Every car enthusiast would wash their car once in a while as no one likes dirty cars. In my case, I wash my car once or twice a week, depending on how frequently I drive the car. A car wash is important to keep the car nice and clean; it would look good for many years.
Car wash does not damage the brakes as in the automatic car wash, you drive the car in the wash area and park there, and the washing bay does the job for you. However, an automatic car wash might damage your car’s paint and leave swirl marks over the paint.
Washing a car at an automatic car wash or a touchless car wash seems to be a great way to wash your daily driven vehicle, but the automatic car wash could damage your car paint and antenna.
On the other hand, a touchless car wash might not do a great job just by washing your car with soap and water.
In this article, I will explain why an automatic car wash is not a good idea and why it damages your paints, why your brakes are weird after washing your car, and why you should wash your car on your own.
Can a Car Wash Really Damage Your Brakes?
When you are an automatic or a touchless car wash, you might wonder if the soap or the high-pressure water is damaging your brakes, but the answer is it really does not.
Driving your car daily gets a lot of dirt on the wheels and the brakes. If you don’t wash your vehicle regularly, this dirt sometimes makes squeaky sounds when you brake your car.
Washing your car in an automatic car wash or touchless car wash or even if you wash your car yourself won’t damage your car brakes.
In my experience, I’ve washed my car a lot of times using a high-pressure washer, I’ve used a car wash shampoo and microfiber towel to clean the car, and I never had any issue with my braking system.
Why Are my Brakes Weird After a Car Wash?
Your car brakes can feel a bit weird after a car wash as there is no dirt or debris on the brake rotor, and when you brake your car, it feels a bit hard and brakes your car instantly.
I have felt the same thing a lot; when I take my car to the car wash, my brakes feel a bit strong and hard after the wash. When I try to brake the car, it brakes instantly, but driving it for a while solves the issue.
If your car is daily driven then you might need to clean your car on a regular basis, and when you don’t do that, your whole car gets a lot of dirt so do your car brakes.
When the dirt comes in contact with your brake pad and brake rotor, it makes the braking system less efficient, and when you wash your car properly, your brakes work efficiently, it feels a bit strong and hard, that’s why your brake feels weird.
So, you should always keep your car clean and give it a wash on a regular basis, I would suggest you do some research and wash your car by yourself which will save you from a lot of headaches and you will have the best clean for your car.
Why Do my Brakes Squeak After I Wash my Car?
When you brake your car, your brake uses friction with brake pad and the brake rotor to stop the car but when there are some other elements between your car brake pad and the rotor which might cause a little bit of squeaky sound which is perfectly normal.
After a proper car wash, there won’t be any dust or dirt on your car brakes; so there is a little possibility of having this squeaky sound.
Most of the time when you wash your car, your brakes might feel a bit weird as they become a bit hard after the wash.
In my experience, my car brakes squeak when I don’t clean my car on a regular basis or there is dirt or dust on my car brakes, and after a wash, this issue tends to solve.
So, If you are having this brake squeak with your car, I would say the car wash might use some chemicals that make this squeaking sound, or your car is not cleaned correctly. If this happens, you should check your car brakes properly.
As car brakes are the essential part of your car; so, you should always check your brakes to see if the brake pads or brake rotors are in good condition and your brakes are working as they should be.
Can Water Damage Your Brakes?
I’ve been cleaning my car for years, and I’ve had any issue with my car brakes; it seems fine and in good condition after the wash.
Water does not damage your brakes; however, when your brake rotor is hot after driving the car for a while, it might show bubbles after washing the car wheels, which I’ve seen on my car.
If you search this online, you might find that “water might damage your hot brakes,” which is not entirely true. You can wash your car after driving, but you should avoid washing the wheels or brakes when it’s too hot; wait for a while, then clean the wheels.
I’ve washed my car in different scenarios; my brakes work fine after washing the car. So, you can wash your car when it seems dirty.
Can a Car Wash Warp Rotors?
Car wash does not warp rotors as the rotors are strong enough to take different types of washing chemicals.
There are different types of brake rotors such as cast iron, steel, high carbon, ceramic, aluminum, and steel.
These rotors are worn out when you drive your car on a daily basis; more importantly sudden stops and using bad brake pads can easily cause damage to your brake rotors.
But the car wash won’t warp your brake rotors.
Related Questions:
Do I Put my Car in Neutral in A Car Wash?
When you are at an automatic car wash you should drive your car to the wash bay and then put your car in the neutral position; the automatic car wash will take care of cleaning your car. It will go through a different cleaning process, and a conveyor will take your car.
Can Automatic Car Wash Damage Transmission?
An automatic car wash won’t damage your transmission on the other hand; it’s pretty safe. The conveyor takes your car to the different stages to clean the car properly.
You might be thinking of this as the car in the neutral position and what if it damages the transmission. Don’t worry, it won’t damage the transmission.
Do Automatic Car Washes Scratch Your Car?
Yes, automatic car washes can easily scratch your car’s paint. A ton of cars are being washed on an automatic car wash daily, and there are very dirty cars as well.
The automatic car wash uses expensive machinery that often cannot be replaced. When a dirty car goes through the wash, the clothes that come in contact with your car catch a lot of dirt and small rocks which might scratch, leaving swirl marks on your car paint.
Final Thoughts:
To finalize, a car wash doesn’t damage your brakes, nor does it warps your brake rotors or damage the transmission system. Car washes are quite safe, and you should wash your car on a regular basis.
However, I will suggest you do some research and wash your car by yourself, which is the safest way to wash a car.
