The statement is largely a myth with modern technology designed to be gentle on paint, while studies have found an Automatic friction carwash (like iShine) does less damage than hand washing. Soft Touch Carwashes (iShine); These use soft cloth materials, like neoprene or closed-cell foam, which are designed to be gentle on paint and are constantly sprayed with high-pressure water to prevent debris from sticking, according to detailing websites. There have been multiple independent studies conducted that debunk the myth that modern carwashes are bad for your paintwork. The FACT is most handwashing is worse on your paint. TopGear did a 15 month test in 2013 and found the Commercial Automatic Carwash had no measurable abrasions to the paintwork while handwashing produced the worst results. Paint Research Association (a non-profit organisation) were engaged by TopGear to do a study and found "washing your car by hand actually does the most damage to its paint job" when compared to an automatic carwash.  Don't believe us - follow the link for more information:  TopGear Study  "The results were then measured by a Rhopoint IQ Meter to test both the gloss and the haze of the paintwork. The vehicles were also tested for surface roughness, film thickness, surface appearance and scratching." TopGear Study  2007 the Technical University of Munich in association with Mercedes Benz did a study that found the same results “Wash a car by hand or by machine, in either case, it looks immaculate right after the wash. The sophisticated test described suggests that looks are deceiving: The paintwork on a car washed by automatic carwashing equipment is in much better condition than one washed by hand”. Technical University of Munich article 2017 The International Carwash Association working along with the University of Texas at Arlington, Texas, found Automatic carwashes were virtually harmless to a vehicles paint.  while "Hand wash jobs are extremely harmful to automobile finishes - Tests results showed that some single home hand wash techniques can produce scratches that penetrate as deep as 1/10 of the total thickness of the paint. The University of Texas at Arlington Article ​Reality is that any washing of your vehicle will have an impact, but when using the latest technology products and chemicals means soft contact automatic carwashes are a paint an efficient and car friendly wash option. Our team also run multiple brush cleaning cycles every day and regularly pressure wash our equipment to ensure we keep our equipment clean from dirt and debris.

NO - swirls are not really associated with a soft touch carwash.  Tomorrows technician states "Automatic carwashes do not cause swirls. Swirls are random in size and direction. If an automatic carwash caused swirls (even a little over time), it would be a mechanically consistent pattern over every customer’s car at any particular carwash." This means you would see straight lines along your vehicle if the tunnel was damaging your paint...not swirls. Article link    Swirls in your paint are generally attributed to improper washing like using a single bucket wash technique where contaminated sponges or towels trap particles and become abrasive when washing and/or drying your vehicle. Over time you will still get swirls in your paint no matter what you do - it is not directly associated with a tunnel wash - hand washing or contactless washes are most likely to cause this issue.

TopGear did a 15 month test in 2013 and found the Commercial Automatic Carwash had no measurable abrasions to the paintwork while handwashing produced the worst results. Paint Research Association (a non-profit organisation) were engaged by TopGear to do a study and found "washing your car by hand actually does the most damage to its paint job" when compared to an automatic carwash.  Don't believe us - follow the link for more information:  TopGear Study  "The results were then measured by a Rhopoint IQ Meter to test both the gloss and the haze of the paintwork. The vehicles were also tested for surface roughness, film thickness, surface appearance and scratching." TopGear Study  Based on PRA's findings after the study, the commercial automated car wash operated by IMO, supposedly the largest dedicated car-wash company in the world, "offered the kindest wash of all," thanks to its mitter technology's ability to remove dirt and contaminants from the vehicle's paintwork without any measurable abrasion. On the other hand, commercial hand-washing proved to be the most abrasive with the highest scratch count of any other method. TopGear Study