Yes. Automatic car washes can do more harm than good — here’s why: Most automatic car washes use abrasive brushes or materials to clean your vehicle. Unlike soft sponges or microfiber cloths, these brushes can easily cause swirls and scratches as they spin across your paint. What’s worse, these brushes often trap dirt, sand, and even small rocks from previous vehicles, turning them into abrasive agents that get dragged across your car’s surface. The result? Your paint isn’t just being scrubbed — it’s being scratched and abraded by both the brushes and the debris they carry. Protect your vehicle by choosing safer, hand-wash methods designed to preserve your paint’s flawless finish.

The easiest way to understand this is: if the damage hasn’t penetrated past the clear coat into the original paint, it can be corrected. This includes swirl marks from improper washing, light surface scratches, stains from bird droppings and tree sap, etching from acid rain, and more. However, some bird droppings are highly acidic and can burn through the clear coat, causing permanent damage once they reach the paint layer. Protecting your vehicle and addressing contaminants quickly is essential to maintaining its flawless finish.

Ceramic coatings use nanoparticle technology to form a secure bond with your clear coat, filling in tiny divots and imperfections before curing into an interlocked layer with your vehicle’s original finish. This creates a long-lasting protective barrier that can’t be easily washed away. In contrast, store-bought waxes and paint sealants merely sit on the surface, never truly bonding with the paint — making them far less durable.

Protection for the Life of Your Car System X® offers unmatched paint protection, delivering levels of gloss, durability, and chemical resistance like no other product. With our highest level of protection, you’ll get the added peace of mind of a lifetime warranty — ensuring your vehicle stays protected and looking its best for years to come.

Public car washes — especially those with soft-touch equipment — should be avoided at all costs. These drive-thru services often harbor abrasive residue from previous vehicles, which can be dragged across your paint, causing scratches and compromising your ceramic coating. Additionally, the harsh chemicals used in these washes can be corrosive, prematurely degrading your coating and even voiding its warranty. Protect your investment by opting for safer, hand-wash methods designed to preserve your vehicle’s finish and coating integrity.

Yes, and our expert installation team at Tornadoshine Detailing LLC delivers just that! In addition to coating your vehicle’s exterior paintwork, we also offer ceramic protection for wheels and exterior glass surfaces.