It is safe to take your electric vehicle through touchless and soft-touch automatic drive through car washes when following the vehicle’s manufacturer instructions correctly. Electric Vehicles (EVs) are built with waterproof sealed electrical components to withstand wet situations, including rainy weather and car washes.
How to Prepare Your Electric Vehicle for a Car Wash?
Obviously, an electric vehicle is a different type of machinery than traditional gas-powered vehicles. Therefore, you will want to take the following steps before entering an automatic car wash.
1. Review Vehicle’s Car Wash Instructions
Most EVs, such as Tesla, Ford and Hyundai electric vehicles, include a ‘CAR WASH MODE’ or specific guidelines for safely going through a car wash system to avoid damaging the vehicle’s operating system. This feature will typically turn off all automatic features, such as your automatic wipers, door locking, and parking sensors. It will also usually close all windows and lock the charge port.
2. Review Aftermarket Modification Requirements
If your EV has any aftermarket accessories or equipment, you will want to also review any pre-car wash requirements for these products as well. Examples of aftermarket accessories and products are trunk lids, bumper covers, spoilers, lift kits, antennas, diffusers, etc.
3. Close Charging Port
You will want to make sure your EVs system’s CAR WASH MODE automatically and securely closes the charging port. Otherwise, you will need to follow the instructions provided from the manufacturer for closing the charging port for entering a car wash to avoid any water access.
4. Disable Automatic Wipers
Again, will want to make sure your EVs system’s CAR WASH MODE automatically disables the rain sensing automatic wipers. If not, you must follow the instructions provided from the manufacturer to disable this feature before entering the car wash.
Go Unlimited with Swift Car Wash and Always Drive Clean!
Swift Car Wash understands the value of your electric vehicle investment. Our car wash technicians are highly trained to provide the best car wash possible for all vehicles, even convertibles! We only ask that you be sure to follow your EV manufacturer guidelines before beginning a car wash.
When you join a Swift Car Wash Membership, you are able to wash your vehicle up to once per day, every day, for less than a $1 per day. What’s even better is that Unlimited Wash Members have access to any Swift Car Wash store throughout Toronto, and get to drive into the fast VIP lane for automatic wash. Right now, we have over 75 car wash locations and many more are on the way!
Swift Car Wash Monthly Members have the use of FREE vacuums, and receive other great freebies, including dash wipes, mat cleaners, air freshener, and glass cleaner. When you join, you also become eligible for entry into our Monthly Lotto where winners receive some excellent prizes!
All of our stores are eco-friendly and operate with state-of-the-art equipment that recycles most of the water we use. Products used for washing and detailing vehicles at Swift Car Wash are also all biodegradable. Stop by and visit an Swift Car Wash in Toronto today!
