Winter in Northeast (NJ)...Indoor Self Car Wash

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oak3x

New member
As the winter months approach in the Northeast and the temperature drops, one of the most upsetting things is the inability to wash the car myself...to keep the dirt and road salt off the paint.



My car will never see an automatic car wash, nor will I allow another person to wash her.



I am looking for an Indoor / Enclosed Car Wash in New Jersey / Northeast, which would allow me to wash my car by hand. An Indoor Car Wash, which is heated. Does anything like this exist?



How do others in the Northeast keep their cars clean during the cold winter months?



I prefer not to use the waterless washes either.
 
I too live in the Northeast and winter can be tough for sure. wish that winter would be like the last one :spot I prefer to use QEW or Optimum no rinse wash in the winter months. have washed my Suv's in tamps as cold as low 20's :chuckle: is it fun washing your car when the temps are really cold, nope. is it worth it to keep my stuff clean and free of road salt, for sure. there are some good posts on using this stuff, if you search for it . the first link is a how to , the other is a recent post about ONR.





http://autopia.org/forum/showthread.php?t=67760



http://autopia.org/forum/showthread.php?t=78596&highlight=QEW
 
[quote name='oak3x']

I am looking for an Indoor / Enclosed Car Wash in New Jersey / Northeast, which would allow me to wash my car by hand. An Indoor Car Wash, which is heated. Does anything like this exist?



QUOTE]



One existed in Michigan - Poly Pro Indoor Do-It-Yourself Auto Wash. It was an indoor do-it-yourself touchless car wash. There were 13 do-it-yourself bays(just alike a coin-op car wash), and they provided free vacumes, towels, compressed air, degreaser, tire protectant, wheel cleaner and glass cleaner. They charged 25 cents per minute and you could use as much stuff as you wanted. It was temperature controlled and was completely touchless(no brushes given or needed). It would perfectly clean the dirtiest vehicle with their 2 step wash. I owned the detail center attached to it for 6 years and it was awsome. That was the only one in the U.S. at that time. They closed about a year ago because the summer months took a major dive(along with poor ownership). It surprised and shocked hundred of loyal customers when they closed. :mad: :sosad :think: :angry
 
[quote name='oak3x']

I am looking for an Indoor / Enclosed Car Wash in New Jersey / Northeast, which would allow me to wash my car by hand. An Indoor Car Wash, which is heated. Does anything like this exist?

[/QUOTE=oak3x]





One existed in Michigan - Poly Pro Indoor Do-It-Yourself Auto Wash. It was an indoor do-it-yourself touchless car wash. There were 13 do-it-yourself bays(just alike a coin-op car wash), and they provided free vacumes, towels, compressed air, degreaser, tire protectant, wheel cleaner and glass cleaner. They charged 25 cents per minute and you could use as much stuff as you wanted. It was temperature controlled and was completely touchless(no brushes given or needed). It would perfectly clean the dirtiest vehicle with their 2 step wash. I owned the detail center attached to it for 6 years and it was awsome. That was the only one in the U.S. at that time. They closed about a year ago because the summer months took a major dive(along with poor ownership). It surprised and shocked hundred of loyal customers when they closed. :mad: :sosad :think: :angry
 
QEW or OPNRW will do it. A true Autopian will tell you no cold is too cold. I wash my 1999 beater Honda Accord during 30's degree outside. I neve seen one those indoor self wash place in NENJ... :nixweiss
 
When I drive home for the holidays (Staten Island) I hit the touchless they have at some Mobile Gas Stations. I have to say I wasn't expecting much but it does a really good job. I bring MF's and WW from home along with some QD and dry the car myself.



What impressed me was that my Audi A4 has the Ultrasport package and sit low. The arm really got down there where the real wintery road dirt was.



MorBiD
 
I don't know for certain, but it's been said here that the touchless car washes use strong detergents for cleaning which may reduce the term life of most LSP's.

I'm going with QEW using Optimum No Rinse. Sometimes with buckets in the garage, although I'm thinking at times I may use the ONR in a 1 gal pump sprayer and use the coin-op to pressure wash off (set on rinse or maybe even wax). And lest someone cringes about the pressure wash, I'll keep the sprayer enough away from the surface so as not to be a problem.



As to the original post, I quite frankly haven't seen a place like that with washing bays, although I've heard of such places for DIY maintenance.

I don't want to sound cheap and it sounds interesting but if it's .25/minute, an hour to wash/wipe down is $15...right? ONR or ONR with a $2 coin-op rinse seems more practical to me.
 
abbeysdad said:
I don't want to sound cheap and it sounds interesting but if it's .25/minute, an hour to wash/wipe down is $15...right? ONR or ONR with a $2 coin-op rinse seems more practical to me.
Click to expand...



Actually, the average wash using the system was $3-$5 washed and dried. It worked really nice and was a state of the art facility. Lots of people stayed longer, but that was the norm.
 
A climate controlled wash bay . . . interesting idea. I've never seen one before and I can understand why the one mentioned would have closed. Most people I've encountered in the Northeast know little about car care and would rather drive quickly through a cheap tunnel wash than have it done right for a little extra money.



I go the QEW/Optimum NRW/DP 4-in-1 route during the winter. In fact, since I have all 3 I'm selling my remaining QEW. This would be a good way for you to try out QEW. The quantity is smaller and therefore so is the investment. If you don't like it you've only bought a partial bottle anyway. Check it out . . .



http://autopia.org/forum/showthread.php?t=79141
 
David Fermani said:
Actually, the average wash using the system was $3-$5 washed and dried. It worked really nice and was a state of the art facility. Lots of people stayed longer, but that was the norm.
Click to expand...

12 minutes to wash and dry ? I think I'd need a pit crew for that!
 
abbeysdad said:
12 minutes to wash and dry ? I think I'd need a pit crew for that!
Click to expand...



Actually the 1st 12 minutes were $2 (2 minutes for pulling in and out of the bay) and then it was 25 cent for each additional minute then after. So it's more like 24 minutes of wash time for $5. That's actually cheaper than regular coin-op car washes.
 
David Fermani said:
Actually the 1st 12 minutes were $2 (2 minutes for pulling in and out of the bay) and then it was 25 cent for each additional minute then after. So it's more like 24 minutes of wash time for $5. That's actually cheaper than regular coin-op car washes.
Click to expand...

The coin-op here is $2.00.
 
The coin-op here is $1.75, though I plan on $2.25 or so to get the dirt off. It helps get a lot of the dirt off, but not all, so I don't bother trying to dry it. I just drive the three miles home.



The detergents are probably harsh, but my IW did hold up well last winter, and during an unexpected January mild spell, I washed at home, clayed, and put on another coat of IW.



The wash I use here (there are two in my town) does use hot water, which seems to help things out. I'll hit it anytime I have salt or major grime, and the temp is over 20.



I do have a bottle of QEW, and I am thinking of getting a portable heater for my garage, so I can wash when I want.



But now that I think of it, my local Ford dealer (a friend) has offered me his indoor wash bay when it is not being used, like on Friday nights. HMmmmmm!



Maybe it [/I]does help to live in a small town, where you get to sit on your car dealer's front porch to watch the summer fair parade, have a cold one, and talk about the time he met Carroll Shelby.
 
Would you pay $25 an hour to wash/wax your own car yourself in a detailer's or dealer's garage that is heated? They supply the water and hose and you supply everything else. (in Bergen County NJ)
 
At this point I would consider paying someone to use their facility. Traveling from Hoboken to LI to work on my cars is a p.i.t.a. If I had the $$ and time right now I'd consider getting back in the business and opening a facility like the one mentioned in this thread.
 
I can wash a vehicle in my own garage ... there is a drain, center collection due to the slope built into the concrete



You can't spray thousands of gallons of water, but a couple of buckets of hot soapy water / rinse is simple enough!



Heated using a blower and squeegie to help get the water down the drain.
 
Here's what you do:



Buy a bucket with a lid. Fill it with Optimum No Rinse, Take a second bucket if you have the room.

Drive to a parking garage or parking deck. I use one that is underground and heated. I take my time and spend a good hour cleaning the car thoroughly. I dump out the remaining water, put the wet towels and brushes in the bucket. Go home.

I can't use a no-touch car wash because detergents on canvas tops is a no-no. And coin operated bays I only use to rinse the soft top and wheel wells, I avoid high pressure rinsing on paint as much as possible.
 
racingbeat said:
Here's what you do:



Buy a bucket with a lid. Fill it with Optimum No Rinse, Take a second bucket if you have the room.

Drive to a parking garage or parking deck. I use one that is underground and heated. I take my time and spend a good hour cleaning the car thoroughly. I dump out the remaining water, put the wet towels and brushes in the bucket. Go home.

I can't use a no-touch car wash because detergents on canvas tops is a no-no. And coin operated bays I only use to rinse the soft top and wheel wells, I avoid high pressure rinsing on paint as much as possible.
Click to expand...







Great idea. I have a garage but its not heated. Got to find an underground garage (mall ect).
 
Most car dealers have an indoor heated wash bay....You could try offering the service manager of one a $5.00 or $10.00 tip to let you use it during their detailers lunch break.
 
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