Many people think that when the car sits under the rain, the rainwater will wash the dirt and salt off the car. Not true. Actually, rainwater can cause even more damage than it helps. As rain falls, it collects pollutants and contaminants from the air, and this is called Acid Rain.

Rain has too much of what your car doesn’t need

The idea that rainwater will clean your car also misses another element that has an impact on car care: not all water is the same.

A quality car wash incorporates an advanced water recycling system to reclaim and recondition the water that cleans your car. Water softeners are used in areas that are known for hard water. Otherwise, contaminated water would simply reintroduce harmful chemicals like salt back onto its surface. And hard water would cause spotting.

Unfortunately, rain does that too. Chemical compounds that fall with the rain can wreak havoc on your paint, windows, and other vehicle surfaces. For instance, minerals can lead to hard water spotting, a condition that is difficult to remove. And pollutants in the air lead to acid rain, where the rainwater actually becomes acidic and can etch the paint. If left to dry, the acidic compounds concentrate; when they are re-wetted at the next rainfall, they do even more damage.

Acid rain and hard water spots can be extremely difficult to remove from any surface. If they are left on your paint, they often require professional car detailing to correct the paint without adding to the damage.

Your car is not cleaned by the elements, it needs protection from them

Not only does the rain fail to adequately clean a car, holding out hope that it will do the job is kind of like putting the wolf in charge of guarding the hen house. Maybe not so dramatic or imminent a threat, but kind of.

You see, rain and mud and snow are conditions that lead to the deterioration of your vehicle, not to its improvement. Rather than looking to the rain to clean your car, you might consider protecting your car from the elements.

For instance, applying barrier coats of polymer sealant or wax (or both) to your paint will not only make it look shiny, but it will make the water bead up and run off easily. The process also keeps other contaminants from being able to stick so easily. And spotting is minimized or eliminated.