Dangers of auto car washes, fixing it, and doing what they were paid to do.

[Romad81]

Had a few minutes to post. Looked at my Mom's car yesterday since she said the seats needed to be cleaned. I wondered why they needed to be cleaned since she's a regular at the local auto wash. I know, I can't break her from it yet. Found some nasty damage her regular visits have caused. Can't see it without a light on it but there are deep brush/swirl marks on all of these painted pillars and now the clear is failing.

IMG_20131222_131815_696 by tigertacp, on Flickr

IMG_20131222_131754_264 by tigertacp, on Flickr

I hit the near pillar with a little Swirl-X and it cut off most of the flaking clear to the edge of the damage.

IMG_20131222_131909_348 by tigertacp, on Flickr

Any suggestions to get the best result out of this? Shoot a little clear? I have a sprayer so I can mix some clear and hardener. Wet sand the bad parts out? Or just polish the worst out, wax, and call it a day?

Also worked on her seats. Man what a nasty mess. For the money they charge at the auto wash I shouldn't expect this. Actually I guess I should. A half and half shot, one side dirty, the other after hitting it with citrus APC and a scrub brush. QID wouldn't move this stuff and my other cleaners were only getting a little of the surface dirt.


IMG_20131222_132714_912 by tigertacp, on Flickr

IMG_20131222_132649_443 by tigertacp, on Flickr

After I cleaned all the seats I got any residue off with QID. I'll clean them again over Christmas with more APC and QID then load them up with Meg's Leather Cleaner/Conditioner.

[Blueline]

Re: Dangers of auto car washes, fixing it, and doing what they were paid to do.

I have seen that on a few GM pillars, and the cars have never seen an automated car wash. Those pillars, at least on GMs, are not the same as the paint on the vehicle body panels. It does not stand up as well to the elements, particularly the sun, and seem to oxidize quickly. I would venture to say, that the pillars were already oxidizing, and the automated brush rollers just helped it along. Don't get me wrong, I am not defending automated car washes...evil things for lazy people, but I really don't think they were the culprit in this case. Otherwise the whole car would be affected the same as the door pillars.