You should never have to wash a car. Ever.

[lawrenceSA]

This was the headline on one of our local online news websites today in response to the current water shortages we are experiencing on our country.

I have inserted a link to the article and hope this is not against the rules - if it is, mods, please forgive me and delete.

You should never have to wash a car. Ever. | Wheels24

Here is the text from the article.

I'd really like to hear everyone's thoughts on this

South Africa is a preciously water scarce country with the tremendous demands on this resource from a not at all insignificant population number and significant industrialisation.

During extreme weather fluctuations, such as the current drought in Cape Town, resource allocation of water becomes critical. It’s why Capetonians are not allowed to wash their cars with municipal water anymore.

As an automotive enthusiast this troubles me greatly. The ban on car washing. Because, in principle, you shouldn’t ever have to wash a modern car. It’s a water resource problem most avoidable.
Cars are painted for two reasons
We’re drawing from the empty well of ill-considered industrial design. Cars are painted for two reasons: product differentiation and oxidisation prevention. Plainly? We paint them to give car-buyers the illusion of individualisation (think Smartphone covers) and protect them from rust. Which are both ridiculously outdated design principles.

The environmental cost of painting a car is scandalous. It’s the most toxic and involved element of any automotive assembly operation, with rampant cost implications to adhere to pollution prevention best practices. So unnecessary.

Compounding the issue is a design fallacy of painting cars in the brightest gloss finishes imaginable, which make them contrast hugely with the earth tones of their driven environment. Unsurprisingly, they appear dirty all the time and burden you with the expectation of washing with water. Smeg kitchen accessories are disarmingly attractive in their bold lacquer finishes, but you keep a Smeg inside, not out on the street where dust, grime and grease can attach to it, ruining the aesthetic.
Aluminium doesn’t require a speckle of paint
There is no sound design or engineering reason to paint a modern car. When all cars were steel, yes, the layer of paint was part decorative, but crucial to counter rust.

In the good year of 2017 many cars have an exterior comprising aluminium panels – and this is a metal that doesn’t rust. True, it can suffer galvanic oxidation when put in contact with another metal, creating metal fatigue over time, but if you treat the aluminium with electrocoating, and consider the material composition of bolts used, it’s fine. And aluminium doesn’t require a speckle of paint to last a very long time.
Imagine that. Cars finished in raw aluminium. Obviously you wouldn’t want to polish them to a brilliant finish in a sunlight generous country like South Africa, to avoid distracting road glare to other drivers. But, if modern cars were finished in faded earth tones, with an anodised finish, they would never appear dirty due to their convergent hue with the dominant natural colours of the environment surrounding them.

You could dry wipe really unsightly stains off your car but you’d never need to fill bucket after bucket to wash it, and hose off, before arduously having to wipe in the hope of preventing water streaks.
It’s unnecessary madness, these decorative cars with their outlandish paint finishes. There is a better way.
Technology has evolved

Whereas for many decades Land Rover Defenders were the only aluminium automotive options, finding a steel surface car that is not a heavy duty bakkie in the contemporary market is rare. And even the paragon of toughness, the bakkie, no longer requires steel as its primary surfaced material.

Ford’s F-150 series, which is on a balance of averages the world’s best selling vehicle, is now aluminium skinned, not steel – to save weight and improve its longevity with superior corrosion resistance.

Technology has evolved. Wouldn’t it be great if we could safeguard our water supply and indulge our love of car culture, by removing the paint from most new ones – which are aluminium underneath, and therefore in no need of enamel?

Imagine the creativity yielded by this guilt-free automotive ownership status – and of all those vinyl artworks or embossed designs you could apply to your raw or anodised aluminium car for individualization instead.

[FUNX650]

Article reminds me of these:




Bob

[Whitewater25]

Man that Delorean must require a lot of metal polish.

[JeffM]

The neocons are trying to regulate water, to privatize it and make tons of money. There is the same amount of water on earth today as there was 20,000 years ago. It doesnt leave.

[FUNX650]

Man that Delorean must require a lot of metal polish.

No, not really...no "metal polishing"
on brushed-SS...especially if you want
to stay as OEM as possible; as well as,
not wanting to blind others on the road.


Bob

[hogie]

That was difficult to read. Moving to aluminum is fine, however people will not want a fleet of boring earth tone colored cars.

[kevincwelch]

The neocons are trying to regulate water, to privatize it and make tons of money. There is the same amount of water on earth today as there was 20,000 years ago. It doesnt leave.

You're not thinking on the ecological level. 20,000 was practically yesterday. So, when you make a statement like that, it's basically true. But, on more comprehensive scale, water is lost over time. Evaporated water can be split into hydrogen and oxygen gas. Hydrogen can be lost to the system, but generally oxygen is not lost. We know this based on atmospheric composition and ratios of hydrogen and deuterium in the soil.

Whether the amount of water that is available for consumption is more or less than it was 20,000 years ago, presently is is less. Gaseous forms of this are not available for consumption. Lakes are drying up. Droughts are more common.

We do need to be more responsible with our water utilization.

Mars had water too.

[rlmccarty2000]

It's an opportunity for detailers using water reclamation techniques and waterless washes. Coatings help repel dust and dirt are good to sell during water shortages. There is always an opportunity to make money even during a crisis. You just have to market it the right way. People will always want a clean car and interiors take very little water. Traditional washes waste large amounts of precious water.

[BrutalNoodle]

We do need to be more responsible with our water utilization.

[kevincwelch]

Boy that was a terrible movie.