[Onlyliveonce]

Still obey the water conservation rules ? I am "OCD" with my cars and have hand washed and detailed my cars. I am a car guy and take pride in all the cars I have ever owned. I was told washing in driveway is OK so as lond as :

Once a week - no problem
positive shutoff hose - no problem
water cannot drain into the street - PROBLEM

The design of any driveway is to grade away from the home and towards the street. Water Dept rep told me to park on the lawn and wash on the lawn draining in to the lawn. This would be a big NO NO with the HOA and do not want to get off to the wrong foot. The only solution in my mind would be to place a couple of sandbags to divert water towards the front of the property. I will never go to any car wash and have my clear coat swirled and scratched. Any solutions out there ?

[trisha0608]

Vehicle Washing

From their site it doesn't say anything about the water not being able to drain in the street. Hope it helps.

[UTES]

Use the two-bucket car wash system - it works. I do it in my garage during the Winter so I don't have too much water to sweep out.

Bill

[macgeek]

Most pro car washes use gray water or well water, so you should not worry if you use those.

Jonathan

[Croce]

Some ideas:

1. There are several "hand car washes" around town that you can safely use without fear of swirl and scratch marks.

2. You can put a good coating of "Rejex" on your vehicle so that dust and dirt will not adhere so readily, also use a "California Duster", thus increasing time between washes.

3. You can use the two bucket method as previously noted and an "Absorber" type drying fabric to reduce greatly the water runoff.

4. You can wash your car after administrative hours so the water cop doesn't see you - unless he is a neighbor. If the water guy is a neighbor you can wait until he goes to work to wash your car.

5. You can wash while the lawn sprinklers are on - then there is so much water running down the street anyway, your additional bucket of water won't be noticed.

Good Luck,
Croce

[MediocreButArrogant]

Use a rinseless car wash. You don't need to rinse with water, just wipe down the car with a microfiber towel. Many detailing enthusiasts who live in areas where they can't use a hose use these products and they work pretty well. You can wash a dirty black car with them and it won't swirl the finish.

This is the brand I keep on hand: No Rinse Wash and Shine

Another brand is Detailers Paradise.

There are also waterless car washes, such as Poorboy's Spray & Wipe, Meguiar's Ultimate Wash & Wax Anywhere,

poorboysworld.com

These are more like quick detailing sprays that can handle a slightly dirtier car than a QD. But I wouldn't use them on a really dirty car.

[clutchcargo777]

What about one of the semi-auto car washes where you get washed by a machine, blow dried then they finish up with a hand dry. Is that safe from swirls?

[MediocreButArrogant]

Originally Posted by clutchcargo777

What about one of the semi-auto car washes where you get washed by a machine, blow dried then they finish up with a hand dry. Is that safe from swirls?

If your car is a color that shows swirls (mainly the darker colors), I would never, ever take it through any automatic car wash, not even a "touchless" car wash. I'd always have it hand washed. But I'm kind of anal about my car's appearance. I've got both a DA and rotary buffer at my vacation house (here), and a full stock of buffer pads, microfiber towels, and two storage boxes full of detailing products.

Also, keep in mind that auto finishes vary greatly in hardness. Some finishes are so soft they swirl just by looking at them (BMWs from the early 2000s for example). Others are so hard that people have a hard time polishing the swirls out, even with a rotary buffer and cutting compound. If you had the latter, you might be safe going through an automatic wash. With the former, you can get swirls even when you hand wash.

Many detailers noticed the soft finishes when mfgrs switched to environmentally friendly water-based paints in the early 2000s. Recently, with the introduction of ceramic clear coats, this problem has been reversed.

[Danknee]

I use biodegradable car wash soap and a power washer I picked up at Target for $35 clearance (originally $140).

The power washer uses very minimal water. My driveway is angled to the street and the run off from washing my car never touches the curb.

[oeccscclhjhn]

drive to the chevron down the road and into a self-wash stall, select spray, insert quarter, spray down, wipe, done.