Waterless Detailing, yes or no?

FordGirl · 20-01-2007, 02:53 PM

Hey Guys,

Since Geelong and other areas are on Stage 4 water restrictions, and most of Victoria is on Stage 3 we aren't allowed to wash our cars at home.

So we're left no choice but to go to carwashes, but unfortunately not all carwashes have good brushes... their water is recycled so I've noticed in a few different places it comes out brown and smells.

What are our other options? I've heard of people using waterless detailing but I have no idea what this entails; is it okay for the car? Does it scratch the paint? What happens?

If anybody knows this, or has any other suggestions I'd love to hear it!

Unfortunately for me, my car is also not running at the moment so I'm unable to take it to a carwash and wash it there... so I'm really keen to hear about this waterless detailing.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! I'm sure I'm not the only person curious about this.

Krys.

snypereb · 20-01-2007, 02:58 PM

Go to the car wash and spend $5-$8 tops. Waterless detailing doesnt sound like a good idea!

FordGirl · 20-01-2007, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snypereb

Go to the car wash and spend $5-$8 tops. Waterless detailing doesnt sound like a good idea!

As I said in my post, I cant drive my car there so that isn't an option for me at the moment.

Aswell, since we're on stage 4 water restrictions the carwashes are restricted.. they're using boar water and recycled water. It comes out with dirt in it... stuff putting that on half decent paint!

I imagine if I go for a bit of a carwash cruise I'd be able to find a decent one, but yeah... with a car that doesn't run it isn't really an option.

Thanks for your response though.

If anybody else knows anything, if you've done this before, had it done, seenh it done, actually KNOW anything I am very interested in hearing it!

Gubas · 20-01-2007, 03:01 PM

Mabey PM DOC, from Themboys auto car care, or start a thread in thier forum. They might have some ideas on thier range.
Depressing to see the Sprint covered in dust!!!!!

gthofan · 20-01-2007, 03:05 PM

if the car is not dirty, or very dusty, buy some "meguires, "quick detailer"
you spray it on, and wipe off with a terry toweling cloth. good luck Krys

Aaron_EF8 · 20-01-2007, 03:12 PM

Basically all waterless detailing is, is buying a bottle of quick detail, spraying it on, then wiping it off.

Waterless detailing works good if the car isn't overly dirty, if there's mud/clay/tar/bugs/bird poo etc you'll scratch the paint trying to get it off. Some bug & tar remover sprayed on first should loosen it off though.

5L · 20-01-2007, 03:31 PM

you need to be able to move the dirt away from the paint, so if really dirty take it to a wash. as other have said if its not really dirty just needs abit of a spruce up the waterless wash should be ok.

FordGirl · 20-01-2007, 03:41 PM

The sprint is only ever dusty, I dont let it get dirty... if it has bird poop on it it gets washed off immediately (that's actually legal, as its a corrosive substance)..

But yeah, I figure I'm not the only one in the position of not being able to wash it at home with a sponge and bucket... and being a little bit scared to take it to a carwash (even if I could)... damn water restrictions!

GREERZ_04_BA · 20-01-2007, 04:41 PM

i go to the do it ur self car wash places and i take my own soap and sponge.
and use there water.
lol.

Tiga_EL · 20-01-2007, 04:54 PM

^^ thats what i do nowadays aswell^^ theres also this laser wash thing my old man was talking about. Dont know the exact specs on it, but i thinks its just high pressure water with some of that 'spot remover' detailing stuff sprayed on.

DOC · 20-01-2007, 04:57 PM

Guys, i have been testing and can say it is 100% possible to wash your car at home in a waterless way, using a spay bottle with a wash water mix to replace the hose, its just as fast, less mess and fantastic results.

there will be some pics up soon with a breif guide

Pete

FordGirl · 20-01-2007, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DOC

Guys, i have been testing and can say it is 100% possible to wash your car at home in a waterless way, using a spay bottle with a wash water mix to replace the hose, its just as fast, less mess and fantastic results.

there will be some pics up soon with a breif guide

Pete

I'm definitely keen to know more!! Thanks bud.

DOC · 20-01-2007, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FordGirl

I'm definitely keen to know more!! Thanks bud.

I am off my scrwany bum and doing it now, there's the talk and then there's the walk, Back soon.

snypereb · 20-01-2007, 06:07 PM

No offence Krys but you need to stop being so conservative on it and put a car cover over it if your so worried, if you by a high quality one they dont not scratch your paint its a myth!

FordGirl · 20-01-2007, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snypereb

No offence Krys but you need to stop being so conservative on it and put a car cover over it if your so worried, if you by a high quality one they dont not scratch your paint its a myth!

None taken! Expensive doesn't always mean good.

However, I was talking to Chris about it and he mentioned that Darin uses one on his... I'm keen to find out about what he uses as that car is absolutely immaculite! Shouldn't be too long until it's locked up in a shed anyways.

Either way, this is about carwashing - not car covers!

Quote:

I am off my scrwany bum and doing it now, there's the talk and then there's the walk, Back soon.

Good work Doc - looking forward to it!!

Bill_R · 20-01-2007, 06:17 PM

I'd try it if I needed to. A company on the Gold Coast was advertised as doing it at an event I went to. They also leave a protective coat on the car to make it easier to keep clean. Apparently, the fluid they use takes the crap off better than water - better wetting agent. I'd look at warranties associated with it first.

fiery · 20-01-2007, 06:33 PM

There is a company I have looked at and still slightly interested in. They advertise that they are a waterless car-washing mobile detailers.

I think as others have said it depends on the dirt on the car.. dust I doubt would be a major drama but I wouldn't like to tackle a car that has mud on it.
Mind you, in saying that I don't see an issue with the bugs and tar as that is what the bug and tar remover products are for.

I guess it also comes down to how well you have treated the paint prior. If your car is highly polished then I think the waterless may be ok on dust.

holmsy · 20-01-2007, 06:47 PM

i live in geelong also i used that wizard place on ballarat road it seemed pretty clean water. after using the wax stuff tho it comes out looking brownish for a bit untill it clears the wax out.
they also have a brush less thing that sprays soap across the car and then uses high pressure water etc to clean it. i haven't used that one but i might next time depending how much it is.

why do you need to clean the car so much if it isnt moving anywhere anytime soon anyway?

FordGirl · 20-01-2007, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by holmsy

why do you need to clean the car so much if it isnt moving anywhere anytime soon anyway?

It's horrible seeing it dirty! Just because it doesn't run, doesn't mean it shoudn't be taken care of...

I used to go to the HI-WAY WASH on Bellarine HWY in Newcomb, but last time I went there to wash the Mazda it STUNK horribly and the water was BROWN... it was gross! Dont go there!

DOC · 20-01-2007, 07:32 PM

Ok here we go, with the water restrictions like most " No Hose " was a tough call, so outside of the square we had to go, as those car wash places for me was not an option.

Thinking about it the only real drama was the rinse water or the water spray, that had changed.

If looking at it the appilcation of water was traditionally by hose / sprayer nozzle, or by a water pump type set up ( karcher SP ), so then why not just use a spray bottle and could it work.

The results below, I cleaned this in the shed as it was raining, but in that believe it is 100% possible to clean the entire car in the shed with little to no mess.

In the example below if we use the term water spray it can relate to any of the 3 methods as above to achieve the same results, although spraying the hose around in the shed may not be a good idea.

Pic1. ( yes ashamed of the dirt but deliberately left this way to show the demo, or what i'll tell you :voldar02: )

Pic2. Making up my own waterless wash, something i have been doing for ages and swear by, use a mix of 20% wash to 80% water ( 4/1 ) , i use a funnel as this stops all of the side spills. you can see the wash level darker at the bottom, but shake to mix once full.

We will use this in a way that is very similar to a foam gun.

Pic3. The tools of destruction, my bucket of clean water ( no wash added as the water / wash mix will be used to apply the wash ) the water will be used to rinse our wash mitt, one water spray bottle ( just clean water ), and our prepped wash water mix.

Pic4. Wetting the car down, using a water spray, completley wet the area down, even letting it sit for a while is fine , but neve once you have wet the area down let it dry out, if it is a warmer day day or windy keep the water up the panel, drying out causes water marks and makes it harder to clean.

Pic5. applying our wash, this is done using our water wash mix and in a way as above acts as a foam gun. give it plenty if it needs it , and re hit trouble spots, also let it soak if needed but never let it dry.

Pic6. The wash using our wash mitt, ( wring out so it is not dripping wet, wash your car as normal, rinsing the mitt and applying more wash spray if needed until you panel is clean. use a clean rinsed mitt to remove most of the suds at the end of the wash

Pic7. water spray the panel ( as above use any of the 3 methods ) but i have used our trusty spray bottle

Pic8. Using a chamois as usual dry your car down.

Pic9. Once dried i like to apply a quick detail as drying will leave the odd streak, i use depending on the where i am going next 2 quick details but will cover that another day

Pic10. using a general purpose cloth wipe your quick detail to a good clean

Pic11. Even when doing this your cloth will become damp and a few streaks will remain, so to complete the process use a deticated final detail cloth to bring the final picture into play

Time for a bite, hope this helps
Pete

FordGirl · 20-01-2007, 07:38 PM

Looks very time consuming!

Only problem I can see with that is, stage 4 water restrictions dont even allow for the use of buckets. Although I suppose theres no way that they cant prove you used it to wash a corrosive substance off the car (ie bird poop) and are using the remainder for this.

I'm quite impressed with the end result though!

DOC · 20-01-2007, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FordGirl

Looks very time consuming!

Only problem I can see with that is, stage 4 water restrictions dont even allow for the use of buckets. Although I suppose theres no way that they cant prove you used it to wash a corrosive substance off the car (ie bird poop) and are using the remainder for this.

I'm quite impressed with the end result though!

Takes no longer than a normal wash, and if no bucket i would use the water spray to rinse the wash cloth ( but have not tried this yet )

As you say a bucket can be used to wash corrosive material, and in that see no drama's

Damo · 20-01-2007, 08:19 PM

get a car cover, washing your car so often would be more detrimental to the paint then to just cover it up. Each to there own I guess, I use the DIY carwashes and just give the car a good polish once a month, but my car is red so you pretty much need to polish it once a month anyway.

Nostalgia · 20-01-2007, 08:25 PM

Hi Honestly what is waterless detailing ? How often do you lay in a empty bath ? How often do you have a shower with the taps turned off ? Its raining now in Geelong so get out there with a sponge. I wouldnt recommend waterless detailing to anyone (except if they owned a c c c c c omm o dore. **** thats hard to say!!!)

FordGirl · 20-01-2007, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Damo

get a car cover, washing your car so often would be more detrimental to the paint then to just cover it up. Each to there own I guess, I use the DIY carwashes and just give the car a good polish once a month, but my car is red so you pretty much need to polish it once a month anyway.

Yeah, I dont wash it too regularly. It's just because theres a rail trail across the road and it's dusty as... so the dust settles on the car and it looks horrible after a week of not being washed.

I will look into car covers, however I know that some (even expensive ones) are no good for your car so I want to find the right one. Also, it should be moving residence into a shed soon.

Doc: How is your way for bad dirt & grime? Bugs etc?

Thanks to everybody who posted a constructive reply, much appreciated!

DOC · 20-01-2007, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FordGirl

Doc: How is your way for bad dirt & grime? Bugs etc?
!

Makes no difference, the only thing that has changed is the method of application for the Water spray, every thing stays the same, but you need to work in panels rather than shoot all over the car . but in that still takes no more time, i wll cover off bugs and grime in an update, but here's how to do it ( well me any way ) in the wash stage Pics 5 / 6 you apply / spray your bug off onto the wet wash mix where needed ( i never apply this to dry paint ) and let it soak while continuing to wash then come back ( while everything is still in wash mode ) and wipe the area and if needed apply more and continue to repeat until clean.

Note it may be some marks will need a paint cleaner and if so will fall into the next stage but all in all that will clean 99% of any bugs n tar

Kenaz · 21-01-2007, 10:14 AM

Excellent write up DOC.

I won't be going back to my local DIY car wash place any time soon, so I'll give your method a go. Looks time consuming, but no doubt worth the effort.

Cheers.

Laminge · 21-01-2007, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EAadam

Hi Honestly what is waterless detailing ? How often do you lay in a empty bath ? How often do you have a shower with the taps turned off ? Its raining now in Geelong so get out there with a sponge. I wouldnt recommend waterless detailing to anyone (except if they owned a c c c c c omm o dore. **** thats hard to say!!!)

I'm interested, what's this outstanding piece of advice based on?.

sleep:

Jeeepers · 21-01-2007, 11:36 AM

In regards to the bucket (legality) I have a bucket under home a/c which makes a full bucket easily in the last few days. Theoretically this water is distilled, as it's removed from the humid air. I would guess I can use this for the wash process with no restriction related issues or detrement to the finish?

Stevo · 21-01-2007, 12:08 PM

dissal, I have some waterless stuff here i have used before. Its meguiars speed detailer.
As i said i have used it before, and it works great when the car isnt very dirty. However i dont have the balls to use it on a very dirty car.
Ill bring it over next time and let you try it if you want?
That, with a polishing towel, and polishing cloth work wonders (they dont scratch the paint with the picked up dirt like other clothes and sponges do).