HARD water...what is the cure

[Lobo1186]

Thanks all for the advice there is definitely some good stuff in this thread. As far as water softeners I'm not sure I can afford some complex system but the distilled water idea may be a good. Route along with someclr to remove spots alread there

[Perfectlap]

try washing with optimum no rinse instead of a hose wash. You'll unfortunately need to go down to wal-mart and get some of that cheap water they sell to you where you fill up your own container. I guess you'll need to be a little more economical with the amount of water you use. Generally two ounces of No Rinse solutions is used with one gallon of water. That's plenty to wiped down the car.

as far as rain, that could be tricky but I recommend the following:
after claying the car use an acrylic paste wax. I use FK1 1000P. It dries like cement. I use at least two coats for max coverage. Once it dries use a polymer spray like FK1 #425 frequently. It provides a very slippery surface that might be tricky for droplets to bond to.

here's another Optimum product

LINK

[thehighheelsgirl]

How bad is it to take my car through the laserwash?

[der Geist]

2 weeks ago Big Lots had shelves of the Mr. Clean starter systems for 4 bucks each. I used one in Sedona on my black benz and didn't have a spot for 6 washes. Just let it air dry too. And Sedona has the hardest water I have ever seen. I cleaned off an entire shelf at big lots. Hopefully a 10 year supply.

[BYprodriver]

Originally Posted by der Geist

2 weeks ago Big Lots had shelves of the Mr. Clean starter systems for 4 bucks each. I used one in Sedona on my black benz and didn't have a spot for 6 washes. Just let it air dry too. And Sedona has the hardest water I have ever seen. I cleaned off an entire shelf at big lots. Hopefully a 10 year supply.

$ 5. at CVS pharmacy here in So.CA

[thehighheelsgirl]

What is this Mr Clean product? I don't own ANYTHING to wash cars with, so if I try I'd be starting from scratch.

[der Geist]

Its a cleaning system that you put on the end of a garden hose. It comes with detergent and a replaceable filter. They say to replace the filter after 3 uses but as I said, I have gotten 6 out of them.

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by thehighheelsgirl

What is this Mr Clean product? I don't own ANYTHING to wash cars with, so if I try I'd be starting from scratch.

1-two one gallon buckets (home depot)
2-On Bottle Optimum NoRinse
3- wheel face brush
4-1Z leather cleaner
5-12-20 microfiber towels (at least) and drying towel
6-Sponge (home depot grout sponges are fine)
7-soft brush to clean the top
8-Raggtopp kit (for the top)
9-bottle of plexus (if you have plastic window, works on headlights and windscreen)
10-one gallon of FK1 #425 (cleans dash, glass, paint touch up, wheels)
11-long brush to reach under the car.
12- spoke brush to clean the wheel barrel and spokes
13-Armor All Tire Foam (just bought this works well)...Pep Boys
14-a good cleaning wax (Klasse just to keep it simple).

I'm not recommending car wash soap because you really don't need it. The No Rinse solution mixed into a bucket of water will do the job unless you drive through mud. wiped down the car with a sponge and then use the wheel brush with the water that's left to brush off the wheels and tires. Spray the car down with 425 and you're done (I recommend this spray bottle). I can do all of this in 15 minutes. If I get out the car wash soap and hose that's a lot longer and too much bucket and hose wash wrecks the paint.

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by thehighheelsgirl

How bad is it to take my car through the laserwash?

if it has the jets that spray directly at your doors you might want to stuff a towel in the slats of the air intake to keep any soap and water out.

car wash detergent is really not good for the canvas top. You have to use Raggtopp cleanser for that. The car wash soap attracts dust and breaks down the canvas.