Here’s What Car Washes Are Really Doing To Your Car – SlashGear

Yes, absolutely. There’s a reason why professional detailer and popular “cleanfluencer,” according to his many followers, Larry Kosilla of AMMO NYC charges $2,500 for basic cleaning and up to five figures depending on the car’s condition (per The New York Times). Cleaning any car is about reducing friction while removing dirt, but automatic car washes do the exact opposite.

According to Car Magazine UK, the convenience of automatic car washes come at the expense of damaging your car’s paint. The machines will slap and contact your car’s paint while introducing various contaminants that cause scratches and swirl marks, and the damage is more evident if you have a black or dark-colored vehicle. Those awesome-looking, rotating brushes are typically poorly maintained and will cause the cross-contamination of dirt from other cars. Repeated exposure to poorly-maintained wash brushes will eventually dull your car’s paint and make it look old or dated.

The worst part? Removing the damage from scratches that may appear means pre-cleaning, polishing, waxing, and sealing the paint, which will cost money. You could also opt for a ceramic coating, but this also requires time and money. Moreover, there are “touchless” car washes that don’t use brushes, but the results are somewhat mediocre in comparison. So if you think paying $10 for an automatic car wash is worth it, think again.