Coin-Op Rinse only In Winter?

[MI Mike]

Another reason for using coin-op during winter up north. Some communities now mix sand and salt. You can eliminate alot of ice, chunks,
clear wheel wells and springs. Even using left overs minutes to spray underbody. You can then use you preferred wash solution, etc.

[asianisafish]

I just did that 2 days ago. I went to the coin op, I used the high pressure soap and then used the high pressure rinse. Then I used the high pressure spray wax. Both on paint and under the car. Then went home and did a waterless wash. Dried at home. Turned out fine. Just be careful near the side skirts as grit tends to stick to them more. I then applied a sealant afterwards

[Desertnate]

Another reason for using coin-op during winter up north. Some communities now mix sand and salt. You can eliminate alot of ice, chunks,
clear wheel wells and springs. Even using left overs minutes to spray underbody. You can then use you preferred wash solution, etc.

This is the reason I found a touchless with an undercarriage spray. It works like a dozen of the coin up wands spraying straight up. The best part is you can drive over them as slow as you want and you don't have to be out in the cold!

[tguil]

Do NOT hand dry after using the wand. Those do not take enough dirt off and you'll scratch your paint if you do towel dry.

If you spray the car with Meguiar's Wash and Wax Anywhere (or a like product) before drying you shouldn't instill much micro-marring or scratches as you dry. Spray and dry one panel at a time using a very absorbent towel for the first pass and then follow up with a microfiber polishing cloth.

But still I prefer to finish the job using a rinseless wash at home.

[ScottH]

I always use the coin operated machines when my hose is frozen solid - which last year in NJ was the case for several months. I use them ONLY to wash the car down with the soap/water spray - I NEVER use the brushes at these places! God only knows where they've been and what's on them. I leave w/o drying the car.

I then take the car home and do a rinse-less wash in the driveway, and then, and only then do I actually dry the car off. I also use a detailer spray to aid in the drying process.

Depending on how dirty the car gets, I might do this upwards of 2 times a week.

P.S. I then go inside the house and curse the weathermen out! (grin)

ScottH

[LEDetailing]

I literally just got back from washing my Lexus RX330 in the coin op wash bay. $7.50 for one hour. My trick is waiting until the temps are around freezing. Yes, you Floridians and southerners, freezing temps 27-35 in Wisconsin Januaries are warm. Our forecasted high for Sunday is -8 or low -20. Don't ask why I'm still living here. Today it was 27 degrees. Listed below is a guaranteed way to have as scratch free and salt free cars in winter as possible. Learned these tricks from YouTube watching videos from Larry @AmmoNYC, Chemical Guys and Adams.

1. Dress for the cold, jacket (I like fleece), water proof winter boots and a warm hat. Gloves are optional.

2. Very important step. Fill your two buckets with the hottest water your water heater can produce and your hands can handle. (I promise your hands will thank you as you are washing) My wife yells at me when she uses my scalding hot water as I'm washing dishes. I have a high heat pain tolerance I guess.

3. Add your wash media/shampoo of choice. I used Meguiars Gold Glass today. I like to add a little soap to the wash mitt and lay it on top of approximately 4 gallons of hot water. Don't forget the two grit guards.

4. Get a pair of water tight covers for your two five gallon buckets. And make sure they are water tight. Walmart water tight lids in their paint dept $1.77 each. Trust me you need covers. Unless your trip from to coin op is on a slot car track, you will spill water without lids. Gamma seal lids look awesome. AG sells them, probably worth the money. Walmarts lids are cheap and harder to work with. Place the buckets in an area to minimize the risk of them tipping over. I don't want to test the water proof nature of my lids

5. Once at the coin op use the rinse cycle and I start by rinsing the frame, under carriage, wheels and wheel wells.

6. Rinse the car, top to bottom. Spend a lot of time rinsing. I pay special attention to the body gaps, door jambs, bottoms of doors, seams around trim and lamp housings. Don't get too close to the car with the high pressure water. I tested my coin op pressure with my hand. At approximately 18 inches from the tip, I feel I won't damage anything on my car. Be careful pressurized water can damage your skin and eyes. And less importantly it can damage your vehicles paint, trim and seals.

Forgot this step. - washed wheels and wheel wells using Meguiars products and cheap flagged tipped wheel brush. Rinse off wheels and wells.


7. Wash using the two bucket method. If you are serious introduce a third wash bucket/wash mitt and dedicate that bucket to just the lower half/lower third of the dirtiest of the car. Make sure to rinse your wash mitts frequently in your dedicated rinse bucket. I use a method of using as little pressure as possible to wash each panel. You inevitably won't get off every bit of sand and salt when pre-rinsing. Mike Phillips talked about the 2x4 method. Two grit guards in each bucket. The more the merrier.

8. Rinse the car. Our wash has a dedicated "spot free rinse". I figure it can't hurt. I've seen the control room of our coin op and they had 4-6 water softeners so I'm guessing the water is treated.

9. Dry using soft microfiber/waffle weave towel. I used Meguiars express/quick wax as a drying aid lubricant. I dried the door jambs. And dried my weathertech mats.

45-60 mins later you have the cleanest daily driver in your town

The faster you work the warmer you get. Our coin op has garage doors and mildly heated water. That make 27 degree washing more pleasant. YMMV

** Not responsible for frozen doors, gas doors, trucks, or Windows. Dry thoroughly! **

[spazzz]

I like to use the brush......for my tires before I put the money in.
There is always a little gurgling action coming from it.

Those water spots though.

[DeansDetailing]

Mike,

Why don't you have a pressure washer?

[Mantilgh]

Tried the coin op wash yesterday after parking under a tree that still had fruit on it and apparently birds also. You would think this wouldn't happen in mid January, but I guess the mild weather hasn't helped. Four hours later . Lots of poo and fruit.

The wash helped with that and the left over salt, but the soap did absolutely nothing for the road grime even at point blank range. No time for a RW either when I got home. Oh well, I'll wait for a better day.

[AZpolisher15]

I'm in SD/MN. Tons of salt, sand, grime, etc in the winter time. Once a week I use a high pressure spray wand at the car wash. I walk around really quickly on the soap setting just to get a layer of soap on (30 seconds). Then I switch to rinse and do several passes on the whole vehicle for about 5 minutes. Might have to add a couple more quarters. Then with one minute left, I switch to the low pressure spotless rinse setting and make sure i get the roof, hood, and Windows really well. Then I jump on the freeway for a couple miles at 70mph. That's it. Done. There is usually still a film on the lower 1/3 of the vehicle. When I get home, I'll very gently use Duragloss wash and wax or Megs wash and wax to finish, assuming the film isn't too bad. If it's bad, I'll wait until I can do a proper two bucket wash.

Right now it's below zero- so even the chemicals don't melt the road snow/ice. It's awesome! Vehicle will stay spotless for a few days

I would never use a waterless wash without doing a high pressure spray first. I don't like using the car wash chemicals, but it's the lesser of two evils around here in the winter time. Sometimes it's gotta be done. Better than leaving the car covered in salt as far as I'm concerned.