Most car owners get their oil changed, tires rotated, brakes inspected, and get all the usual car maintenance done on a regular basis. Washing your car often isn’t seen as such a high priority - but it should be!
You might only think of dirt as a cosmetic nuisance, but in reality, neglected dirt on a car can cause structural damage.
Dirt builds up and traps moisture on the clear coat. As you drive, the wind moves the dirt around enough to make tiny scratches in the clear coat. These scratches allow the dirt and moisture to seep underneath and begin to separate the clear coat from the paint, causing the clear coat to flake, and the paint to chip. Rust and damage to the metal follow. At the very least, dirt left to bake on your car wears the protective coat off and can fade your color.
Other things, like sap, pollen, salt, smog, bugs and bird droppings will ruin your paint even faster! All of these things can get on your car as you drive it every day, and they can all cause damage to your car’s chrome, metal, and finish. Preventing this damage from occurring in the first place is much easier and less costly than trying to fix it once it’s happened. And once you see it, it’s too late.
You probably won’t be driving the same car forever. Eventually, you will probably end up selling or trading it in, and you know that the better the condition of your vehicle, the higher the resale or trade-in value.
A car that gets washed on a regular basis generally retains its resale value. Most people aren’t going to buy a vehicle as a fixer-upper: replacing rusted parts, repainting, or sealing damaged areas. In fact, faded paint is cited as one of the largest contributing factors to the loss of a car's resale value. So, depending upon the vehicle, regular cleaning can equate to thousands of dollars in value!
Simply put, the cleaner you keep your car, the better its condition will be when it comes time to sell, and the more likely you’ll be to get top dollar for it.
Anything that prevents a driver from seeing the roads clearly makes the situation unsafe. Driving your car with dirt, bugs, smudges, and debris covering the windows and mirrors can restrict your view and create blind spots and safety hazards. Dirt and dust can also reduce the effectiveness of your car’s lights, which will not only effect how clearly you see the roads at night, but also how clearly other drivers and pedestrians can see you. A clean vehicle on the road is also more visible — more reflective and brighter.
Since the goal is for maximum visibility, inside and out, we can conclude that the cleaner the car, the safer it is. You will see more of the road, and others will be better able to see you.
How often do your clean your home or take a shower? Now think about an average day of travel and how much time you spend inside your vehicle. Running from school to work to stores to sports practice - do you wash your hands before you get into your car? All the germs that you encounter in public places are transferred to the steering wheel, gear shift, radio buttons, windows, and seat belts. And, if you eat in the car after touching those surfaces? Eeewwww. Regular cleaning of your car's interior will keep you and your passengers healthier!
A quick wash of you car on a weekend afternoon sounds simple, easy, and cheap. But, let’s think about the whole picture. First, you have to factor in the time that it will take to research and purchase the items and products that you need to use. When is the last time you looked at the store shelves and compared all the different options in stock, all promising different things? By the time you call your friends, research online recommendations, find the store that sells the product, and make a run out to get it, your weekend afternoon is shot.
Your time is more valuable than that. And the cost to buy a small spray bottle of the miracle cleaner that may or may not work will probably be more than the price of a great car wash at Timmy’s. Save yourself all the headaches, and visit us for a great wash, at the right price, in just a few minutes.
Washing your car regularly can also increase your fuel efficiency. The dirt accumulation on your car allows air particles to cling and creates drag, which causes your car to burn more fuel. A clean car will allow air to move more easily across the surface, so there will be less resistance and greater fuel economy.
A lot of people discount this theory, saying that the difference can’t be great enough to be meaningful. In fact, there has been enough discussion on the topic to prompt MythBusters to get involved! They calculated that a clean car was 10% more fuel-efficient than the same dirty car.
This may not seem like a big difference, but over the lifetime of your car it can add up. If you drive 15,000 miles a year, you could pay over $100 a year more for your gas if your car gets 24 mpg than if it gets 26 mpg. Over ten years, you’d save over $1,000 just by keeping your car clean.
It just feels great to have pride in your car, happily pulling up to an important business meeting or picking up your date. And, it stands to reason that it lowers your stress, too. If your car is clean, you won't be worried about dirt, rust, a cluttered interior, or increased road danger from poor visibility. You will be driving your beautiful, shiny, fresh-smelling car without added worries.
How embarrassing...
