I disagree somewhat with that - in a pinch, when I have no other alternatives, I've found that the Laser brand of touchless car washes seem to do an ok job. I've certainly never found any swirling or marring as a result of using them - but, they also don't completely remove the dirt/road grime...
In a pinch, like when the car is completely trashed & you can't stand to drive it a minute longer looking like it does, the Laser hasn't disappointed me too badly. They're sort of hard to find though...