Ever notice that not every car gets the same amount of scrubbing when it enters the wash tunnel? It’s not because some vehicles are getting special treatment, or because we’re neglecting certain areas. The amount of brushing you see depends on the vehicle itself, what’s on it, and how the vehicle arrives at the tunnel. Different shapes, sizes, and levels of buildup can all affect how our team approaches a vehicle.
Take the back of your vehicle, for example. Depending on its shape, there may be areas where the wash equipment inside of the tunnel simply can’t make contact. We only scrub those rear areas when the vehicle’s design doesn’t allows the equipment to reach them. There’s no reason to add extra movement where it can’t actually improve the wash.
Temperature is another factor our Team Members are trained to consider. If you’ve been driving for a while, especially on a warm, sunny day, certain parts of your vehicle—like the hood—can become significantly hotter than the surrounding air. Applying cold water or cleaning products to a very hot surface can cause them to evaporate rapidly and potentially leave spotting or residue. That’s why our team knows which areas to avoid when a vehicle is particularly hot, rather than simply treating every surface exactly the same way.
The same idea applies to bugs and heavier road buildup. Vehicles traveling on the highway may arrive with a collection of bugs stuck to the front, mirrors, and other exposed areas. In that situation, you may notice more brushing as the wash works on those stubborn spots. If you mostly drive around town, or wash your vehicle regularly, there may not be as much buildup to address, so you may see less physical scrubbing.
It can be easy to watch another vehicle go through the tunnel and wonder why it seems to be getting more attention than yours. But more brushing doesn’t necessarily mean a better wash, just as less brushing doesn’t mean your vehicle is being overlooked. Our Team Members are trained to recognize situations where additional brushing makes sense—and situations where leaving an area alone is the better choice.
So next time you go through the tunnel, don’t worry if you don’t see a brush hit every part of your vehicle. What you see happening—or not happening—is based on the shape of your vehicle, its condition, and the conditions it arrives in. Sometimes the best way to care for your vehicle is knowing when to clean an area—and when to leave it alone.