Car Wash Selection.

[Paul J.]

Re: Car Wash Selection.

Yes, that was the question. Is the water filtered and then reused resulting in spraying salt water on your finish? Is the detergent a gentle soap or a harsh chemical that can damage the finish?

Yes, in modern car washes the waste rinse water is filtered and used in the early rinse to wet the car and in the soap tank and wands. The final rinses are fresh water. A couple of years ago I was looking at buying a new car wash, but never looked inside of the filtration tanks to see the membranes or the apparatus. I was told that it was pretty effective, but obviously some chlorides would get through it. The soap is still the ZEP type industrial soap that I used 42 years ago.

[David K.]

Re: Car Wash Selection.

Stu,

I know your comment was directed at me,LOL. I'm 65 years young and thankfully the ticker is still good. When the time comes that I can't wash and clean my cars any longer (and I know that day is coming), that is when my grandson will be called into service. He loves cars, particularly my Corvettes. If he won't do it then someone can take my car to a car wash.
Just don't tell me about it! Grandson also knows my will can be changed at any time. I think he has a real incentive to keep his Papa happy. LOL

Dave

[Stuart F.]

Re: Car Wash Selection.

Dave;

I think it is great you have a grandson interested in Corvettes. I have two; one who is nearly 17 and doesn't even want to get a driver's license. His Dad (my son) has three classic Vettes right now and he can't get his son to help him with them at all. My other grandson is just 8 and he likes everything (too soon to know about him).

I can still do bench work and tune ups on carbs and ignitions, and enjoy driving my 63 on Sunday mornings, but it's not the same as back in the day when I had show cars and 1/4 mile trophy winners, all of which I tended to with loving care and pride (nothing like keeping a car with 16 coats of black lacquer looking nice).

Stu Fox

[Philip P.]

Re: Car Wash Selection.

Sorry for the bad copy but ever imagine how many cars (C1) passed this on the first go around....

water test.jpg

[Phil D.]

Re: Car Wash Selection.

While I hand wash all my cars, even my daily beaters virtually every week, like the OP's concern, wax has always been an issue for me. Especially so since I changed jobs in 2006 and for the last 8 years have no longer enjoyed a parking garage at work. I have to park out in the sun and weather and traditional paste waxes just didn't last long through the Texas summers. When I bought a new Honduh (gasp!)in 2007, I decided to try using the new "quick" wax products, those you just wipe on after a wash, no three steps, no drying to a haze and no buffing. When before, I would struggle to find the time and energy to wax my cars two or three times a year, now I find that I'm happy to use the "quick" wax products at least once a month. It only takes 15 minutes to wipe down a car, 20 for my truck. I tried a number of different brands but settled on the Mequiars Ultimate Quick Wax though most perform similarly. So far so good. The seven year old Honduh still looks brand new and the surface feels smooth though its never once been "polished". Mind you, these products don't produce a show car shine and for that you'll want to do it the old fashioned way, but I think they do a good job of paint protection, keeping contaminants from sticking and perhaps a little UV resistance.

Yes, the brushless washes generally use both detergent and HOT water to loosen dirt with the side effect of stripping the wax. They also usually offer for a few bux more a spray-on wax treatment to replace what they've removed. I don't know if that's any good, but if you do decide to use one of the brushless car washes for convenience, I think you can replace the wax protection afterward in 15-20 minutes by hand with one of these modern quick wax products.