What happens if you cannot hand wash your car

[Cogos]

I always see people online recommend to never take your car to an automatic car wash, regardless of how soft their equipment is. They are quick to tell you that it can ruin the paint and that you should only hand wash. I like how they assume that everyone has access to a hose or a place where to hand wash cars. Many people rent apartments and do not have access to hose, let alone, permission to wash your car in the parking lot.

In addition, most regular old fashioned hand car washes are disappearing and being replaced by automated car washed. I haven't found one single coin operated or hand car wash in a 25 miles radius. I found one 25 miles from my apartment. There is no way I'm driving that much, just for a cheap hand car wash. As such, I don't have a choice, but to use an automated car wash, which is only 5 minute from my apartment. I wish there could be a hose or access to free water somewhere, where I can take my own hose, but there is not.

Some people would say, hire a mobile detailer, yes, that would be great, except for the fact, that is EXPENSIVE, compared to an auto car wash or going to dedicated hand car wash.

Will it ruin the paint? Who knows, what will actually ruin the paint is not washing the car at all.

The same applies for shampooing and extracting carpet, lots of videos on youtube, telling you how to shampoo your carpets for cheap, even for $1, only to find out that they are using a $100-200 extractor or wet vac lmao and again, they assume you have one, or can easily get one from friend, neighbor, etc

[OCDer]

Re: What happens if you cannot hand wash your car

I always see people online recommend to never take your car to an automatic car wash, regardless of how soft their equipment is. They are quick to tell you that it can ruin the paint and that you should only hand wash. I like how they assume that everyone has access to a hose or a place where to hand wash cars. Many people rent apartments and do not have access to hose, let alone, permission to wash your car in the parking lot.

In addition, most regular old fashioned hand car washes are disappearing and being replaced by automated car washed. I haven't found one single coin operated or hand car wash in a 25 miles radius. I found one 25 miles from my apartment. There is no way I'm driving that much, just for a cheap hand car wash. As such, I don't have a choice, but to use an automated car wash, which is only 5 minute from my apartment. I wish there could be a hose or access to free water somewhere, where I can take my own hose, but there is not.

Some people would say, hire a mobile detailer, yes, that would be great, except for the fact, that is EXPENSIVE, compared to an auto car wash or going to dedicated hand car wash.

Will it ruin the paint? Who knows, what will actually ruin the paint is not washing the car at all.

The same applies for shampooing and extracting carpet, lots of videos on youtube, telling you how to shampoo your carpets for cheap, even for $1, only to find out that they are using a $100-200 extractor or wet vac lmao and again, they assume you have one, or can easily get one from friend, neighbor, etc

I can absolutely understand how you feel, as I live in an apartment as well. I'm lucky that I can go to a coin wash not too far from where I live, but I also lament the fact that most of the tutorials and guides online don't cater to our particular needs.

But it's a fact that most automatic car washes are not good for your car's paint, as the debris and contaminants from previous customers using the car wash will carry-over to the next customer's car, which can easily result in scratches.

You may want to look into rinseless or waterless car washing solutions, which can get your car looking clean without a fresh water source.

[twisty roads]

Re: What happens if you cannot hand wash your car

waterless or rinseless washes are a far better option as described by "OCDer".

Rinseless Wash: Take a 5 gallon bucket, fill it up with DI water (3-gallons), put a gamma seal lid on top and added Megs Xpress Wash and Wax at a 256:1 dilution. Place 10 towels in the solution and cover with the gamma seal lid. You have enough towels to wash 2-4 cars depending on size and how dirty they are. Use the "Gary Dean" method to wash the car (takes approx. 15-minutes)

Waterless Wash: Megs Ultimate Wash and Wax Anywhere (UWWA): spray onto the surface liberally, wipe clean with a MF towel. Repeat as necessary always using a clean side of a MF towel until the car is clean (takes approx. 15 minutes)

[Cogos]

Re: What happens if you cannot hand wash your car

I've been taking my cars to auto car wash for a few years now, and didn't notice any difference in the paint really. I have a better car now, a new Mazda 6, but still far from anything luxurious that would require mobile auto detailers washing it every week. In fact, I see plenty of Mercedes, BMWs and Audis being taken through the same car wash I go to. I suppose is because they are facing the same problem that I do, they have no place to wash it themselves or don't have the time, and refuse to pay up for the mobile detailers. We all live around the same area, so there are no hand car washes or coin operated washes. This is all we have.

I don't feel too sure about the rinseless and waterless washes. I feel like they wouldn't clean the car as well as using water, and ultimately, could make the paint more prone to clearcoat delamination in the long run. I feel like is ok if you are on the go, but not to do it every single week for months, if not years, but then again, I've never seen a case of someone doing the rinseless and waterless washes for years to know how the paint would end up.

I wax the car every 3 months and clay 3 times a year, in my mind, as a way to compensate for the auto car wash lol

Ultimately, I could become a mobile detailer and invest in one of those water pressure system or whatever is called, that they keep in their vans, so they don't use people's water, but it probably costs lots of money.

[The Guz]

Re: What happens if you cannot hand wash your car

You would fall into the category of a rinseless/waterless wash category as previously mentioned. It is safe as long as one follows the directions and understands the technique involved and when to use it.

I've been using a rinseless wash for the past 2 years. The first year it felt odd doing it as I was used to a bucket wash. I learned a lot from using it that first year in terms of technique and the overall process. The second year I did a majority of rinseless washing. I would say that I may have done a bucket wash a handful of times just to break up the mundane rinseless wash process. Also in 2016, Southern California issued some very strict water conservation policies and hefty fines for those that did not follow them. But I can say that even though I have access to a hose, I am a rinseless wash and the occasional waterless wash convert.

For me the benefits are that it saves me time and is less cumbersome than a bucket wash. For example, I gave my brothers car a rinseless wash in 15 mins for just the paint alone using Optimum No Rinse. The wheels and tires will add a little more time but I still did them completely waterless.

I have found that a rinseless wash cleans just as well as a bucket wash. I wash weekly. Never more than 2 weeks go by that I do not wash. Again it's all about technique just like a 2 bucket wash.

One of the things I would like to do for 2017 is to go completely rinseless. Other than when I do a paint correction for my personal vehicles or the occasional side job.

Clear coat will not fail because of a rinseless wash. I have never heard of such a thing.

Give it a try. It takes a little practice but it is completely safe. Meguiar's offers ultimate wash & wax anywhere as a waterless wash. D115 would be the gallon version that can be adjusted by dilution ratio.

I have been using Optimum No Rinse which works very well.

[Cogos]

Re: What happens if you cannot hand wash your car

So, I found a hand car wash like 5 miles from my apartment and is $5 for a basic wash with air dry. I figure I could bring my microfiber towels and dry the car myself lol I will go next week and try them.

[OCDer]

Re: What happens if you cannot hand wash your car

So, I found a hand car wash like 5 miles from my apartment and is $5 for a basic wash with air dry. I figure I could bring my microfiber towels and dry the car myself lol I will go next week and try them.

Good luck! Although I hate having to cram all my equipment in my trunk, without having the convenience of a home garage, the shine and luster after a job well done is compensation enough.

[Old Bear]

Re: What happens if you cannot hand wash your car

I just did a quick search and found these pages that list many Miami car washes and many have self service.

https://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=Self+Service+Car+Wash&find_loc=Miami%2C+FL

[JoeCamel]

Re: What happens if you cannot hand wash your car

https://www.amazon.com/PORTABLE-ELECTRIC-CLEANING-OUTDOOR-CAMPING/dp/B01N2PLKDZ/ref=sr_1_3?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1484324801&sr=8-3&keywords=Car+Wash+Submersible+Pump

this may help if you have some park near by to wash

[mcleod52]

Re: What happens if you cannot hand wash your car

Rinseless wash (Megs D114 - I still have some) using the Gary Dean method is how I do 90% of my car washes. I have a dedicated 5 gallow bucket with a gamma-seal lid so I am always ready to wash. Can't say enough about how good a process this is. Key is to have lots of MF towels, I may go through 5-10 doing a car just to be on the safe side. Depends on how dirty the vehicle is. I also use Griots Speedshine for some day-to-day cleaning of dirty spots.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: What happens if you cannot hand wash your car

Cogos, the guys talking about rinseless and waterless wash process have given some great advice. Yes, it can be a bit tricky to wrap your head around the process at first, but maybe this article will help put you at ease with the processes.

[Blueline]

Re: What happens if you cannot hand wash your car

Cogos, the guys talking about rinseless and waterless wash process have given some great advice. Yes, it can be a bit tricky to wrap your head around the process at first, but maybe this article will help put you at ease with the processes.

I read that article just now, read it probably several times before, and I still just cannot wrap my head around a rinseless wash. Looking at my black car out in the garage today, it needs a wash, but it is too cold. With the crystallized salt and probably sand in the crevasses, I feel I would be rubbing salt and sand right into the paint. IF it was 80 degrees out and the car only had dust on it, I might consider rinseless. But not on my car today. Next week it will be above freezing, and I will turn the water on, and hose and two bucket it. To me, it is the only way.

[Cogos]

Re: What happens if you cannot hand wash your car

I managed to find a place at my mom's apartment, where to wash my car for free, where I didn't know there was a hose. I was paying $20 a month for the unlimited plan at the auto car wash. I bought some Meguiar gold wash, 2 bucket, grits, wash mitt, more mf towels and a nozzle and managed to wash the car just fine.

I went to check that hand car wash, but is no good. They are open from 8am to 8pm. I went at 6:30p, hoping not to find any people, there was a big line of 2 cars merging into one lane (dangerous) and it was next to the gas station, where there are more cars, basically the whole place is a magnet for car accidents, with so many cars going into the gas stations and merging to the car wash. I went through it anyway, they were using the same bucket and wash mitt on all the cars. They didn't dry my car either.

I don't live in Miami exactly, and yes, I did check Yelp and google before creating this thread.

[335d]

Re: What happens if you cannot hand wash your car

open a hand carwash