Hose water or waterless for the new guy

[Bill Cahill]

A little background. I have a classic Porsche , 1968. It`s paint job is a year old and it`s not perfect, but I want to keep it looking good. I am very new to cleaning cars.

I have been told to never ever use straight hose water. So I have been afraid to give it a regular wash. I have hired a detailer from time to time that brings his own water, but I can`t afford that. I also don`t want to invest in a water filtering system. I don`t think my water is bad, I am in Los Angeles and it isn`t particularly hard. My question is. Is it better to use regular water and give the car a real wash, or to use a waterless product?

My car is always garaged, driven once a week.



Any suggestions?

[kakeuter]

Sounds like your car doesn`t exactly get filthy, so I think you would be perfectly safe with an ONR (Optimum No Rinse) wash. The product will soften the water up a little and does not sit on the vehicle for extended periods of time, so you shouldn`t have to worry about water spots.



-Kody-

[Accumulator]

Bill Cahill- Welcome to Autopia! Sounds like a cool car :xyxthumbs



Opinions vary on the waterless/rinseless vs. conventional wash issue (I go with the latter), but unless your water is really nasty I can`t imagine any reason why "hose water" wouldn`t be good enough. Gee, should I put "good enough" in scare-quotes :think: Nah....I washed with regular/untreated municipal water for decades with no issues other than a few waterspots when I failed to get the vehicle completely dry (which usually cleaned off with a spritz of Quick Detailer).



Yeah, these days I use double-filtered and softened water, and my water is good and relatively soft to begin with. But I`m prone to overkill on this stuff and friends with the *exact* same water use it straight from the tap with no problems (and think I`m nuts to bother treating it).



When somebody says, categorically with no proper evaluation upon which to base his opinion, that you should avoid tap water for washing cars, I can`t help but :rolleyes: Unless you have reason to suspect a (pretty serious) issue, it sounds like complete BS to me; people say all sorts of stuff to a) make themselves sound high-falutin` and/or b) make this stuff sound more complicated than it really is.



IF you *do* go with something like ONR, I`d mix it up with distilled water just to be, well....eh, that`s probably just my overkill again :o

[the other pc]

Welcome aboard, Bill! :welcome:



Have to agree with Accumulator, when somebody makes sweeping, generic, absolute statements like "never ever use straight hose water" without explaining the reasoning behind them they`re usually just blowing smoke.



Sure, there are occasionally legitimate reasons to avoid hose water. Some people live where it`s really hot and have water that`s plain nasty, with tons of dissolved solids that spot up instantaneously. Some oddball cars were made by people who never thought they would need to shed water and have weird nooks and crannies where water will collect and cause rust.



It rains in Zuffenhausen, a lot. The boys over there just might know what they`re doing.



Not saying you shouldn`t go rinseless, just that fearing hoses sounds unwarranted.







pc

[Bill Cahill]

Welcome aboard, Bill! :welcome:



Have to agree with Accumulator, when somebody makes sweeping, generic, absolute statements like "never ever use straight hose water" without explaining the reasoning behind them they`re usually just blowing smoke.



Sure, there are occasionally legitimate reasons to avoid hose water. Some people live where it`s really hot and have water that`s plain nasty, with tons of dissolved solids that spot up instantaneously. Some oddball cars were made by people who never thought they would need to shed water and have weird nooks and crannies where water will collect and cause rust.



It rains in Zuffenhausen, a lot. The boys over there just might know what they`re doing.



Not saying you shouldn`t go rinseless, just that fearing hoses sounds unwarranted.







pc



Ok, thanks for all the help. My car will never see a drop of rain and is in the garage with a car cover on it most of the time. The garage is a bit dusty. I do collect a couple bugs on the front when I drive. Maybe I will venture to use regular water this weekend.

[the other pc]

Oh btw, since you`re in SoCal, you might want to consider signing up for a Meguiar`s Thursday Night Open Garage (http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?117-Sign-up-for-our-Thursday-Night-Classes-Irvine-California), a Meguiar`s Saturday Class (http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?110-Sign-up-for-our-Saturday-Class-Irvine-California) or a 3D seminar (http://www.autopia.org/forum/3d-high-definition-car-care/142282-free-3d-seminars-santa-clarita-updated-dates.html).



They`re free, and a great intro to the world of shiny cars.







pc

[MX823]

Bill - welcome to Autopia. I suggest trying a rinseless wash. See if it is for you. There are a couple of videos found within the forum showing you how two well respected detailers approach rinseless washing. One from Gary Dean the other from Scottwax.



If you don`t like the rinseless you can always drag out the hose.

[David Fermani]

Here`s my personal opinion...



With older vehicles, especially ones that don`t see much over the road duty, you want to avoid their exposure to water. Traditional washing can and will leave water in areas of the vehicle that you simply cannot access to remove. What this unavoidable moisture does is expedites corrosion. Unless your vehicle is excessively dirty I would suggest adopting a waterless wash regiment into your workflow. There are spray and wipe products that can not only clean your car (safely), but also add a nice layer of slickness back onto it. I`d look into 3D`s waterless wash offering: Clean & Polish Your Car without Water | Waterless Car Wash | 3D Products (http://www.3dproducts.com/Waterless-Car-Wash.html)

[Thomas Dekany]

Welcome to the forum!



I agree with with David. I would also add that 3D (owner of this site) also gives free detailing classes. Stop by if you have the time. Those classes are a wealth of information.



3D Car Care; Car Wash, Car Wax, Auto Detailing supplies, Car Polishers, Car Buffers & accessories store (http://www.3dproducts.com/blog/2012/09/detailing-seminar-october-8th-la-mirada-ca/)




Here`s my personal opinion...



With older vehicles, especially ones that don`t see much over the road duty, you want to avoid their exposure to water. Traditional washing can and will leave water in areas of the vehicle that you simply cannot access to remove. What this unavoidable moisture does is expedites corrosion. Unless your vehicle is excessively dirty I would suggest adopting a waterless wash regiment into your workflow. There are spray and wipe products that can not only clean your car (safely), but also add a nice layer of slickness back onto it. I`d look into 3D`s waterless wash offering: Clean & Polish Your Car without Water | Waterless Car Wash | 3D Products (http://www.3dproducts.com/Waterless-Car-Wash.html)