Whether you love them or hate them, car washes are an important part of maintaining your car’s beauty. But when it comes to this maintenance activity, how much is too much. Can car washes damage your car?
Car washes do have the potential to damage your finish. However, this typically comes from the overapplication of abraisive materials. That’s why it’s good to choose a touchless wash over one with brushes.
Below, we will delve into some common reasons on how car washes can damage your car’s finish.
Reason One: Old-fashioned Brush-based Washing
The biggest cause for why car washes can damage your finish comes from old-fashioned brush-based car washers. While a brush can yield some pretty immediate results, many of those brushes haven’t been updated for years.
Brock Street Car Wash uses a touchless wash to address this shortcoming.
Regardless of how often brushes are changed out, they are still making contact with your vehicle at high speeds. If you spend all your car washes with an automatic brush, expect some damage to appear over the years.
Reason Two: Overapplication of Harmful Chemicals
Clothes washing machines always warn you to use high-efficiency detergents. Otherwise, you might end up oversudsing your clothes.
There’s some logic to that, and that same logic applies to car washers. While your regular soap and warm water combination isn’t typically harmful, some care wash solutions are often overapplied.
This happens with an untrained hand, which typically leads to streaky windows and a subpar finish. So always pay attention to the material you are leaving behind.
The last stage of any good car wash is the rinse. Without the rinse, you are just letting those chemicals dry on the surface of your vehicle.
Reason Three: Old Chemicals on Brushes and Flaps
We’ve already talked about brushes, but an alternative to those brushes go back to fabric flaps. These car wash flaps are great at not leaving as much physical damage. However, ask yourself about the last time those flaps were changed out.
Typically, the answer is “as little as possible.” The more time you have to change out things, the more time you allow those chemicals to build up. The constant use of these flaps won’t get rid of those chemicals with each new process.
Typically, those chemicals stay behind for the next thousand washes. The older those things are, the more likely you are going to be hit by old chemicals. That’s why even with hand washes, you’ll want to thoroughly clean the towels you use to apply cleaners.
How Do I Prevent Car Washes From Damaging My Car?
First, do your best to avoid all car washes without touchless options. A touchless car was is your best bet, as it is the least likely option to damage your business.
Next, do your car a favor sometimes and prefer the professional cleanings. Detailings provide more careful washings with more results. It’s like giving your car a spa treatment, because it needs a day off sometimes.
For more details on all of those needs, contact us at Brock Street Car Wash to see bout a full detailing.
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