DI Water System - Talk me off the ledge!

[Bobbykart]

I have had a CR spotless for 10 years. I have 2 black cars. I use it for the final rinse. Getting the resin is kind of a hassle. Luckily the company is 2 miles down the road from me in San Diego, across the street from my Home Depot. They have replaced my electrical monitoring device no charge. Is it worth the money? I’m not a pro, just a hobbyist, but I enjoy extra gadgets in the world

[Bill D]

I have found the DI Spotless is either loved or hated by its owners. I looked at mine unused for years in my garage. The steel hose has corroded now. It's just taking up space. One of these days I'm probably going to trash it.

[LSNAutoDetailing]

In Arizona, our water is less than desirable for almost anything. It's so mineral-rich, that faucets, valves, and even appliances have to be replaced every several years. I could do one of those full-house water softeners, but they're expensive, and secondly, I dislike the taste of salty water. I have an RO under the kitchen sink, and even then, I can't stand RO water.

The cars are a different story. I use PureTec industrial water system. I've enjoyed their services for years now. Sadly, due to inflation, and rising resin and fuel costs, the quarterly fee has gone up by about 200%. Even then, I decided to stay on as a customer, because I can wash a car, during daylight hours under the heat of Arizona sun. Using mother nature to my advantage, the Puretec is spotless, and the ceramic coating allows the leaf blower to dry the car, again with the aid of the sun.

[Prange]

I've been using this for awhile now. I wouldn't be without it. It makes washing MUCH easier, not having to chase water spots. I can take my time drying.

Mixed Bed Double Standard Deionizer - On The Go - Portable Water DI

[WhiteShadow89]

I have owned a CR spotless for 4 years now. I have a love hate relationship with it that has led to it collecting dust in my garage. I love that getting spot free results are easy but I hate the downsides. The downsides for me are:

1. It gives you the ability to get spot free results, but I have yet to have a no touch dry with my CR spotless go spot free regardless of how/where I clean it (outside vs garage). The reason why is that while the water on your car is 0ppm the environment is not. Dust, pollen, grime left behind/in the panels are all examples that create very minor water spotting all over your car. It is easily wiped away, but it is not a drip-dry spotless event.
2. Pending your water quality, your resin cartridges can be blasted through. Resin on the CR spotless is not cheap and adds up over time.

My CR spotless sits in my garage collecting dust with a fresh set of unused cartridges presently because I have splurged for a water softener for the house. After testing the CR vs Water softener, the results are the same to me because any spotting is easily wiped away. All while getting the benefits of a water softener throughout my house. More expensive upfront, but I can tell you I have spent far too much in resin while we were forcibly out in CA.

[Bill D]

I’m in the same boat. No more CR Spotless use for me