The Tesla Model S manual recommends a touchless car wash if you aren't prepared to hand wash the car. However, it seems in certain circumstances the door handle design could create a possible health risk. You could have unrinsed acid solution sitting on the door handle. The type of acid used in some touchless washes is particularly hazardous.
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Details:
Touchless washes typically have at least three passes over the car:
Ok, so you drive into the automated car wash, stop, and hit the "P" button to park the car. This causes the door handles to extend. The acid bath then soaks the handles. But then the car notices you have not exited the car and so the door handles automatically retract before the next pass. My local touchless car wash has just the right timing for this to happen, and I expect many others do as well. That means the handles no longer get the neutralizing alkali bath, or much of the water rinse. Instead they sit partially covered in acid until the next time someone opens the door by grasping the handle.
Since the wash is touchless and since the acid bath is only supposed to last for a few seconds, the acid solution is stronger and more corrosive than regular washes. Furthermore, some touchless car washes use controversial hydrofluoric acid and/or ammonium bifluoride. There have been several reports of car wash employee injuries resulting from HF and ABF. It is regarded as more hazardous than alternatives. It is easily absorbed through the skin and it has a numbing effect on your nerves so that you may not initially realize you are being internally burned. Burns can happen even at concentrations less than 1%. Any concentration above 0.1% is regarded as hazardous by the DOT, EU and Australian OSH. From what I can tell, the acid foam bath can be around 0.15% concentration or even higher.
Do a search for [hydrofluoric acid carwash] for more information.
Setting aside the possible health risk, having acid solution on the retracted door handles for extended periods can't do the car much good...
Has anyone actually been caught out by this issue?
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Details:
Touchless washes typically have at least three passes over the car:
- An acid foam bath (to dislodge and dissolve certain types of dirt)
- An alkali foam bath (to neutralize the acid and cleanse other forms of dirt)
- A high pressure water rinse
- Wax, dry, etc...
Ok, so you drive into the automated car wash, stop, and hit the "P" button to park the car. This causes the door handles to extend. The acid bath then soaks the handles. But then the car notices you have not exited the car and so the door handles automatically retract before the next pass. My local touchless car wash has just the right timing for this to happen, and I expect many others do as well. That means the handles no longer get the neutralizing alkali bath, or much of the water rinse. Instead they sit partially covered in acid until the next time someone opens the door by grasping the handle.
Since the wash is touchless and since the acid bath is only supposed to last for a few seconds, the acid solution is stronger and more corrosive than regular washes. Furthermore, some touchless car washes use controversial hydrofluoric acid and/or ammonium bifluoride. There have been several reports of car wash employee injuries resulting from HF and ABF. It is regarded as more hazardous than alternatives. It is easily absorbed through the skin and it has a numbing effect on your nerves so that you may not initially realize you are being internally burned. Burns can happen even at concentrations less than 1%. Any concentration above 0.1% is regarded as hazardous by the DOT, EU and Australian OSH. From what I can tell, the acid foam bath can be around 0.15% concentration or even higher.
Do a search for [hydrofluoric acid carwash] for more information.
Setting aside the possible health risk, having acid solution on the retracted door handles for extended periods can't do the car much good...
Has anyone actually been caught out by this issue?
