is it safe for your paint to get it through a car wash?

 

Only touchless if you don't want marks and scratches. The touchless is only if you car isn't really dirty though. Wash it yourself and save yourself a headache.

 

Even with the "touchless", someone is going to be drying your car with a towel - and you'll never know where those towels have been right before they're being dragged across your paint.

I may bring my white daily drivers to the car wash once in a while, but NEVER my dark colored toys.

 

my 2 cents..

First, a long time ago I worked at a car wash that uses the rotary brushes (ie: not touchless). Before you ever bring a car through one of those I have an easy way to make sure you never do. Pull up to one on a busy day and just sit there and look at the cars going through it. Ok, now that you have spotted a few with lots of rust along the bottom of the doors stick this thought in your mind. As that car goes through the system, the cloth material on the rotary brushes is smacking away at the rust on that car. A small piece breaks off and is now stuck in that brush. The next car in line gets some nice scratches thanks to that piece of rust. Now, can you just imagine how much metal is in those brushes after a year? On average the brushes are not replaced for 5-10 years depending on wear.

Makes you wonder why so many people bring a car through those things doesn't it....

As for touchless, most of them do not have people drying your car. Some use a blower and some don't. As for the blower, they work pretty good, however I have seen some damage cars that have parts held on using 3M tape so beware that something could still happen to your car.

It all comes down to the fact that nothing cleans your car like the old fashion wash by hand. I just shake my head everytime I see someone just go to a place that they use a power washer and then dry it off with a towel. I guess they don't realize that a power washer can't get all the dirt off.

 

so if it is touchless and uses a blower would that be ok

 

I use my own wash and only own a touchless. For everytime 2 times you drive thru, you need to spend the third time in a bay or your driveway.

 

my local touchless wash scratched both sides of my rear bumper. The arms hit it. I'll never go back. I go to the one where you get out and spray it yourself or I just wash it at home

 

The touchless never really cleans the car anyway. Use your wipers and look at the windshield and you will see dirt still on the edges. Its ok to knock off some pollen on a car you washed a couple days ago, but it surely isn't a car wash. Skip all of them and do it yourself, the vast majority of paint damage comes from cleaning/drying with dirty equipment.