HARD water...what is the cure

[timothy]

Originally Posted by AUDIOGUY

I gather that I dont pre-wet the car. I get my solution of No-Rinse and water, dip a microfiber towel in it and wipe down the car. I then just dry it with another Microfiber towel and I am done????

Seems too simple.

Is this accurate?

It really IS that simple! It my experience ONR is not that great for cleaning wheels and I still prefer P21S gel ... but that requires a hose.

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by AUDIOGUY

Alright, Perfectlap, tell me more about No-Rinse...

I gather that I dont pre-wet the car. I get my solution of No-Rinse and water, dip a microfiber towel in it and wipe down the car. I then just dry it with another Microfiber towel and I am done????

Seems too simple.

Is this accurate?

as Timoty said yes its that simple. I mean think about it. How dirty does an ethusiast car really ever get? If you've got enough wax on the car the dirt should just slide off with the wet sponge (prefer a sponge or sheepskin to MF towel, no pricky ends).

However its not a bad idea to hold the sponge over the panel so that the water trickles down onto the surface. That will lossen the dirt and cut down on the friction. I might do this to all the panels and then go back and wipe down the first panels in that order. Friction is your enemy when washing and drying.

When you wipe the car do it in the direction of the wind. Don't do the back and forth rub. After each pass dunk the sponge and give it a wring. the soil in the water falls to the bottom of the bucket.

When it comes time to dry use a waffle weave towel (no prickly ends). Spraying a quick detalier while the surface is wet is a good idea to lubricate the drying. You get the shine from buffing out the detail spray as a bonus. I don't do this because FK1 425 spray doesn't mix well with wet surfaces. I have to dry the car first and then treat it with 425. You should dry much the same as you wash, one long pass to minimize the amount of contact with the cloth and paint.

For the wheels you just have to use a little more elbow grease if you're using No Rinse and a wheel brush. But if you have five spokes you can wax the wheels and treat with 425. That keeps the brake dust from sticking. The dust usually slides off with one pass. I dont' know about mesh wheels, those are a pain.

If you search YouTube you'll see a bunch of people on there cleaning even Ferraris with NoRinse


p.s.
Woolite in 1 to 3 parts water mix to clean the carpeting. No need to spend money on something else. Just a terry cloth towel or microfiber.

[Frodo]

...which raises the question once again, PL (or anybody who knows): Is FK still (again?) available online? (I'm being lazy---haven't checked the website lately Thought you might just know off the top of your head!)

I ask because my supply of FK 425 is getting precariously low, AND...I've never tried that "dries like cement" paste wax you've touted on numous occasions.

[thehighheelsgirl]

How much does all this stuff cost? The more I read and the more people I talk to I'm learning that I should be washing this car myself.

[timothy]

Originally Posted by Frodo

Is FK still (again?) available online?

Yes, I'm wondering the same thing. The website is still up but their phone rang and rang when I called a few minutes ago. No answer or recorded message.

[Perfectlap]

It appears that the FK1 website was just a distributor for Finish Kare products.
Something must have happened to the business realtionship there.

The Finish Kare products are now available through this popular detailing supplier.

http://www.autogeek.net/finish-kare-car-care.html

hmm....

I'm guessing you can still order direct from Finish Kare but I haven't reached out yet.

[Perfectlap]

Just got this email from detailcity.com which I used to order from, the economy seems to have put them out of biz but check out the bottom offer

"Detail City Customers,

We would like to offer our sincerest thanks for your business over the years.

We have decided to close our store in order to concentrate our efforts on building and growing the Detail City Forum at Detailcity.org. Please visit the forum for car care tips and advice.

We encourage you to shop at Autogeek.net for all of your car care products & auto accessories.

Warm regards,

Troy Armstrong

For a limited time, Autogeek.net would like to offer a welcome discount to all previous Detail City customers. Use coupon code WELCOME15 for a 15% discount* on your order. "


SCORE!!!
That's free shipping on the next 425 refill.

[Cloudsurfer]

It's really about time I get some of this stuff. It seems perfect for the light wash that fun cars need during the winter after a drive on a nice day. Only thing that concerns me about it for a daily driver, is that you're not rinsing the salt out of the underside of the car (for those who live in areas where the roads get salted).

[Perfectlap]

^I make it a point to stop by one of those coin-operated car washes and use the presser washer to rinse out the wheel wells and underneath. And the canvas top of course.

step 1 - wash car

step 2 - rinse

step 3 drive car at 65mph for 20minutes

Problem solved

Originally Posted by Lobo1186

if any dries on the car it is a ******************** to get off... also it makes it damn near impossible to get a spot free shine are there any tips out there to fix this?

[Lobo1186]

Originally Posted by Fred Demara

step 1 - wash car

step 2 - rinse

step 3 drive car at 65mph for 20minutes

Problem solved

sorry fred but this is just bad advice. (no offense of course) it may work where the water is a little softer but the fact is with hard water you will get spots doing this

[Cloudsurfer]

I've never been able to get the "dry it by driving it" technique to work. What I'd KILL to have is one of those big soft water rinsing rigs a lot of dealers have.. then you can just let it dry and no water spots!

[Matt at Pelican Parts]

We're bumping this old thread because some of you here said you like to use Einszett. That brand has now been reborn as Nextzett, retaining their same products and lead chemist.

This week only, the entire Nextzett line of car care products is 10% off! This includes Perls Shampoo, Blitz Cleaner, Cockpit Premium, ColourTec Wheel Cleaner and the ultimate in rubber protection, Gummi Pflege! There are plenty of other products too, all designed to restore any surface on your vehicle to its original luster.

For 10% off, enter promo code NEXT10 at Step #4 during checkout where it says, "Have a Promo Code? Apply it now."

Shop Nextzett now or browse the rest of our car care products section!

[Pdwight]

Our large water softeners at work do this, a salt tank is pumped into a resin bead tank ( Ion exchange ) that water runs through, the calcium is replaced with sodium from the salt resulting is soft water. then onto the Carbon process and then Reverse Osmosis...and we make water so pure it will not conduct electricity

[jakeru]

Optimum no rinse works well, smells amazing, definitely will feel strange way to wash the car at first if you're used to using a traditional car wash shampoo and hose water. You will need lots of towels and launder them. Works best if the car isn't completely "filthy dirty." But I do find it hard to "really" clean the wheels well (including inside the barrels and behind the spokes) without hose water. Since on my area we have very decent quality watershed originating water (not pulled from an underground well), I use hose water most of the time and traditional shampoo. But I still use optimum no rinse for clay bar lubricant and for the occasional spot cleanings (works great on things like bird bombs, door jambs, etc.) It is possible to wash where there isn't a hose, using it too. It's not "sudsy" like traditional car wash shampoo is. But it pulls off all the dirt from the paint and onto the soaked microfiber cloths like a champ. Leaves the car feeling nice and smooth and smelling good, too. Done right, it also will not scratch the paint any more than hand washing gently with a sudsy shampoo solution would.

But to the op, I'd say regardless of your washing technique, do find a spot, and time of day to wash your car that's completely out of the direct sun. If you pull your car to that spot in the middle of the day, make sure the paint has had a good chance to cool down (paint should not feel hot or warm to the touch, or the water applied will evaporate off it more quickly). I have a big microfiber drying towel that sucks the water off really quickly.

Really bad water spots can be seriously etched into the paint, and there is nothing but a serious 2-stage polish that will get rid of them. Hopefully yours are more "sitting on the surface" and you will find a way they can be removed much press dramatically than that. Best of luck!