ECO FRIENDLY CAR WASH
 

i recently came across the concept of a waterless/rinselss car wash.

there are a ton of products out there, and even a few companys which offer this service. most claim that an entire vehicle can be cleaned with about 3-5L of H20, in comparison to a typical at home car wash which usually requires 200+ L of water. From what i've seen, it seems like all that is used is some sort of solvent in a spray bottle/pump in combination with a bunch of clean microfiber rags.

here are some links:
Services: ParkinWash - YouTube
and What Is GeoWash ? - YouTube

Products: Freedom Waterless Car Wash Demonstration - YouTube
Griot's Garage Spray-On Car Wash - YouTube
Washing with Optimum No Rinse - YouTube

i've read up on this stuff a bit, but i''d also like to hear your comments/thoughts on the topic. so ....

My question for you guys is: would you ever use one of these products on your benz, or perhaps get your benz washed at one of these places? YES / NO ? & why or why not?

thanks

My concern is what effect would this have on my 35 year old paint.

Things like that seem to only SOUND like good ideas. In my experience, they never seem to work out very well in the real world.

Anybody else?

I see the poll is so far 2 against and none for, even though there are three respondents so far . . . .

Make that four

hey guys ,

thanks for your replies.

i have been doing a little research on this subject matter for my tree-hugging cousin, who has been thinking about opening up a car wash. He is fascinated with the idea that a car could be washed with about3-5L of water+product solvent.

To be honest, the paint on my benz is far from flawless, its got a couple of rust bubbles along with some swirl-marks, and still i'm not sure i'd use one of these products to clean it. on another forum which discusses how to use these products, there is mention that the dirt is saturated with the spray-on-product and then it must be CAREFULLY wiped away. it seems like these products could potentially cause swirl-marks , especially if used incorrectly/carelessly.

on other forums, it seems like the majority of people/detailers only recommend them for a touch-up cleaning. my guess, when cleaning with these types of products, the dirtier the vehicle, the higher the risk of causing paint damage.

thanks again to all who have commented, and am interested to hear any other thoughts you might have about this topic.

To be honest I would never take a car to a car wash. They are horrible machines that don't do the job properly.

When I wash my car I use about 1/3 of a bucket of water with soap and probably 2/3s of a bucket of water for rinsing. I guess most tree huggers wouldn't think that that was excessive.

I have a noncy soft hair brush that caresses the paint work and titilates the chrome work and gently massages the stuck on flies from the windscreen. Now you don't get treatment like that from a half million euro machine do you?

To heck with the car, I'm coming over for a bath at your place! Titillation, caressing and massaging, oh my!:D

Mike you know you're welcome though you'll have to go see the ladies in the red light district for that kind of stuff as I only do automotive titilation etc etc etc

You mean they dont 'do' windows too ?

I am suddenly reminded of that car wash scene in Cool Hand Luke . . .

If you've never seen that movie, you should get it and watch it! It's one of the hottest car wash scenes I've ever seen.

so how many quarters to consider me a automobile *shakes*

i'd take my car there only cause the paint is dead.. might as well see if it can strip the rest and make it easier for me :cheesy:
and the guy missed the mirrors!!

hey army, what do you use to rinse? as i don't have access to a hose, so i was wondering, i usually just go to the coin wash, and spray the car down with high pressure, and rinse it. but i do want to do a high quality hand wash with my own soap once in a while..

I just use tap water and that brush of mine that Mike D seems to have gotten all excited about.

Where I live - in the damp - I avoid anything "high pressure" things don't dry out if you're not careful; and then the wet turns to rot and well you've seen that rust and accident repair thread I started haven't you? (If only I'd owned my car from new)

Army's right on with not using high pressure for a rinse. You should only use a hose on a low pressure and allow the flow of water to "lift" any removed dirt particles, etc. and allow them to "float" from the surfaces. High pressure will drive them into any cracks, seams or trim pieces where they will remain until the next car wash.

I do a method similar to Army's. I use the "two bucket and a spit" method. I have a 2 gallon yard sprayer filled with clean water, a 5 gallon bucket filled 1/3 full of clean water and a 5 gallon bucket with soapy water. A quick spritz with the sprayer, dip the brush, sponge whatever into the soapy water, wash the area, swish the utensil into the CLEAN water bucket, a dip into the soapy, re-wash the area, drop the utensil into the clean water and spray the soaped area. Repeat until done.

The clear water bucket keeps you from washing the next area with the sand, grit, etc. you lifted from the previous area and makes it much easier to spray the residue. I use the water in the formerly clear water bucket to scrub the tires, fender wells and the bottom of the trunk area with a long handled brush when I'm done with the car.

"Cool Hand Luke" ehh? Why do I have this sudden desire for hard boiled eggs?:P

Dee8go
“Things like that seem to only SOUND like good ideas. In my experience, they never seem to work out very well in the real world.”

Youre right, when things seem too good to be true, they usually are. After reading up, I would probably use one of these products exclusively for a touch up cleaning.

Army
“They are horrible machines that don't do the job properly.”

Initially I thought you were referring to fully automatic car-washes or were you talking about the wash-it-yourself high-pressure-wash-booth’s ? I personally don’t take the car to the fully automatic car washes, but during winter I usually wash it at the high pressure car wash booths. As soon as the weather warms up, I wash it at home, with auto shampoo and a couple of sponges(1 for the upper half, the other is for the dirtier bottom half). For the rinse I use the garden-hose, but have to admit that I use a ton of H20(rinse for 5-6min ) then I dry it of with a synthetic chamois. How the hell do you get by with 2/3’s of a bucket of water(2.5 gallons?) and a brush for your rinse? What are you washing a Smart? :)

:) posts 8-12 especially that bath comment :))

MikeD
“Post #14”

I researched this a while back, and from what I remember it seems like your technique is the safest way to clean a car, the 2 bucket(1 for the rinse and the other for soap) technique . In addition to what you said, I would add that 1) a lot of people put plastic grit-guards at the bottom of each bucket. 2) Micro-fiber mitts are recommended over sponges as well, and 3) micro-fiber towels to dry the car off.

thanks and take it easy guys