Coin Op Consensus?

David Fermani said:
This information isn't entirely accurate. Many (most) Coin-Op washes I'm familiar with don't recycle their water and use 100% fresh water. I changed the Wiki to portray it more accurately in bold.



Would I drink the recycled water - No.

Is this "road dirt" like "sandblasting your car" - No



If you took some recycled water and looked at it through a clear glass it may not be exactly as clean as drinking water, but I promise you that no sand/dirt is in their. If that was the case, equipment would constantly be failing. The high pressure tips in the wash gun can't pass a grain of sand. I've had cases where I contaminated my PW when I hooked up a gritty garden hose and it blocked my tip later on. I have a similar model PW that Coin-Op's use.
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And media/gravirty filtration probably does remove most of the solid dirt in the water, however what else is left in the water? The big problem is that there is no labeling of what is what, its all a crap shoot. Yes some of the washes use fresh water, but others for sure use recycled. I'm not a fan of blasting "treated" water into anything on my car.



Example of using recycled:

Weidner Coin operated self service car wash systems



and there are plenty more if you google "coin operated car wash water recycling" you will find plenty more. While I'm sure it is fine for the masses, it certainly isn't autopian, and I hope no one is fooled into thinking its as clean as the stuff at home.
 
I use them every once in a while on my own car out of desperation (at night, no garage to ONR in). I use my own car wash soap (usually Kit Carnauba Car Wash) and add an ounce of ONR which seems to aid lubricity. I always use the spot free wash to finish.
 
yakky said:
And media/gravirty filtration probably does remove most of the solid dirt in the water, however what else is left in the water? The big problem is that there is no labeling of what is what, its all a crap shoot. Yes some of the washes use fresh water, but others for sure use recycled. I'm not a fan of blasting "treated" water into anything on my car.



and there are plenty more if you google "coin operated car wash water recycling" you will find plenty more. While I'm sure it is fine for the masses, it certainly isn't autopian, and I hope no one is fooled into thinking its as clean as the stuff at home.
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"Most" of the solid dirt? Treated water or not, many Autopians presoak their vehicles with much worse chemicals. Many use non-neutral PH soaps that can strip LSP for maintenance washes as well. Tell me if that's true Autopian or not? Is still don't see the big controversy with using Coin-Op washes. Let's not even get into how many of us are polluting the ground every time we wash too. Atleast that's not happening in the retail car wash market.
 
The only thing I use at the coin-op's is the rinse water. I use this A LOT in the winter to keep the salt off the underbody and to keep the paint looking decent. After that I use the spot free rinse and call it a day.
 
I'm fortunate living along the Gulf coast that we have no winters compared to you guys in the northern latitudes and as Scottwax only rely on them on the odd occasion.



BlueLibby04 said:
The only thing I use at the coin-op's is the rinse water. I use this A LOT in the winter to keep the salt off the underbody and to keep the paint looking decent. After that I use the spot free rinse and call it a day.
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I think that this would be the most prudent thing to do for those that need to frequent them. I was surprised to see an RO system :clap: hooked up to the spot free rinse at the link provided by yakky and would be nice if they're all similar.
 
David Fermani said:
"Most" of the solid dirt? Treated water or not, many Autopians presoak their vehicles with much worse chemicals. Many use non-neutral PH soaps that can strip LSP for maintenance washes as well. Tell me if that's true Autopian or not? Is still don't see the big controversy with using Coin-Op washes. Let's not even get into how many of us are polluting the ground every time we wash too. Atleast that's not happening in the retail car wash market.
Click to expand...





Look, my only point in all of this is, coin op water is not always as clean as hose water from your house. If you want to argue a bunch of other points, have at. My one and only point is, don't be fooled into thinking the stuff that comes out of the hose at your local coin op is clean water. It may be true for some places, but certainly not all.
 
Some self-serve car washes do use reclaim/recycled water, but most that don't also have an in-bay automatic do not. The costs of a reclaim system and its maintenance are usually too high to justify the savings in water for self-serve only.



If you're really concerned if they use reclaimed water, just ask them. You likely won't find one that uses reclaim for rinse at all.



There were some comments about their foaming brushes. Even a nylon brush won't scratch your paint if it's clean, and the better washes will use a natural hog's hair bristle. Most operators won't be bothered with their customers bringing a pail and a mitt as long as you don't tie up a stall on a busy day.



If the water stinks, don't use the wash. That's a sure sign of reclaim that's not operating properly.
 
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