Hi everyone, I like many on here like to keep their car clean ….all my cars and bikes actually. I currently use a foam and pressure washer followed by a chamois to dry.

A few year back I used a deionizer gun readily available at most stores and found it excellent way to dry a car with little effort and no spots.

The company went out of business many years ago and now I am looking into a permanent wall mounted unit.

Anyone use anything similar and what is your experience?

Thank you

 

Never used one of those but I have used two other methods to reduce spotting, 1) wash, rinse, and pull most of the remaining water of the clean car by pulling a damp microfiber towel over the car, then very lightly with a dry microfiber and more lately 2) small electric leaf blower followed by some minor touch up for drips

Also my car is ceramic coating which makes things a little easier.

 

I've used a CR Spotless Water System and it's great. I'm on a well, so the help with water spots is great. There are at least 10 models, ranging in price from $300-$600. Mine is one of the more basic versions on a cart, but they have wall-mounted models, as well.

 

That's pretty neat! Basically no need to dry the car after washing - although if you don't have a garage is there a problem with debris in the air (i.e. pollen, dust) settle back into the water droplets before they dry?

 

Bfrank I currently use the method you describe but anytime you don't need to physically touch the paint the better.

You dont need a garage as not long after you do the final rinse spray the car is dry in no time. Works perfectly with little effort.

I will be moving shortly and will be on a well so appreciate the link uncheel

 

I think I'd have more trouble with dust in the garage, vs. driveway. For me, the biggest annoyance is sopping up water from the trunk/boot sills, under the hood/bonnet, fuel filler hatch, spoiler, etc. Necessary, however.

 

Yes, minerals in the tap water is just one thing to deal with. In the springtime here in north Texas with a near constant 10-20mph wind, there's enough pollen, west Texas dirt and local construction site dust in the air that by the time you've put the car wash stuff away, you can literally already write "Wash Me!" in the fresh dust layer on the hood. I'm not kidding. It's that bad. So you still have to dry the car otherwise the pollen & dust just congeals around the perimeter of the water spots as they evaporate.

I recently bought one of these deionized water systems but what I'm hoping for is that it will help when the summer temps here get much hotter and the winds die down. Last summer I had a new car professionally ceramic coated (my first experiment with ceramics) and was getting frustrated that the water was evaporating so fast that one end of the car would already be dry and spotted before I could even finish washing all the way to the other end, let alone start drying. But one thing I've already learned is that those $75/each cartridges don't last very long at all. Was about to order the RVmods kit and bulk cation and anion resins (supposedly go through a lot more of one than the other so the 50/50 mixed bed isn't really the most cost-effective, rather its the most profitable). But kinda wondering if like printers, if the cartridges supplied with the new unit contained just a token amount to get me started (i.e. hooked), and would the replacements actually last a lot longer. I'm not convinced yet that I haven't just wasted money, but it wouldn't be the first time I wasted money on cars.

 

This may be useless advice and probably known to all ,but over many years of car washing, what I have found is that the less rubbing and buffing the better (and to be honest the older I get the less enthusiastic I am about rubbing and buffing anyway).

The science is that buffing creates static which attracts dust. Apparently when you finish waxing or polishing, just hosing with plain water can get rid of static (but dont buff again to dry it). I use a maintenance wipe on wipe off wax (Polish Angel rapidwax) and generally get several weeks of it looking great between washes, although the car always pops just after a wash. I had previously used silicone based compounds that needed buffing and there would be a layer of dust on the car the morning after it was done.

 

To dry mine I use a Blaster Sidekick blower. It is actually meant to dry motorcycles but due to the F-Types small size it works well. It is industrial built so it should last a while. It warms the air slightly and has a washable filter. They do sell a larger version for cars called the Master Blaster.

For waxing I use a paint sealant called Ultima Paint Guard Plus. You wipe it on and walk away. There is no wiping it off. It lasts up to a year.

 

I run a lab facility for a client that has a high capacity deionized water system and I always use this to do the final rinse of my car after a wash. Use of DI water to rinse the car makes it sparkle when it dries and I believe makes the car attract less dirt. Since using the DI water rinse I seem to only have to wash the car half as often. To completely rinse the car it only takes about 6 gallons (just splashed on from jugs). Before the starting to use this water I used distilled water I got on sale from Stop N Shop @ $1.69gal on sale. It worked just as well. Once rinsed with the DI water I just take the car for a short spin around the block to blow the water off.

Way easier and better results than a chamois or microfiber towel for drying the car after a wash.

 

Same here, I just keep an electric leaf blower hanging in my garage with two batteries and blow off the water after the final rinse and then use a microfiber towel to catch any remaining drips.
I also have a Volvo SUV which I use to take my golden retriever out on errand rides, and that's why I bought the leaf blower in the first place - primarily to blow his fur out of the car every few weeks! 😂

 

I had my water treatment company install a system that they custom built for me. Since I am on well water they started with running the water through a Iron/Magnesium filter then through a water softener. Then they run the water through a reverse osmosis system into a 30 gallon storage tank, then pump the water through a deionizer tank. The system was installed 9 years ago and have had water at 0 ppm ever since. This is only used as rinse water after the car is cleaned. I also have a Master Blaster air dryer wall mounted.