Mr. Do and Mr. Don't both have dirty cars. Mr. Do spends his weekends carefully handwashing, using multiple buckets, and a finish rinse of deionized water. He gloats over his clean, shiny ride for about a day, and then it's dirty again. Mr. Don't has an unlimited membership at the automatic carwash that may or may not scratch his vehicle beyond recognition but at the end of the day his vehicle stays clean & shiny and he gets to play golf, fish, hunt, spend time with his hot wife, anything besides slaving over a vehicle that's going to stay dirty 6 out of 7 days if he does like Mr. Do. My red Ram loves the auto car wash. Black will be high maintenance no matter what one does. Fortunately, we each get to choose. Long live gas gas guzzling big block v-8 automobiles with cool paint jobs and the variety of people who own and love them.
Meh. Based on my own experience, they still aren't great if you care about the finish. They don't remove paint, but they put super short and very tiny scratches that to be honest, you really can't see without a light in the right angle up close. After a while though (about a year), I found those little scratches added up and the paint looked terrible in the sun. I've since corrected it and only wash my car by hand now.
I worked at a Chevy dealership and it physically pained me to see new Camaro SSes go into the auto wash and come out with hazing/microscratches on every edge, especially the upper A pillar got absolutely TRASHED every single time.
@@ElliottAlvis ik this is an old comment but this is the exact reason the local Ford dealer uses the car wash I work at because we use what’s called Lammscloth. Softest brush I’ve ever touched.
My 2020 SS 1LE has seen MANY automatic car washes with zero ill effects. Now if you want to talk about what destroys the paint let’s talk about track days!
Your dead wrong. And anyone that agrees with you is dead wrong. If you own your own car and want to keep the paint (clear coat is paint) as nice as you can, you can't visit even the most modern car wash even once. Try it on a black car and see how fast the best car washes put thousands of fine scratches in the paint with one pass. Go to the car wash twice a month for a year and look at the black paint in direct sunlight. It will look like crap, guaranteed.
Oh my goodness, an automatic car wash!!! At least the modern ones are better than the original ones & are fun to take a kid thru. Love your Hello Kitty tee shirt!! I know, Hello Kitty for the Hell Kat!! 😷
What an outstanding video! You really busted every common myth and rumor and backed it up with evidence! Thank you so much, I will certainly use this video as a resource for others in the future!
funny thing is i value the accord more then this pussy cat car im a dodge hater genuinely hate as you hate honda just case you value the over priced American steel made with china metal hahahaha doesn't mean i would
I quit using automatics after I went to that one at Kellogg and Maize Road and it ripped the license plate off the back end of my Ford Torino. I was pretty much done with them at that point
The brushes used in car washes these days use Closed cell foam which is rinsed with every rotation, so it doesn’t hold any harmful particles like dirt or sand. Back in the 70’s and 80’s, they used filament material on the brushes which caused swirl marks and scratches. The washes these days are more safe. Nice video!
Have you ever polished a car with "Spider Webbing"? I have, the owner uses automatic car washes with up to date technology. People like that keeps me in busy, hopefully more people will use auto car washes, so I can make more $$$...
This is so wrong Auto car washes are horrible they scratch the hell out of it. Maybe not the first time but they will. Imagine you follow behind a truck that went off roading and the brushes cleaned that prior to your vehicle and now that junk is stuck in the bristles and now cleaning your car.
I go to an automatic car wash with my brand new Hydro Blue Ram w/ 20” MOPAR rims. The paint looks as good as it ever has, and not a single scratch on the wheels. Some nice things about the wash I go to (Wash’n’Roll in Austin) are they have complimentary hand drying and really nice paint sealer and PPO tire dressing. Along with the free vacuums, they also include free clean microfiber rags and high pressure blowguns for blasting nooks and crannies dry like what you have in the engine bay. Edit: for the record I did have PermaPlate applied before the odometer turned a single mile, and I put Turtle Wax Seal and Shine wax on by hand every month or 2.
Aaron Davis I have driven it in the rain, and yes I do try to wipe down the engine bay afterwards. Especially if it was just sitting in the rain. If you’re driving, it’s not AS bad under there.
@@ElliottAlvis you seem like a nice guy, and smart. But there's no way I can possibly take anything you say about car washing seriously after that statement. Good luck.
If you have to be an inch away to see it then who gives AF. It's not getting through to raw metal and it's not gonna rust, it's purely cosmetic, and cosmetic that you cant even see...
Been taking my ‘19 Scat Pack thru my local one. Paint is still just as nice as the day I got it, minus the normal scratches and rock chips from being a daily. No swirling or hazing. Ever since the industry changed away from the mop/plastic brushes, it’s perfectly fine.
I work at mister car wash and ive seen people take r8s and this one guy took a rolls Royce cullinen through. We spray our brushes and the whole tunnel out every night to help with dirt getting in the wraps and scratched into your paint
You have no idea of the amount of harsh chemicals used in car washes to lossen the dirt on your car. This is why you see so many cars with burnt clear coats. Do not do this if you love your car! This is horrible advice.
I have a membership to a car wash. It is staffed so there is some oversight as to what vehicles go through the tunnel. They also spray off any heavy dirt prior to going into the tunnel. I don't own expensive cars. A midsize truck (which does see some off-road use) and a Mommymobile SUV. Neither of which I would get bent out of shape if they had s scratch or two on. In fact, both of them have plenty of paint dings from general use. I do use touch up paint on them to keep rust from forming. Both have windshield damage from rocks hitting them. Daily driving is harder on them than the car wash. My rationale is that a filthy car is harder on the paint than just running the car through the wash every week or two. Since I have unlimited washes, I tend to stop by whenever I'm near the car wash. If my vehicle is dirty, I might make a special trip. I do still hand wash and protect the paint a couple times a year just to deep clean it. Keeping a car clean is much easier than getting it clean. Part of the reason I gave up my nice cars was that I got so tired of worrying about them getting dirty or damaged.
Wow. This is really good looking content. Well edited. Well produced. Very professional and interesting. I wish I had that much skill. As an avid detailer, I've been wondering about how bad it actually is. I think the best advice was every now and then. Twice a week unlimited washes you will get marring. But it's crazy to think that every now and then it will completely destroy the paint, especially if you religiously keep a good coating on it.
You probably wont notice many scratches going thru an auto-scratcher once or twice or a few times. But continuous use will start to show more and more scratches. They start out micro and build more noticeable. You'll start to see scratches in all directions. There's no way the owners of these places can guarantee there's no dirt on their brushes when you go thru it. ty
I have to say I agree, took my new Honda passport through different ones and never saw any scratches on them but then I didn’t eyeball the paint with a magnifying glass either. I’m not a car person I just want a car that works well . I’m a short 80 year old lady who doesn’t have the ability to wash a car anymore ,plus my boys would have a fit if I fell using a step stool to clean the roof. I want to get the exterior washed and some sort of wax or ceramic protector that’s help so that dust and dirt doesn’t stick to it so much since I purchased a 2024 Subaru Forester.
Living in Michigan where in the winter months road salt is slathered all over the highway I try and take my truck through a high quality drive through was about every week or so. During the warm weather months I will hand wash. I'll take a few very minor swirl marks in the clearcoat over leaving my vehicle looking like a block of salt.
nah it def scratchs your paint. We have an auto carwash and the scratches are pretty bad on our buick enclave. The only thing is the auto carwash is so conveinient.
Unless I'm allowed to go in and inspect the foam brushes I'll never. Whatever they use. Anything that touches or wipes the paint will collect sand and therefore is gusranteed to scratch the next vehicle. Only go through completely brushless washes of youre too lazy to do it yourself or pay someone to clean it correctly.
For one you should research before you speak! With out friction you will not get your car clean! Ive owened both touch n touchless car washes! And water under your hood what do you thinks gonna happen even if you did it youself youll get water under the hood unless you block them off!
I had an accord with the 19" wheels. The plastic track completely ground the inside of the wheels worse than I could have done in 10 minutes with an angle grinder.
All this talk, and never mentioned that if you live where there’s actual crappy weather and salt, you could have reached under the rear fender well and pulled out a hand full of mud mixed with salt. I live in Northern Maine, hardly see a car or truck here that doesn’t have holes rusted through in 6 years. All because all they care about is the exterior while the rest rusts out.
Studying automatic washes here - working to become an owner. If you were to go to a car wash, most higher-end one use soft foam Brite material that is made to clean, not hurt your car.
My parents had a membership for a new local car wash branch that popped up around our city all over after 2-3 months of weekend washes they’re hoods paint literally Disintegrated and it’s clearly swirls and such on their hood and roof on top trunk it’s became like a hard texture and their black paint went almost like a flat black texture.
I have a paint matched gmc Denali 2500 and take it through auto washes all the time. Spray was with a micro towel after every wash and with 150k miles still looks new.
Clear coat has gotten thinner. Great way to give paint and detailing shops business. I wouldn't use a car wash at all. Unless it was touchless. For proper detailing information I use Apex detailing on RU-vid.
I was told running the Tesla Model 3 through this type of carwash can damage the outside cameras on the car by the water pressure. Has anybody else heard this?
I don't know...a member of our LCOC borrowed a Mark VI from another member and then took it to an automatic and the fender looked like someone took an electric knife to it. Mayhaps it was an brushful one. I've taken my Chrysler to a brushless a couple times during the winter but had to put some elbow grease into cleaning the chrome clad wheels.
BILL GORMAN yeah, some of the older car washes were pretty rough on cars. Brushless automatics are definitely a good option in the winter! Thanks for watching Bill.
So your putting down Hondas? Most car experts recommend Hondas, not Chrysler Products! Just cause you have more horsepower and spend more Dollars, does not mean the car is more reliable. Most automatic car washes use high PH soaps, which can strip your protection with just one pass. Are you saying an automatic car wash is better than a hand washing? Try using a rinse less wash, you can wash your car about 500 times for $20.00 and takes about 15 minutes!
The last thing at the end of the tunnel is just to keep the doors/equipment from freezing in the winter. There's two at the wash we supply equipment to. They call it a Door Jet
No, it’s for drying in cars. I work at a car wash. Most automatic car washes have heating elements in the concrete for winter time. If it was for winter why would they be running it in the summer?
@@taylorpennington8126 We don't run it in the summer because they are only used for what I stated in my original comment. I worked at the car wash and now I work at MCWW who manufactures all the equipment for the wash I worked at, and many other car washes around the world. That being said your wash could be a special case. Generally it is considered a waste of money to add the heated dryers when there is a set or two of dryer arches and a Dry n' Shine
Elliott Alvis Oh I think they get a bad rap for sure. AmmoNYC is a detail channel, so I figured he would “disagree”. Everything you said was correct. AutoWashes aren’t as bad as they once were for sure. Keep up the good content friend. There is power in the spoken word too! Fastest growing channel!!!! Hope so for you.
There is still the off chance that the person who was there right before you went off-roading and the brushes have who knows what's left in them ready to rub your car's paint. I just can't bring myself to do the soft touch washes. The only time I would go is to a touchless wash to clean the underside of the vehicle after a major snowstorm to clear off all salt and cinders from the body, frame, exhaust system, and suspension. Nothing beats the quality and finished look of a hand wash. But for the quick cleanup when you don't have the time or desire to hand wash, then these would be okay to get you by. I do hope they are using more advanced materials in the brushes which are soft, yet firm enough to be durable and clean the vehicle effectively. Maybe someday I'll convert, but it might be awhile lol
They should make a cover that you put UNDER the hood that does not allow water to get into the engine. You pop them on when you get to the car wash and take them off after the car wash.
Luckily he is in Wichita Kansas cause it rains every now and then. but when winter comes around it usually doesn’t snow more than 4 times in the year I the only reason why I know were he’s from it’s because of his licenses plate .
Tyler and JR have taken their cars through these, it's not always ending up dry on the inside of their cars. So I think we should maybe put a disclaimer in that states your milage may very 😀
Basically an 8,5 minute advert for handwashing your car with pressure washer, soft wasmitt and a high quality shampoo. Afterwards you feel delighted instead of feeling that you just put your car through a pounding.
The whole time you’re drying your engine bay, all I can focus on are all the swirls I can see in the sun reflection. I guess if you already have a bunch of swirls, what’s the harm of a few more from the tunnel wash huh?
Jon Tessmer hey now, easy with the clickbait accusations lol. I really do take the car through the wash! Thanks for watching Jon. Glad I could get you riled up a bit.
Oh my goodness, an automatic car wash!!! At least the modern ones are better than the original ones & are fun to take a kid thru. Love your Hello Kitty tee shirt!! I know, Hello Kitty for the Hell Kat!! 😷
Yeah, the force of the brushes can craze or cause paint swirls, but small bits of debris (tiny rocks, etc) being swiped and moved around by the brushes is what does the most damage. Note, that this is my random-ass theory, and not actually proven.
We have a new car wash near us in Florida that provides all you showed in the video with the addition of microfiber towels you may need along with glass cleaner and small air hoses to clean the interior vents.
Better make sure bc if it's not foam it's going to ruin your paint. I just bought a brand new 2023 Mazda 3 Turbo and one time through it scratched the shit out of her. Never again. Touch free forever.
Are the covered cars in the shop all Corvettes? The one parked above the Dodge looks like a C4. Is it your yellow one? But the one on the ground one row over looks like it's a C3. Is it? Have you ever shown that car in a video? I've seen the red C1 in more than one video I think, maybe a watchjrgo episode, I'm not sure. Where did I see it in another video? I'd like to see the C3 in an up coming video if that is what is under the cover. Also couldn't you make some covers for the inside of the Hellcat air vents? Like cut some little plastic pieces to stick on the inside of the hood grills before you wash it. It wouldn't be water tight but it could reduce how much water gets under the hood. Just a thought
Don's Journey good eye on the Corvettes! And yeah, I suppose some little cutouts for the vents might help during a wash. But it’s not the end of the world to wipe down the engine bay after each wash either. Thanks for watching Don!
Listen personally I don’t see the damage that auto car washes cause as something that can’t be taken out with a yearly compound and polish tbh but hey maybe I’m wrong but I doubt it
One advantage of Brazil. Labor is so cheap that we don't have automatic car wash or even self service car wash. Just take to someplace and they will wash it for you
Mauricio Mariano now that is nice! Bigger cities have that option. This car wash will hand dry for an extra fee, but that’s about it other than the interior cleaning services they offer.
Michael Welschmidt we are the Hollywood of car RU-vid! Kilmer is a formidable opponent, but I think the Kansas crew can take him 😉. Thanks for watching man!
I live in Central Florida and before there were not a lot of these automatic car washes around because they were closing down. Now, between Mister, Tommy’s, and a lot of the newly build 7-Elevens are bringing these car washes back again and there’s tons now. I have a Mister Car Wash membership for my father and now for my stepmom and they love the benefit of going how many times they want. Before I was afraid of the conveyor scratching the rims when I was centering it or when it was rolling along the tunnel but It’s actually safe. Obviously, nothing compared to cleaning a car by hand for sure but it saves the hassle.
Thanks for doing this video. I don't feel so bad now going to an automated car wash. At one time, I would hand wash my vehicles, but as I get older and don't have the time, it's nice to run it through the ole auto wash every now and then. And the one I go to even has clean micro fiber cloths to wipe down the entire vehicle!
Could explain what you did to get out after you saw the green light flashing? I know that you set the gear on NEUTRAL( N), did you jump up to Park ( P) to stop the car, or you shifted the gear from N to D ?! Please respond as I ended up having a problem today not knowing what to do. Thank you
@@ElliottAlvis what is the amount of damage it can cause if I change from N to D right after coming from the automatic car wash? I was extremely shocked how the car stopped, it was forceful, and sudden. Is there any damage or it should be ok?! I know I will never repeat or try that again. Coz when I first about 2 weeks ago, I did what you just said N to D and I didn’t have any problems. Oh by the way, my car is Automatic. And thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for replying. And I hope I get an answer for this for this for more clarification.
Bored with the seamless factory paint? Go to your nearest car wash to get swirly paint for free! Its much more safer to wash a car with just water from a regular garden hose.
