Common car wash myths, and what is actually true
Some car wash advice is handed down from an era of different paint, and some was never true. Here are the ones we hear most, with what actually happens.
"Washing in winter is bad for the car"
This one comes from a real concern, water freezing in locks and door seals, but the conclusion is backwards. Salt and brine left on the car through a London winter are far more harmful than a wash. Salt speeds up corrosion on brake lines, exhaust parts, the subframe and any chipped paint.
Wash regularly in winter, and handle the freezing risk sensibly: open and close the doors a couple of times after the wash so the seals do not freeze shut, and on very cold days wash in the afternoon when it is warmest.
"Dish soap works just as well"
Dish soap is designed to strip grease, and it does. It also strips the wax or sealant protecting your paint, and it can dry out rubber trim over time. It will get the car clean once, but it leaves the paint bare. Use a soap made for cars.
"Washing too often wears out the paint"
Modern automotive paint has a hard clear coat on top. Water and car soap do not wear it away. What damages clear coat is abrasion, grit rubbed across the surface, and contaminants left to sit, like bird droppings, tree sap and salt. A frequent touchless wash introduces no abrasion at all. Washing too rarely is the more common problem.
"Rain gives the car a free wash"
Rain moves loose dust around, but it also lands carrying its own dust and pollen, and it dries into spots. On wet roads it throws grime up onto the lower half of the car. Most cars look worse after a rainy week, not better.
"A new car should not be washed for the first month"
This advice applies to freshly painted body shop work, where some refinish paints need time to fully cure and the shop will tell you how long. Factory paint is baked at high temperature on the assembly line and is fully cured by the time the car reaches the dealer. You can wash a new car right away. If a dealer applied a coating or sealant, ask them whether it needs a waiting period.
"Touchless washes cannot get a car clean"
A touchless wash removes loose dirt, road film, salt and most of what a normal week of driving puts on a car, and it does this without anything touching the paint. What it cannot do is scrub. Bonded contaminants, such as tar spots, tree sap, bug remains baked on for days, or iron specks embedded in the clear coat, may need a dedicated remover or a hand clean. Washing often keeps most of that from building up in the first place.
"Wax is only for old cars"
New paint benefits from protection as much as old paint does. A wax or sealant gives salt, sap and bird droppings something to sit on other than the clear coat, and makes the next wash easier. It wears off, so it needs reapplying a few times a year. Some washes include a protectant step, which helps between proper applications.
In short: Keep washing through the winter, use car soap instead of dish soap, and treat tar, sap and baked-on bugs separately rather than expecting any wash to remove them.
