People LOVE their cars and rightly want to see them taken care of. Properly understanding the threats to vehicles (both cosmetic and functional) and how to head them off is key to keeping a car running and looking great for decades to come. So this brings us to the million dollar question: Are our car wash brushes safe on car finishes? First off, car wash materials and cleaning instruments have changed with time. Before today’s technology, most car washes used more scrubbing action (brushes and friction) rather than chemicals, detergents or wash pressure. Advancements have been made in water filtration, detergent application, high pressure washing, and in the friction cleaning material in particular, leading to fewer scratches and scuffs on the vehicle’s exterior. When you pull up to a Valley Car Wash facility, you get a choice of different washing equipment: self-serve, touch free or soft touch equipment.

Self-Serve: All Valley Car Wash locations are equipped with Self-Serve bays where you can wash your vehicle, vacuum and purchase car care vending supplies.

Touch-Free: We offer one of the industry’s best Touch Free Automatics, the Hydro Spray Rainmaker, which utilizes high pressure water and hot chemical pre-soaks to produce a clean, shiny car. Technology for the touch-free wash has come a long way; sensors can now “see” the vehicle and follow the contour of car for a more effective wash. Furthermore, the chance of car damage is greatly reduced.

Soft-Touch: For soft touch washing, we offer the Autec Soft Touch Automatic, an industry work horse that provides safe and gentle friction washing. Soft-touch bays are excellent for lifting organic matter (bird droppings, bugs, pollen, dirt, etc.) and inorganic matter (road film, hard water spots, salt, etc.) off a vehicle’s surface.

In fact, automatic car washes in general can be safer for your car’s finish than washing your car yourself. So, yes. Our car wash brushes are safe to use and the overwhelming majority of our patrons never have any issues—even after repeated washing. Come in for your wash today!