Automatic vs hand wash

[Nudge]

A guy at work says he’s a “car guy”.  He drives a 2009 Mercedes and a 2014 Corvette, both are silver.  He takes one of them through an automatic car wash at least once every 2 weeks and gets their wash/wax treatment  I just bought a new car and I told him I will never take it through an automatic car wash because of the potential harm it will cause the paint. It’s light blue. He told me I’m living with 30-year old ideas – automatic car washes today do a great job and don’t scratch the paint any more than if he hand-washed his vehicles.

 

He challenged me – in one year, let’s compare paint.  He bets his won’t be any worse than mine.  We live in the Northwest, so his cars have had their share of winter road grime – all removed by an automatic car wash.  And, the paint doesn’t look that bad.  Is it because the clear coat is hard? Or, is he lucky?

 

Anyway, I’m up for the challenge since I will be using Adam’s products on my car and I’ve read a lot of tips on the forum. But, I gotta say, his Vette doesn’t look all that bad after a year of automatic car washes.  And, if one year from now we both need to do a paint correction to remove swirls, was it really worth all the time I spent hand washing my car instead of driving it?

[Chris@Adams]

I have never used a automatic car wash, however if it is a touchless wash it might be ok. But it will never take the place of a 2 bucket wash.

[HydroBlueJK]

IMO the bad car washes are the ones that arent touchless...this winter was bad and i took my brand new jeep through touchless ones about 4-5 times over the couple months to get the salt off,  last weekend i detailed my jeep to apply a coating to it and there were no swirls in the paint (i polished it the day after i got it)

[Team Adam's]

There is a trade off no matter what you do:

 

• Touchless Wash - uses harsher chemicals to break down grime, rather than mechanical agitation. They can't get the car 100% clean so you're always left with some level of dirt to deal with and the long term effects of the detergents are drying of exterior trim and removal of wax or sealant protection.
• Tunnel Wash - spinning hard foam brushes beating the snot out of your paint with 100,000 other cars dirt already on them. No need to explain whats wrong here.
• Hand Wash - poor quality and often dirty wash material, no 2 bucket washes, poor quality towels, and minimum wage unskilled labor. While not as bad as the tunnel wash I've seen many that are almost as bad.
• Do it yourself - time... other than that you can do the job as carefully and completely as you care to do it.

 

Also, trying to identify flaws in silver isn't easy, thats why silver is so easy to care for.

Just for the sake of argument have a look at this video. Dated a little, but the comparison is very interesting and relevant to what you're talking about. All 3 scenarios present damage - the only thing not covered is touchless, but again as I put above - the chemical makeup needed to break down things without agitation is going to be harsh on trim as well as strip wax from the finish.

[ForceofWill]

Everyone has a differing opinion of what perfect paint looks like.  Most of our views on the forum differ quite a bit from your average person including your friend and probably even yourself right now.

 

You say his paint doesn't look that bad, which to you means it looks pretty good?  To me that's a red flag that it probably is bad and needs polishing.

 

A lot of people don't even know what you're talking about when you say swirls and think anything short of a deep scratch is not a defect in the paint.  If you can't see minor swirls right now and think everything's fine you have two options.

 

I still recommend you take the Adam's pill.

Edited March 27, 2015 by ForceofWill

[Nudge]

I'll have to watch the video when I get home.  I can't watch YouTube at work.

 

Good and bad are relative.  I have a 2001 BMW that doesn't look bad for a 14-year old car that's never been polished.

 

I just want to win this challenge.  So, here's hoping his car gets swirled to he?? over the next 12 months.

 

And, I've been on an Adam's feeding tube since I got my new car in December.  So, I only have one option. (is it an option if it's only one?)

[Nudge]

Well, I watched the video. I can't show this to the guy at work because he'll say he's already won. But I won't be using a squiggee to dry off my vehicle, so maybe my car will come in at 4 or lower at the reveal.

[HFX Detailing]

I like using the comparison of a dishwasher vs. hand wash.

 

I cannot put a lot of my shaker cups in the dishwasher, why? The harsh chemicals required to remove the dirt strips off the sick logos on my cups...I want those logos to stay on the cup!  Due to this, I hand wash them because I can use the right care for the job and the logos stay in tack.

 

The same goes for a car. Harsh chemicals are needed to strip off all of that dirt. Chances are, his window seals will be a dull and ugly grey at the end of it and yours will still look new. That is one example. Another thing is, since he will not be claying, if you do a baggy test I bet you he will lose. Lastly, I know from the automatic washes I have tried...they simply do not get every single spot. You will be able to find dirt on his car, guaranteed. I have tried a few different ones and they all seem to leave soap residue also.

 

You could also do a sheeting test with him after the year. I will place my money on yours winning that too.

[Nudge]

Great analogy. After a year of progressive deterioration, he may not even notice the wear on his car, or care. I guess it all comes down to what you're willing to accept and live with.

 

You're right about the automatic wash missing spots. He mentioned that and he just wipes them down with a terry cloth towel. Oh well, this win might be easier than I thought.

 

And there's nothing like stepping back from a vehicle you detailed and just going, WOW!

[LFairbanks]

You're right about the automatic wash missing spots. He mentioned that and he just wipes them down with a terry cloth towel. Oh well, this win might be easier than I thought.

 

 

Terry cloth towel?!?!  Yikes.

[Team Adam's]

You're right about the automatic wash missing spots. He mentioned that and he just wipes them down with a terry cloth towel.

 

and on that note - this isn't even a contest.

 

He wipes dirt (assuming without the aid of a waterless or rinseless wash) off with a terry towel? Game over.

[Ricky Bobby]

Great analogy. After a year of progressive deterioration, he may not even notice the wear on his car, or care. I guess it all comes down to what you're willing to accept and live with.

 

You're right about the automatic wash missing spots. He mentioned that and he just wipes them down with a terry cloth towel. Oh well, this win might be easier than I thought.

 

And there's nothing like stepping back from a vehicle you detailed and just going, WOW!

 

[Masaharu]

Oh man...you should definitely be seeing some "imperfections". Did you get a good look at the car in direct sunlight? This sounds like madness! Heh!

[CamaroSS27]

I have used touchless before, but it was to get the heavy grime off the car at the time.

[Chewy]

I go though the local coin op touch washes with our DD's.  Screw it... I don't have time to mess about anymore.  My G8 gets ONLY the best treatment and is fully corrected, but my truck is gone after three years lease so I could care less.  As long as it resembles the color white, I'm good.  That being said, I AM amazed at the lack of swirls or fine scratches I'm seeing.  I think it helps that it's only blow dried at the end so you don't have the 16 year old rubbing dirty cotton towels over the paint.  It's by NO means as good as a two bucket wash, but it's better than nothing too.  

[kitt1987]

Since I got my new car a couple of months back I only use the touchless washes as others have said to get the heavy grime off in addition to spraying the underside of the car.  Sadly I think Dylan mentioned somewhere that I believe whatever chemicals they use in their soap has caused the rubber molding around my moonroof/sunroof/whatever to discolor.  Good thing for Super VRT!

[SCMatt]

I got my car almost 2 years ago, never once been through an auto car wash with it and never plan to over its entire life with me.  No thanks.  Even the ones with the guys on the other end wiping the cars down, seeing them use the same towels for each vehicle makes me cringe as I drive past.  I'm still young enough, i'll spend a day in the driveway doing it myself!

[Chewy]

I got my car almost 2 years ago, never once been through an auto car wash with it and never plan to over its entire life with me.  No thanks.  Even the ones with the guys on the other end wiping the cars down, seeing them use the same towels for each vehicle makes me cringe as I drive past.  I'm still young enough, i'll spend a day in the driveway doing it myself!

 

Come up here in the winter and do it for me then!    

[07stanggt]

Here is some pics of a gentlemans silver Porsche that USED to say the same thing as your buddy, till I got done with his car using Adams. He also thought his detailing was the best till 1000 watts of halogen bulbs were pointed at his car and he could not believe how bad it got using a car wash.I love the "sad face" made in the lights with the scratches in the paint!! I use it in my detailing portfolio and people love it. Needless to say, he isn't going thru any car washes anymore !!!