Paint damage is sure to happen in a car’s lifetime. As much as we’d like it to be, car paint is far from invincible, and pretty much every abrasion thins it down. So how do you keep your car looking great in the long run? Well, we set out to answer that question in this blog.
Can I Wash My Car Without Damaging It?
You’ll see a lot of information floating around saying which types of car wash damage your paint and which don’t. The truth is, they all cause certain amounts of damage, even hand washing. What you want to worry about is what damages your car the least and which will go further when it comes to protecting your vehicle.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t wash your car – the opposite, in fact. It’s a bit of a catch 22; dirt and grime build-up can erode through your paint at super speed compared to what would happen if you took regular care of it. But, you can also wash your car every day and still have the roof rust out from above you.
So what do you do? If you want to maximise your car paint’s lifespan, follow these three tips.
1. Find a wash option that suits your needs for time management and quality.
2. Make sure to use and apply protective products other than soap and water.
3. Maintain good ongoing car care on and off the road.
Let’s make those tips a bit clearer so your car can still look great in the long run without you pining over it every minute.
Finding The Best Wash Option For You
Ok, let’s boil things down to the best possible situation. If you drive your car each day, the best thing to do is hand wash it about once a week. If it’s sitting in a garage without moving much, you only really need to wash the dust off and keep the protective coating robust.
But let’s be honest. We live busy lives, and not all of us can or want to wash our car each week by hand. And that’s A-Okay. You deserve to have a great looking car for ages, even if you don’t want to meticulously scrub it down for hours each week.
A great wash routine is swapping between an automatic car wash option and a hand-wash service. That way, you’re getting a great clean and still making the most of your time.
Benefits Of Hand Washing
The benefits of hand-washing is a lower-friction and more comprehensive wash at the cost of time. But it also leaves you more open to error. If you don’t know what you’re doing or what to use, you may accidentally damage your paint by using the same sponge on your tyres and vehicle body or similar errors.
Visiting a self-serve car wash bay is the best by-hand option since it equips you with the best products and equipment to get a gleaming finish. At home may cut it, but it will either cost you a lot more to get all the gear, or you may try to make do with what you have and, in turn, damage your vehicle by not having the correct products.
Benefits Of Automatic Washes
Automatic car washes are a broad term for a service that cleans your car without your involvement. We stand behind the soft cloth car wash to provide the best and safest clean. This service uses soft fabric cloths to dislodge dirt build-up in a way that is less abrasive than the standard bristle car washes that you’re used to.
We call it the Goldilocks of car washing because it’s just right. The soft cloths do a great job at cleaning your whole car without scratching into it. And, unlike touchless car washes that just jet your vehicle with products and water, the light contact with a soft cloth means the process is less reliant on caustic chemicals, like what a touchless wash uses.
Apply Additional Protection
The best way to maintain your paint coat is to add a protective layer on top of it. Spin Car Wash gives you the option to wax, water-guard and seal your car in one go. No matter if you’re going through our convenient auto-wash tunnel or doing it yourself, you can drive away with a protected car coating.
To get the best car protection, you should be using:
- Wax
- Sealant
- Ceramic Coat
Here’s how Spin uses these.
First, we swear by Carnauba wax, a natural, plant-based product that is famous for giving the best shine and protection out of any other waxes used in the automotive industry. Carnauba wax repels water and other contaminants with it. It will also protect your vehicle from oxidation, UV rays and moisture. Think of it as an invisible raincoat for your car that keeps the real paint dry and safe.
Next is a Sealant which we use Rain-X for. Similar to wax, Rain-X is a repellant and protective coating. The only difference is it bonds to the surface and cures to extend the life expectancy of the wax coating. This stuff is magic and makes rain and nastier stuff like bugs and dirt slide right off your car body. If wax was a raincoat, this is the umbrella that keeps everything that bit safer.
Lastly is a ceramic coating. Your car is already greatly protected with the last two, but the ceramic coating takes things to new heights. We trust Armor All Professional® Ceramic Seal because it delivers the strongest & most durable performance to lock in and seal your clean, dry, shiny and protected vehicle surface. Furthermore, it extends the time your car will be protected and won’t wash off as easily as wax or sealant.
These coatings also lower the risk of damaging your original paint coat while washing your car.
Ongoing Care
That’s just the tip of the iceberg. A lot of paint protection boils down to continual preventative measures, like parking under reliable shade like a carport or garage that won’t create droppings and will keep the rain and dust/pollen off your paint.
You’ll also want to drive with care, avoiding sudden stops and starts and other kinds of reckless maneuvers which can damage the inner workings of your car.
Get A Great Wash With Spin
At Spin Car Wash, we provide thorough yet gentle soft cloth car wash bays. Our automatic car wash takes under 5 minutes from start to finish and is open 24 hours – perfect for commuters and busy car owners! Alternatively, we offer self-service bays equipped with all the car wash equipment you need to get the job done quickly and efficiently. Swing by the car wash on your next drive through Gympie Road and chat with our team if you have any questions about our services.