobs, but no longer. However if you come across an "old-fashioned" car wash with the stiff brushes ... run!
2007-11-30 01:50:37 · answer #5 · answered by Flywheel 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
They do. Brushes are abrasive, and even paint protection won't stop the scratches that make paintwork dull.
It depends on how much you love your car. If its just a tool, then it doesn't matter, but if you want to keep it looking pristine, then you have to hand-wash it.
Its a good activity for kids... and you can do the roof yourself, while you supervise. Slave labour is useful ;)
2007-11-30 01:50:32 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Anything that contacts the paint job or the clear coat will wear it away in time.
So wash by hand for the long term.
2007-11-30 01:48:36 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
hey , iv'e also wondered this ?. yea wash your own car as you would wash yourself. at least that is what i feeel and you asked. i would not run my pride and joy through a robot that does not have the love you have for it.SO, there is my answer for ur ?
2007-11-30 01:53:14 · answer #8 · answered by fishsticks 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
personally i like to wash by hand or go to a hand wash cafe & watch someone else wash it.
2007-11-30 01:50:50 · answer #9 · answered by la$t drinx$ 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
okay its more damaging to drive in the normal dust and pollution than to get your car washed and over time your new car aint new no more
2007-11-30 01:50:17 · answer #10 · answered by bilbobagsend 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋