Winter in Northeast (NJ)...Indoor Self Car Wash

oak3x · 10-15-06, 06:49

As the winter months approach in the Northeast and the temperature drops, one of the most upsetting things is the inability to wash the car myself...to keep the dirt and road salt off the paint.

My car will never see an automatic car wash, nor will I allow another person to wash her.

I am looking for an Indoor / Enclosed Car Wash in New Jersey / Northeast, which would allow me to wash my car by hand. An Indoor Car Wash, which is heated. Does anything like this exist?

How do others in the Northeast keep their cars clean during the cold winter months?

I prefer not to use the waterless washes either.

flatstick · 10-15-06, 07:10

I too live in the Northeast and winter can be tough for sure. wish that winter would be like the last one

I prefer to use QEW or Optimum no rinse wash in the winter months. have washed my Suv's in tamps as cold as low 20's

is it fun washing your car when the temps are really cold, nope. is it worth it to keep my stuff clean and free of road salt, for sure. there are some good posts on using this stuff, if you search for it . the first link is a how to , the other is a recent post about ONR.

http://autopia.org/forum/showthread.php?t=67760

http://autopia.org/forum/showthread....&highlight=QEW

David Fermani · 10-15-06, 08:15

[quote=oak3x]
I am looking for an Indoor / Enclosed Car Wash in New Jersey / Northeast, which would allow me to wash my car by hand. An Indoor Car Wash, which is heated. Does anything like this exist?
[/QUOTE=oak3x]

One existed in Michigan - Poly Pro Indoor Do-It-Yourself Auto Wash. It was an indoor do-it-yourself touchless car wash. There were 13 do-it-yourself bays(just alike a coin-op car wash), and they provided free vacumes, towels, compressed air, degreaser, tire protectant, wheel cleaner and glass cleaner. They charged 25 cents per minute and you could use as much stuff as you wanted. It was temperature controlled and was completely touchless(no brushes given or needed). It would perfectly clean the dirtiest vehicle with their 2 step wash. I owned the detail center attached to it for 6 years and it was awsome. That was the only one in the U.S. at that time. They closed about a year ago because the summer months took a major dive(along with poor ownership). It surprised and shocked hundred of loyal customers when they closed.

klnyc · 10-15-06, 08:29

QEW or OPNRW will do it. A true Autopian will tell you no cold is too cold. I wash my 1999 beater Honda Accord during 30's degree outside. I neve seen one those indoor self wash place in NENJ...

MorBid · 10-21-06, 10:34

When I drive home for the holidays (Staten Island) I hit the touchless they have at some Mobile Gas Stations. I have to say I wasn't expecting much but it does a really good job. I bring MF's and WW from home along with some QD and dry the car myself.

What impressed me was that my Audi A4 has the Ultrasport package and sit low. The arm really got down there where the real wintery road dirt was.

MorBiD

abbeysdad · 10-22-06, 07:01

I don't know for certain, but it's been said here that the touchless car washes use strong detergents for cleaning which may reduce the term life of most LSP's.
I'm going with QEW using Optimum No Rinse. Sometimes with buckets in the garage, although I'm thinking at times I may use the ONR in a 1 gal pump sprayer and use the coin-op to pressure wash off (set on rinse or maybe even wax). And lest someone cringes about the pressure wash, I'll keep the sprayer enough away from the surface so as not to be a problem.

As to the original post, I quite frankly haven't seen a place like that with washing bays, although I've heard of such places for DIY maintenance.
I don't want to sound cheap and it sounds interesting but if it's .25/minute, an hour to wash/wipe down is $15...right? ONR or ONR with a $2 coin-op rinse seems more practical to me.

David Fermani · 10-22-06, 08:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by abbeysdad

I don't want to sound cheap and it sounds interesting but if it's .25/minute, an hour to wash/wipe down is $15...right? ONR or ONR with a $2 coin-op rinse seems more practical to me.

Actually, the average wash using the system was $3-$5 washed and dried. It worked really nice and was a state of the art facility. Lots of people stayed longer, but that was the norm.

Mikeyc · 10-22-06, 09:58

A climate controlled wash bay . . . interesting idea. I've never seen one before and I can understand why the one mentioned would have closed. Most people I've encountered in the Northeast know little about car care and would rather drive quickly through a cheap tunnel wash than have it done right for a little extra money.

I go the QEW/Optimum NRW/DP 4-in-1 route during the winter. In fact, since I have all 3 I'm selling my remaining QEW. This would be a good way for you to try out QEW. The quantity is smaller and therefore so is the investment. If you don't like it you've only bought a partial bottle anyway. Check it out . . .

http://autopia.org/forum/showthread.php?t=79141

abbeysdad · 10-22-06, 01:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Fermani

Actually, the average wash using the system was $3-$5 washed and dried. It worked really nice and was a state of the art facility. Lots of people stayed longer, but that was the norm.

12 minutes to wash and dry ? I think I'd need a pit crew for that!

David Fermani · 10-23-06, 09:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by abbeysdad

12 minutes to wash and dry ? I think I'd need a pit crew for that!

Actually the 1st 12 minutes were $2 (2 minutes for pulling in and out of the bay) and then it was 25 cent for each additional minute then after. So it's more like 24 minutes of wash time for $5. That's actually cheaper than regular coin-op car washes.

abbeysdad · 10-23-06, 09:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Fermani

Actually the 1st 12 minutes were $2 (2 minutes for pulling in and out of the bay) and then it was 25 cent for each additional minute then after. So it's more like 24 minutes of wash time for $5. That's actually cheaper than regular coin-op car washes.

The coin-op here is $2.00.

Hey, Moe! · 10-23-06, 10:08

The coin-op here is $1.75, though I plan on $2.25 or so to get the dirt off. It helps get a lot of the dirt off, but not all, so I don't bother trying to dry it. I just drive the three miles home.

The detergents are probably harsh, but my IW did hold up well last winter, and during an unexpected January mild spell, I washed at home, clayed, and put on another coat of IW.

The wash I use here (there are two in my town) does use hot water, which seems to help things out. I'll hit it anytime I have salt or major grime, and the temp is over 20.

I do have a bottle of QEW, and I am thinking of getting a portable heater for my garage, so I can wash when I want.

But now that I think of it, my local Ford dealer (a friend) has offered me his indoor wash bay when it is not being used, like on Friday nights. HMmmmmm!

Maybe it [/i]does[i] help to live in a small town, where you get to sit on your car dealer's front porch to watch the summer fair parade, have a cold one, and talk about the time he met Carroll Shelby.