Car wash - any statistical benefit in rust prevention? (vehicle, best, replacing)
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I know that lots of people, particularly in the salt belt, do regular car washes to prevent rust/corrosion on their vehicles.
Is there any statistical data to substantiate that car washes do increase the longevity of the vehicle body and prevent rust? If so, does the data support the cost of commercial car washes outweigh the monetary cost of replacing the vehicle earlier than expected due to rust?
I know that lots of people, particularly in the salt belt, do regular car washes to prevent rust/corrosion on their vehicles.
Is there any statistical data to substantiate that car washes do increase the longevity of the vehicle body and prevent rust? If so, does the data support the cost of commercial car washes outweigh the monetary cost of replacing the vehicle earlier than expected due to rust?
There is ample data that suggests frequent commercial car washes are damaging to your car's exterior finish, at least the type that utilizes spinning brushes or soft clothes. They are not cleaned from one vehicle to another therefore dirt is transferred via the brushes/clothes. That dirt, in addition to the dirt that has already accumulated since the last wash, serves as an abrasive, stripping away at your vehicle's clear coat.
I don't live in the rust belt but I do love cars and it seems to be that the best way to protect your vehicle is to have an annual protective undercoating applied. I have also seen a water broom made by Ryobi that seems like it could be beneficial without affecting your auto's exterior finish.
Use a touch-less system. And no doubt getting the salt and what not off is critical to rust prevention. Use your hose in spring. Do not spare the water. Get under there and blast away.
Use the touchless wash at the gas station. Make sure it has an undercarriage sprayer.
I don't have any statistical data, but it's common sense that getting the salt and brine off the vehicle quickly is going to reduce the time it sits on the metal and oxidizes it.
You figure that you spend $5, $6, or $7 on a gas station wash twice a week in the winter months, and it makes the vehicle last 5 years longer than it otherwise would. Seems like the math would work out in favor of the more frequent washing.
Just from my own personal experience, getting regular car washes in the winter absolutely helps protect from rust. Many gas stations and car wash places offer discounts on gas with one, as well as months packages that keep the price manageable.
Car washes can be cheaper in the long run, if you also get discounted gas, and pick discount washes.
Saves time too, as setting up to wash a vehicle at home can be a task, plus laundering the washrags and buffing rags.
I live in the snow belt, where road salt is used generously, and any time it gets above freezing 32*F, the car gets washed, especially the underside. Back when the Jeep was new, I "rustproofed" it with a generous application of LPS3, to the undercar and inner door areas, too.
If you live in a snowy/icy climate, washing a car in your own driveway can be a hassle because water in a bucket can freeze before you can use it. It also freezes to the car (including windows and other rather important moving parts) before you can effectively wipe it down. Not to mention turning your driveway into a skating rink for months at a time. Ask me why I know...
There's one "touchless" car wash with an undercarriage blast option in my town. The place is so busy in winter you have to sit in line. Not all of those people are spendthrift dummies.
Use the touchless wash at the gas station. Make sure it has an undercarriage sprayer.
I don't have any statistical data, but it's common sense that getting the salt and brine off the vehicle quickly is going to reduce the time it sits on the metal and oxidizes it.
You figure that you spend $5, $6, or $7 on a gas station wash twice a week in the winter months, and it makes the vehicle last 5 years longer than it otherwise would. Seems like the math would work out in favor of the more frequent washing.
But I'm no mathematics professor...
My gas station charges $15 to do an under-carriage wash where I live.
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