Will a Car Wash Hurt Your Car’s Finish?

Will a Car Wash Hurt Really Your Car’s Finish?

Will taking your car through an automatic car wash damage the finish? Sadly, the answer is potentially yes. While some types of car washes are worse than others, any time you wash your car—even if you are carefully hand washing it—you are essentially applying an abrasive and/or harsh chemicals to the paint finish and the risk of swirls and scratches in the finish is always there. That’s the bad news.

The good news is that if you make careful choices you can minimize the degradation of your paint’s appearance. Plus, most modern car finishes applied at the factory include a topcoating that is very durable and should hold up for at least 10 years.

It’s also important to note that the effectiveness of a car wash varies, depending on the combination of car model and the type and cleanliness of car wash. So use your own best judgement when deciding which car wash is best for your car and how many scratches you are willing to risk.

Tunnel car washes with rotating brushes

The “traditional” old-style car wash with rotating bristle brushes is much maligned in favor of other, newer car wash technologies that are described as gentler to your car’s finish. But head-to-head comparisons have shown that the old-school car washes will actually cause less damage to your car’s finish than the newer alternatives because the brushes do not hold onto abrasives (like grit) to the extent that soft cloth scrubbers do. If you’re not sure, then go for this eco-friendly car wash at home.

Soft-cloth car washes

Some car washes that are not “touchless” feature flaps of cloth that massage your car clean and seem less aggressive. But they do have the potential retain the abrasives from every car that has preceded yours, more than brushes do. And, latent abrasives in the scrubbers are the primary offenders when it comes to car finish damage.

Touchless car washes

Car washes that use the “laser wash” approach do not have the abrasive effect on your paint finish that car washes making direct contact with the vehicle do. But, there is a trade-off. They do not get your car as clean, as a little scrubbing is necessary to dislodge some of the grit and grime. And, they use more caustic detergents to compensate for the lack of direct contact. A touchless car wash is okay once in a while, but regular exposure to these chemicals have the potential to degrade the finish.

Hand washing

Most auto detailers who pursue the perfect car finish insist that only hand-washing will get you there. But even with hand-washing there are risks. Using the same sponge to clean the vehicle’s painted surfaces and the tires and wheel wells is a common mistake that introduces abrasives into the cleaning process. Take care to segregate your sponges and rinse and clean them, as well as your microfiber towels, religiously.

***Mark Johanson is an experienced home and garden writer/editor/publisher. He has written several books and hundreds of magazine articles. He has edited and directed more than 400 DIY and gardening books, including the BLACK+DECKER® Home Improvement Library series and two of the best-selling gardening books in North America. He is an experienced DIYer and enthusiastic gardener.