If your car looks like it needs a good wash and shine, it can be tempting to pull into an automated car wash down the street from your house, put your car in neutral, and sit on your phone while the magical arms come down and spray your car down for you. It’s quick, it’s cheap, and it’s convenient- what could be wrong?
In a word: everything.
You should think again about going to an automated car wash.
- Water Pressure is Destroying Your Car
Sure, you may not think that high-speed water thrust at your car is doing much damage by itself, but what happens if you hit a chip on your windshield with all that pressure? What about if you’ve got a piece of paint that is slightly peeled up and water seeps up under the paint? The paint will peel, and the chip will expand, so be prepared to fork over money down the road.
- You’re Scratching Your Car the Whole Time
You know those giant rags that rotate at warp speed and wipe your car off? Imagine if those have little rocks at the end of each one of them and they are constantly scratching up your car the whole time you’re inside the wash. Although most washes use soft rags to wipe your car down, most of them have picked up debris and the result is virtually the same: a billion tiny scratches all over your paint.
- Water Spots are Ugly and Destructive
Once the automated wash is finished, then comes the fun part: that gigantic air blower that supposedly dries your car for you. Except it doesn’t; all it does is move the water around on the surface, which means when you drive off and let it “air dry,” you’re just baking those water spots into the paint. Not only do they look hideous, they also can destroy your car’s appearance.
- You’re Spraying Your Car With Acid
If you’ve ever seen a mobster movie, you know what hydrofluoric acid is: it’s that liquid that people deposit “evidence” into in order to make it virtually disappear. That’s what is being sprayed on your car. While the mixture is perfect to eat away tiny particles of grime and mildew off your car, it’s also used in a lot of “pre-cleaners” used by car washes, some of which are so strong that the CDC has had to issue a warning to car wash workers.
- Hand Drying is the Worst of All
You may think that the person using a towel to personally hand dry your car for you is adding just a little touch of luxury to your life, but in reality, that rag has been dropped on the ground and dunked in grimy water so much it shouldn’t be used to wipe off a toilet seat, much less your car. All the dirt and grit that accumulates over time is being rubbed into your paint to put the finishing touches on a car wash that might actually make your car less clean than when you brought it in.
If you’re truly looking for a convenient way to have your car washed without having to put lots of time, effort, nor money into it- try the MobileWash app. They will come to you, hand wash and detail your vehicle, and take great care with affordable pricing.