Spotless rinse at car wash

[koj11]

I live in the pacific northwest and have a snow covered vehicle currently. While I don't particularly want to use the touchless car wash's actual wash products, I've been considering going through and using just the water function to melt off all the snow and ice, followed up by their "spotless rinse". Does anyone happen to know anything about these types of rinses? I wonder if it's actually filtered water of some sort or if they use a chemical. Or maybe it's just the same water they use for everything else at a lower pressure and they just figure that the suckers will never know. Anybody have some insight? Thanks.

[glfnaz]

They use DI water whch pulls out impurities like sodium and some minerals. Are they safe, I have no idea

[ScottH]

I would think that doing the rinse/water function to remove the snow and ice (and some salt presumably) is better than leaving it on the car especially if you can follow up immediately with a rinseless or waterless wash yourself?

P.S. Feel your pain - over here in the Northeast we have the same/similar conditions for 2-3 months.

ScottH

[BillyJack]

I used to work at a Dealership that had their own semi-automated wash bay with DI water. I'd often pull my El Camino in the bay, wash it by hand, then use the DI rinse. IMO, it was completely safe for my OE lacquer paint and whatever LSP was on it at the time. My only concern with a public touchless would be water recycling. Is the filtration system thorough enough that I'm not spraying someone else's salt-laden water? Has the system been well-maintained?
Until I could answer those questions, I'd approach with caution.

But in the winter, you just make your best guess and take the best avenue you can.

Bill

[Jaretr1]

Hypothetically speaking, if the water left on the vehicle is pure, and not polluted, it should dry leaving no spots or residue. I also worked for a car rental company and at one point we had a reverse osmosis filter on our rinse water for our car wash and the cars would dry spot free. Once that broke (and was never fixed) they dried with spots.

[FrankS]

I used a self service wash bay a while back and used the "Spot Free" water for the final rinse and the car wound up with water spots.

As BillyJack mentioned, it depends on how well they are maintained.

Theoretically, DI or Spot Free water is not supposed to leave water spots behind.

[vanev]

Nothing wrong with touchless washes.
Also nothing wrong with coin operated car washes.

Just understand:
- Never choose the wax or sealant options.
- Avoid the soap option where applicable.
- Always carry a detail bag with you with basic supplies, including microfiber towels.
- Once the wash part is over, pull over to a safe spot, park the vehicle, and then wipe down all the surface panels with the appropriate product and towel.

Touchless car washes and coin operated car washes are a great way to make use of water pressure to blast the dirt off your car.
They are not a good way to be the only approach to vehicle appearance care and protection.
Avoid all the wax, sealant, and coating options and just use them for water pressure.

[jtford95]

The car has to be rinsed enough to hit all the dirt, soap and stuff off. It will spot on you if it isn't rinsed enough