Reasons why soft cloth washes might scratch! - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

BenzOnline · #1 12-01-2002, 10:20 PM

Ok I asked my boss (car wash owner) why do some soft cloths scratch paint and some dont.

"It all depends how you setup the wash system such as....when the soap goes on the car or if it gets sprayed properly to release dirt first and how close the brushes are to the car for the appropriate amount of pressure to the car's paint so it doesnt grind the dirt in."

What he added to his system is for every brush to have a water nozzle which sprays water as it brushes over the car.

Just my 2 cents.

drbrandini · #2 12-01-2002, 11:22 PM

Long ago I worked at a car wash and will never take my car to one today. The brushes in those things scratch like crazy. In addition my dad's upholstery company made some brushes for a local car wash (customer provided materials), the material used felt like brillo pads and he said there was no way they wouldn't put fine scratches in the clear coat. From what I hear the brushless systems aren't much better since they use such harsh chemicals to wash with. This is why Sadie always gets hand washed, she likes the attention anyway...

jsmith · #3 12-02-2002, 07:31 AM

one of those car washes once scraped off the paint in a car i owned down to the bare metal on a quarter panel. of course they denied everything and i had no recourse because i discovered the damage the following day. fortunately it didn't cost that much to have the section repainted...

placo1 · #4 12-02-2002, 04:53 PM

Brandon,

Unfortunately for anyone living in constant sub freezing weather for a good part of the year hand washing isn't always an option. It's absolutely miserable trying to wash a car when your hands are numb and the water freezes on the car almost instantaneously. Not too mention the slick driveway after the fact.

Benzonline,

I know this subject has come up because of a comment I made in the detailing forum. The scratching which occurrs with soft cloth washes is my own experience when I lived in Upstate NY. Your boss brings up some good points about proper setup of the wash stations which I'm sure would help greatly and if you haven't experienced the same problems I would say continue to use them.

For the most part I never recommend wash stations that actually touch the car since most are not set up properly and even if they were, they certainly were not maintained properly from what I've seen.

I wish there were better options but in my oppinnion a touchless wash is better since it won't leave the scratches. Granted it may strip the wax in a much shorter time that iust means you'll have to put on a coat of wax before the winter, once during the winter and after the winter.

Luckily I don't have to deal with this anymore living in SoCal.

Gary Ganaway · #5 12-02-2002, 05:50 PM

Placo1, I lived in Rochester , NY for 10 years and hopefully never again. It was painful to see you car which may have been black look completely white with the salt covering. That's why so many people had strictly winter cars: usually old wagons with rust holes the size of basketballs!. Unfortunately, going to car wash, no matter what kind,was your only choice unless you wanted 3 inches of ice on your driveway or garage. First winter we were there there was 169 inches of snow and this was not lake effect since the official measurement was at the airport which was 5 miles from the Lake Ontario.

#6 12-02-2002, 10:09 PM

Are car wash "do it yourself" bays o.k. to wash. How are the chemicals they use.....what is better in a pinch ---to leave salt on car or wash in a self wash bay. Obviously the ideal thing is hand wash but as someone mentioned, it can be very challenging in the cold months.

G-Benz · #7 12-02-2002, 11:24 PM

Now that I'm in Texas, I can take advantage of the lack of road salt and inclement winter weather factors and enjoy hand washing at home in 65-degree weather in February!

This was not so when I lived in Illinois, Missouri, and Colorado!

The threat of freezing door locks (which occurred often) did not sway my desire to drive a clean vehicle throughout the winter months.

Car wash bays were not a good option below 35 degrees, unless you liked to drive out looking like JacK Frost detailed your car, so the "touchless washes" were the only solution.

Fortunately, most guarantee their service, so if your vehicle was particurlarly grimy and looked as such after leaving the bay, you could just act dismayed, and they would send it through again and again, until it looked like some effort was actually made to "clean" the vehicle!

The problem I had with brushes is that with so many very dirty vehicles being washed during the winter, how could you be sure there wasn't any trapped sediment buried in the brushes? You would figure that if you entered a car wash in the afternoon after a very busy morning, you might as well ask them to "wet sand" your vehicle...same effect!

placo1 · #8 12-03-2002, 11:01 AM

ColumbusMick,

I found the wash bays to be a good option during the winter months but I've found that even these can leave swirl marks if not properly used.

I would always begin with using a high pressure soap to remove as much dirt and grim from the car as possible. I would then spray the high pressure water on to the brush to remove as much dirt from that as well. Finally I would soap the car and then rinse it.

These bays are obviously only an option on a descent day when it's not too windy otherwise as G-Benz mentioned you will look like Jack Frost by the end of it.

renyf1 · #9 12-03-2002, 01:34 PM

lake effect snow doesn't mean snow measured by the lake

its snow that comes because of the cold front picking up extra moisture off the lake.....thats why buffalo, ny always has a ton of snow every year

yeah living in rochester can test ur love due to the snow and salt but for the last 5 years its been pretty mild that i've never had to use winter tires!

also my 94 e320 has no rust spots...trust me i look for one every year

BenzOnline · #10 12-03-2002, 05:41 PM

Well I have been talking my 126 to my car wash for 2 years now and for some reason I cant get the car to look better than coming out of that car wash. The paint sparkles and I can actually see the metallic specs in the paint whereas I cant see it when washing by hand and also the paint is much more smoother. I guess its a high quality soap cause it doesnt strip the wax at all!

I agree touchless is useless! My freind took his civic though there and it didnt wash jack cause the windsheild still had the grime on the edges.

rmasteller · #11 12-03-2002, 11:04 PM

In these Ohio winters, which can swing from 60F and sunny to 10F and snowy in a day or two, I don't bother with keeping a car really clean. I go to the spray-it-yourself wash bays and just use plain rinse water (no soap) to blast the bad stuff off. No, it does not remove the road grime, but it gets all the major dirt off and you can then see what color your car is. I just did it today to my Dodge at lunch hour. It was 30F with snow flurries, but the sun came out an hour later and melted the "Jack Frost" detailing that was left over. After work the door handles were frozen and hard to work, but they always seem to give in eventually. I make sure to spray inside the wheel wells and under the car from several angles. This is an attempt to remove as much salt coating as possible from as many places as possible. The Dodge is starting it's 7th winter and it has no rust (that I know of).

I can see how a touchless wash & dry could be better, but it's more expensive (I spent $1 today) and it could degrade the wax depending on the cleaning agents they use.

#12 12-03-2002, 11:52 PM

When washing (in car washes or by hand) in freezing weather, always remember to dry off insulation around the doors, trunk, and hood lids. Otherwise, they can freeze and either make it difficult to open or rip.

BenzOnline · #13 12-04-2002, 12:05 AM

cars at my wash, the cars always go through the air dryer then towel dried to perfection including door jambs and trunk lid.

TTaM · #14 12-04-2002, 08:44 PM

I like washing the car myself, but when it is 15 degrees outside, you need to take it to the wahs. Full service car washes are great until the moron drying the car breaks the Brake Release knob!

PS, Anyone have a Brake release knob they are willing to part with for a w115 '76 240D?

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode