Regular car washes aren’t just good for the vehicle’s overall aesthetic but also prevent it from rusting. There are different ways to wash vehicles, from washing cars at home to washing them at self-service car wash centres. Though a full-service car wash is ideal for people with busy schedules, not everyone can afford it. This is where self-service car wash comes into play. Let’s go through the details of self-service car wash centres, how to use them and their pros and cons.
What is a self-service car wash
Self-car wash stations allow car owners to wash their cars themselves. These stations are different from automatic car wash stations. The drivers of vehicles decide on the equipment they want to use for washing cars themselves. They also decide on the part of the vehicle that needs more concentration. This way, the car owners get the car wash of their choice at affordable rates.
Steps to Use Self-service Car Wash
Let’s go through some useful tips on how to use self-service car wash.
Step 1: Park the car in a nice spot
Garages of different car wash stations have a marked spot indicating where to park each car. Choose the spot of your preference and park your vehicle. On the other hand, if there are no marked spots, position your car in the centre of the garage. This gives more space to move around and wash the car thoroughly.
Step 2: Remove car floor carpets
After parking the car, open the doors and remove the floor mats. Hang them on the wall and clean them later.
Step 3: Find an appropriate sprayer
There are sprayer wands in self-service car wash centres, find the one that is easily accessible and can get to your vehicle easily. If the wand is far from the vehicle, repark at a closer space. If you haven’t ever used a sprayer wand to wash cars previously practice first. Hold the wand’s handle and point it on your wheels to spray water.
Step 4: Learn the spray wand settings
Sprayers usually have different settings. They vary from self-service car wash stations to another. Usually, sprayer wands have three to five settings.
Basic options include: wash, soap, rinse. Advanced settings include pre-wash and wax – but they might not be available on all sprayers. The pre-wash is used to wash vehicles before the main wash. Moreover, the wax option is used to wax the vehicle to complete the cleaning processes.
Learn all the settings to know where to allocate more time. The wash setting is where the car loses grime, dirt and other contaminants. Usually, basic wands have just one or two options of spraying water steam with pressure.
Then, choose the soap set. This is where the cleaning solutions start releasing. This setting helps remove persistent grime, dirt and debris. Next, select the rinse option. Selecting this option cleans off all the soap from the car. On basic settings, after the car gets a rinse, it is ready to hit the road.
Step 5: Check the payment option
The various payment options are usually mentioned on a banner in self-service car wash centres. Find out the acceptable payment option and make your payment the right way. Some self-service car wash in Dubai takes payments in cash while some accept credit/debit cards.
Step 6: Start washing
Hold the spray wand and point the nozzle on the vehicle. Hold the handle or trigger and release the water pressure on the car. Make sure to stay 3-5 feet away from the vehicle to prevent damaging the car paint from pressurized steam. Here are the other things to keep in check to avoid car paint damage.
First, spray the water on the roof and then on the tyres. This helps loosen dirt, grime, and other contaminants. Next, spray the floor mats.
Step 7: Set the soap option
Select the soap option and repeat step number six. The wand starts to spray soap water. Start from the roof rack down to the tyres. Focus on all the dirty areas, especially the area underneath the wheel.
Step 8: Rinse the car
Carefully spray fresh water on the car to rinse the soap water. Then, switch on the spray wand, grab a sponge or a foam brush and clean off the stubborn dirt. Wash the foam brush and sponge before using them. This is done to clean the leftover dirt on these items from customers who used them before. Therefore, washing them is necessary to prevent scratching your car’s clear coating. Even if you have your own foam brush or sponge, wash it properly before cleaning the car.
Rinsing the body is an important part of the car cleaning process.
Step 9: Scrub the Car
Scrub the vehicle in circular motions to remove all the stubborn dirt and toxins. Try reaching every nook and cranny of the vehicle.
Step10: Rinse and dry
Then rinse the car and dry it. Not rinsing properly makes the car look dirty even after a wash. Select the rinse option on the machine to clean all the soapy water on the car. For a clean wash, spray water on your car three to five times.
Pros and Cons of Using Self-Service Car Wash Stations
Washing cars are self-service car wash stations that come with its own set of advantages and disadvantages.
Pros of self-service car wash
- Cars can be cleaned and washed according to the car owner’s preference at self-service car wash stations
- The waiting time isn’t much
- Car owners can select the self-service car wash equipment according to their vehicle cleaning needs
- It is economical when compared with using a full-service car wash
- It helps bring the car’s magnificent appearance to life
- Washing cars at self-service car washes is a form of exercise
Cons of self-service car wash
- It may be less convenient for some people to use the self-service car wash machine
- It may take an hour or more to bring the car’s stunning look
- Drivers may end up paying more if the allocated time is exhausted
- Not washing cars carefully at self-service car washes may scratch the car paints
That is all about self-service car washes. Remember, car cleaning is important for its maintenance. Here is an extensive car maintenance checklist.
Stay tuned to dubizzle’s top auto blog for more on car DIY solutions, washing, and repair tips.
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