Was wondering if the high pressure water hoses at those "spray & wash" stalls any bad for the exterior paint.

I know not to use the hose for the top.

Sometimes I need to concentrate on an area that had some bird sh!t on it, so I'm thinking the constant spray in one area may hurt the paint.

 

i wanna say yes, it does. i used to use them on my old si, but started washing with just a normal hose when i got my S. of course, living in an apt. complex made it difficult, but my wife's grandparents were kind enough to let me borrow their house every weekend.

 

i wouldnt use pressure on the paint either- a good normal wash and then specific products for problems (such as the one you mentioned) will do a safer better job. btw, if your paint is etched from the bird, no water is gonna fix it. leaving it on is the worse thing you can do. always get that stuff off immediately (i carry a detailers spray soaked rag for such occasions- dust first then wipe off carefully).

 

I think it's more a matter of how high the pressure is and how you use it. If you use the wand only an inch or two from the surface, then common sence would say bad things could happen.

Maintaining a save distance from the painted surfaces and never using the high pressure on the top can provide excellent results.

Around here there are a variety of self serve car washes and the ones I prefer offer a "pre-soak" and a "soft water rinse". This can be very helpful to those who have hard water (especially in the summer months), followed by a hand dry with waffle weave towel.

I prefer to hand wash the car but use self serv washes often depending on the season.

 

Thanks

 

I agree, its a combo of the pressure and the nozzle.. I know of pressure sprays that are controlled very well by the nozzle.. I let it fly when I have to with those every now and then.. , I've got enough Zaino on

 

I've seen many claims but no clear evidence that high pressure washes from those quarter bay sprays will degrade the finish. They definitely do blast off wax, if held close enough, but whether they have a material impact on clearcoat is debatable.

There is one big risk however: if you hold the nozzle too close to the paint in the vicinity of a road chip (that has pierced the clearcoat and/or the paint) then the water most definitely can make the problem substantially worse! (Speaking from experience on other cars.) Therefore, if I'm going to use a pressure spray to blow off dirt, I tend to keep the nozzle at least a foot away from any paint surface, generally at least 18" to 24" unless there's a lot of dirt and I know that there's a good coating of wax beneath that dirt.

 

What I've found to be helpful when I need to concentrate on a certain area is to hit it from different angles about a foot away, waving stroking the area back and forth.
I try to park my car in such a way to prevent the bird bombs.

I like the idea of carrying some type of cleaning agent and a couple of cotton towels in the trunk to deal with the aftermath.