Regularly Taking Your Vehicle Through the Car Wash?

do this instead to preserve its life.

While other car washes pose risks that can damage your car over time, professional detailing is the safest and most effective way to restore and preserve the original condition of your vehicle. Here's why we don't recommend drive-through car washes.

The Risks and Cons of Various Kinds of Car Washes
Outside of professional detailing, car washes can do more harm than good to your vehicle. Each time you go, you could be adding more damage, damage you may not even be aware of yet. Let’s examine the risks associated with drive-thru, touchless, soft-touch, and self-serve car washes.

Drive-Thru Car Washes

• Automatic car washes use recycled water, dirty bristles, and harsh mechanics that cause abrasive substances to be sprayed at your vehicle. You can’t always see the microabrasions the car wash adds to your vehicle, but you can see paint scratches or dents in the protective clear coat. Without a clear coat, your paint can eventually chip, crack, and corrode.
• If your car is misaligned on the conveyor belts, they can pull your tires and steering out of alignment. Furthermore, if the conveyor belts themselves are misaligned or moving at slightly different speeds, conflict will likely occur.
• If your car is off-center or your mirrors are loose, you may lose your mirrors!
• Drive-thru car washes often fail to dry your vehicle correctly, which can result in hard water stains all over its surface. That’s because when water evaporates quickly from your car, it leaves calcium and magnesium carbonates behind. Furthermore, the recycled water, mixed with dirt and salt from other vehicles, can be corrosive and cause permanent damage if you don’t immediately remove water stains.
• Automatic car washes pose a risk to almost any exterior surface, including the windshield wipers, tire pressure sensors, valve stems, and antennas.
• Some conveyor belts function by grabbing your tires and guiding them forward. This process can create a metal-on-metal connection, which could quickly cause rim damage to those without rim guards.
• Even though it’s an essential step, automatic car washes don’t clean the interior.
• Dirty bristles and recycled water only make your car dirtier. To make matters worse, the areas that need the most care, which happen to be the hardest areas to reach, don’t get touched in a drive-thru car wash.

Touchless Car Washes

• The chemical cleaners involved in a touchless car wash are generally very harsh to make up for the lack of abrasion.
• Just like a standard automatic car wash, a touchless car wash may not properly dry your vehicle, which could result in water stains.
• A touchless car wash may not be able to thoroughly remove tough dirt, grease, and inorganic contaminants.
• The touchless car wash may not reach cracks, crevices, and hard-to-reach areas.
• The harsher chemicals may damage some paint finishes.

Soft-touch Car Washes

• Soft-touch car washes may apply cloth strips still too forcefully, which can cause damage to mirrors, antennas, molding, and loose parts. Furthermore, the cloth strips may scratch dirt and debris into the vehicle’s surface.
• If the cloth strips don’t receive diligent maintenance, they won’t be able to clean properly, but they can cause damage.

Self-Serve Car Washes

• People share communal brushes in self-serve car washes, and when the brushes are dirty, they rub dirt, rocks, and debris into the paint, leaving minor scratches and swirl marks. These scratches build up on the paint over time, causing a dull and blurry appearance. Eventually, you may need to make expensive repairs.
• The constant friction from the brushes could wear down your clear coat, eventually leading to it failing.

13 Ways Detailing Is the Safest Way to Care for Your Car
Unlike the car wash, professional detailing cleans EVERY part of the car. It’s the best investment for retaining the lifespan and fresh appearance of your vehicle. It’s a lot safer, too!

1. Daily exposure to dirt, pollution, and UV rays can dull your car’s paintwork over time. Fortunately, detailers thoroughly remove surface contaminants, polish minor imperfections, and apply ceramic coating or wax to the original look of your car. They restore the paint and leave a mirror-like finish.
2. The car wash often overlooks door jambs, emblems, and under the hood. Detailers use precision tools to clean and polish these areas as well as every other nook and cranny.
3. There’s no way around constantly exposing your vehicle’s paint to potential damage. So, it’s a good thing that detailing restores and preserves the paint finish!
4. Your car’s paint is under constant attack from acid rain, bird droppings, and harsh UV rays. Detailers usually apply wax or ceramic coating as a protective barrier that resists harmful elements, prevents oxidation, fading, and staining.
5. As previously mentioned, improper washing techniques, dirty, and low-quality brushes can leave scratches and swirl marks. Professional detailers utilize the proper tools and methods to prevent damage caused by improper washing. Furthermore, they may apply a protective coat that prevents further damage.
6. Outside of aesthetics, detailing services include odor elimination, fabric protection, and engine bay cleaning. These services can make your car stand out to buyers against similar listings. The immediate impression of a shiny exterior and spotless interior attracts buyers.
7. Interior detailing treats the wear on fabrics, leather, and plastic to keep them in fantastic condition and prevent premature deterioration.
8. Detailers can usually identify issues, such as chips, scratches, and fading paint, that could lead to larger problems down the line. Addressing these problems as early as possible saves you money and effort while maintaining your vehicle’s overall integrity.
9. Detailing improves interior air quality. Thorough detailing cleanses the dust, pollen, and bacteria that accumulate in your upholstery, carpets, and vents. This process removes allergens that can cause respiratory issues, especially in individuals with sensitive reactions.
10. Habitually detailing is an investment in the lifespan of your vehicle, preserving its materials and components.
11. A clean, fresh interior enhances your driving experience. Detailers use specialized cleaning products to remove odor from food spills, pet hair, and smoke.
12. Detailing considerably improves driving safety. Dirty windows and headlights can decrease visibility, especially at night and during adverse weather. To improve safety on the road, detailers thoroughly clean and polish the glass surface and lighting components. Proper tire maintenance prevents skidding and loss of control, which may cause accidents. Detailers clean and dress the tires, enhancing their appearance and improving grip and performance.
13. Detailing isn’t just a luxury; it’s a cost-effective way to maintain your car’s condition. Addressing scratches and contaminants early prevents them from worsening into costly repairs. For example, minor rust spots should be treated now instead of later, as rust can damage your car over time, potentially requiring expensive bodywork. Furthermore, detailing retains the vehicle’s original look, reducing the need for paint restoration or interior refurbishment, which is especially convenient for classic or sentimental cars.

Don’t want to pay for detailing every month? Here’s the hack. Get a 3-year ceramic coating and wash your car with a hose or self-serve car wash bay power washer, the water and dirt will bead off. Then get an exterior detail as a maintenance wash every few months.

So, make detailing your car a habit, and start now. If you live in West Michigan, contact Garza Detailing at 616-836-7465 or fill out our form. Invest in the life and look of your automobile, and stay a proud owner for a long time!

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