Car Wash Industry wants to ban Driveway washing

[Peter Crowl]

I came across his article in Professional Carwash and Detailing magazine. They were quite pleased with this piece.

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SANTA CLARITA, CA — Local public relations consultant Stephanie Weiss was recently recognized by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for her work in promoting environmentally-friendly carwashing, The Signal reported on Jan. 21.

Weiss was honored for her work in teaching carwash owners how to design, develop and implement charity carwash programs from both a community service and an environmental protection perspective, eliminating wastewater from carwash operations, the news service reported.

****The governor and the state's Environmental Protection Agency wrote that Weiss' work sends a clear and concise message about the harmful effects of driveway washing and the importance of community collaboration, the article said. ****

"I was shocked. Recognition for my work came as complete surprise," Weiss said in the article. Weiss told the news service that she had been working with both individual carwash owners and members of the Western Carwash Association (WCA) for a number of years now.

According to the article, Schwarzenegger became familiar with her work when she submitted the WCA as a candidate for the Governor's 2004 Environmental and Economic Leadership Award. While the association didn't receive the award, Weiss was recognized for her work in the campaign.
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Let me begin by saying that I think we all care about pollution...we don't want to harm our environment...we use products and methods that minimize the impact of what we do.

But

I take this as the Car Wash Industry bringing their muscle and money to bear in an effort to convince local municipalities to ban driveway washing. It can't be interpreted any other way... I'll repeat the main message again..."Weiss' work sends a clear and concise message about the harmful effects of driveway washing and the importance of community collaboration, the article said"

When it comes to this kind of legislation...as California goes, so goes the nation. This is about the perception of water wasting and harmful run-off. It doesn't matter if these concerns are valid or not..if we who are responsible use bio-degradable shampoos....they just have to be sold to City Governments and... even easier..to Home Owner Associations...as being valid. Then these entities can then be seen as "doing something" about "Pollution".

This is no different than the assaults on their hobby that Classic Car Collectors and Restorers face. They have created associations and together those associations hire lobbyists to protect their interests. We have no such association.

If you saw an article in a newspaper saying that your city government was having a hearing to consider a car wash ban what would you do? If you went to the hearing , what facts could you present? What studies could you cite to refute those presented by the industry lobbyist?

Them: Driveway car washing is bad..it creates harmful chemical run-off and wastes water... here are studies to prove it.

You: Uh......does not.

This is a real deal...it's only a matter of time.

We need a plan..either to fight the legislative pressure..to prepare materials to use to defend our practices.. or to live with the consequences.

The Car Care product manufacturers are working to formulate products that comply with the coming EPA restrictions. That's good. But if you can't wash your car .. how are you going to use these products? Take your car to the Automatic Scrape 'n Shine and then come home and try to mitigate the damage?

I for one don't want to spend the rest of my life trying to wash my car with QEW!

I'm posting this to begin dialogue. We need to do this. We need Meguiars and the other suppliers and distributors to get behind this.

Comments?

[JeffM]

If people really sit around and think up stuff like this, then they are not serving the people anymore.

For the people by the people.

Industry isnt "the people", its a select few people with money and an agenda.

I think people want to just be left alone, to be free. I know i do. I see this as an enchroachment on that.

I think the issue isnt really washing cars in driveways, but our allowing people with $$ to influence our elected officials.

We used to call that bribery.

It is everywhere and it needs to stop. How can one say they are acting in the best interest of the public when private organizations are donating big money to campiegns, ect.?

The american dream is being left out in the cold.

[RamAirV1]

Just when I think I've seen it all........................................

Meguiar's I hope will lobby against such a law. They better put a plan together. Mother's better do likewise!

Haven't these idiots heard of biodegradeable car washes.

This won't fly in Indiana. At least not yet. It is best to nip this in the bud though.

In the city of Indianapolis, they can't even keep the raw sewage from overflowing into the White River, when it rains. I say, the more car wash we put in the sewers the better .

Thanks for reminding me of one of the reasonsnot to live in California! That and earthquakes.

No flame intended to our California members, but you have some whacky politicians there! There's some in every state though.

RamAirV1

[Lt1Corvette]

No worries RamAirv1,
We are used to things like that living in the People Republic of California. My opinion is a ban on driveway washing is just another way of trying to collect more taxes. If you can't wash it on your own, then you have to pay to go to a car wash. Then they bring up the issue on how run off from car washing goes in the sewers and endangers the local sea birds. It is all a big joke. I understand the need for some environmental protection, but these are the same people thirty years ago who were freaking out about Global Freezing!
I heard something similar to this a few years back. It got shut down as I hope this will.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Car Wash Industry wants to ban Driveway washing

Originally posted by Peter Crowl
I came across his article in Professional Carwash and Detailing magazine. They were quite pleased with this piece.

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(Article edited out, scroll up to read the article)
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I'm posting this to begin dialogue. We need to do this. We need Meguiar's and the other suppliers and distributors to get behind this.

Comments?

Hi Peter,

Welcome to Meguiar's Online!

Thank you registering with our forum and posting this information for our members to be aware of.

Mike

[NewlyCarCrazy]

Hahaha! What a joke! They don't go after companies dumping vast amounts of waste into the ocean but the get the little guy washing his car on sunday. Even if this law passes, how could they enforce it? How much time would be wasted? This would be yet another completely ignored law. I would wash at home regardless of this pathetic law.

[Pazrs]

Consider yourselfs lucky, down here we arent allowed to use any water at all for private vehicle washing.



Except if done by a watering can. Drought

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by Pazrs
Consider yourselfers lucky, down here we aren't allowed to use any water at all for private vehicle washing.

Except if done by a watering can. Drought

Hi Pazrs,

Welcome to Meguiar's Online!

Thanks for sharing you're insight. I knew this about Australia because of the continuous drought conditions your country is under. Must be tough....

Mike

[Pazrs]

Originally posted by Mike Phillips
Hi Pazrs,

Welcome to Meguiar's Online!

Thanks for sharing you're insight. I knew this about Australia because of the continuous drought conditions your country is under. Must be tough....

Mike

Thanks for the welcome Mike! Sorry if I came across too bitter!



There is one plus, it effects everyone. You never the only person in the street with a filthy car

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by Pazrs
Thanks for the welcome Mike! Sorry if I came across too bitter!

There is one plus, it effects everyone. You never the only person in the street with a filthy car

I hope I didn't come off wrong...

All I meant was, it must be tough to be under these kinds of restrictions and be car crazy at the same time. I'm a car washer, as is my neighbors know me as the guy who's always trying to wash the paint off my cars...

I used to get up early in the morning before going to work or going out on my route, to wash my Milk Truck, just to make sure it was clean and shiny!



I for one enjoy washing my own cars and in our classes on Saturday's we teach people the importance of taking the necessary steps required to not put scratches and swirls into their car's finish in the first place by taking ownership of the washing step versus turning it over to an outside party.

So I think it would be tough to live in Australia and not be able to wash a car in the normal way.

Mike

[Peter Crowl]

Good comments all...

Things like this start out with little steps. Seeing that paragraph... in a trade publication...


****The governor and the state's Environmental Protection Agency wrote that Weiss' work sends a clear and concise message about the harmful effects of driveway washing and the importance of community collaboration, the article said. ****

....scares the hell out of me. This is how a ban will begin. If you aren't paying attention, one day you wake up and you can't use a hose...even if drought isn't the issue. The Car Wash Industry is actively working for this.

Companies like Meguiars, Mothers, and the rest can and need to get on top of this...but they cannot do this job alone. This isn't just about spending some money for ads. They need to compile the research to provide us with concise, well presented, documentation that refutes ..or at least balances..the material that those lobbying for a ban will have presented to legislators in our communities.

We have to stand up when these proposals come around and present a coherent rebuttal.... because the efforts to ban driveway washing will happen at the micro level...local government..home owners associations..rather than a sweeping State Law. That's just my opinion...but look at how other such regulations have come to be.

I'm making an issue of this here and at other Detailing sites because we have to get our ground game down .. starting now. It might be a year or two or three before it comes around in your area...but it will... and when it does ..well.. that's no time to start preparing.

We need to be able to convince people who think the height of automotive care is a conveyer wash and don't understand why we think otherwise, that we aren't turning on a 2 inch hose and letting it gush down the street...that the wash agents we use aren't harmful... or that their impact is minimal... and that there's a reason why we do this.

We must prepare for this.


Peter

[toyotaowner]

This is just blasphemous. They just want your money period. If we all do our part (which I think we would all want to), then problems can be avoided.

I love my 64 ounces of Gold Class. By far the best I've used. And I wouldn't give it up for some car wash. UNLESS, the car wash is specifically certified by Meguiars with routine suprise inspections which I doubt will ever happen.

[OrangeRcode]

While the weather may be nice, I am glad I don't live in CALI. Lots of nice folks but too liberal for my tastes. I hope they don't pass this. Sometimes these ideas have ways of drifting east.

[Peter Crowl]

Ok...um...the point is being missed. This isn't something that's up for debate in the State Legislature...it's a movement that's being advanced on small -- local -- units of government. Read the quote again... "Weiss' work sends a clear and concise message about the harmful effects of driveway washing and the importance of community collaboration "

Please... don't look for this to come from the State...there you can email a representative and hope for the best..this will come from your HOA..your City Council...your County Government.

YOU have to be prepared to go to a hearing and dispute this. It might not be this year... but it will come up.

I've sent an email to SEMA to see what they're take is on this. Their SEMA SAN organization is terrific...but I don't see it addressing this issue. They seem to be all about working with collectors on unregistered vehicle storage issues...exhaust modfication issues and so forth. This is so small it might just slide past them. We need to be sure they're looking at it as well.

I'll report back if they reply.

Peter

[everglo]

Peter, what issue was this article in? Based on your summations of the article I see that Ms. Weiss works with charity car washes & car wash owners to operate in an environmentally friendly manner. Also, that her work brings to light that driveway washing has harmful effects. It DOES have harmful effects. It's not just the soap but brake dust, oil & grease, & toxic hydrocarbons as well as other materials. All these run to storm drains that lead to rivers, lakes, estuaries, streams, and ultimately our oceans. Would you agree to me dumping my car wash runoff into your favorite fishing hole? Or into your swimming pool? And how do you come to the conclusion that the car wash industry is attempting to ban driveway washing?

In the city of Irvine(where Meguiars is based) drive way car washing is not allowed. If you could see and study the condition of the Newport Back Bay(a local estuary located but a few miles from Meguiars) you would understand just how bad urban runoff is. Just using biodegradable products is not enough and to assume so is just plain ignorant. Biodegradable, phosphate-free soaps rob water environments of oxygen which destroys aquatic life. So just using these soaps is not "responsible" nor valid and cannot be deemed as "doing something about pollution".

Read "Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination" by Robert Pitt of the University of Alabama. Or visit your local stormwater management website. You will see just how widespread this problem is. Yes, industry is the biggest contributer to these woes but individuals contribute in a huge way also.

Lastly, as most of the country knows California had torrential rains the end of December 2004-January 2005. It rained for 3 weeks straight basically with 3-4 days of relief interspersed. That was 2 weeks ago today that those rains stopped. Local storm drains are still filled and "running off" water from local mountains and neighboring cities and the first week they were "raging". These waters still carry millions of ignorant driveway car washers pollutants to our oceans/waterways as well as garbage that people assume is okay to just dump. If you could see the waste that accumulated on our beaches you would be amazed. I'm sure the unseen pollutants from our car washing are just as enormous.

Just wanted to add...it seems to me that you have some other motive. True, there are many car crazy people here but your tone suggests that this goes beyond just being car crazy. Am I mistaken? Then please accept my apologies.