Frequently Asked Questions

There are different factors that determine how often you should wash your car. If road conditions are making your car dirty on a regular basis, you may need to wash more often. Generally, a wash at least every second week is a good guideline to follow. But dirt, debris, bugs, salt, calcium chloride and more can damage your car with chips, scratches, and rust. So to protect your investment and keep your paint from dulling, it’s important to keep your car clean.

No, an automatic car wash is not detrimental to alloy wheels, as long as the wash doesn’t use certain tire brushes that can scratch them, or acids that can cause stains. Just to be on the safe side, ask in advance about your alloy wheels. Otherwise, a car wash is just fine for cleaning aluminum rims.

Different cars have different types of antenna, so it depends on your vehicle. Many new vehicles don’t have an external antenna. There are older vehicles that do have an external antenna; the flexible kind can handle an automatic wash, but a hollow, telescoping antenna needs to be lowered or risk damage in the wash.

Once again, it depends. If you have an after-market product like a bug shield on your car, it is most likely fine to handle an automatic car wash. But that isn’t a guarantee. Some after-market accessories could still suffer damage, especially if they are already cracked or chipped. Other products like a trailer hitch can certainly withstand the wash, but might get in the way of washing equipment and impact how clean the vehicle gets. Anything that’s loose may get damaged or fall off in a wash.

There are different kinds of technology used in automatic car washes. There are pros and cons about each kind, and fans of each type as well. A touchless wash relies on high-pressure blasts of water and stronger chemicals to clean and obviously doesn’t contact your car at all. A soft-cloth wash uses spinning cloth bristles and gentle friction to clean your car, removing dirt and debris better than the old abrasive brushes that used to scratch the paint. Those who prefer the soft-cloth kind claim that touchless washes are not as effective, but if the technology is well maintained, they both can do a good job of cleaning your car.

It’s simple. If you don’t hand dry your car, there is residue left behind. Even the water you leave when you air-dry your car contains minerals that don’t completely evaporate. That liquid residue becomes streaks, spots and deposits that you won’t appreciate looking at. One glance at a dark-coloured car in the sunlight will show the imperfections left behind when you air-dry your vehicles. In the winter it’s even worse, as the water will freeze in door jambs and windows.