Touchless car washes and stripping of wax

[Mary S]

I filled out a contact form on a touchless car website to ask them if their car wash stripped existing wax from the car. Here is the question and answer. Maybe she's telling the truth.

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Hi,

I have heard in various car care forums that automatic touchless car washes use detergents that strip the existing wax off of your vehicle. They say in order to clean the car without friction it is necessary to use harsh detergents that will strip the wax.

If I used you automatic car wash, would it strip the existing wax from my vehicle?

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No, it will not strip the existing wax from your vehicle. I highly recommend that you purchase the EXPRESS wash, however. The Express level does not add any other polishes or protectants since you already have wax on the vehicle.



Barb Magee
EVP & Chief Customer Care Officer

Laser Wash Group LLC
4 Elatia Circle
Pittsford, NY 14534

585.218.0597

800.953.0598

Fax: 585.218.0599

bmagee@touchfreecarwashing.com

website: www.touchfreecarwashing.com

[Mary S]

Re: Touchless car washes and stripping of wax

Here is my experience with a car wash like this not too long ago, maybe earlier this year. I didn't usually wash my car that often. I washed my car and got the most expensive wash, which includes the wax protection and so forth.

The next week it rained and my car looked pretty filthy, so I took it back to the car wash. Since I had just washed it the previous week, I just got the cheapest wash, the one that doesn't have any wax protection.

As I was coming out of the car wash (which doesn't have a dry cycle), I noticed the water was beading on the hood of the car. I figured it must have been from the wax of the previous week, since I had never hand waxed my car.

Maybe some car washes use different chemicals that are harsh.

Is there any way we can get a definitive answer on this from Meguiars? Have your chemists call their chemists and come up with an official answer?

[Mary S]

Re: Touchless car washes and stripping of wax

This was on their FAQ page:

Should I use dish detergent on my car at home?

No! Dishwashing detergents are designed to strip grease and grime and will actually strip off any wax protection your car has. The solutions used in our automatic and self-serve wash bays are specifically designed for cars.

After seeing this on their site, that is what prompted me to email them. If they are aware of what Dawn can do to your car, well maybe they know their washes won't do the same thing.

[Matt Majeika]

Re: Touchless car washes and stripping of wax

Very interesting interaction with the Customer Care Officer. I'd be interested to see what others have to say on the issue. I use touchless washes in the harsh depths of winter in New England because it's just too cold and gross to wash it by hand.

[roushstage2]

Re: Touchless car washes and stripping of wax

Quoting this from someone on another forum. It's well said, so why mess with it:

The final rinse in the touchless wash (and really any professional car wash), will contain a "drying agent" (aka rinse aid, clearcoat sealant, or "hot wax") which is a dilute silicone/mineral oil emulsion to make the car bead water and thus dry off quickly. Some of these are formulated to be reasonably persistent and can last for up to 30 days or so.

Water beading on a freshly washed car doesn't mean much.

That being said, someone who owns a car wash isn't likely to say, "Yeah, it takes everything right off," if they hope to keep volume up.

[Mary S]

Re: Touchless car washes and stripping of wax

I wrote her back to ask her what brand of car wash products they used.

I also found a company that sells a full line of car wash chemicals for both frictionless and touchless car washes and emailed them to ask about stripping of wax.

Maybe my water beading experience doesn't mean anything, although I had never noticed it before. Usually it sheets right after I wash and wax it the way they give it a final spray to make it sheet.

My guess is there are some carwash chemicals that are bad, maybe some that aren't. Some washes may be bad, maybe some aren't.

The way the products are applied, first an alkaline product, then an acidic product, and so forth probably make a difference. It wouldn't be as easy as just capturing some of the foam and taking it home and testing it on a junk hood.

But I do know, my car doesn't seem to have suffered too much from having been washed in touchless wash systems most of its life.

[roushstage2]

Re: Touchless car washes and stripping of wax

Clean, say your hood, use the plastic baggie trick to ensure there is no wax. Wax it, and redo the baggie trick to ensure there is a coating of wax on there and to tell the difference in feel. Go through the car wash and test it again after?

[Mary S]

Re: Touchless car washes and stripping of wax

Clean, say your hood, use the plastic baggie trick to ensure there is no wax. Wax it, and redo the baggie trick to ensure there is a coating of wax on there and to tell the difference in feel. Go through the car wash and test it again after?

That sounds like a good idea. Either on the hood or the roof.

1. Strip the wax.
2. Divide the area into sections.
3. Apply:

No Wax.
1 coat of Gold Class
1 coat of NXT 2.0
2 coats of NXT 2.0
2 coats of Gold Class
1 coat of NXT 2.0 plus 1 coat of Gold Class
2 coats of NXT 2.0 plus 2 coats of Gold Class


4.Compare the wax protection on all the areas (beading, sheeting, whatever)

5.Go thru the basic no-wax car wash.

6. Compare the wax protection on all areas to the results on step 4 and see if there is a change.

Possibly repeat step 5 and 6.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Touchless car washes and stripping of wax

Can not speak for the car wash you contacted.
However they do seem somewhat knowledgeable. Maybe they are on the up and up.

[Mary S]

Re: Touchless car washes and stripping of wax

She responded to me, and this is the line of products that they use:

http://www.lustrabear.com/

The thing is, they have like dozens of presoaks, dozens of polishes, dozens of drying agents. They are almost as bad as Meguiar's (or as good, depending how you look it) as far as choice goes.

I think they use different mixes for different times of year too.

The car wash in our area has a very similar wash cycle to the one in New York that I contacted. They very well may use the same line of products, but I would have to ask them exactly which ones they use.

I can't imagine any recommended choice of products would strip your wax, unless it is deliberate because it is putting another one on.

Well, when I get the time I may run a quick test. I guess you would expect each wash to impact the wax finish some, but not to strip it altogether like body solvent or Dawn would.

[roushstage2]

Re: Touchless car washes and stripping of wax

It could possibly take a few runs through too.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Touchless car washes and stripping of wax

Not to hijack this thread, or divert it away from its intention.
Whenever I read about the automatic car washes and people wondering if the soap removes the wax on your vehicle. I am always reminded of this.

Back in the day. I worked at a car wash. Old school. Put your car in neutral, hook a chain to the front end as it goes down the track.

Well our boss was a very frugal (cheap) person. Whenever he received a new batch of product. They came in 55 gallon drums. He would have one of us use a siphon pump and pump out half the product into the existing drum. Then fill with water. 2 drums for the price of one. See I told you he was frugal.

The point is, I do not believe after diluting the product he was stripping any ones wax from there paint. Now 35 years later that is a genuine concern. How times have changed. lol

[Bunky]

Re: Touchless car washes and stripping of wax

After the touchless car wash, is your car really clean? I assume it is clean enough but how much does it really clean. Junkman (does the demos for Adam's Polishes) was trying to see if a pressure wash with soap would really clean. His conclusion it is not really that clean and if they wipe it down after the no touch they may just be grinding the dirt across the paint.

I guess one way to look at is if a pressure washer with foam cannon cannot remove the dirt without you physically touching the paint (assuming no lsp removed) how can a touchless car wash do it?

[Mary S]

Re: Touchless car washes and stripping of wax

After the touchless car wash, is your car really clean? I assume it is clean enough but how much does it really clean. Junkman (does the demos for Adam's Polishes) was trying to see if a pressure wash with soap would really clean. His conclusion it is not really that clean and if they wipe it down after the no touch they may just be grinding the dirt across the paint.

I guess one way to look at is if a pressure washer with foam cannon cannot remove the dirt without you physically touching the paint (assuming no lsp removed) how can a touchless car wash do it?

This is from this page http://www.lustrabear.com/car_care_i...story.asp?id=1 on the Lustra web site:

"Cleaning detergents are formulated to perform specific functions and attack certain types of soils on the target surfaces. For example, products formulated as general body soaps for friction washes will perform quite well to help loosen and suspend soil when assisted by the action of cloth or brushes, but will be unsuitable for most other cleaning applications."

The products they recommend for friction and touchless washes are different.

Personally, how clean my Explorer and my husband's Volvo are from the touchless wash, very nice, clean and shiny looking, except my tailgait is still dirty. I don't know if that is because the pretreating doesn't reach there, the power wash doesn't reach there, or the grime there is just too tough. Also, the touchless doesn't do much for tar and contaminants down near the rocker panels.

I should be quick to add, however, that there is no comparison between the clean I get from the touchless wash and a hand washing with Gold Class. The Gold Class wins hands down in gloss and beautiful appearance.

[roushstage2]

Re: Touchless car washes and stripping of wax

Not to hijack this thread, or divert it away from its intention.
Whenever I read about the automatic car washes and people wondering if the soap removes the wax on your vehicle. I am always reminded of this.

Back in the day. I worked at a car wash. Old school. Put your car in neutral, hook a chain to the front end as it goes down the track.

Well our boss was a very frugal (cheap) person. Whenever he received a new batch of product. They came in 55 gallon drums. He would have one of us use a siphon pump and pump out half the product into the existing drum. Then fill with water. 2 drums for the price of one. See I told you he was frugal.

The point is, I do not believe after diluting the product he was stripping any ones wax from there paint. Now 35 years later that is a genuine concern. How times have changed. lol

I'm still kinda thinking that it'll take more than one wash, but maybe after a few washes which probably wouldn't take too long back East with all that salt, plus the salt, it could deteriorate the wax quicker than normal to where it would disappear before there was time to apply more.