Solution to car wash/water ban

I actually enjoy washing my car, so when the water ban hit last year I was not pleased. I came across some stuff called Optimum No-Rinse, which essentially let's you wash your car with 2-3 gallons of a water in a bucket (and while your garage doors are closed). I was skeptical, but this stuff is amazing. Turns out that a lot of car detailers use it for mobile washes. I was able to wash my car in 20 minutes, and virtually no water was on my garage floor.

I'm not affiliated with the product at all, just thought I'd share with others who are probably in the same boat...

 

Thank you. While my dads been out of town, he asked me to wash his Maserati and it took about 40 minutes...just to do the rims. I didn't have any good washing stuff so nothing came off easy. Using just water in a bucket to wash his car is virtually impossible without leaving streaks. Thanks for putting that stuff out there. Now how much does it cost?

 

Here's another option: Quick & Easy Wash

http://www.protectall.com/qelg.htm

 

either that or just wash your car at night when no one will see you do it

 

No dice, here. My County water people drive around at all hours looking for evidence of outside watering -- wet driveways, healthy plants etc.

 

I read about Quick & Easy wash, the Optimum No-Rinse stuff is supposedly the next generation of it. You use a lot less, so even though the ONR costs more (about $40 shipped for a gallon (128oz)... you only need about 1 oz. per wash) the experts think it works better.

If you want to read more, go to:

autopia.org

Those guys are insanely anal when it comes to detailing. I ordered my ONR from obsessivedetail.com, he's one of their forum sponsors and was currently running a special for $32/gallon. I'm going to order the Poli-Seal from him, too. He ships fast, and I've read that the Poli-Seal is amazing.

 

Here is a website of detail hobbyists in Atlanta. They show off their before and after work in this forum. Some of them moonlight detailing other cars. Some of their work is jaw-dropping. They have discussed dealing with the water ban.

http://peachstatedetail.com/Detailing/nfphpbb/viewforum.php?f=10&sid=77fcd8bd0fb978b57399c58123fa2ee2

 

Get friendly with your neighbors and do it on your grass...I have a muddy Jeep now and need to find somewhere to get it all off.

 

My neighbors are fine, I'm just worried about the county driving around. Don't want to pay a $1000 fine!

 

Wow that is big money to have a clean car.

 

What if you were to buy bottled water & wash the car with that? It's not from the city... would they care?

 

Good question, not sure. Don't want to find out, though! The ONR stuff is great, because I can wash my car with my garage door shut.

You can use used bath water, though (yuck).

 

Actually, that works quite well... I've used it myself...

Trick is to take the bucket of water from the tub BEFORE you take the bath.


JD

 

Then that defeats the purpose of the bathwater rule I actually read the city code on it. Clearly says used bathwater. Then again, the ONR allows me to use anything I want in the privacy of my home, since I'm not breaking the "outdoor water use" ban.

 

I have been using QEW for 2 yrs. I have gone 8 months between polishings on the wifes 740il in calypso red. Under halogens, I could only detect a slight trace of marring in 8 months. Approx 60% QEW washes and 40% conventional 2 bucket washes.

I highly recommend using the 2 bucket method with either QEW or ONR. One bucket with your QEW/ONR solution and the other with water.

QEW: I use 1oz per gallon of water and a few sprays from a bottle of (QD) Quick Detailer. From what I understand ONR already has something that does not require a QD.

Its nice in the cooler months as I use warm water in both buckets.

Washing media: I prefer a plush MF towel. Some use a wash mitt.

Place your wash mitt/MF in the solution bucket and wring some of the water out.

Makes passes front to rear and not in circular motions. I make one pass on the hood and flip my MF to a fresh side. After each pass I turn the MF to a fresh side. So you should be able to make 4 passes before going back to the buckets with the MF folded in half.

Place the MF in the water bucket and adgitate it around. Wring it out the best you can and then go back into the solution bucket. Repeat the process till you are done.

Dry the car with a quality MF WW drying towel. If the QEW solution dries on the surface or glass, go over that area again with the QEW/ONR solution.

I then use an older MF to QEW the wheels and dry them after.

 

That's almost exactly how I do it. I end up adding about 1/4 oz. in the rinse bucket too to help release the dirt.

I switched from using microfiber to the Lowe's grout sponge by Proline (found in the cleaning section, NOT the tile section... there's a different one there). The sponge is soft with big holes to catch the dirt.

 

I actually did that for a week or 2 . Luckily i found a local car wash in which you can wash your car by hand.

 

So where is this local car wash that you can wash by hand? And what is the name?

Thanks

 

You guys are always more then welcome to use the shop. It's been awhile since I've posted and seems some new people are on here but I've done several car wash GTG's for watercooled VW crew. They've been very thankful and we all had a good time talking cars and washing!

 

That is mighty nice of you! I wished I lived closer to you. I live in Alpharetta. I doubt I will get down there but I appreciate your offer.