Would you wash in the rain?

[kayel17]

Hello All,

Wanted to get some of your thoughts on washing in the rain.

If you were going to detail a car and had somewhere where you would wash outside and detail inside, y not wash in the rain?

What wouyld be the pros and cons, other then getting wet of course, and I am not talking about a downpour either somehwhere from steady rain to drizzle.

I`ve never done it, but I would think it would be easier to wash in the rain. You don`t have to worry about water spots, your rinsing would be easier and it would be faster I think. You put a plastic cover over the driver seat and take it inside to dry.

Has anyone done it?

The steps would be:

wheels and tires
hose car
wash car using 2 bucket method
rinse car with hose
take inside to dry

What do you all think?

As Always, TIA!

[TheSopranos16]

Well, i think you want your final rinse to be with tap water, not acid rain!!! But if you could rinse it down when the tap when your done, then I don`t see much of a problem with it.

[CharlesW]

First, let me say one thing.
Acid rain isn`t a big problem in Ankeny, IA.
Washing in the rain is something I have been doing for years. It doesn`t seem to have been a problem on my vehicles, but they are usually pretty well protected with wax or sealant.
I really dislike driving a dirty vehicle and sometimes the wash in the rain process is the only time I might have. Kinda like my washing vehicles at 6 AM so I can still have some shade

Charles :crazy

[Scott P]

I`ve washed in the rain before. I get funny looks, but my car is clean. :D

[brwill2004]

I have done it many times. I think the pros of getting the car clean outweigh the cons of any possible acid rain. I detailed the interior of a car this past weekend under a slow drizzle, the only thing I worried about was my electrical equipment, such as the vacuum and extractor getting too wet.

[91LSMAN]

I`ve washed in the rain before, but everyone in the area already knows I`m nuts, this just confirms it for them.

[kayel17]

Thanks for the replies!

So if you had a customer attempt to cancel a detail appoint in the account of rain, you can professionally object and say, "Hey, rain is good, no need to cancel!" :-)

[CharlesW]

Originally posted by kayel17
So if you had a customer attempt to cancel a detail appoint in the account of rain, you can professionally object and say, "Hey, rain is good, no need to cancel!" :-)
Lots of things can enter into this.
1. You probably really don`t want to professionally object and upset your customer.
2. If the rain is going to continue, your customer might not be interested in having his car detailed to perfection only to get it all mucked up again when he drives away. It knda bugs me when my wash job is destroyed in about 7 minutes when one of those
scattered showers shows up.
3. Your customer may have some doubts about your overall sanity when you wash his car in the rain. I know people question mine. (I think it`s because of the car things :dunno)
4. Is a raincheck wash job a possibility? You might get a days work in although you would be giving away the wash job at a later date. That also gives you contact with your customer a second time. He will remember something that was free.

Not being in the business, I have no idea what I am talking about, but I can see where it can be a real problem for both parties.

Charles

[kayel17]

Living in Northern California, rain is not too much of a problem right now, it has not rained here during the day for the last 40 some odd days. But, if we were to get rain, I would still do the detail and offer free follow up as a professional courteousy.

[JaCkaL829]

i`ve washed in the rain 2 years ago when we had a drought and you weren`t allowed to wash your car/water your lawn. My friend and I both had really dirty cars and since he had a double garage we just washed it in the rain, and pulled them in to dry. We figured a cop would not want to get out and wet to give us a ticket, it also didn`t look as obvious as the soap suds got washed away with the rain. Needless to say we definately had the cleanest cars in town for a couple of weeks.

[brwill2004]

If a customer preferred not to have his/her car detailed because of rain, I would not object. It is frustrating because most people do not realize the value of having contaminants and other grime removed from their cars. Some people only think detailing is to make your car look good, and nothing else. In the end, the customer is the one who decides.

[Boss_429]

I would, and do wash my own vehicles in the rain! However, I would never do it for a customer, unless they request it.

Most customers (but not all) could care less about contaminates on their paint. They just want their vehicle looking good for....... "this, that, and other reasons"?

[kimwallace]

I would too ... BUT ...
It is always nice when I wash my cars and then it rains :(

[EZ Boy]

On rainy days I`ve had clients drive in, wash so that their car is covered in foam from using the foaming brush and then drive out into the rain as a rinse. No doubt the Environmental Protection Authority would like that!

[JimS]

My truck is always pretty clean as I Sray & Wipe every day. When I get caught in the rain I usually get out the hose and spray off the truck to include wheel wells and undercarraige, rinse off the rain and dirt, pull it in the garage and dry it, detail the wheels and tires and Viola!, clean truck.