Will car wash damage my 2020 ram 1500?

[country4life]

I usually always wash my vehicles by hand
But today I tried the touch less car wash and the dryer at the end is blowing my wipers around a bit and the wipers did a sweep while the blower was hitting it could it damage the wiper arm?

 

[Camelot]

Not likely. I always use a car wash, never hand washed my daily driver. Never had an issue.

 

[mikeru82]

No, it won't hurt your truck. Don't worry about it.

 

[SD Rebel]

Anything is possible, but they do build these vehicles based on the fact most people will likely use an automatic car wash. Even the dealership has an automatic car wash on premises to wash customer vehicles after service.

I usually do some preventative stuff before running a vehicle through a car wash, like folding in my mirrors. On my previous truck that had a long antenna aerial, I would remove it first.

 

[BNeal]

I have a monthly contract with my local car wash. It uses the spinning brushes and I have had no problems. I am very picky about my stuff, so it took a while for me to warm up to the idea hitting my paint with the brushes. But have been doing it for almost 2 years, and it still looks like new. They also do a hand-dry and tire and wheel dressing. I'll never go back to hand-washing unless I'm doing a full-on detail of the truck.

 

[SD Rebel]

I have a monthly contract with my local car wash. It uses the spinning brushes and I have had no problems. I am very picky about my stuff, so it took a while for me to warm up to the idea hitting my paint with the brushes. But have been doing it for almost 2 years, and it still looks like new. They also do a hand-dry and tire and wheel dressing. I'll never go back to hand-washing unless I'm doing a full-on detail of the truck.

Same exact thing for me, I have a great car wash near my house I've been bringing my other cars & family vehicles to for a couple of years, but resisted taking my RAM because I am very picky and concerned about possible damage being so big and I got a bed rack system.

But zero issues with the spinning brushes, almost seem cleaner looking than even when I hand wash using the two-bucket method. After I run her through, I finish hand drying, do a quick spray wax, vacuum, etc. Done 3 times faster than when doing it by hand, and still have the rest of the day to enjoy, lol.

 

[Buz]

If you have power running boards DO NOT extend them down while in a car wash. At least not a moving carwash with a conveyer belt. Ask me how/why I know this.
Ripped my driver side board clean off. I was lucky enough to find a welder to reinstall it. Otherwise it was a $700 F up.

 

[wvinson]

I always put my suspension in Off Road 2 to get the lower panels and fender wells a better shot at the brushes and high pressure wash.

 

[SnowBlaZR2]

I usually always wash my vehicles by hand

I'd stick to hand washing or spraying it down in a bay. Automatic washes are garbage for your paint.

 

[HSKR R/T]

Depends on what you consider "damage". Any carwash that isn't touchfree can and all damage the clear coat. Most people don't care enough about the paint for them to worry about it.

 

[SD Rebel]

My cars always look gleaming after going through my local auto car wash. I'm sure I'm getting some more hairline scratching over time, but it's easy to remove with a proper paint correction that I would do anyways once the trucks is old enough for me to be bothered by it.

The time it saves me is more than worth it to me. Man, I've gotten so lazy recently

 

[Mountain Whiskey]

Sure, if you shine a floodlight on your truck at an angle, you will see micro swirls from a carwash. Very similar to using your average sponge.

To some this is detrimental because the run of the mill pumped out by the tens of thousands production line pickup truck is a frail antique collectors item with custom gold inlay paint.

Me? Yea, it gets clean and looks good going down the road. Carwashes are great. Scrub it shiny clean.

 

[Dewey]

I drive through the woods a lot on hunting excursions so last thing I worry about is a car wash ruining my paint job.

Been using touch-less car washes for almost 40 years with zero issues.

 

[truckless]

This thread (minus the talk of touchless ):

 

[Terrible_One]

I only hand wash my vehicles. Drive-thru car washes are the devil unless they are high end machines that use silicon brushes or are touchless. Stay the heck away from the ones that use fabric based brushes. I have seen clear coat destroyed many times by those.

 

[SD Rebel]

I agree, I found a car wash that I've taken our brand new Toyota and now my RAM because of how good the car looks after it's done. I do the final drying with my own towels onsite. The paint on my vehicles looks great, so whatever brushes they are using, I totally trust that car wash. Let me tell you, it took me almost 3 years before I would take my RAM there, but after many many car washes with my other vehicles, I finally decided it was ok, and so far it's been fine.

Either way, clear coat is very resilient. I've seen it restored on much older vehicles with far duller paint.

 

[SnowBlaZR2]

Sure, if you shine a floodlight on your truck at an angle, you will see micro swirls from a carwash. Very similar to using your average sponge.

To some this is detrimental because the run of the mill pumped out by the tens of thousands production line pickup truck is a frail antique collectors item with custom gold inlay paint.

Me? Yea, it gets clean and looks good going down the road. Carwashes are great. Scrub it shiny clean.

I'm glad I get to drive a clean truck in the sunlight.

 

[Camelot]

I am always surprised that some care so much about a truck, to me its a utility vehicle. I can understand handwashing something exotic and expensive, but there is no way I would hand wash a truck? I value my time to much to care I guess. I have a few motorcycles I am handwashing because there is no automated wash.

Not trying to argue with anyone, its a free world, spend your time on whatever you want, more an observation from my side.

 

[ferraiolo1]

Lol yep. I always enjoy seeing “clean” vehicles going down the road with the sun gleaming off their swirl marks from car washes that “don’t damage” the paint


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[HSKR R/T]

I am always surprised that some care so much about a truck, to me its a utility vehicle. I can understand handwashing something exotic and expensive, but there is no way I would hand wash a truck? I value my time to much to care I guess. I have a few motorcycles I am handwashing because there is no automated wash.

Not trying to argue with anyone, its a free world, spend your time on whatever you want, more an observation from my side.

And this is why you see 5-10 year old trucks driving around with rusted out fenders and rocker panels.