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