Car Wash Caution … Watch Those Brakes
What could be easier than running your car through an automatic car wash? Pull up to the entrance, pay your money, put your car in neutral, and let the machines do the rest. No fuss, no muss, right?
For most older cars, that’s true. But increasingly, it’s not that simple for newer cars when you’re using a car wash that pulls your vehicle forward on rollers. Take the current generation Volvo XC90—and any other car in Volvo’s lineup, I’m sure—equipped with the “Automatic Braking when Stationary” and “Automatic Parking Brake Application” functions. If those are active when entering the car wash, Volvo warns, “the brake system will seize when the vehicle is stationary and the vehicle will not be able to roll.” And you’ll have angry car wash customers piling up behind you.
These automatic braking systems are designed to keep cars from accidentally rolling away. It's not a silly concern, especially with vehicles like the XC90 that have an auto stop/start feature for the engine. If you’ve ever driven a car like that, you know it’s not that hard after stopping the car to think you’ve turned it off, when in reality it’s still in “ready” mode, prepared to accelerate again as soon as you take your foot off the brake. The automatic brake function kicks in after a few seconds of not moving. At the car wash, this could prevent your car from being rolled forward.
Here’s Volvo’s current recommendation for what needs to be done if you want to put your vehicle through an automatic car wash that pulls your vehicle forward on rollers. This is taken directly from page 643 of the online Owner’s Manual for the 2019 XC90, as viewed on 12/9/18:
Drive into the automatic car wash.
Turn off the "Automatic Braking when Stationary" function using the button in the tunnel console. (Editor’s note: In the console of my 2019 XC90 Inscription, this “button” is right behind the parking brake “button” or lever. It shows a letter “A” inside of a circle, which itself is inside a partial circle. If it’s active, a green light illuminates. To deactivate it, press the button. The green light will go off.)
Turn off the "Automatic Parking Brake Application" function in the center display's Top view. (Editor’s note: To be more specific, first tap the “=” icon at the top of the center infotainment screen. Next, tap “Settings,” then “My Car,” then “Parking Brake and Suspension.” You’ll see an item titled “Auto Activate Parking Brake.” If the box to its left is checked, uncheck it (press it) to make the feature inactive. Note that you can leave it unchecked of you don’t want to worry about this in the future, but know that you won’t be taking full advantage of this Volvo safety feature.)
Turn off the engine by turning the start knob in the tunnel console clockwise. Hold the knob in position for at least 2 seconds. The vehicle is now ready for the automatic car wash.
Volvo also warns that before entering the car wash you should make sure the automatic rain sensor for the windshield wipers is not activated. Otherwise, it says, the wiper arms could be activated inadvertently, and damaged. And, it says to be sure the door mirrors are folded in, antennas retracted or removed, and any auxiliary lights secured.
My strategy? When I don’t wash my vehicle by hand, or use a manual spray wand at a car wash, I think I’ll stick to the automatic wash near our house that doesn’t pull the vehicle on rollers. This is a “brushless” car wash in which you simply pull in and put the car in park when you reach the appropriate mark. At that point, sprayers on tracks pass back and forth and over your car, washing it without any brushes touching the vehicle.
Two final points. First, Volvo isn’t the only manufacturer that has equipped its vehicles with technology that must be deactivated to use a conventional automatic car wash. Second, similar precautions are needed for some Volvos built before 2019. In 2017, Craig Fitzgerald wrote an article for BestRide.com which pointed out that this was an issue for Volvos that year with the manufacturer’s “Pilot Assist Auto Hold Braking” feature. It cited similar issues with a number of models from BMW, Lexus, Mercedes-Benzes and others.
Bottom line? Keep your Volvo clean, but think before you wheel into an automatic car wash. Consult your owner’s manual to make sure you’ve got your model ready to proceed.