Danger for the paint when washing in self-service boxes

Car washing in the self-service box is quick and cheap…

… but often also entails a high risk of scratches on the paintwork of the vehicle. There are more and more self-service car washes. Usually 2 to 3 euros are enough to wash your vehicle in 5 minutes. However, self-service car washes often have one weak spot: The so-called foam brush. At the car washes, it is usually recommended to rinse the car, rinse it with foam and then clean it with the help of the foam brush (often called “active foam”). The problem is that the brushes, which are usually very worn anyway, Dirt from the predecessor is liable. The risk of scratching one’s own vehicle is particularly high when the preceding vehicle very dirty was, e.g. with mud. Especially in rural areas, the effect occurs that farmers clean their field equipment at remote washing stations – despite prohibition signs. If you get hold of such a brush, the result is (although repairable, but) clearly visible scratches distributed all over the vehicle.
It is true that a very gentle wash is only possible by hand washing, but it is usually better to use one Textile washing line to dodge. A dirty SUV can also drive through here in front of you, but far less dirt sticks to the textile brushes than to conventional car washes or even self-service washing brushes.

Tips against scratches in self-service wash bays

• Check the washing brush for coarse dirt
• When washing with the brush, do not press too hard
• If possible, only wash your vehicle at high pressure in self-service wash bays. It is better to wash it completely in textile washing tunnels.