Pressure Washing at a local Self Service Car Wash

C

cjkbme2w

New member
Hello:



Because I live in an apartment, I have to take my Jetta to be pressure-washed

at the local self service car wash. I make sure to stand at least 3 feet from the

car while using the metallic hose. I also don't use the brush, as I am afraid that it

will scratch the finish.



Will this hurt my car?



Are all the setting really needed (i.e. spotless rinse, wheel cleaner, etc.).



Thanks,



Craig :cool:
 
if it's your only solution, waddya gonna do ?



I can also suggest getting a wash pail (with lid) and fill it with your favorite soap and toss your mitt in, drive to the car wash, wet car, wash car by hand, rinse car, make sure people aren't waiting in line behind you :p , dry car, drive home... it works!
 
Theres always QEW too......

When i have a need to go there, i usually put it on rinse, stand way back, and get the surface wet, kind of softening the dirt. Then switch to wash, and wash with the wand.....Then rinse again. Those are the only two selections i use....
 
A pressure washer is not that effective at cleaning paint but if it is your only option I would stand further than 3 feet as your trying to let the water do the work not the pressure. Also try and use the water at a 45 degree angle to minimise blasting the dirt into the paint.
 
I do it all the time when I'm too dusty for a QD, but not dirty enough to wash. I normally use soap & spot-free rinse only. My house water is extremely hard and it would be impossible to have it look decent becasue of water spots. The spot-free rinse takes care of that.



The only thing I would caution, because I see people doing it all the time, is to not dry after you spray. The spray will absolutely not get the car clean enough to dry with a towel. I watched a girl yesterday finish cleaning/dry her car after spraying it off-wiping off the caked on mud with her drying towel!



My preferred method of drying is an alternative to the leaf blower-there's a nice stretch of road just past the car wash. I figure that moving the whole car @ 100 mph dries it a lot quicker than going over it with a 100 mph leaf blower. ;)
 
I second the "bring your bucket/soap/mitt" suggestion.

I gotta do this too. If you go when it's not busy, it's not hurting anyone. If the coin op. is always busy, or has an attendant watching you and frowning upon such non profit making behavior, see if there is a "pay by the minute" place. They don't care if you bring everything from home, you're still paying them.

I've found that the wand washes don't do a very good job of "totally" cleaning the car. There always seems to be a film left behind or you get streaks because of how narrow the spray pattern is. Also, I've heard that some brands of soap used there are pretty harsh on the wax, so bringing your own and gently washing with a mitt is going to give you the better results, and likely longer protection.



QEW, S+W, and quick detailers (if the car is just a little dusty) are also good options.
 
Sounds like QEW to the rescue!



The high pressure wand won't hurt the paint as they're only around 600-800 PSI usually. The question is the soaps, those soaps are really harsh and will strip your wax protection in no time. I suggest QEW and if you're concerned about grit stop off at the pressure wash and blast that off first.
 
cjkbme2w said:
Where is the best place to purchase QEW, QD, etc?
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You can get QEW from www.protectall.com or possibly from rv/camping supply stores. There is a vendor locator on the Protectall site.

The qd's (quick detailers) are available from site sponsors to the local 'Mart store. Lots is personal preference as to which is the best. Check the "Reviews" section to read a bit on what some members think of some brands.
 
It can be done ...............If your car has fresh wax on it you can go to those wax places and just use the hi pressure water.Don't let the brush near your car and let the water rinse off all the dirt.Yes a bucket with soapy water is a major advantage but if you can't going over your car with the high pressure water helps(not if your car is really dirty)A MF or 2 wiping off the water your car will be O K top to bottom
 
I wash my truck at the coin op wash all the time. I will bring two 5 gallon pails and either full them at the wash, or at home. One pail will have your car wash soap in it, the other pail is for rinsing the wash mitt between panels.



Normally i will spray the truck down with the rinse water only to get as much dirt off as possible. Then, I'll wash by hand doing the truck in sections (rinsing between).



Finially, after the paint is clean, I'll do my wheels and tires with the same wash water using a sponge or soft brush.



BTW, never use those brushes on your paint. The only thing I use the brushes for is scrubbing my wheel wells, and the undercarrage.



I normally can do this entire process in about 1 hour, and using 5-7 bucks.
 
I also agree with the bring your own stuff suggestion. During a water shortage and car wash ban I would go to the wash bay down the street. I received some "dirty looks" for hand washing but as long as I'm feeding quarters and the meter is running, I can sit there and read the paper! If there is a line, avoid the confrontation and move quickly!
 
Your in my same boat. I've been using the car wash for years do to living in a apartment. I can offer you my experience: First of all, forget about the brush for obvious reasons. Next, consider the pre-wash spray solution as bug an tar remover for your entire car. My g/f used this on her car after I had washed and waxed it the weekend before and it ate off all the wax without her even using a mitt!! Don't use the "soap" setting either, as the soap they use also removes wax, and some even say the hot water is a no-no. I don't even use the "rinse" cycle on my new 4runner. I only use the "final rinse" setting. I know it seems like it isn't spraying that hard, but hold your hand underneath it. OW! I know...didn't seem like it was but it sprays PLENTY hard to remove loose surface dirt. I spray my car and undercarriage down with 2 cycles of final rinse, then plunk down another cycle to fill my bucket with. Throw your wash mitt in your bucket and bury the nose of the sprayer in it to prevent spray up and noise. Add your favorite car wash and wash away. I again rinse it with the final rinse setting and I'm on my way.



P.S. If you clay it right there in the bay using the final rinse, it's a breeze. The additives they use to make the water soft makes it as lube the paint as well as a quick detailer. Screw the people waiting behind you :D
 
I'm lucky enough that my apartment complex has a car washing area (i.e. a hose) but they shut it down in the winter. What I will do is go to the coin-op early in the morning with my own bucket and hand wash it when it's empty. If it's cold, I'm pretty sure I will be the only idiot there.:D
 
I only go at times when it's not busy and this works well. I've been there when there have been attendents wandering around getting things done cleaning/maintenance type stuff. They haven't said anything to me yet. If they ever do, I'll explain what I'm doing and how many cycles I typically pay for just to be able to use the water. I'd explain I go during weekday daytimes when there's hardly any customers ever there and I've never left anyone waiting behind me. I'd ask them to consider if they'd really want to loose my business. If I owned a car wash I'd be delighted to have customers that spent that much just for the water, didn't didn't use up any of the spray soaps/waxes and didn't put any wear and tear on the brushes. I can't believe they'd want to stop me. So far they haven't. If they do I'll take my business elsewhere.
 
I normally can do this entire process in about 1 hour, and using 5-7 bucks. [/B]
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1 Hour for $5 -7??? The coin op place around my house gives me 6 minutes for $3.50. You have it good.
 
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