By Mahya Kamalvand
Washing your car immediately after a rainfall is highly important. Of course not all rainfall is bad. Many people may think the rain will clean the dirt and salt off your car but in reality it causes more damage than good.
Acid Rain And Car Wash
Did you know rainfall collects pollutants and contaminants from the air. The terminology we use is called Acid Rain. The acid rain will eat away into the paint and cause defects. The only solution is then to polish and buff out with a machine polish and machine grade professional buffing pads which is a hefty cost.
The cycle to rain water is it eventually evaporates, leaving a thin layer of pollutants that can damage your car’s finish. The longer you leave the pollutants and contamination on the vehicle, the more damage it will inflict in your vehicle’s finish.
With Vancouver raining almost nine months of the year, a quality wash that includes vehicle body protectants or rain guard such as our Glassparency Windshield Treatment offered at Shiny will ensure you’re ready for “Raincouver”!
Perks of Washing Your Car While It’s Raining
It may sound bizarre to see a person having their car washed meanwhile it’s still raining, but, better in rain than never.
Here are a few reasons why you may want to try washing your car in the rain:
Cut Down Your Water Usage Before Shampooing
It goes without saying that we need to rinse and wash the car before foaming it. This helps prevent scratching the car paint and getting rid of swirl marks in the long run. You can trust the rain with this stage, albeit not the first hail after the summer. Keep away from the first showers because they leave spotting and marks.
After it has started raining, you can forget about your first few buckets of water and let the rain do the preparations. The rain water is naturally “soft” and free of minerals which will ensure a nice slick surface for you to begin washing.
The Rain Water Will Decrease Spotting
We have said again and again in the previous articles how washing your car under direct sunlight can leave out spots and traces or even damage your paint.
The water spots are mainly the results of soap and foam drying before you wash and rinse your car. With the rain already pouring down on your car, you can have your peace of mind that there is not going to be any dried water spots after you finish with one area of your car.
Let It Rain Over Shampoo
One of the most frustrating parts of washing your car on your own is to spend time cleaning it as you work around it. The rain can work as your assistant. It will rinse off the shampoo as you go.
Just imagine how much time and energy you will be saving not having to rinse the shampoo manually again. Plus, it sure does minimize the amount of water you will be wasting, as well.
What’s Wrong With Washing Your Car While It’s Still Raining?
As much as I personally like to say No Drawbacks, there are some considerations:
It May Be Acid!
As mentioned already, acid rain is no joke. Just as much as acid rain can damage the earth, it can also damage your vehicle's paint over time. But, it all gets back to how much you actually wash your car in the rain and what part of country you’re living in. B.C rarely meets the acid rain scenario due to its continuous days of rainfall.
No Towel Dries The Rain
No number of microfiber towels can actually dry the flood in a rain. You have two choices here: let the rain stop and your vehicle will dry out for itself without any apparent swirls. Or you can take your car back into your garage and use your microfiber towels to dry it.
Washing Your Car Before And After The Rain
Depending on where you live, rain could be a predictable event. Leaving your car without a wash because it has been forecasted that the weather will be rainy is not a good excuse.
An already dirty car under a good amount of rain will only get dirtier. But as we talked about it, if your vehicle has been washed, you will benefit from the soft mineral rain on the surface of your vehicle, too.
Washing your vehicle after rainfall will let you clean any unwanted mineral deposits from your car.
Final Thought On Car Washing When It Rains
If there’s rain in the forecast, plan to contact us and Shiny Car Detailing will come to you. Washing your car before or after rain will prevent the appearance of an unkempt vehicle. Even if you have to drive in rain every day, a properly protected vehicle will look a lot better once the rain dries.
