I have a black 2025 RS and while I know that going through an automatic car wash creates the risk of swirls, I see tons of black cars on the road that are nice and clean and look just fine. I can’t imagine that all of these owners are washing by hand, using the two bucket method with grit guards.

Before I took delivery, I actually approached a woman in the Costco parking lot who had a nice new black Santa Fe and asked her how she washed it. She said that she goes through the automatic once a week. I was standing a foot from her car and it looked just fine. She told me what car wash she used and I know that they have the cloth strips versus the older spinning bristle car washes.

Just wondering if any one else with a black model has any input.

I also have a black EQEV, and a black '23 Bolt. The only problem I had was a car wash with the swirl brushes, made a smear all the way down, and was greasy. I have found that the best wash was the no touch type.

 

That’s what I’ve been using but they don’t really do a good job cleaning the car.

 

I have a black 2025 lt and go through car washes frequently. No swirls yet. My pet peeve is the rear window never gets clean just from design I suppose and when I open the lift gate there's always ALOT of soap where it hinges.

But yeah, I wash it and the next day it's covered in dust. I was thinking about getting a dust mitt but I'm afraid I'd inadvertently rub road grit in the paint.

 

the auto washes missing so many spots is my peeve. i have to hand wash it after an autowash. whats the point.
it particularily stands out on much of the piano black trim.

 

I took my first car through automatic car washes. The roof, hood and trunk were all badly eroded as a result, with a pattern of damage clearly traceable to the automatic car wash. By the time the damage became noticable, it was already too late. I will never use an automatic car wash again.

 

Good thread. I hope a lot of people chime in with their experiences. While black shows dirt and swirls easy (which is why I swore off black even though it is my favorite color), all cars of course are subject to damage from improper washing.

I am in the middle of choosing a washing strategy for my two week old ☰. I have ceramic coated my last few cars DIY, and washed them with the 2-bucket method. No problems. But I live in an apartment now, with no easy way to wash the car at home. Before trading in my last car I started using an automatic car wash. Specifically, Quick Quack. These car washes are highly engineered, use varying PH water at different stages of the wash, the cloth instead of brush rotating cleaners, a spray system to clean accumulating dirt off the cloths, blah blah blah. As best I can tell, quick quack did not harm the paint of my white Bolt.

Since I don't have ez access to a garage, and detail guys charge an arm and a leg to do a ceramic coating, I'm exploring alternatives. I had the car professionally washed, clay barred, and waxed just today. I supplied the wax, which has ceramic and graphene elements.

I will be applying one of those maintenance sprays with ceramic properties myself. Then I'm going to start washing at quick quack and monitor the paint carefully. I really like like QQ because they have a monthly rate for unlimited washes and a well-equipped covered post-wash area with vacuums, unlimited clean microfiber towels, and compressed air.

We will see...

 

Here is an interesting tip I picked up from a detailer I was thinking of having apply ceramic to the car (before choosing to go the route just outlined). He suggested spraying on a slick coating -such as P&S Defender- just before running the car through an automatic car wash. The claim is that surfaces will be much smoother and less prone to swirl marks.

 

If you get your car ceramic coated, try doing so with a product that also offers waterless wash solutions for aftercare. I have an 8-yr old Camaro. While it’s not black, it is a dark color. It has N-E-V-E-R been through an automatic wash EXCEPT once through a touchless. I use the waterless wash in a spray bottle. Spray on, wipe off with microfiber, done. If it is muddy or badly splashed, I’ll hose it down and let it air dry, then use the waterless wash spray. Every now and then I’ll take it to a wand wash, coin operated stall where you wash it yourself. AVOID the temptation to use the soap brush. You don’t know where that thing’s been. The ceramic coating makes it easy to spray with the wand and dry. Actually, I use the wand washes for all of our cars if I don’t have the time / energy to wash them in the driveway.