Automatic Car Washes Are Bad News

Don't let your car look like this:

The bad news when it comes to automatic car washes:

Automatic car washes are often undermaintanced and use worn-in brushes. Those worn-in brushes are more likely to cause scratches on your vehicle's paint and even damage your car's clear coat. In addition to potential scratches, some automatic car washes use harsh acids that can eat away your car's paint. Those acids are safe to use if they are washed off immediately but automatic car washes often fail to completely rinse off those chemicals. Automatic car washes often fail to give you value for money as well. With the price of car washes, you don't want to leave having damage to your vehicle. Damage to your vehicle can be caused by the brushes used or simply by the inefficiency of the car wash. With automatic car washed failing to properly clean your car, it leads to damage to your vehicle. 

Value for money:

While automatic car washes are convenient, you are not getting value for your money. Automatic car washes cannot reach all spots, leaving all the nooks and crannies of your vehicle dirty. Over time the dirt in those unreached areas can cause damage. Automatic car washes have the goal of restoring shine to your vehicle. Most automatic car washes do not provide your car with long-lasting protection. Without adding a layer of protection after a wash, you can find yourself returning to the car wash frequently. 

Automatic car washes leave behind harsh contaminants:

Like everyone, the reason for getting your car washed in the first place is to remove dirt, debris, and other particles that can harm your car. When left untreated those particles can cause damage such as rust and corrosion. As described before automatic car washes don't reach all the nooks and crannies of your car, leaving those harsh particles to do damage. Automatic car washes often fail to remove harsh particles from areas that they do reach. If your vehicle has stuck on contaminants such as tar, sap, over-spray, and brake dust, automatic car washes often fail to remove them. Those stuck on contaminants will cause more severe damage to your vehicle than the small particles that automatic car washes remove. 

What to do instead:

Instead of relying on an automatic car wash service, you can take your vehicle to a professional detailer or try to wash your car yourself. If you are inexperienced with washing vehicles be sure to gather information ahead of time to ensure that you are not causing damage to your vehicle during the washing process. The best option for your vehicle however is to take it to a professional detailer. A professional detailer was the experience and knowledge to ensure that your vehicle does not get damaged during the washing process and even provide your vehicle with long-lasting protection. It is always important to do your research ahead before going to a detailer to make sure they know what they are doing. Find someone that has posted pictures of their results and has good reviews. Otherwise, you may find yourself going to an inexperienced detailer that can cause damage to your vehicle. Be sure to look out for an upcoming post from us about "how to choose the right detailer". 

*Like always you get what you pay for. Don't make your car washing/detailing decisions purely based on them being the cheapest*