Touchless car washes have become increasingly popular in recent years as an alternative to traditional car washes that use brushes and fabrics to clean vehicles. While touchless washes offer some advantages like being gentler on paint and not requiring as much maintenance, they also have some drawbacks to consider.
Page Contents
- 1 They may not clean as thoroughly
- 2 Risk of water spotting
- 3 May miss debris
- 4 Require precise vehicle positioning
- 5 Possibility of paint damage
- 6 Higher operating costs
- 7 No physical drying
- 8 Fewer wash package options
- 9 Mixed cleaning results on textured surfaces
- 10 Can misses lower vehicle surfaces
- 11 Requires precise chemical calibration
- 12 Less suitable for excessive dirt and mud
- 13 Potential for missed spots due to blocked sprayers
- 14 Less suitable for convoluted vehicle designs
- 15 Concerns around hygiene
- 16 Potential maintenance issues
- 17 Harder for DIY installation
- 18 Potential accessibility issues
- 19 Lower ability to upsell additional services
- 20 May not fit customer preferences
- 21 Conclusion
They may not clean as thoroughly
The main potential downside of touchless car washes is that they may not clean the vehicle as thoroughly as traditional brush washes. Touchless washes rely solely on sprayers to apply soap and water to the vehicle. This means they cannot provide the same scrubbing action that brushes can to loosen dirt and grime stuck on the surface.
Areas like the wheels, undercarriage, and tight crevices may not get adequately cleaned by the sprayers alone. Bugs, bird droppings, tree sap, and other messes may adhere too stubbornly to come off with just a pressurized spray. While touchless washes can still wash away light dirt effectively, vehicles that are very dirty may need the deeper cleaning of a brush wash.
Risk of water spotting
Since touchless car washes do not make physical contact with the vehicle, there is a greater risk of water spotting occurring. With traditional brush washes, the brushes help wipe water off the vehicle surface. In a touchless wash, vehicles rely solely on air blowers to dry the car. If moisture is left behind in any crevices or tight spots, water spots may form as the remaining water evaporates.
To reduce spotting, most touchless washes use filtered water and specialized rinse solutions. However, some spotting can still occur, especially on vehicles that are not dried thoroughly at the end of the wash. This can leave customers dissatisfied with the appearance of their vehicle post-wash.
May miss debris
Another potential negative of touchless washes is they can sometimes miss debris stuck on the vehicle exterior. Again, without brushes to dislodge mud, bugs, tree sap, and other messy substances, some debris may be left behind after the wash cycle completes.
Vehicle owners may need to do a quick inspection after the wash and hand wash any areas the sprays missed. This reduces the convenience factor of the automatic wash. With brush washes, owners can be more assured that stuck-on grime will get scrubbed off during the wash process.
Require precise vehicle positioning
For a touchless wash to work properly, vehicles need to be centered precisely as they pass through the wash bay. The sprayers are lined up to target specific points on the car exterior. If the vehicle is misaligned, the sprays will miss areas of the car.
This requires the driver to carefully center and guide the vehicle as it moves through the automated system. Brush washes are less positioning-sensitive since the brushes can adjust to contact all surfaces of the vehicle within the wash bay.
Possibility of paint damage
While rare, there is a possibility that the high-pressure sprayers in a touchless wash could damage paint surfaces. Most touchless wash operators carefully regulate the water pressure and temperature to safe levels. However, if settings are off or a sprayer malfunctions, the pressurized water could potentially chip or peel paint.
Owners of high-end luxury or vintage vehicles may wish to avoid this small risk of paint damage from touchless washing. For most standard vehicle finishes though, the chances of damage are very low when washes are properly maintained.
Higher operating costs
For car wash operators, touchless systems often come with higher operating and maintenance costs. The sprayers use significant electricity and water. More filtering and water treatment is required as well. The machinery involves expensive components like pumps, nozzles, and sensors.
These higher costs mean customers may end up paying slightly higher prices for touchless washing compared to traditional brush washes. Of course, this is often offset by the benefits touchless provides in gentler cleaning and lower labor requirements.
No physical drying
With traditional brush car washes, vehicles get a physical towel dry at the end of the wash process. This helps remove any last water droplets or moisture on crevices and trim. In a touchless wash, drying relies solely on air blowers.
While these blowers help accelerate water evaporation, they cannot physically wipe the vehicle dry. This can allow some residual moisture to linger on certain spots, increasing chances of water spots. The lack of a towel dry also removes the feel of a just-washed car that customers enjoy.
Fewer wash package options
For customers, touchless car washes tend to offer fewer wash package options compared to brush washes. With brush systems, packages can include various wash types like soft cloth, wax, polish, wheel scrubs, etc. Touchless washes rely largely on the chemicals applied for any added benefits.
This limits the variability between wash types. There is also little ability to upsell customers on extra waxing or detailing options. The wash process is fairly uniform each time. This can be a pro or con, depending on customer preferences.
Mixed cleaning results on textured surfaces
On vehicles with textured surfaces like matte finishes or vinyl wraps, touchless washes can provide mixed cleaning results. The high-pressure sprayers may drive dirt and grime further into textured crevices that brushes would remove.
Conversely, brushes rubbing across textured surfaces can create friction and swirling if used too aggressively. Touchless washes avoid this physical contact. So there are advantages and disadvantages to each method when washing modern textured surfaces.
Can misses lower vehicle surfaces
Depending on the touchless wash design, the undercarriage and lower side surfaces of vehicles may not get fully hit by wash sprays. If sprayer positioning focuses on upper surfaces, mud, grime, and road salt on lower body panels may get missed.
Brush washes often use specialized flap brushes to scrub the undersides and rocker panels. Touchless washes would need to specifically position undercarriage sprayers to hit the same lower areas. Without this, wash performance on lower vehicle surfaces can suffer.
Requires precise chemical calibration
To achieve strong cleaning results, touchless washes rely heavily on precise calibration of wash chemical concentrations. The right mix of soaps, waxes, and rinse solutions needs to be maintained consistently.
This requires careful monitoring and maintenance of chemical injectors, reservoirs, and dispensers. If any output concentrations deviate from specifications, wash quality can deteriorate. So touchless systems demand strict chemical monitoring for optimal performance.
Less suitable for excessive dirt and mud
For vehicles caked with thick layers of dirt and mud from off-roading or winter weather, a touchless wash may not have enough cleaning muscle. The pressurized sprayers may struggle to blast off extremely heavy dirt buildup.
The scrubbing power of wash brushes may be better suited for excessive filth. That said, pre-cleaning with manual spray wands can help touchless washes handle very dirty vehicles. But brush washes inherently offer more upfront cleaning aggression when needed.
Potential for missed spots due to blocked sprayers
If sediment or debris blocks spray nozzles in a touchless wash, sectional blind spots can occur. Without a blocked nozzle being promptly cleared, subsequent vehicles will have certain areas missed by wash sprays. This can leave uneven cleaning results.
With brushes, wide surface contact minimizes any single blocked point from significantly hindering overall wash coverage. So brush washes are less prone to missed spots in the case of an equipment malfunction or blockage.
Less suitable for convoluted vehicle designs
The latest vehicle designs feature more dramatic contours, spoilers, air dams, and sculpted panels. These convoluted shapes make it harder for touchless wash sprayers to contact every surface angle.
Brushes can conform around complex curves and crevices. So traditional washes may be better suited for washing modern sculpted vehicle shapes that touchless sprays struggle to reach.
Concerns around hygiene
While not a direct performance issue, some touchless wash customers have hygiene concerns around the wash process and water reclamation. Thinking about drinking recycled wash water, even if thoroughly filtered, can create negative perceptions around hygiene.
Seeing fresh water applied with brushes may provide peace of mind around cleanliness. Logically, there should be no difference, but perceptions around hygiene exist nonetheless. This can be a minor psychological factor that deters some customers from touchless washing.
Potential maintenance issues
More complex components mean more vulnerabilities to breakdowns. With so many pumps, injectors, sensors, and moving parts, touchless washes can suffer downtimes from maintenance issues. Failures in the computerized control systems can also disrupt washing capabilities.
Brush washes tend to have more mechanical simplicity, with overall fewer points of failure. When maintenance issues do occur, they tend to be easier repairs as well. So the high-tech nature of touchless washes does come with higher potential for technical problems.
Harder for DIY installation
For car enthusiasts looking to build a home car wash setup, touchless systems are much harder to DIY install compared to basic brush wash components. Sourcing all the specialized parts and properly integrating the sensors, controls, chemical injectors, and spray components is no small feat.
In contrast, setting up an amateur brush wash in a home garage can be done with basic mechanical skills and readily available parts. So touchless washes provide fewer project options for DIY installations.
Potential accessibility issues
For drivers with disabilities, a lack of direct human assistance at automated touchless washes could pose challenges. Without an attendant able to provide special accommodations or aid, disabled customers may struggle getting vehicles aligned properly or not have needs met.
Many touchless wash operators offer special procedures for disabled customers if communicated in advance. But inherent self-service nature provides less accommodation versus a staff-assisted wash. This factor can limit accessibility for certain demographics.
Lower ability to upsell additional services
With staff on-site at full-service and brush washes, there is abundant opportunity to upsell customers on extra detailing options like vacuuming, waxing, tire treatments, etc. This allows wash businesses to increase the average transaction value.
At automated touchless locations, there is little to no staff interaction to suggestive sell added services. So the scope for additional revenue from upgrades is more limited. However, wash package variances and membership programs can offset this to some degree.
May not fit customer preferences
Ultimately, the ideal wash method comes down to customer preferences. Some car owners simply feel that a wash lacks quality if no brushes or towels physically touch the vehicle. The idea of a “hands-free” wash does not align with their perceptions even if results can be equivalent.
For these customers, the traditional wash experience provides more satisfaction. This subjective factor means touchless washes, while very popular, do not align with all consumer preferences despite their benefits.
Conclusion
In summary, key negatives to consider with touchless car washes include:
- May not clean as deeply as brush washes
- Higher risk of water spots on vehicle exterior
- Possibility of missing debris stuck to paint
- Requires precise vehicle positioning within wash bay
- Small chance of paint damage from high-pressure sprayers
- Higher operating and maintenance costs for wash owners
- No physical towel drying of vehicle
- Fewer wash package options
- Mixed performance on textured surfaces
- Potential to miss lower vehicle areas
- Heavier reliance on chemical calibration
- Less suitable for extremely dirty vehicles
- More prone to missed spots if nozzles are blocked
- Difficulty reaching convoluted vehicle contours
- Hygiene concerns around recycled wash water
- More potential maintenance issues
- Hard for DIY installation
- Possible accessibility challenges
- Lower ability to upsell additional services
- May not match customer wash preferences
Weighing these factors against the advantages touchless washes offer can help consumers make the best choice for their vehicle washing needs and preferences.