Fifteen percent of Americans never wash their cars, and even more never visit a car wash. That’s according to a survey from the International Car Wash Association. The survey also found that about half of all Americans wash their cars less than once per month and that almost 40 million drivers reported that their car’s interior smelled like garbage. Instead of treating their cars like the valuable investment that they are, Americans are driving around in conditions that would frighten the Health Department. Those habits are costing drivers money when they try to sell their cars.

Kelley Blue Book reports that one of the main elements that people look at when they purchase a used car is aesthetics. People are looking for clean wheels, trim, paint and glass. No matter how mechanically well-maintained a car is, a grimy exterior and smelly interior will kill the sale. This holds true whether people are selling their cars privately or trading them in at a dealership.

A dirty exterior doesn’t just kill resale value; it may also kill your paint job. Waste from industrial plants, particularly in urban areas, disperse into the environment in the form of sulfuric or nitric acid. When this acid rain falls on your car, it may eat through the paint and, in the worst case scenario, the metal beneath the paint. When you add acid rain to the daily insults of squashed bugs, bird droppings, tree sap, acorns, leaves and pollen, you have a recipe for some serious damage.

Warm temperatures make the damage worse. The acid from the materials deposited onto your car become more active in a hot environment. Metal retains heat, activating the acids in the pollutants that rest on your paint. The longer the substances remain on your car, the worse the damage will become. Even water, if not properly removed from the surface of a car, can cause oxidation which leads to corrosion and rust. In environments where cars are also assaulted by sea salt or road salt, corrosion problems are exacerbated.

Hopefully by now you can see why washing your car is important. You can wash the car yourself. However, a do-it-yourself wash is not always the most environmentally-conscious solution. The chemicals from your at-home car wash run off into storm drains and end up in streams and rivers. Also, your trusty garden hose will use twice as much water as the equipment at a professional car wash.

Charlotte residents, fortunately, have a solution to these problems. If you are looking for a car wash in Charlotte, North Carolina, then look no further. Tidal Wave Auto Spa, located at 5740 Albemarle Road, provides drivers with an easy five-stop washing station. Drivers pull their cars onto the conveyor track and put their cars in “Neutral.” Then, the car is moved through a series of individual washing stations, starting with an initial rinse, then a soap cycle, then a soft-brush cycle, and then a final rinse. The final station is a large air drying system that ensures that water doesn’t damage the car’s surface.

Many people worry that an automatic car wash will scratch their paint. While this may have happened in some of the earliest automatic car washes, today’s technology provides cars with white glove treatment. In fact, today’s brushes are soft enough to be used for dry polishing. In a well-maintained car wash, like Tidal Wave Auto Spa, your paint job is safe and secure.

One of the nicest perks at Tidal Wave is the free vacuuming station. You’ll never dig for quarters in the console at Tidal Wave to feed a hungry vacuum machine. Tidal Wave car wash customers vacuum their cars for free, and the vacuuming stations have no time limit. Customers have no excuse for leaving Tidal Wave Auto Spa with anything less than a pristine car.

Your car is one of the most expensive items that you own. Your valuable investment deserves a high level of care. Drop by Tidal Wave Auto Spa today and find out what a high-quality car wash will do for your vehicle.