The Skoda Rapid Spaceback is an excellent family car with plenty of space. As a busy family car, the Rapid can get dirty from time to time, and it needs a good wash to restore its paint finish. Leaving dirty deposits on the paint can lead to damage and corrosion, so regular washing is advised. Many drivers use automatic car washing facilities to get their car nice and clean, but can these machines damage your car paint?
Washing Your Skoda Rapid
The short answer to this question is yes; an automatic car washing machine can cause damage to your car’s paint. When you use an automatic car wash, the stiff brush rotates at a high rate, and this can cause a series of tiny scratches on the surface of the paint. Repeated visits only exacerbate this problem, this is hard to notice at first, and the application of wax will cover a lot of this minute damage.
However, as the car paint ages, you may start to notice these tiny scratches, and this can be very frustrating. After all, if you’re taking your pride and joy to a car wash in the first place, it’s likely that you want to keep your car paint in the best condition.
A car with good paintwork is easier to sell when you want to change cars, and it’s less likely to have rust issues. Think of your car paint as a layer of protection for your bodywork; if you look after your paintwork, it will help you to preserve your car’s bodywork.
The Car Washing Machine Process
We’ve already mentioned the big spinning brushes, but there are other reasons why using an automatic car washing machine is a bad idea. In order to save money, a car washing machine will use recycled water over and over again to wash each and every car. This water will undergo some cleaning, but it will still contain a great deal of the dirt and dust that has been removed from the cars that have been previously washed. This material is essentially rubbed into your cars paintwork and ask yourself, would you rub dirty, sandy water into the surface of your car?
What is the Alternative?
Hand washing your car with a good quality car washing detergent and clean water is the best way to keep your car clean. This can be done at home on the driveway, or you can take it to a car washing place that only does hand washing. A stiff brush can be used on the tyres and rims, but the paintwork should be washed down with a car sponge. Once the car is dry get a coat of good quality car wax applied to add a layer of protection to the car paint. If you get your car hand washed and waxed every week, your car paint will look great, and it will offer plenty of protection for your bodywork.
If you’re interested in the latest Skoda Rapid 2019 models, get in touch with Skoda Perth to arrange a no obligation test drive today.
