Touchless washes bad for paint?

[mjoekingz28]

Touchless washes are a no-no according to the Mercedes-Benz manual. I am guessing it has to do with the pre-soak.


I had just discovered presoak last year and thought it was pretty neat. What does it do, dull the paint?

 

[Colt45ws]

I would've assumed it was due to the "wax" they spray on.

 

[Wolf359]

They also have some weird requirement that you put it on recirc when going through a car wash for some strange reason. So you don't get water in the cabin filter, but what happens when it rains?

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: mjoekingz28
Touchless washes are a no-no according to the Mercedes-Benz manual.

Mercedes Benz and other OEM factories in Europe have made in Germany Mark VII hybrid touchless/soft touch washes on site, through which every manufactured vehicle goes.

 

[ragtoplvr]

There were millions of window lift motors that failed from comm filming, traced to car wash chemicals.

Some starter motors film and fail also, but I do not know the composition of that film

you do not want to breathe the chemicals, BIL has emphysema and worked in that industry all his life.

nothing proven, yet

Rod

 

[Bgallagher]

Possibly. Considering nothing will be touching the car's paint they tend to lean towards the acidic for presoaks and washes in touchless systems. Perhaps they feel that regular use of it will lead to clear coat failure. I usually hand wash mine in the winter with a rinseless if the weather is decent and I use the manual wand washes for when it is bad out. I have never used the pre-soak personally. More concerned about getting the mud and salt off my vehicles.

 

[sprite1741]

I would never put a vehicle I cared about and was keeping for a long time through a car wash. Even in winter I wait for the first day above freezing and do it myself. They use some heavy duty cleaners in those car washes. Logic tells you it could impact the paint over time. Only DIY with 100% cotton towels.

 

[SZR48207]

Touchless washes tend to use stronger soaps since you don't have the agitation of touch brushes.

It's a toss up. Go with a touch wash and get scratches and swirls or go touchless and expose the paint to a harsher chemical.

 

[RTexasF]

Regardless of their (Mercedes) reasoning a touchless wash simply does not clean a car well. If it's only dusty then it will work but that's seldom the case.

 

[SatinSilver]

I like the Waterless Washes the best. Probably my favorites are the Ultima and Mother's products. Those along with some plush Microfibers. You can clean in sections. After a hwy trip just clean the front end and windshield. Only takes a few minutes. Spray and wipe.

 

[mclasser]

I posed a similar question a while back and the overwhelming response was yes.

Out of laziness/being busy, I haven't properly handwashed any of my cars in over 2 yrs.

 

[Tempest]

The detail shop here has a product that can be used in a touchless car wash. It is essentially a water based degreaser. I won't be putting my car through one of those.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: Bgallagher
Possibly. Considering nothing will be touching the car's paint they tend to lean towards the acidic for presoaks and washes in touchless systems.

Zep's line of automatic car wash detergents are actually high pH.