Deluxe? The Works? Why you don’t need that frilly car wash

While you might feel as if you’re doing your car an injustice by not opting for the “Deluxe,” or “VIP” of automatic washes, the truth is you may not need to shell out the extra cash.

When it comes to your typical drive-through wash, the options are unlimited: touch-free dry, spot-free rinse, tri-coat conditioning foam bath, triple-coat foam wash, sealer wax, foam wax, spray-on wax, clear coat protector, under carriage flush, rust inhibitor, wheel brightener.

But which extras are really worth your money?

“There are a few, kind of, extra-special waxes and glazes that really aren’t necessary,” said Steven Ford, an automotive collision instructor at South Seattle Community College.

Ford said modern auto paint is a urethane clear-coat system that is baked at over 250 degrees, a hard finish that has reduced the need for waxes.

“The wax does not penetrate these cars any longer, it stays on the surface. They don’t need to be waxed very often,” he said. “Cars of the 70’s, 50’s, 60’s, 80’s, had a porous paint surface where the wax actually penetrated the surface.”

Other costly frills, such as rust inhibitors and clear-coat protectants, can be avoided altogether. Ford says others, such as undercarriage washes and wheel washes, should be used no more than twice a year.

“All of us want to take care of our cars in a different way and sometimes you want to treat your car really special and say, ‘I’m going to get the deluxe this week,’ and I think that’s kind of why they offer all the ranges on them.”

Ford said a basic car wash, either by hand or automatic, is sufficient to keep your car clean of contaminants, dirt and even salt from the roadway.