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Do jet washes damage the car's paintwork?

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  • 16-02-2008 5:02pm
    #1
    Theboinkmaster
    Registered Users Posts: 3,995 ✭✭✭


    I've a pearl-effect/matallic black 07 VW golf and have been using the Esso jetwash on the n11 (near shankhill).

    I noticed today the jet is actually very strong - if I use this once a week would it damage the paintwork over the next 3 years (up until I sell it)?

    I like to handwash my car but weather and other things always get in the way so i only seem to get it done by hand every 4/5 weeks. As it's black I like to keep it looking good so tend to opt for the manual jetwashes myself once a week.

    I wax it every 3 months or so if that makes any difference....

    Any thoughts?

    Thanks


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    #2
    TomMc
    Registered Users Posts: 1,616 ✭✭✭TomMc


    If you hand wash your car any other way than the two bucket method and using lambswool or sheepskin wash mitts, then you will damage your paintwork for sure. And darker colours will be the most noticeable of all.

    Also do you really want to be power washing grit and dirt into the finish with a power hose ? No. The first foaming stage is to try and loosen and remove as much dirt as possible (touchlessly) so that when you do wipe over the paint in the second wash cycle with a mitt and shampoo, there is much less dirt on the surface, so the possibility of marking the paint is greatly reduced.

    I prefer a dirty car to over washing it but then the roads I travel on up and down the country, make it somewhat pointless this time of year. Better in the long run for a car to have sealant protection and fewer washes than just wax and be overwashed. Most cheap waxes evaporate very quickly. With low melting points, when they heat up and start to melt they actually attract dust, sand and all sorts of crap into the paint. When you wash next time around, these pollutants are embedded in the surface and so act like an abrasive, creating micro scratches in the finish.

    So I say forget vanity and just wash every month. I like a dirty car in the winter months, otherwise you look too much like a townie. LOL

    It is nice to have a highly polished car, but better in the spring and summer months when the weather plays ball.


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