El Cid

If you use a car wash where you turn your car over to someone else to drive it to end of a converyor or similar, might want to watch what happens. Did not realize until recently that the person who drives from vacuming point to end of converyor also takes a big brush and scrubs the hood and front and rear bumpers of cars.
Fortunately noticed this before first time washing my car and now I stand at end and tell them not to use the brush. I usually remove any bugs, tar, etc. from front and sides before I get it washed.

LasVegasMike

I prefer to wash it myself knowing that if anything happens I have only myself to blame. Once some attendant that's not paying attention does something, it's too late to stop him.

JoelE55

I've seen too many things went wrong when taking your car to carwash. This is another reason that it always best to wash it yourself. Inspect your car before you leave.

cbeck44

Any wash with a conveyer or track is a potential problem with wheels. Any wash where the car is out of your vision leaves too many variables, especially with a dark car. The only cash washes I have felt comfortable in are the drive yourself in, no guide track with high speed water, zero touching of the car. Not as through as a real wash, but can get you through the winters unmarred.

chrisvr6

Uh, don't the ones with conveyors use machines that have brushes and not touchless?!

MDMercedesGuy

Car washes are nothing more than a breeding ground for swirl marks (touchless being the exception - although their chemicals can strip any wax from the car).
The only thing nearly as bad as a car wash is scrubbing it down with a dirty mitt and 1 bucket.

Airmousam

What he said

blazium

I would never bring a black car to a speedy car wash unless you want to leave with swirl marks....

ghstudio

One of the joys of having a white car is not having to worry about swirl marks

JoelE55

Yup.. got that right

MDMercedesGuy

Get it under a fluorescent light or in bright sunlight and you'll see them, regardless of color.

One of my jobs I had all through college was detailing cars for a Saturn dealer and working in their body shop. The amount of blending work that has to be done in any car that has been through a car wash is insane. Swirls dull the paint on any color.

mikemargolis

I must admit that I don't own liquid car wash, a sponge or anything else, and have never washed a car by hand.

I wait til it rains, or take it to the $5 quick wash. It's dirty before it dries anyway.

Jeepers people, it's a CAR for goodness sake, not an object of worship.

MDMercedesGuy

I find spending a couple of hours on the car every other Sunday therapeutic. If you've never washed a car by hand, I wouldn't expect you to understand.

It's not a matter of worship, it's a matter of having some pride in what you drive and protecting a depreciating asset. Not only that, but when it comes time to trade or sell - it makes a huge difference. If the exterior of the car looks neglected, it's reasonable to expect everything is neglected.

RSIKR

It would be great to hand wash it yourself.

Unfortunately we have only had a few days marginally above freezing this Winter with snow on the ground since early December. Unless one wishes to preserve the finish by driving around covered in road salt it has to get washed by other hands.

The dealer provides free car washes as often as needed. Swirl marks will show. I can clay it, polish and wax it in Spring.

Then someday it will be replaced by a new car without swirl marks as there are no luggage racks on hearses.

It is a nice car but it will wear no matter how hard we try.

mikeyle

i never really understood comments like this, to me driving a dirty car is like going out with a stain on your tshirt. "its just a tshirt, not an object of worship" but the overall appearance of it reflects on you the owner. I spend 30 minutes every two weeks on my car using a waterless wash and cleaning my windows, and once every 4 months i spend like 2 hours putting wax/sealant on it, not really enough time to be considered worship, but my car stays looking very clean. When i see really dirty cars i just think the owners are lazy slobs.

El Cid

Some people are not able to hand wash their cars for physical or other reasons.
Regardless, I have been using the same car wash for my other vehicles for over 30 years. They do not use brushes, but long "cloths" that hang down.
NEVER had a problem with swirl marks or any other kind of damage. Did have an '83 black Saab that got swirl marks, but that was at one that used brushes. Paints are a lot better now.
While I'm waiting I check out the cars coming out. Even the 3-6 year old black cars look great. No swirl marks, but clean and shiny.

MDMercedesGuy

It's understandable if one is physically unable to wash their own car.

Wax, even spray wax that car washes spray on does wonders to hide swirls.

Those cloths that hang down will still hold on to dirt and grit, and that is what will swirl your car. A dirty mitt, cloth, chamois, or single bucket washing are death to the clarity of clearcoat.

If you are going to an automated machine with anything that touches your car, you have swirls. I'd bet a month's income on it.

cbeck44

They must have an incredible system, because the same cloth that just dragged across a muddy SUV and then drags against your car should have an impact. Even today's clear coats cannot protect from a piece of dirt or salt being rubbed against it, although some of the polymer treatments can help build some extra protection. There is a reason for a two- bucket washing method and a cloth that is used to clean dozens of cars being used on your car is scary. Most of my cars have been black and contact with the paint and a small object like dirt or salt will leave a mark - sometimes it cannot be seen from a distance, but odds are it's there.

Airmousam

Sorry, but thats physically impossible

Airmousam

Claying, polish and wax will make it look better, but will not remove swirl marks...

mikemargolis

I am certainly not lazy, I am a self made man who can afford a $60K car.

I simply don't care to wash it myself, the cost:benefit ratio is too low. I don't care about "swirlies," whatever they are, and it hasn't broken freezing here for about a month. I am not going to turn my driveway into a skating rink when I can spend $5 for the guys down at the corner to do it.

I didn't say that I don't wash the car, I said that I don't wash it myself.

KEY08

I use Optimum No Rinse in my garage when it's cold out. The stuff is pretty incredible. I stopped going to the car wash after the guys broke off my door lock knobs for the 4th time on my old E500. I had enough.
I also find washing my car by hand as therapeutic as well after dealing with jerks all week long.

Mbenz260e

I have always been scared about the waterless car washes for leaving swirls.

My E I typically wash by hand but below freezing it's tough. In 26 months it's been through a car wash 4-5 times, only once by me rest at the dealer. If it's clean when I take it in I tell them not to wash it, but take the risk the other times when it's really dirty. It's Diamond White so I am lucky.

I love washing cars by hand but its hard to get the time, so I have gotten more used to allowing the car to stay dirty the past to year for longer than I would like. I have clayed it once, typically seal it once a year and wax once in between, use spray on wax after each handwash.

My wife takes the Steel Grey GL through the automated wash quite often, not swirled really too badly in 1 year but will happen...

aprevo15

In the past the cars I bought, I took good care of it. I would hand wash my car every week. I use 2 buckets. One is for the soap and the other is to rinse out the wash cloth from dirt or other debris that might be stuck to it from the car. I've always had black cars (well most) so I always maintained it. Once every 6 months I would go through the whole car with the dual action polisher.

Now my car is a lease so I just take it to a car wash. I do see some swirls but it's not that severe.

shotgun_banjo

Amen to this. It also serves as a exercise and you can stretch those butt muscles as really well when leaning down to work on those multi-spoke rims.