Car Wash and scratches

**frockc** · 01-19-2006, 09:56 PM

took my car to a place here in saint louis called waterway and they are one of the put it throw the machine and hand dry car wash places... Is this alright for ur car it is often cold here and i can`t wash it myself.... But when i got home i looked at the care very carefully more then i have i just got it monday... and there is alot of little swirl what maybe looks like scratches but i didn`t know if that was just cause its a metallic paint or because it was at night and the light was reflecting wierd and i hadn`t really looked at it this close before??? All i did was just there normal wash thanks...

my buddy says its just cause there is a fresh coat of wax on it and the swril scratchs are just in the wax could this be the case??

Does anyone know a good detailing place in Saint louis in chesterfield??

I just bought the car on monday...

Thanks for the quick replys...

**imported_Neothin** · 01-19-2006, 10:52 PM

more than likely they`re fine clearcoat scratches. does this wash place use a touchless wash machine or one that has the rubber things that beat the dirt off the car?

**frockc** · 01-19-2006, 11:00 PM

its touchless other then these like long things that draw across ur car...

**imported_Neothin** · 01-19-2006, 11:03 PM

i know you probably didnt look closely, but swing by the place and look at the towels that the guys are using to dry off the cars. are they clean? are they high quality microfiber? do they change towels after each car? I doubt it. This is probably where your swirls are comming from if the wash itself is touchless.

you could always try protectall`s QEW if you have access to a garage in the winter months. many members here use QEW to great success.

**White95Max** · 01-19-2006, 11:20 PM

I`m sorry, but I don`t think your buddy knows what he`s talking about. Those swirls were almost certainly caused by either the "long things that draw across ur car" which are probably stips of chamois, or by the towels used to dry the car. Touchless carwashes, or automatic car washes for that matter, very rarely get all the dirt off. So when they dried your car, they were just grinding dirt into your paint, therefore causing the swirls you see now. The towels may also have been dirty from the previous vehicles, dropped on the ground, of coarse material, or all of the above.

I would highly recommend QEW for winter washing. I live in north central WI, and I wash my car at least once a week with QEW. It was 29*F here today, and I washed it in the garage like normal without any problems. QEW is a lifesaver.

:welcome to Autopia! Now get those swirls out.

**getright** · 01-19-2006, 11:23 PM

If you care about your cars finish at all then stay away from these places, like mentioned above, they definetly do no change towels after every car nor do those places completely clean your car. As a result the drying process is probably what created the swirls that you`re seeing. However, we all know how well dealerships prep cars for delivery to new customers so i would imagine that the dealer had a hand in the swirls as well. If you`re ever on detail city then check a guy named texastb`s sig, no truer words have ever been spoken. Some research on here will teach you some very important techniques to keep from marring your finish in the washing process. Good luck!

**Accumulator** · 01-20-2006, 09:55 AM

Washing a car without marring the finish is just *so* much harder than most people would ever imagine....

**Bill D** · 01-20-2006, 10:13 AM

There`s only a finite amount of clear coat, reaching a point where attempts at total paint correction will be too endangering. I`d avoid those kind of places like the plague as much as possible!

**boehljed** · 01-20-2006, 10:48 AM

I was going to use A&G Mobile Detailing Inc. at http://www.ag-mobiledetailing.com/ that I found doing a google search but realized that I would rather do it myself. I never did use A&G but their website looks pretty good. If you end up using them, report back here so the rest of us know how good they are.

**paperchaser** · 01-20-2006, 11:30 AM

I don`t want to dispute that carwashes are hard on cars trust me I live in alaska and everyone uses them, but I have had experiences in the past with dealers using glazes and even color match wax to hide paint flaws in used cars they look fine on the lot but after a couple days or a good carwashing the flaws magically appear if you bought a used car this may be the case I suggest any time you plan to buy a car you make the dealer have it washed so you can give it a final inspection before taking delivery remember until you drive off the curb it`s their car. If you think this may be what happened you may be able to take the car back if your state has a lemon law wich generally allows you to return a vehicle for any reason for short period of time. The dealer may be willing to have the car buffed out properly as oppose to taking it back.Besides if this is the case (wich I don`t know it is)

and the dealer would do something that shisty what other problems might magically appear.And for you other autotopians remember that trick about having a car washed before taking delivery even on brand new vehicles I`ve found damages wich would be hard to notice on even a slightly dusty car

(minor scratches on air dam,around door handles,ect.) and dealers are alot more accomadating when their trying to make a sale.

**White95Max** · 01-20-2006, 12:09 PM

Originally Posted by paperchaser

I don`t want to dispute that carwashes are hard on cars trust me I live in alaska and everyone uses them, but I have had experiences in the past with dealers using glazes and even color match wax to hide paint flaws in used cars they look fine on the lot but after a couple days or a good carwashing the flaws magically appear if you bought a used car this may be the case I suggest any time you plan to buy a car you make the dealer have it washed so you can give it a final inspection before taking delivery remember until you drive off the curb it`s their car. If you think this may be what happened you may be able to take the car back if your state has a lemon law wich generally allows you to return a vehicle for any reason for short period of time. The dealer may be willing to have the car buffed out properly as oppose to taking it back.Besides if this is the case (wich I don`t know it is)

and the dealer would do something that shisty what other problems might magically appear.And for you other autotopians remember that trick about having a car washed before taking delivery even on brand new vehicles I`ve found damages wich would be hard to notice on even a slightly dusty car

(minor scratches on air dam,around door handles,ect.) and dealers are alot more accomadating when their trying to make a sale.

The problem with this would be that most of the time, more damage would result, which isn`t helping the car at all. When they have the car "buffed out properly", that usually means glazing the car, so they`re just hiding the swirls again. And you don`t want them to wash it once, let alone multiple times.

If you`re taking delivery of a new car, the best way to do it is to demand that the car is delivered to you with the plastic still on it.

**frockc** · 01-20-2006, 12:40 PM

Thanks for the help yes it was a brand new car that i ordered...

**paperchaser** · 01-20-2006, 02:02 PM

to clarrify:

buffing out properly is to polish to minimize or repair scratches or swirls not to hide them, glazes are for show cars to appear perfect for a short period of time and while I use them on my cars I wouldn`t use them on a customers car or a car for sale in an attempt to decieve someone.

Also while your not only unlikley to ever be able to buy a car with plastic on it, even if its a special order. IMO it would be a brazen assumtion to assume the car is flawless under there. I have seen many cars wich were either damaged during transport or left the factory that way

**White95Max** · 01-20-2006, 03:18 PM

There are several members here who have had brand new cars ordered with the plastic on. I will do the same if I ever buy a brand new car.

I know what "buffing out properly" is, but the majority of dealership detailing departments do not. To have them wash it again, or attempt to remove the swirls, will likely lead to very little progress. I used to work at a GM dealership, and I frequently saw cars leaving the detail bay looking worse than when they came in. The employees that work there do not have any experience when they get hired. The manager will hand them a rotary and a couple dirty pads (even wool) and briefly show them how to use the tool. I saw pads left out in the body shop (where I was) collecting dust, and then they`d be used again without being washed, or even cleaned with a pad spur.

My job was to wash the cars after they were repaired. When I started, my experience consisted of washing my car maybe 10 times. My boss showed me the products, and basically told me to get to work. I was not shown any proper methods. I used a pair of filthy old wash mitts, and changed the water every 2-4 cars, depending on their level of filth. I used the same chamois, which BTW was full of holes, to wipe out door jambs as I did to dry the vehicle. I sprayed some horrible-smelling tire shine on tires without taking any precautions to avoid getting it on the paint or wheels. I cleaned windows with paper towels saturated with generic Windex.

Dealerships aren`t concerned with spending money on all the proper products and processes that are necessary to properly wash/detail cars. As long as it looks good enough when the customer arrives and leaves, the dealership has no need to improve on anything. Most customers don`t know what swirls are anyway, or they never look at their paint close with enough attention to notice them. Some people think they are caused by the sun.