Do soft tops and car washes go together? Or should you stick to hand washing your convertible?
Unfortunately, one Jeep owner found out the hard way that not all car washes are equal when it comes to rag tops. She ended up getting a cleaner car interior than she was hoping for.
Destanii M (@schy7) posted her unfortunate discovery to her TikTok account on February 25. Since then, the video has picked up over 558,700 views.
'It's time for a wash'
In the video, Destanii is seen seated in her car as it cycles through a drive-through car wash.
However, she is not seated comfortably. Instead, she's desperately trying to sop up the soapy water that's leaking into her Jeep Wrangler through the soft top roof.
The screen text reads, "POV your Jeep has a soft top and it's time for a wash."
Toward the middle of the video, the Jeep's soft top can be seen visibly chuckling as the car wash's brushes roll over it. More water pours in, and Destanii grins sheepishly at her camera.
Thankfully, despite only having a handful of napkins at her disposal, she seems to do a good job of mopping up the leaked water.
Sometimes, soft tops and car washes don't mix
So, should you avoid car washes altogether if you have a soft-top convertible? Not necessarily. You should be careful, though.
A non-convertible can generally go through any drive-through car wash. However, soft top owners need to take special care when selecting which wash to use.
According to Eurotop, owners should look for washes that offer "touchless" services. They should avoid those that use brushes, particularly if the soft top has a plastic rear window. Eurotop advises avoiding wax entirely.
On its website, El Car Wash states, "the material on the top of [soft top] convertibles may become scratched or discolored from brush automatic car wash systems."
"However, tunnel car washes are gentler and these systems are manufactured to be a solution for washing almost any type of vehicle, including soft top convertibles."
If you're unsure about what your top can handle, you may want to stick to hand washing your vehicle. But you don't have to do that yourself.
"Most of the modern-day car washes offer hand wash and detail services for those who are apprehensive about washing a soft top convertible in an automatic car wash," according to the El Car Wash website.
Viewers speak up
Some viewers were surprised Destanii didn't know that soft tops and car washes don't mix well.
Lilith (@wrangler98_lilith) wrote, "I fear this is common sense when you own a soft top."
Destanii responded, "I fear my car still needed a car wash."
"Dawg what are you doing?? You can't go through car washes with soft tops??" another viewer commented.
"Girl get a sponge a bucket a hose and car wash solution your car is gonna be moldy," another added.
The Daily Dot reached out to Destanii via TikTok direct message and comment.
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