I was hesitant to take my new Tesla (blue metallic paint) to a car wash, but finally broke down after a few months of hand washing. The manager ensured me that their automated wash wouldn't scratch the finish, and that they use clean dry-rags on each car. I'm sure you can guess the outcome; numerous locations with swirls of very-small scratches! My guess is that it was from the drying rags, and that they weren't 100% clean after they wash them...just classic...
The problem with hand-washing isn't really the washing part; it is the drying part. If you don't dry it, you'll end up with water spots from dissolved solids in the tap-water. Drying with a chamois cloth is the preferred method; excellent results may be achieved, but it is a bit tedious and time consuming, and even leaves tiny pieces of the chamois that then need to be wiped off.
So, I recently performed a research experiment whereby I washed the car in a complete downpour. I still used my hose to wash off the soap, expecting the distilled rainwater to wash off the "contaminated" house water...and guess what? NEAR PERFECT RESULTS! I've done it twice now, and couldn't be happier. Yes, my wife, kids, and even a few neighbors who witnessed it thought I completely lost my marbles, but I think I've actually found the holy grail here!
Give it a shot and let me know how it goes!
The problem with hand-washing isn't really the washing part; it is the drying part. If you don't dry it, you'll end up with water spots from dissolved solids in the tap-water. Drying with a chamois cloth is the preferred method; excellent results may be achieved, but it is a bit tedious and time consuming, and even leaves tiny pieces of the chamois that then need to be wiped off.
So, I recently performed a research experiment whereby I washed the car in a complete downpour. I still used my hose to wash off the soap, expecting the distilled rainwater to wash off the "contaminated" house water...and guess what? NEAR PERFECT RESULTS! I've done it twice now, and couldn't be happier. Yes, my wife, kids, and even a few neighbors who witnessed it thought I completely lost my marbles, but I think I've actually found the holy grail here!
Give it a shot and let me know how it goes!