Touch less car wash

[#1ford]

Do touch less car washes cause damage? I was told that the soap is hard on the your paint! What do you think !

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[KingKona]

It's touchless.

I would guess there's some truth to that. But a heavy coating of wax or ceramic means no worries.

It also doesn't get your car very clean. Best to just do it properly if you can.

 

[K4fxd]

It's a mustang, touchless is just fine.

It also doesn't get your car very clean.

Depends on the chemicals they use. Not all are the same.

 

[skinnyb]

As a rule, the soaps in the touch less car washes are very alkaline to help remove road film without contact. This is OK on occasion but over time it can degrade things, especially trims (ie rubber, plastic) and any coatings or sealants that are applied. Again, not a problem occasionally, much better than the spinning scratch o matic brushed units. I even use very alkaline soaps in my hand wash procedure occasionally for decontamination washes.

 

[Torched10]

As a rule, the soaps in the touch less car washes are very alkaline to help remove road film without contact. This is OK on occasion but over time it can degrade things, especially trims (ie rubber, plastic) and any coatings or sealants that are applied. Again, not a problem occasionally, much better than the spinning scratch o matic brushed units. I even use very alkaline soaps in my hand wash procedure occasionally for decontamination washes.

My touch less is my 17year old grandson .once a month,

 

[skinnyb]

My touch less is my 17year old grandson .once a month,

The best way LOL. Train them up right as they say

 

[GJarrett]

I have the over-the-top stripes on my EcoBoost. When I first bought it new, I used touch less car washes in the mistaken idea that it would be easier on the finish. Touch less washes use much higher water pressure to help scrub off the dirt. That high pressure started stripping off bits of my vinyl striping and I had to replace it. I don't use touch less washes anymore, just old fashioned DIY in my driveway. If you have OEM vinyl stripes on yours, do NOT use a touch less car wash.

 

[DFB5.0]

As a rule, the soaps in the touch less car washes are very alkaline to help remove road film without contact. This is OK on occasion but over time it can degrade things, especially trims (ie rubber, plastic) and any coatings or sealants that are applied. Again, not a problem occasionally, much better than the spinning scratch o matic brushed units. I even use very alkaline soaps in my hand wash procedure occasionally for decontamination washes.

Came here to say the same.

When you increase or decrease from pH neutral on a cleaning product, you also increase the cleaning ability. That works for heavy alkaline or heavy acid leaning. Acidity targets mineral deposits, alkalinity targets dirt and oiler substances.

Most car washes places use alkalinity to get quicker/easier results. However, when the intention is for a "touchless" washing method, you are dealing with very high pH values to achieve that. For occasional use, you shouldn't have a problem with this. However, repeated regular use will dramatically shorten the life a wax or sealant, along with drying out and discoloring unpainted plastic and rubber trim. Most ceramic coatings will resist these high pH levels though.

In other words, cause and effect. Increased cleaning ability = a harsher cleaning chemical.

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