Miniature car wash means better paint, worry-free washing

Nissan engineers test paint samples in the scaled-down car wash to ensure exterior paint holds up to the demands of a modern car wash, which can scratch clearcoats and abrade paint

By Autocar Professional Bureau

14 Dec 2017

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Miniature car wash means better paint, worry-free washing

A miniature car wash, about the size and shape of a popcorn machine, plays an important role at the Nissan Technical Center North America in Michigan.

Equipped with a spinning brush that has vibrant blue bristles, this highly specialised (and fun to watch!) machine allows engineers to test paint samples to make sure Nissan's exterior paints hold up to the tough environment of automatic car washes.

To mimic an automatic wash cycle, Nissan's miniature car wash spins the brush at around 180rpm, causing the bristles to harshly slap the paint sample as water jets spray and ‘Arizona dirt’ replicates the harsh and abrasive real world.

In the video below, the red 1:16 scale model of the 370Z is for illustrative purposes only. In actual testing, Nissan paint is applied to rectangular plates (such as the yellow sample seen in the photos), which are placed into the miniature car wash and tested multiple times to ensure a top-quality finish that lasts.