The Truth About Drive-Thru Car Washes... You May Be Surprised At What You Don't Know
Drive-Thru car washes have been around since 1914. These Drive-Thru car washes are very popular no matter what state you live in. They make it so easy and convenient for you when you feel your vehicle needs a quick cleaning. You'll see them at almost every gas station you stop to fill up at. But what you may not know about these Drive-Thru car washes may change your mind next time you think you need a cleaning.
Yes, I must say that these Drive-Thru car washes are convenient and easy. Before I got into the world of automotive vehicle detailing, I thought this was the greatest invention in the automotive industry; besides the wheel of course. You drive in, let the machine clean your car for you, then carry on with your day without putting in any elbow grease or stepping foot out of your car. Easy, right? Yes, but worth it? No.
Two Main Reasons To Avoid Drive-Thru Car Washes:
The chemicals used in Drive-Thru car washes may harm the paint and or glass on your vehicle and might even rip you off. You would think that these car washes would use the right chemicals since they are designed to clean your car. Yes and No. When you pull up to purchase your cleaning package, you're often given 2-3 if not 4 options depending on how "clean" you want your vehicle to be. With the first option being the cheapest and the last being the most expensive, are you getting a good deal based on what you pay? The cheapest option may use chemicals that barely get all the dirt, mud, bugs or any other gunk thats stuck on the paint or glass. Even then if you aren't satisfied with your purchase you have the option to clean the rest yourself or go back in hoping two times the charm. At that point you might as well have done it yourself. Though it would take longer, at least you'd be satisfied. Now moving onto the high dollar packages and options. Paying anywhere from $8-$12 on average for these packages, what they offer may give you false promises. A lot of these options get you to give into the cleanliness they have to offer. Some say that your car will come out shinier due to the wax thats put on the paint of your vehicle or that a polish is applied into the soap to get rid of those annoying swirl marks in-bedded in your vehicles paint. Though the wax maybe true but, how good is the wax really going to protect your vehicle? I hate to break it to you but, what they say about these high dollar packages, is not the best bang for your buck.
2. Going along with what was said about polish being applied on your vehicle towards the bottom of the previous passage, these machines are most likely the reason your vehicle has swirl or even scratch marks. Whenever you walk past or look at your vehicles paint you may notice these swirls in the paint of your car in the correct lighting. I see it on the daily. People get the misconception of what causes this. Let me tell you what it probably is... When you enter a car wash you see these long cylinder shaped objects with what looks like cloth or rubber streamers hanging from them. As the wash begins, the spin typically clockwise. They are meant to get all the debris off the surface of your vehicle and while it does do that, it also is whats putting the hurt on the paint of your vehicle. These what we'll call rotating cylinders, are contaminated with previous vehicles debris i.e. dirt, mud, bugs etc... The leftover micro contaminates then carries onto your car therefore scratching your paint. Not to mention the speeds that these rotating cylinders travel in and the impact they have when they hit your car is not helping the paint of your cars case either.
Make sure you take care of your vehicle while it's not too late. You may pay the hefty price in the long run with restoring your vehicles paint back to its factory new condition.
If you'd like a more visual in-depth reasoning why Drive-Thru car washes are harmful to your vehicle, check out the link below.
https://youtu.be/I9XTAoIFnPU
