Washing in the sun

I was reading Esoteric's guide to washing cars, and it specifically said not to wash in direct sunlight. I have heard this many times, and I am curious for the reason. I basically have no option if I want to wash my own car because there is no shade in my driveway. So unless I am washing on an overcast day, which usually means rain in SW Florida, I will be washing in direct sunlight. Is waterspotting the major issue, with the sun drying the water drops faster than I can dry them or is there more to it?

 

You are correct, water spotting is the issue when washing in the sun. If you can 'blow dry' it or dry it faster than the sun, you should be OK.

 

Yes, water spots are the enemy.

Get a de-ionizer. It's well worth the money. I got ours from costco. I wish I had bought one a long time ago.

You can wash a black car in the sun and not dry it with no spots. I know first hand.

 

If its absolutely necessary to wash the car in the sun, pull it into the garage immediately after to dry it off. Water spots very annoying.

 

BB...Interesting. Something like this?

http://m.costco.com/CR-SPOTLESS-De-Ionizing-Spotless-Water-System™.product.11751987.html

T

 

Thats what he means. They are great, I had one for a while but ended up selling it because the new filter replacements got expensive quick. A lot will depend on how hard your water is where you're located, for me I would get about 12 washes before needing to replace them. I would wash my car and my wife's every weekend and those filters spent fast. I tried the resin replacements and it was a mess haha so I would just buy the new cartridges with the resin already there. I think they were about 100-120 a pair each time.

The key would be to keep the car cool at all times. Start with the wheels and then start washing the paint. If you start at the front keep spraying that section down with water when you are towards the back. Like others said, take it inside the garage if you can and dry it that way, or quickly dry with a blower and a towel so the water doesn't spot up on you.

 

Cool. Thank you for the info. I'll have to do research on our water hardness. At this time of the year, in Texas, I have wash our cars very early in the morning, or they're dry and spotty almost instantly...T

 

I know what you mean, I'm in Houston and it's pretty miserable haha


Jason Cavallo
www.cavalloautosalon.com

 

Yep. We haven't changed filters yet. Plenty of washes so far.

 

I think another issue could be putting cold water on really hot paint. I would keep the car in the garage until you are ready to wash then back it out and start immediately.

 

I've had my CR spotless from Costco for about a month, and I do notice water spots on the windows, which has me thinking. Even though I don't see any on the paint, are they there? Do you notice them on the windows? (the tinted windows dry quick in the sun and I have to go back and clean up the spots)

 

I would check to make sure the filters are installed properly. If the unit is working correctly there should be 0 PPM of dissolved solids, and if there are no solids in the water, spotting should not be possible. The unit should have come with a meter - have you measured the water at the output to verify it is 0 ppm?

 

I noticed some water spots on the inside of the engine bay glass. I was told by someone here in another thread to use white vinegar to help dissolve the old spots.

I haven't used the de-ionizer there. I'll let you know if the vinegar treatment works.

 

subscribed, this seems like a very interesting thread

 

Installed correctly and meter reads "0". Watched the complete set-up and use video.

The spots are on the dark tinted glass of my wife's BMW. Paint on that car is charcoal color, and don't notice spots on paint. I use Griot's Garage Car Wash & Wax, but thoroughly rinse the car with the CR Spotless (in fact, I do the complete wash using the CR Spotless). The spots on the windows come off easily with a microfiber towel.

On my other cars, I take the time and use a 8hp Master Blaster after washing and a microfiber or chamois to get any rogue water drops.

https://www.griotsgarage.com/product/wash+and+wax.do?sortby=ourPicks&refType=&from=Search

 

I wash outdoors in the so cal sun. The trick is to cool down the paint with water and soak it a little longer before any soap etc. Added benefit is it loosens dirt more. wash as normal and use leaf blower to get 90% of water off. Clean cotton towel for the rest.

 

If you use a glass polish or sealant it will virtually eliminate spotting on the glass for future washings. Plus your glass will dry easier and dust particles will not stick to the glass surface.

 

While water spots can certainly be an issue, and water spots all by themselves can cause paint damage, I was always under the impression that the main reason for not washing a car in direct sunlight is due to increased paint temperature.

When paint is heated to extreme temperatures, as can happen in direct sunlight, it softens the paint(or clear coat, which is actually just paint itself) making it far more susceptible to scratching/marring from rubbing the car with a wash cloth or wash mitt. In other words, the paint can become so hot and soft in the direct sunlight that you actually damage it simply from a routine wash.