A pro car wash can be fully automated or done by hand. Here's how to decide which option is right for your car, time and budget among various types of car washes.
Types of Car Washes: Pros and Cons You Need to Know
Who doesn’t want a spotless, gleaming car with interiors that are hygienic and smell nice? All these benefits can come from a simple car wash. However, there are so many options for car washes and just as much information on types of car washes and their benefits that it’s easy to feel perplexed deciding which one to go for. After all, your car is your prized property— you don’t want to experiment much.
So let’s learn more about the basics of car wash benefits and try to understand the intricacies of various types of car washes, including information on touchless car wash and their pros and cons, the best methods for a DIY car wash, and everything you need to know about eco-friendly car cleaning.
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Types of Car Washes – Understanding the Different Types of Car Wash Services
When you can’t wash the car yourself, there are plenty of other ways to get your car washed. It’s an important maintenance step, not just for an immediate boost to its looks, but also to extend the life of your paint and help retain your car’s value.
Whether your car needs the full spa treatment or just a quick bath, here are the pros and cons of various types of car washes and car cleaning services.
Self-Service Car Washes
A self-service car wash typically costs less than $10. The car wash service supplies you with a water hose, soaps and sponges, so you can just keep your focus on the details and applying elbow grease. Check beforehand if you need towels for drying. Washing, rinsing and drying one section at a time will help avoid water spots.
Be sure you use this option under the right conditions. If you’ve been driving around for a while, your car is probably too hot to wash; the soap will dry and leave spots before you can rinse it off. The same goes for washing with the sun beating down on you.
Automated Car Washes (In-Bay or Tunnel)
Automated car washes work in two ways. It’s either a case where the wash equipment dispenses soap and water from a static position while your car moves along a conveyor belt (the tunnel style) or the other, in which your car remains stationary during the car wash process and the wash equipment moves around the vehicle. Automatic car washes can be a speedy and economical choice, costing between $5 and $10. Cleaning the undercarriage, wheels and tires or using additional soaps and waxes costs extra, usually $1 to $2 per extra service.
Soft Touch Car Washes
Soft-touch washes offer a more thorough cleaning. If the car wash uses brushes, they usually reach every part of the car and are good for getting rid of dust and pollen. But the force of the brushes can damage side-view mirrors or antennas. Also, if the car wash uses thick cloth strips, the car must also be thoroughly rinsed before the cloth touches it or else the cloth can cause the dirt to scratch the paint.
No-Touch Car Wash
No-touch car washes are cloth- and brush-free, so there’s less risk of scratches. High-end car owners prefer this mode because of the reduced risk of surface friction (which is normally caused by traditional brushes), keeping luxury vehicles untainted and gleaming. No-touch car washes also use less water, an additional advantage for you if you love to be a friend to the environment.
However, the disadvantages are twofold. Without brushes or cloth strips, a no-touch wash may be less effective. Another potential problem is that no-touch washes have to rely on higher doses of cleaning agents to make up for the lack of cloth or brushes, which could be damaging to your car paint.
Machine Dryer Car Wash
Some automated car washes use machine dryers at the end, but some will have staffers dry your car by hand with towels. If they provide this service, the car wash will cost a few dollars more.
Hand Car Wash
Professionals washing your car by hand will use top-notch supplies and go over every inch with a thorough eye, making sure to remove dirt or water spots that automated car washes may miss. Washing your car by hand also comes with risks. Using the same sponge to clean the vehicle’s painted surfaces and the tires and wheel wells is a common mistake that introduces abrasives to the cleaning process. Be sure your pro uses best practices, including rinsing and cleaning sponges and microfiber towels.
Rinseless Car Wash
A rinseless car wash is another kit method that eliminates the final hosing off, saving time, water and chemical usage. To use, add one ounce to two gallons of water in a bucket. Soak a plush microfiber towel into the solution and wash one section at a time until clean. Dry with a clean plush microfiber towel. That’s it!
Tips for an Efficient and Flawless Car Wash:
- Ensure that the technician coming home for in-house car wash service is a thorough professional.
- Ensure the quality of cleansing material used.
- Talk to technicians at the car service centre if you are looking for eco-friendly car cleaning soap solutions.
- Go for systems that can ensure less water wastage.
FAQ
How often should I wash my car?
Ideally, every two to four weeks. But you might even do it once a week if you drive a lot or live in a harsh environment, such as a salty, coastal area. The frequency can also depend on the season. For example, in winter you’ll want to wash more often to remove road salt. In spring and fall, you might choose to increase your car wash frequency if you have a lot of pollen.
“Just don’t wait till the car looks dirty,” says Koukia. “By then, the damage may have already started.”
Are there any eco-friendly car cleaning wash options?
Yes. To save water, Koukia recommends waterless or steam-based car washes. He also recommends services that use biodegradable soaps and techniques to reduce runoff.
Branden Waltz of Elite Pro also recommends pH-balanced soaps. “Mobile detailing services are often more efficient than traditional washes, using less than 10 gallons per car compared to 40 to 70 gallons at a self-service bay,” he says.
What is the best type of car wash for new cars?
For a new car, the main consideration should be to ensure that no damage occurs to its new delicate paint— so the soap has to be gentle. A no-touch car wash would be the best if you can assure no harsh cleaning materials will be used.
Do automatic car washes damage paint?
Sometimes the brushes used in automatic car wash are not so gentle and can be abrasive. This can cause minor scratches on the body of the car. Still, this may not be the case in all automated car washes. Choose your car wash centre carefully.
About the Experts
- Parham Koukia is lead detailer and operations manager at Panda Hub in Toronto. He has spent more than a decade mastering the art of car detailing, after turning his passion for automobiles into his profession.
- Branden Waltz is the owner of Elite Pro, a car detailing business in Charleston, South Carolina, specializing in detailing, ceramic coat and window tinting.
Sources:
- Car wash advisory: “Types of Car washes”
- Xenia: “Explore Different Types of Car Washes-A Beginners’ Guide”
- DRB: “Types of car wash businesses”
- Amazon: “Optimum No Rinse Wash and Shine”
- Elite Pro: “The Car Detailing and Vehicle Enhancement Services”
- The Org: “Parham Koukia – Operations Manager at Panda Hub”
