Hand car wash places

[Dale]

I know that if you’re precious about your car it is best to avoid these general hand wash places that are all over the place but for the daily smoker they’re usually fine.

The chemicals they use no doubt damage the paint over time, the sponges will be trapping dirt scratching the paintwork etc etc, BUT, I wonder what damage the high pressure spray does when they are spraying the squished flies from the front of the car?

I’m sitting by the side of the road waiting for the recovery truck after the gearbox oil cooler in my Pathfinder has burst (not sure exactly where the leak is, but it’s dumped most or all of the oil in a very short distance, so it’s significant). This is the second time this has happened in the last few years and I wonder if the this is where the damage has occurred? I suspect it might just be.

I think I might just stop using them all together now.

 

[Huw]

I stopped using them along time ago. Had a bad experience where my Landie roof got scratched to hell at one. Ended up at the small claims court to get compensation as they refused to own up to the damage.

I’m sure the majority are very good and my experience is a very rare occurrence, but I won’t use one again.

 

[Rob Gaskin]

I've had good experiences.

 

[AD240Z]

I’m guilty of using them on my works pick up but that’s it.

One of them scratched my Amarok bonnet - circular swirl scratch all over.

I also visited a wheel repairers who were doing both a bmw and Range Rover set of wheels that had the spray pattern in the lacquer - damage - from where a car wash put the ‘magic cleaner’ on and left it.