Down the street there is a car wash that you do it yourself. It is a power hose type thing, and you just move a nozzle to rinse, soap, etc. They have a scrubber too, but I know not to use that. The water comes out of this thing really strong and I was wondering if it would damage anything? How about the soap they use? I'm sure it's not the best quality, but i don't think it will hurt the car. This is my first *new* car, so I guess I might be being a little ridiculous or paranoid. Thanks for the help.

 

The only way to properly clean and wash your car is to do it by hand, those wand washes only rinse off the dust, they will do nothing for road grime. Forget the auto wash.

------------------
96 Black Impala SS
Authorized Zaino Showcar Polish Distributor
www.zainobros.com
Remember #3

 

Unless you got a bunch of mud or other nasty stuff on your 4x4 or truck/SUV you want to get off first! I love 'em for that. No mess in my driveway, and the hard part is done.

Too bad I now live so far from one now.

Jeff

 

You're not being paranoid, you are being careful and smart. In a nutshell, the bigger a piece of dirt is, or the looser a piece of paint is, the more easily it will be removed by the water spray. Yes, it is powerful, but on the microscopic scale of dust, that strong spray barely touches the dust. You need contact with a rag or similar object to overcome the water tension, static cling, and other very strong forces that are holding the dust to the surface. The SMALLER the particle, the STRONGER the effect of these forces. So the spray will actually peel the paint off the body before it will take the dust off the paint.