Does Self-Service Car Wash at Gas Stations Harm the Car?

[DelJaxson]

Self-service car wash at gas stations can cause certain harm to the vehicle. The specific reasons are as follows: 1. The car wash equipment can be harmful to the car: Early automatic car wash machines used plastic brushes, which could easily damage the car. Later, soft brushes were adopted. However, soft brushes may carry large particles of dirt during the washing process, which could potentially harm the car. 2. High volume of cars leads to untimely cleaning of equipment dirt: Gas stations wash a large number of cars daily, and each car is washed in the same way. Staff do not clean the particle dirt in the equipment every day. Since it is a free car wash, it is impossible to be that meticulous, and the washing and friction process may cause harm to the car.

[SanEmersyn]

Yesterday after washing my car, I noticed several fine scratches on the hood and finally understood that those rotating brushes at gas stations can really damage the paint. The bristles may look soft, but they're actually made from recycled plastic, and when they pick up sand particles left by previous cars, they essentially become sandpaper. This is especially noticeable on black paint—under sunlight, you can see cobweb-like swirl marks. I've since switched to using my own sponge brush; although it takes more time, at least it doesn't ruin the paint. The roof antenna is also prone to getting bent—last time after a wash, the radio signal became worse. If you must use an automatic car wash, try to avoid the midday sun when temperatures are highest, as the heat can cause the cleaning solution to dry too quickly on the car's surface, making it harder to clean off.

[SerenityAnn]

The biggest pitfall of automatic car washes at gas stations is actually the car wash solution. Don't believe the ads claiming it's some crystal coating—it's just cheap alkaline solution. A colleague of mine with a white car found the rubber seals turning white and cracking after three months, only realizing the seals were corroded when rainwater leaked in. The chrome plating on emblems also gets dull from corrosion. What's worse, the undercarriage wash can't reach hidden spots, so winter road salt residue still causes rust. Now I just grab a bucket of water to manually clean the wheels and undercarriage. It takes ten extra minutes but gives me much more peace of mind than automatic washes.

[MacHarmony]

Last week, I witnessed a Mercedes getting stuck in the car wash machine right in front of me—it was terrifying. These old-style conveyor belts are prone to trapping tires, especially vehicles with modified rims. The inconsistent water jet pressure can seriously damage the car's paint and seams—my old car's trunk started leaking because of this. You must dry the car immediately after washing; otherwise, in areas with hard water, permanent water stains will be left behind, and the water marks on the windshield can severely impair visibility during rain. By the way, cars with vinyl wraps should never use these—the strong water jets can lift the edges of the wrap.

[VanEvan]

Running an auto repair shop for twenty years, the most dreaded job is dealing with damage caused by automatic car washes. Small stones stuck in the rollers act like blades—one customer had an entire car door scratched into a frosted surface. The filters in old-fashioned equipment are never cleaned, and the recycled mud and sand are harsher than sandpaper. Newly installed spray-type machines have excessively high pressure, which once directly damaged a radar sensor. In reality, car paint isn’t as durable as one might think—even fingernails are harder than standard clear coats. If you really want to cut corners, opt for touchless spray washing. Although it’s only about 70% as effective in cleaning, it won’t harm the paint.