The UK Hyundai Coupe Club

Jet wash the brush before starting to ensure no grit in there and always inspect it before use. You shouldn't damage the paintwork as long as your not too aggressive.

that a drive through spinny job? if so avoid!

yeah avoid the machines if possible.

I work at a arc carwash and never had problems with my paint work when putting it through the wash.

Curious? why do some folks not like car washes (automatic) do you believe it damages the paintwork?

I have noticed they can remove your wax previously!

I did one yesterday and was quite pleased, might be different in the summer though after I have made it all shiny.

Look in the sunshine and it will have 'swirled' your car ie left a ton of microscratches. It'll dull the paintwork- eventually, and can scratch the paintwork if the tiniest bit of grit is lodged in the bristles.
If I had a new car (which I did have) I'd only insist on washing it myself.
My coupe is worth £3500 and has tons of swirls and the odd scratch here and there. I just go to the east european hand wash places now. I'd still never go to an automatic car wash (I'd love to though as I'm a big kid and they look good fun!!)

over the years "why does my spoiler look look like this" threads showing scratched and worn paintwork caused by carwash machines have caused me to be very wary. I'm sure however it's not all machines that do it, there's always advances in brush technology and whatnot and maintenance of the machines I'm sure plays a big part in it but personally I wouldn't run the risk.

It wouldn't if you washed it properly every day.

As said if your using a jet wash and brush make sure theres no dirt in it as it will be like washing your car with rocks. Some auto machines if not maitained are dirty and who wants to wash their car with dirty water and if theres a little stone or what not in there thats spinning onto your car at god knows what RPM. Swirl marks are my worst knightmare. Ive got a port polisher though best present ever.

Mechanical washes for the lazy man are brutal.always have been and will be.wax as often as possible if you wash a lot washing does no harm.

Getting the grit, salt and dirt out from under your arches and other rust prone areas is an great idea. Regardless of how often you do it, so make sure you're always washing there.

I wouldn't recommend using a 'cut' or 'polish' very regularly at all, but a nice wax will help keep your paint in good nick if applied properly.
And car washes suck. The arc ones are the best of a bad bunch, but make damn sure you avoid the ones at the petrol stations and supermarkets. If you're really feeling lazy go find your local hand car wash.

How much are you spending each time to wash your car, Hand car wash and dry is £3. Thats dependant on area. The wax out of the hose isnt what the guys are mentioning. Hand applied wax will last upto 5-8 wash's. Thats a average wax

Well, that depends on the hardness wax and whether you're using fairy liquid or some other nasty substance as a shampoo. But not a bad estimate.

The price your paying, I'd genuinely head to a hand car wash and give it to them. Quite a lot of them chuck free parking in nowadays too; my local one is right in the centre of town and for a fiver they'll clean your car and let you park all day.

The arc i work at is well maintained so that there are no problems. I would say its down to how you look after your car if you wash it and hand polish/ wax it then your paint work will be fine, but if you just wash it and don't wax it then yes your paint work will look dull. Personally i would stay away from hand washes as they are most likely to scratch your car from dropping there sponges and cloths on the floor and not cleaning them out! But to be honest if i had the time i would just wash it myself as you know it wont get scratched or damaged.

I only wash once a month. I clean the car even less.

Better than annually I suppose.

I find the mud protects the paintwork on my car

I took my old Mitsi to a hand car wash once, guy had a belt on and that was me washing my car myself for life. The automatic machine car washes I imagine something like Final Destination where I drown in a pool of suds or the rollers go mental and smash the hell out of the car haha!

Im a detailing freak though, but it pays off because I gave my car a winter wax in October and its lasting through the grit/salt and its so easy to wash off.