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Started By
Message
re: Are automatic car washes that bad
Posted on 8/31/22 at 10:22 am to Palmetto98
Posted on 8/31/22 at 10:22 am to Palmetto98
Yes, but I don' very much care if my daily driver has flawless paint 
I don't mind doing a paint correction once a year if it gets bad enough. I have all the tools and know how.
I don't mind doing a paint correction once a year if it gets bad enough. I have all the tools and know how.
0
Posted on 8/31/22 at 10:24 am to Homey the Clown
quote:
the Dent Doctor
turrble for the paint, baw
Posted on 8/31/22 at 10:32 am to goofball
quote:Toyota paint is one molecule thick.
We have Toyotas and Hondas, so our paint was never that good to begin with.
Posted on 8/31/22 at 10:32 am to Palmetto98
quote:
Are automatic car washes that bad
Only if you're stupid..
Posted on 8/31/22 at 10:34 am to East Coast Band
quote:
Only if you're stupid..
the guys that dry it off will buff that out
Posted on 8/31/22 at 10:35 am to Palmetto98
Wives,girlfriends in bikinis in the driveway with soap and bucket like its supposed to be
Posted on 8/31/22 at 10:46 am to AndyCBR
quote:
Most can’t afford the maintenance cost that comes along with owning an exotic.
quote:
Most can’t afford the maintenance cost that comes along with owning an exotic.
Are we talking autos here or females?
Posted on 8/31/22 at 10:46 am to AndyCBR
...
This post was edited on 8/31/22 at 10:47 am
Posted on 8/31/22 at 10:53 am to JohnnyKilroy
quote:
While you aren’t wrong, let’s be honest and say that your average baw washing his wife’s telluride with some old kitchen rags and dawn is doing his fair share of damage.
Why use any soap at all? Water hose and good thick rag(not kitchen) does the clean just as good. It's a 20-30 minute process, so why waste your time at a car wash? Plus using ANY soap for a car wash is a waste.
Posted on 8/31/22 at 12:04 pm to lsubuddy
Wives,girlfriends in bikinis in the driveway with soap and bucket like its supposed to be
Just let me know where and when.
Just let me know where and when.
This post was edited on 8/31/22 at 12:06 pm
Posted on 8/31/22 at 12:06 pm to goofball
I have never owned a Toyota with a good paint job. Fades badly way too fast.
Posted on 8/31/22 at 12:10 pm to Homey the Clown
quote:
I pay $20/mo for unlimited carwashes at the Kroger here in LC
$15/month at Benny's in BR. Plus is just about pays for itself with their new gas discount.
Posted on 8/31/22 at 12:11 pm to KamaCausey_LSU
quote:
Plus is just about pays for itself with their new gas discount.
can triple that if you up your average driving speed, just sayin'
Posted on 8/31/22 at 12:32 pm to SG_Geaux
quote:
If a car wash is physically touching the paint, it is 100% scratching and marring the paint. There is no way around it.
Most people just don't care.
This is 100% true. Automatics definitely add swirls to the paint and require paint correction to remove.
A two-bucket method with a mild ph soap is one good way to preserve the coat. Top it with some collinite and you'll have a good look with protection for about 5 months.
Posted on 8/31/22 at 12:38 pm to Cosmo
The number of downvotes to the correct answer to the OP's question is crazy. Yes, it's bad for your paint. Do most people care to even look for swirls... No. But here is what it's doing to your car.
Posted on 8/31/22 at 1:17 pm to Palmetto98
Update
Posted on 8/31/22 at 1:23 pm to 777Tiger
quote:Those car washes wash a bunch of cars every day, collecting debris all day and rubbing it on the paint of each car. Automatic car washes 100% cause swirl marks (which are tiny scratches) all over your paint, and it will get progressively worse with each wash.
if you want to split the hair even more, every drop of rain and every minute the car is in sunshine, or any other element, the paint is damaged and its life shortened
You might not notice swirl marks unless you have a dark colored car and look at it from the right angle in the sun, but the real effect they have on your paint is that swirl marks dull your finish and make your car less shiny. Light catches the edge of the scratches and makes your paint look dull rather than looking shiny and wet when your paint is smooth and free of these micro scratches.
This post was edited on 8/31/22 at 1:29 pm
Posted on 8/31/22 at 1:42 pm to PrimeTime Money
Can’t you just buff out the swirls once a year? I feel like my once a year detail i pay professionals for has kept my paint looking great despite monthly runs through the wash.
Posted on 8/31/22 at 1:52 pm to CatfishJohn
quote:You can, but you don’t want to polish too much. If you’re correcting swirls, you need to use an abrasive polish and a machine. This removes a very thin layer of clear coat to get rid of the swirls and scratches. You shouldn’t do this more than 5 times or so over the lifetime of the car, as you could wear the clear coat too thin. If you wear the clear coat too thin your clear coat becomes susceptible to UV damage. If you did it 20 or 30 times you might even burn through the clear coat completely.
Can’t you just buff out the swirls once a year? I feel like my once a year detail i pay professionals for has kept my paint looking great despite monthly runs through the wash.
That’s why it’s important to try to prevent swirl marks if possible so that you can extend the time in between correcting polishes.
There are non-abrasive polishes that don’t fix scratches and swirls but rather fill them in temporarily so that it smooths out your paint and makes it look shiny again. Then top it off with some wax. You can use these polishes as much as you want as they aren’t abrasive.
This post was edited on 8/31/22 at 1:55 pm
Posted on 8/31/22 at 1:59 pm to AndyCBR
quote:
They are pretty hard on the finish in general due to some pretty harsh chemicals especially on the front part of the tunnel.
If you want your car to look okay and don’t have any intention of doing a hand wash then your probably not going to care what it looks like in 4-5 years anyway.
+1
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