Clarification

[Nevervana]

I just wanna run this by you guys again (esp chuck) -

Today I drove around all day.

By the end of the day my car had some unslightly splashes of this and that.

In fact, the tint guys were instructed by me NOT to wash the car, and some of their goop is splattered on it still.

This is because YOU guys instilled the fear of god into me about using anything other than deionized water.

I figured they wouldn't know how delicate the car is.

So the car is driving around dusty as hell right now, with some minor splashes of muck from a puddle or two, and ... your words telling me how BAD this is to leave on the car, also ring in my mind.

So im in a *conundrum*.

I'm afraid to bring it anywhere (what if the water has MICRO abrasives in it?!), or touch it with anything (what if the material causes swirling?!). <-- quotes from people in the detailing forum.

I don't have 20 gallons of deionized water. So what do you do when your ride is dusty and a little dirty and could use just a quick rinse?

Wait until the next $200 detail job from a professional?

-N-

[Malibubimmer]

Nevervana - You've got a conundrum wrapped in an enigma, covered by a puzzle. Black looks like sh!t if it isn't clean, but you can't clean black, either, without making it look like sh!t. So I guess you have to pray for rain!

Don't be so paranoid. No need to use Perrier deionized water, either. When the car is cool and in a covered place, wash it with lukewarm water into which you have dissolved a good auto soap (not detergent!), apply with a soft, clean, new natural sponge, hose rinse and then lovingly dry with a really nice chamois. And have some MF cloth to sop up the flecks of water that are left. Do not rub. Pat, only. Drive it on the freeway at about 90 to remove the rest of the water, and then dry it again. However, do not brake or you will get brake dust all over the clean wheels (which should be washed separately from the body).

Got it? You will be tested on this tomorrow.

[James]

I think you're being a bit hyper concerned :). My car is outside 24/7/365 and it still comes up nice when I wash it...with normal water. It'll probably never be a show car but this paint isn't made out of sugar.

[Nevervana]

One cool thing to vouch for the whole Deionized water "thing" ...

I accidentally rolled my window down after a De-I wash job, and screamed like a little girl realizing it had not quite dried yet, leaving streaks up the length of the window.

To my utter surprise (and matching a comment here on the forums), when the deionized water dried, it left absolutely *zero* mark. I might as well have just windexed the window and buffed it to a shine.

Truely - verily I say unto you - deionized water can dry on its own, without a towel, and it will not leave marks!

-N-

[jordan2tre]

Also when you wash, have an extra bucket of clean water to rinse your sponge or whatever you use to clean in between. Gets some of the dirt off that you just wiped off so you don't cause more problems.

[chuck92103]

Neverana,

Costco, Microfiber towels :thumbup: A dozen for 10 bucks.

Home depot, insecticide sprayer (pump up type), 20-30 bucks.

Fill the sprayer with your DI water.

In between washes, just sprits the car with the water, and dry with fiber towels. If you have a good coat a wax on the car, there wil be no issues.

Swirling will happen over time with any car, regardless of how it is washed or dried. A good detail every 6 months will keep the paint in check.

If I had a black car, I know it would be annoying not to have it look somewhat clean, at the same time washing it every day is not practical.

I use the process above every other day, take about 15 min of effort, and wash the car every two weeks.:thumbup:

There is also detail spray for the car that some folks use, I find the DI water to work fine, and as you say it dries spot free. I eve use it to clean windows, no windex.

FYI, DO NOT use Windex on your tint. The chemicals/ammonia based products are harsh on window tinting.

For the nay sayers, DI water is your friend. :wave:

[SmoothCruise]

I just wanna run this by you guys again (esp chuck) -

Today I drove around all day.

By the end of the day my car had some unslightly splashes of this and that.

In fact, the tint guys were instructed by me NOT to wash the car, and some of their goop is splattered on it still.

This is because YOU guys instilled the fear of god into me about using anything other than deionized water.

I figured they wouldn't know how delicate the car is.

So the car is driving around dusty as hell right now, with some minor splashes of muck from a puddle or two, and ... your words telling me how BAD this is to leave on the car, also ring in my mind.

So im in a *conundrum*.

I'm afraid to bring it anywhere (what if the water has MICRO abrasives in it?!), or touch it with anything (what if the material causes swirling?!). <-- quotes from people in the detailing forum.

I don't have 20 gallons of deionized water. So what do you do when your ride is dusty and a little dirty and could use just a quick rinse?

Wait until the next $200 detail job from a professional?

-N-


Buy a california dust buster from www.properautocare.com. Let the duster air out for a day or two. Don't be alarm by the smell. Sometimes, it smells like crap. Use the duster to clean off your car. For a dusty car, it's alot genler on the surface, plus you'll save time.

You can also buy the duster at autozone, however, they feel like cheap ripoffs at autozone. I don't find the ones selling at autozone to be as good as the one I bought on properautocare.com.

[Nevervana]

My understanding is that the last thing you want to do is go brushing dust across the finish of your car, with a duster. Thats how you introduce unnecessary swirling... the micro abrasions that very thing causes. People say to rinse with DEI water and pat dry ...

-N-

[cobradav]

There is a safe and inexpensive alternative for the emergency situation. Mr Clean Auto Dry system. Has a special head with soap reservoir and filter. Rinse, wash and then filtered rinse from top to bottom. 95% of time I get a near perfect dry with no spots. I keep an eye on it as it dries just in case I need to step in and micro-fiber dry it. Rarely have to do that. Of course this is DIY or you can borrow Malibu's valet, houseboy or butler. System available at Wal Marts, auto parts stores, etc.

[chuck92103]

My understanding is that the last thing you want to do is go brushing dust across the finish of your car, with a duster. Thats how you introduce unnecessary swirling... the micro abrasions that very thing causes. People say to rinse with DEI water and pat dry ...

-N-

The duster works ok for DUST. But any road tar, water splashes, etc. are not coming off with a duster.

So rather than having to have both the duster and the DI/micro fiber towel, II would just get the towels and water. I would not use a mop head on a black car.

[Biff Trout]

De-ionized water? I was looking for the punch line then realized that you guys are serious.

It's a friggin car. If you don't admit that to yourself now, you are going to need Diazepam for a month after your first ding. A side benefit of doing so is that your friends might begin to like you again when you start paying more attention to them than your car.

Still recovering in New Orleans . . .