Car wash - manual or automatic? Pros and cons

Check out the advantages and disadvantages of touch and touchless manual car washes, as well as “automatic machines” with rotating brushes.

We talked about the advantages and disadvantages of different types of car washes with the owner of the Carwash car wash, Wojciech Yuzefowicz, and the manager of the S Plus car dealership in Bialystok, Piotr Grzes.

Service of manual car washes - pluses

accuracy

In such companies, the car wash service is performed by staff. The employee can notice especially ingrained dirt and clean it more thoroughly. You should also take care of the nooks and crannies - a car wash will independently remove dirt, for example, from aluminum wheels or radiator grilles. It is the person who first evaluates what actions are necessary in a particular case.

Professional Services

Most handwashers know their job better than many drivers. There are several reasons. First, in the case of larger, established companies, they have access to professional training—for example, on how to use or dose appropriate chemicals and how much to use. Secondly, people who wash a dozen or several dozen cars a day gain practice and experience in what they do. Thirdly, one should remember the principle that without professionalism and quality services, one cannot count on customers. Therefore, car wash owners often control the work of their subordinates.

Adaptation of the service to the needs of the client

The driver can change or modify the service he has chosen. If he changes his mind about the cosmetics of his car, then it is enough to wax the body or polish it during the wash. If you see that the rims or wheel arches are not cleaned, attention to the element will save the nerves we paid and we have a dirty car.

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convenience

We choose, for example, a complete cleaning of the car: the body, vacuuming the interior, polishing the plastic, washing the upholstery, and while the car wash takes care of our four wheels, we can go about our business. After returning we get a clean car.

Worry less about paint damage

It is the man who chooses the form of the wash, doses the amount of chemicals that should not harm the varnish. While cleaning, he decides whether it should be done more harshly or more delicately so as not to scratch the car. Touchless hand washes have another benefit: you don't have to worry about scratches (they also work XNUMX/XNUMX).

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Manual car washes - cons

Long wash time

Manual car washes are not fast. As a rule, at automatic car washes, people work more slowly than machines. Instead of two to four minutes, the basic wash here will even take a few minutes.

Long waiting time

Since manual cleaning at a car wash takes a long time, people often have to stand in lines - especially before the weekend. If a given company has only one service station, it is often necessary to take into account downtime of several tens of minutes. This is the solution for the patient. Only self-service car washes protect themselves, because most of them have several stations.

Price

Manual car washes are more expensive than automatic ones. For example: if in the latter we pay PLN 10 for basic washing, then in manual washing we will spend PLN 5 more. Here, too, manual contactless car washes can be an exception, where for 9 zł you can properly clean the car body. However, you need some practice and knowledge of the programs you choose.

Drying problem

This can be dangerous, especially in winter. In a tunnel car wash, we can count on drying the car with compressed air – of course also depending on the type of installation. Driving in the cold with a wet car will only hurt - if the water freezes in the cracks, paint damage will easily increase.

Limited availability

There aren't as many manual car washes where we can count on having our car washed by a qualified employee, just as there aren't many automatic or even manual touchless ones. They are not located, as mentioned above, next to petrol stations or hypermarkets. The use of such a car wash is usually planned and not used by the way.

Automatic car washes - pluses

Time

The car wash cycle is very short. Even if we choose the advanced program, cleaning usually takes a few minutes. This is a good choice, especially for busy and constantly in a hurry people. Even when the queue for the car wash is long, the cars go through it quickly.

Price

We pay 10 or a dozen zlotys and the external car care is done. Usually there are several washing cycles to choose from, but even the most advanced ones - with wax - do not exceed 20 zł.

availability

There are a lot of automatic car washes. They are often located in places where we fill up or shop. So, by the way, we can clean a dusty car quickly and inexpensively. When choosing a car wash of this type, it is not necessary to plan a visit.

convenience

We drive up and drive through the tunnel without even getting out of the car. It's fast and saves time. There are several programs to choose from, but they are clear and understandable. Even a non-specialist will very quickly consider what is most beneficial for him and how they differ.

Useful points nearby

Since car washes are located at gas stations, we will buy the necessary car accessories (eg ice scrapers in winter, cabin cleaner, washer fluid). At network stations, we will drink coffee and increasingly eat a hot dog or a sandwich.

Automatic car washes - cons

Lacquer is easy to destroy

When you visit a brushed automatic car wash, you may find that there are scratches on the car body. The coarse hair of the hands means that after leaving such a place, we can notice peculiar circles. This problem is especially true for drivers of black cars.

Of course, it cannot be said that all such factories use outdated technologies, do not replace brushes in time, and visiting them will end badly. It is also worth noting that there are more and more points where felt brushes are used. This delicate material is safe enough for paintwork. But there aren't many car washes like that.

Risk of failure of the chemical dispenser

In such a situation, the lacquer will be exposed to chemicals in concentrations that can cause severe discoloration and cracking of the lacquer.

efficiency

Dirt stays in nooks and crannies. Brushes are not able to penetrate everywhere and remove even deposits such as asphalt particles or resin from hard-to-reach places.

It is not possible to change the wash cycle once it has been selected.

We choose this program and after running it, we have no influence on the fact that we want to change something, for example, to add wax depilation. We sit in the car and wait until the car wash is over. If we are reminded that we wanted to wax, the operation must be repeated.

Poor effect of wax depilation

The waxes used in automatic car washes usually do not protect the paintwork for a long time. According to experts, in order to obtain a more lasting effect, wax should be applied at a factory specializing in this factory, or, if you have the appropriate knowledge and patience, on your own. An automatic waxing program is recommended, but keep in mind that this wax lasts for about two weeks.

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