It depends. If your car is exposed to corrosive materials like salt and sand, it should be washed often. The same goes for vehicles in areas with high humidity. Moisture attracts contaminants and promotes a variety of chemical reactions that can destroy your car's finish. Frequent washing is essential to the life of your car's chrome and painted surfaces. In seasons or climates less conductive to corrosion, a wash every two weeks should be adequate. In areas with acid rain, a wash every ten days is advised. Of course, these estimates may vary depending upon whether your car is kept in a garage or out in the elements.

YES! Appearance is the first thing people look for in a used car. If a car's finish turns buyers off, it's virtually impossible to get a good price - no matter how well the car runs. Used car managers agree. When they have two identical cars, both mechanically fit and comparably equipped, appearance really makes the difference.

A car which is noticeably rusted, dull and spotty will sell for significantly less than the same car with a showroom finish. So proper care of the car's appearance will definitely pay off at trade-in time!

This may have been true a long time ago, but with the new modern clear coat acrylics and enamels, your new car's finish needs tender care immediately. Be careful to wash your car properly. Most new cars are treated with a clear-coat finish. So it's important that you exercise extreme care—especially when washing your new car for the first few times. Many initial washing errors result in water-spots, setting stains and loss of lustre. Without the benefit of layers of protective coating that your car will receive over the years, mistakes made during the first few washes may not be correctable. Should you decide to wax your car, use a wax that's compatible with your paint. Check your owner's manual and the wax's label for instructions. The best advice is to trust your car's finish to a professional from the beginning.

Washing your car at home is extremely harmful to the finish. Tests conducted by the University of Texas proved that a single home hand-wash can leave scratches in the finish as deep as 1/10 of the paint's total thickness. And, that the average garden hose can't supply enough water and water pressure along with the detergent action to avoid damaging the car's finish. This important study concluded that automobile owners should avoid washing their cars at home. Only a professional carwash can provide the proper amounts of water and water pressure needed along with the appropriate, professional cleaning solutions to safely and effectively clean your car.

Actually, there are two answers to your question. First, soft water utilizes salts to soften minerals. These salts may leave a residue that can be very harmful to your car's finish. So make sure that you dry your car completely as soon as you're finished washing it. Otherwise, the finish may wind up looking dull or cloudy.

The second problem has to do with the amount and pressure of the water used to wash your car. Your hose just can't put out enough water to remove sand and dirt particles that get trapped in the sponge or mitt you use in washing. It's like washing your car with sandpaper. The professional equipment at our carwash is engineered to proved the optimum amount of water and water pressure to best clean and protect your car's finish.

That's a tough question, since most cars are made up of a lot of different surfaces. Acrylic paint, vinyl, chrome, rubber, plastic, glass, cloth, sheet metal and other materials all demand a variety of cleaner. So let's start with cleaners that you shouldn't use. Most household cleaning products have solvents that break down the oils in paints and vinyl. Laundry detergents usually have extremely high alkaline levels that also can harm the finish. Soaps can leave a dull film.

Only at a professional carwash like ours can you always get the right solution dispensed in the right proportions. For example in the summer we use a higher percentage of insect-removing solutions. And in the winter we use added solutions to combat salt and deposits. In fact, carwashes across the nation develop their own customized solution programs to best fit their area's needs.

When you do clean at home, you should hove a variety of cleaners on hand. Be sure to carefully read all label directions, since many cleaners can damage other surfaces. And remember, just because a small amount of a cleaner works well, that doesn't mean that more works better. The best thing to do is to consult a professional here at our carwash.

What you are referring to are block particles that come from areas of heavy traffic. They are gritty, abrasive substances coming off tires as they wear. Also, chemicals from diesel smoke and other emissions in the atmosphere settle on your car's surface. If this residue isn't removed immediately, permanent damage to the finish can result.

Not at all! It's very simple. Dirt and grime collect in the areas around your car's wheels. The concentrated spray at professional car washes loosens and rinses the grime, giving you a smoother ride. The spray also helps prevent rusting inside the of the wheel wells - the most difficult type of rust to stop. In addition, tests show that a properly cleaned and waxed car has less wind resistance, resulting in a smoother ride and improved fuel economy.

As soon as possible, especially if the car is brand new. Insect residue and bird droppings form acids that start to eat away at a car's finish immediately.

Rust is simply the oxidation of untreated metal surfaces when they come in contact with the elements. Moisture is the main cause of rust. And since dirt attracts and traps moisture, a dirty car is the instigator of almost all car rust, especially in those hidden areas behind chrome and trim. Only a professional car wash has the equipment and know how to effectively reach all those hard-to-reach places and remove corrosion-producing grime before damage is done.

Tar and certain oils used on roads require an extremely strong solvent to remove. Naturally, we can't use these solvents when we wash your car since just a few washings with such strong chemicals could harm your car's finish. However, there are many excellent tar solvents on the market, and we would be happy to recommend one to you. A word of caution: follow directions carefully and wash your car as soon as possible after using such a solvent.