CAR washes could be causing your motor’s paint to fade, according to an expert mechanic as he shared a £3.50 eBay fix.
Scotty Kilmer shared the warning on his YouTube channel and urged drivers to take a DIY approach.
In the video, he said: “Today I’m going to show you why car washes could be dangerous to your car’s paint.
“The previous owner of this [Toyota] Celica, she took it to a lot of car washes, look how faded away it is.
“Car washes wash hundreds of cars a day and all those brushes get dirty.
“The dirt builds up and causes micro scratching and your paint ends up fading away over time.”
Instead, he strongly recommended always washing your car by hand.
This can be done decently with as little as a bucket of warm soapy water and a sponge.
Fortunately, Scotty was also able to share some of the products that help him get his motor shining.
He advised picking up a lamb’s wool cleaning mitt and a bottle of “real car was cleaner”.
Simply pour a small amount of the cleaning fluid into warm water and wipe down the vehicle with the wool mitt.
Lamb’s wool can be a little pricey, though, with Halfords selling one for around £13.
A handy dupe is a synthetic wool equivalent which costs just £3.50 on eBay.
And if you have a bit of a larger budget and are short on time, you can always use a pressure washer.
You can pick up a top-quality machine for a couple of hundred pounds, while some are available for as little as £50.
Just make sure not to hold the hose too close to your car as the pressurised water can actually damage the paint at close range.
Social media commenters loved Scotty’s hack.
One wrote: “I always hand wash my wife’s and my vehicles
“That way I know the entire vehicle is clean, protect the paint from scratches…[and] check the car for any damage.
“I sell my own vehicles and people see how well they’re maintained.”
Another added: “I have always hand-washed my vehicle for the last 25 years.”
It comes after Wheeler Dealers’ Mike Brewer issued an urgent warning over classic car prices.
Meanwhile, drivers have slammed a cash-strapped council for “punishing them” with parking charge increases.
