Touchless car washes today use Hydrofluoric acid as a first step and then an alkaline to neutralize the acid then high pressure water to wash cars. Hand washing is MUCH preferred, don’t use an automated car wash period, touch less or not, there are a variety of reasons: You should never, under any circumstances use a car wash that requires you to let another person drive your vehicle onto the ramps or into the wash, notice the disclaimer
“No responsibility for damage to customer’s vehicle.”
Local by-laws require car washes to re-claim or recycle water. This means they have two choices.
a) They can collect the water in tanks and pay to truck it away to a recycling centre.
b) They can filter and then recycle the water (dependant on how often the filters are cleaned/changed) will effect how much dirt content there is. Recycled meaning re-use the same water, which may include any road dirt/grit that is not filtered out is used to high-pressure (1,000PSI) wash your vehicle (somewhat similar to sandblasting) the final rinse is usually twice-filtered re-cycled water, this is to give the appearance of a clean surface on the vehicle.
c) To help clean the recycled water they use a chemical like Presidium Orthophosphate (TSP) and have the chemical formula Na3PO4. It is a highly water-soluble ionic salt. Solutions of it dissolved in water have an alkaline pH; this does a great job stripping your wax / sealant. TSP is generally not good for cleaning vehicles because it can corrode metal.
Other thnigs to consider before using a drive through car wash:
•To remove snow/sand/road dirt and grit without agitation (brushes etc) requires the use of very strong chemical cleaners.
•Probably the most important is that this type of automatic car wash use high-pressure water and strong alkaline detergent to clean vehicles that will strip the wax/polish
•You will also need to renew the vehicles sealant / wax to ensure the paint surface protection on a regular basis to counteract the effects of the harsh detergents.
•Also be aware of those that use ‘wheel guides’ as they will cause scratches / etching to the wheel surfaces, as many wash facilities will not accommodate either the tyre width or the clearance, thus causing sidewall damage
•Vehicle with lower than ‘standard’ suspension (Corvette C6 and other sports cars) should also be aware the wheel guides could cause body damage
•As an alternative in colder winter months I would suggest using a waterless vehicle cleaning product Protect All’s Quick Easy Wash (QEW)
•If you get a chance, attend a car wash / wax vendors symposiums where they give demonstrations of the different soap products that these type of facilities use, as a Chemical Engineer they scare me.. You'll come away a convert to never using them again, on any vehicle.
If you have no choice but to use a touchless car wash check out this article for tips on what to look for. Tips for driving through car wash
remember that the best way to keep your car looking it's best is by using our step by step guide on the proper way to wash your car. Proper Washing and Drying Techniques
Want to really learn how to detail? Order a copy of our easy to understand, Auto detailing DVD that show step-by-step instructions. For information on how you can order an AutoPlus Detailing DVD contact Andrew @ UrbanAndrew@gmail.com
Sunday, March 14, 2010
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2 comments:
I've only driven through a car wash once in my life! We are thinking of getting our car washed for a date we are going on this weekend. Thanks for all of these tips! A lot of people don't recognize this.
http://www.mobilewashingpicorivera.com
Absolute bollocks. I work for an automatic car wash company and they use bio-degradable and PH neutral chemicals. Also, the brushes are made out of soft foam, so they won't scratch your car. The only time they can scratch your car is when car washes are poorly maintained.
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