490 North Pontiac Trail
Walled Lake, MI 48390

248.668.1200

Auto Repair Tips: Automatic Car Washes

Posted April 22, 2013

Regularly washing your car is extremely important when it comes to the health of your cars exterior.  Many car owners believe the best way to ensure a thorough washing is to do it themselves. However, automatic car washes are much safer and efficient than hosing down your vehicle in your driveway.

Too many variables come into play for those “do-it-yourselfers” when it comes to keeping their car clean.  The wrong amount of water or wrong type of soap won’t safely remove dirt and can lead to scratches in the car’s paint. Not removing dirt from a car can also lead to rusting.

Automatic car washes provide safe, time efficient and thorough washing. Many automatic car washes today are “touchless”, meaning they have no brushes or pads that make contact with your car. Instead, high pressure water-jets and detergents are used to clean the car leaving virtually no opportunity for scratches to appear in the car’s paint.

If an automatic car wash isn’t “touchless,” it is essential to make sure that the brushes that will touch your car are cloth.  Cloth is soft enough to avoid damaging a paint job, but some older car washes still have abrasive brushes that can scratch the paint on certain vehicles.

Although you may still see some water on your car after driving through the high-powered jets at the end of a car wash, you should refrain from the post-wash wipe-down.  Much like the do-it-yourself car wash, it is hard to be certain that the towel is free of any particles that may scratch your vehicle’s exterior. If it is a busy day at the car wash, that towel may not be the cleanest thing to touch your car. Again, the heated, high-powered jets do a great job of properly drying your car and driving away wet won’t cause any damage.

If you do happen to find yourself in the Walled Lake area with some post-wash exterior damage, our ASE-certified mechanics are more than happy to take a look at what has been done as well as inspect your vehicle for any other needed auto repair services.  Stop by or call us (248) 668-1200 to set up an appointment today!

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