soft car washes safe?

budinsc

budinsc

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good morniing guys,

im almost embarrassed to ask this question but here goes. during the cold winter months i would like to take our cars to a specialized soft cloth contact car wash but do not want to create micro scratches on the finishes after i have worked so hard to correct them on a black 07 mb and a silver 10 jag.

the reason i am asking this is that this particular business has a contract with bmws huge manufacturing facility here in upstate sc to wash all their coporate autos. bmw sent a technical team to the facility to inspect their state of the art washing equipment utilizing only soft cloths before issuing the contract. they determined that repeated washings even on darks colors would not cause scratching of the finishes. i do know for a fact that the above contract is true and existing and see many bimmers at the business when i drive by.

does anyone have any thoughts on this? as always i appreciate the help you forum members provide.

budFeed back please
 
I would say no

but to ease your mind, buy a swirl finder light and check out other black cars that go through the wash
 
budinsc said:
good morniing guys,

im almost embarrassed to ask this question but here goes. during the cold winter months i would like to take our cars to a specialized soft cloth contact car wash but do not want to create micro scratches on the finishes after i have worked so hard to correct them on a black 07 mb and a silver 10 jag.

the reason i am asking this is that this particular business has a contract with bmws huge manufacturing facility here in upstate sc to wash all their coporate autos. bmw sent a technical team to the facility to inspect their state of the art washing equipment utilizing only soft cloths before issuing the contract. they determined that repeated washings even on darks colors would not cause scratching of the finishes. i do know for a fact that the above contract is true and existing and see many bimmers at the business when i drive by.

does anyone have any thoughts on this? as always i appreciate the help you forum members provide.

budFeed back please
Click to expand...

I'm curious what these "specialized soft cloths" are made of. Most anything rubbing across a paint's surface has a tendency to create micro-marring...I can only imagine the potential damage these "specialized soft cloths" will induce after several "washings". Is someone going to clean these cloths after each usage? Those "corporate autos", I presume are the corporate big-wigs' autos. If so, the big-wigs probably don't really car about micro-marring...they'll just put in for a newer vehicle and give the other one to a dealership that will try to pawn it off by offering a discount for this slightly used, low mileage vehicle.

IMO....Better off using the wand at your local self-serve car-wash, even though that isn't always the best solution, either.

Bob
 
I would say no also. There are to many variables that might not have been present during their inspection. Maintenance and cleanliness of the materials touching your car after numerous washing, etc.

We also do not know what the teams definition of a scratch is. Would they consider a swirl mark as a scratch?

Too many questions for me, I could keep asking them all day...
 
tks for the additional input guys. i felt it must be too good to be true.

bud
 
the cloths washes are 100% safe. in fact any wash media is safe. its the sand and grit from your paint and previous cars that remain on the cloth that will scratches/swirls the clear :P
 
Last edited:
qaz393 said:
the cloths washes are 100% safe. in fact any wash media is safe. its the sand and grit from your paint and previous cars that remain on the cloth that will scratches/swirls the clear :P
Click to expand...

I concur. A brand new soft media wash machine is safe. The problem is the dirt from everyone else. Some of these places also have very "helpful" employees that will towel dry after you get out, causing more harm.

Even the touchless ones are harsh, the chemicals they use are "paint safe" but very harsh on trim.
 
I use a touchless and go home, warm up the garage and do a No Rinse.
 
I have never found any car wash, outside of a hand wash, that truly cleans well and with proper care with not add marring. Touchless washes often only remove loose dirt, but need some agitation for the stuff stuck on finish. Soft washes use something that rubs the finish, but then moves onto the next unit. What if perhaps I was a mud bogged 4x4 and you were next vehicle in, how would it clean and prep those "soft" arms to be clean and not grind contaminents into my paint.
 
Old Tiger said:
I use a touchless and go home, warm up the garage and do a No Rinse.
Click to expand...

Jim,

I was thinking the same thing. To be very honest, I don't think I could even find anything "but" a touchless car wash in my area....................but then again I do everything myself...
 
I've seen car washes advertise that they are safe for all finishes, custom wheel safe, soft brushes, scratchless brushes and the whole 9 yards. I did a test in my local area that claims to have a micro marring free car wash......I took an old car that I prepped to a perfect finish and ran it through......what do you think happened?????? MICRO MARRING!! It is all a marketing plot to secure contracts!!!
 
bigaizsosexy said:
I've seen car washes advertise that they are safe for all finishes, custom wheel safe, soft brushes, scratchless brushes and the whole 9 yards. I did a test in my local area that claims to have a micro marring free car wash......I took an old car that I prepped to a perfect finish and ran it through......what do you think happened?????? MICRO MARRING!! It is all a marketing plot to secure contracts!!!
Click to expand...

We have a local car wash that advertises the same thing. However, when the cars come out, employees finish drying them off, wipe down the wheels and interior with the same shop rag. I have seen the rags hit the ground and go straight back on a car.

They swirl them up pretty good!!!
 
david79z28 said:
We have a local car wash that advertises the same thing. However, when the cars come out, employees finish drying them off, wipe down the wheels and interior with the same shop rag. I have seen the rags hit the ground and go straight back on a car.

They swirl them up pretty good!!!
Click to expand...

I have the swirls to prove it

Jenn
 
Couldn't agree more with you!! I wrote a short summary as a newsletter I sent out to my clients on why they shouldn't use car washes.

Why you should not use car washes...

While a car wash is generally known for a quick and convenient solution to a sparkly-clean car, most people don’t realize that a car wash uses brushes and towels that can actually harm your car! A car wash uses massive brushes to “clean” your car; however, these brushes induce swirl scratches into the clear coat of your paint! Additionally, have you ever noticed the car wash attendants using cheap towels to “hand-dry” your car? You might think that they are removing excess water and dirt, but they are actually inducing marring on the paint of your car! Both swirls and marring imperfections can only be removed by a professional detailer by using a machine polisher. In our Rates and Services section, you will find prices for a variety of Paint Correction Procedures as well as Maintenance Washes.
 
i cant imagine a cloth any softer than the ones we git here,even the best of the best get wash induced swirls
 
I will never use a soft touch car wash. I do use the touchless car wash if I know I won't have time to get something off my truck till much later. Foe instance one day I parked under a tree at work and birds used my truck as target practice. I went to the touchless car wash to get that stuff off until I could get home.
 
Twister said:
I will never use a soft touch car wash. I do use the touchless car wash if I know I won't have time to get something off my truck till much later. Foe instance one day I parked under a tree at work and birds used my truck as target practice. I went to the touchless car wash to get that stuff off until I could get home.
Click to expand...

Great Idea!
 
the people have spoken!!!!!!!! will continue with lambs wool mitt and citrus wash and find a heater for my garage. many thanks for the reply guys.

bud
 
There is a new car wash that opened in town thats been there for 8 months. All my friends go there and some with black cars. All these cars look great . One friend with a black Chevy Impala bought the monthly pass and gets his car washed every other day , and it looks great. I guess it depends on how soft your paint is and how new the car wash is.
 
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