Do automatic car washes damage car paint?
This depends on the specific situation. If the automatic car wash is relatively new, it generally won’t cause much damage to the paint. However, if it has been used for a long time and the roller brushes haven’t been replaced, it can cause some damage to the paint.
Automatic car washes primarily use photoelectric sensors to detect the vehicle’s position, which then feeds feedback to the control module to drive the track pulls, roller brushes, and nozzles to work in an orderly manner, completing the cleaning function of the vehicle’s surface.
The roller brushes are the part that directly contacts the paint. They are composed of many strips of soft foam material, driven by a motor to rotate, creating continuous tumbling and slapping motions on the paint surface to remove dust and dirt.
If these strips of foam material remain clean and soft, they will generally not cause any significant damage to the paint. However, if they harden or are not cleaned promptly and retain impurities, they will scratch the paint, leaving many noticeable scratches on the paint surface after washing.
Why Automatic Car Wash Machines Damage Car Paint
Car wash machines use many consumables, such as brushes, sponges, and cloths, which need to be replaced regularly. If not replaced, these consumables can easily trap dirt and sand, which can easily scratch the paint during washing. Some car wash machines, due to poor maintenance, may also damage the paint if the robotic arm is not accurately positioned during washing.
Which Automatic Car Wash Equipment is Safer?
1. Non-Contact Car Wash Machines
Simply put, these use multiple high-pressure nozzles to spray water and wash the entire car. These machines do not directly contact the vehicle; they rely on high-pressure water jets to wash it. Therefore, since there is no direct contact, the damage to the paint is relatively small and negligible.
2. Brush-type car wash machine
There are two types: tunnel type and reciprocating type. In the former, the car moves forward on the track, while in the latter, the car is stationary and the car wash machine moves back and forth. Both types involve rinsing with water, spraying detergent, wiping, and drying. Regardless of the type, car wash machines are relatively safe because the high-pressure water rinsing step removes dirt and sand, thus preventing damage to the car paint.