What Happens If You Never Wash Your Car?

like ketchup, bridges, and as the home of the Steelers! Great weather and superb road conditions? Not so much.

Yinz all know we get our fair share of bad weather, road construction, and all the other things that wreak havoc with our car’s exterior. To make matters worse, it seems like every time we get it washed, it rains, snows, or is just plain miserable outside. Sometimes you have to ask, why bother?

Some people think that since it's been raining (or snowing) a lot lately, their car is clean. They park it outside and don't take the time to wash it because they figure that all of the rain will eventually take care of everything. It never really looks dirty.  Others think it is just the natural process of their cars aging. After a while, it fades, that’s just how it works, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

But that rain or snow can’t help to clean your car at all. First, there isn’t enough pressure from even the heaviest rain that will wash the grossness away. And what about soap? Soap is a necessity to get the grime off.

What rain does come down can be full of pollutants that will damage your paint and leave those nasty water spots on everything — your paint, windows, and headlights. Game over!

Driving through the rain or snow while your car is dirty can damage the paint over time. If you have lots of dust particles (which are tiny pieces of rock!) and get a water blasting equivalent, like driving behind a tractor-trailer, the water or slush will pick up dirt from your car and drag it across the paint surface like sandpaper. This micro-sandblasting of the protective clear coat is often what helps cause paint fade. As soon as the clear over-coat is gone, the paint itself is not very good at resisting wear or tarnishing, and once that is gone, hello rust.

You might think your car looks clean, but...

Don’t let a pretty face fool you. You might think your car looks clean, but I bet it isn’t. Some contaminants are so small you can only feel them when you run your hand over your car, and the dirt that gets onto a car is not just sitting there doing nothing. Oh no…. bird poop, tree sap, road tar, etc., all change as they sit there. The sap that usually washes away after a week or so will harden into shellac after a longer amount of time, and bird poop has acids and things that eat into the paint. Dust may be acid or alkaline and turn into a concrete-like substance. And when the car does get wet, what does that water do? Does it sheet away, or does it sort of just slowly evaporate, leaving marks? If it does the latter, that greatly extends the amount of time the water is seeping and oozing into the microscopic pores of the paint, softening and delaminating it. When it eventually does dry, the grit that’s left behind is deeper into these microscopic pores. Remember, just because your car or truck gets wet doesn’t mean you’re actually getting it clean!

If you wax your car but don't wash it first, the environment will slowly eat away at the wax. And once it gets through the wax, it will start staining and etching the car underneath.

So now you’re thinking, OK, I get it. I need a clean car first if I’m going to have any protection from the Pittsburgh elements. Just waxing a car without really having it washed well is not the answer at all.

Mr. Magic to the Rescue!

Here at Mr. Magic, we have the perfect solution for that one-two punch you need for protection — Wash and Wax! Try either of our wash services: The Signature Wash or The Works Wash! Both of these services offer the best cleaning and waxing protection you need — and in the order you need it. Once your car is cleaned the correct way, the wax will protect your vehicle for much longer than just washing alone. You’ll drive away with a surface that’s shiny and smooth, and one that resists dirt buildup by allowing the elements to gently ski across the surface, taking any of the contaminants with it in its wake.

The key to anything is consistency, and if you consistently have your car cleaned and waxed, you’ll be setting your vehicle up for a longer life with a greater resell value.

With Old Man Winter just around the corner, this is the perfect time to take advantage of the Mr. Magic Unlimited Car Wash Club.  You can get a wash and wax any time, at any location for one low price! You’ll have your consistency and your car or truck will thank you.