Well water and Detailing w/ Mr. CLean Auto Wash

**longarm** · 07-12-2004, 02:45 PM

Hey, I am getting things ready to place my complete order here on this site and strip both my vehicles down to the clearcoat and work my way back up. My largest obstacle is that I have well water. It`s hard water and the first time I used it left a white dusty film on paint when left overnight in the garage. Has anybody used that Mr. Clean Auto Wash? It`s "Supposed" to filter out all the impurities. What I`ve been doing for the last two years is going to the quarter car wash with my two buckets and accessories. I use their "Spot Free" Rinse which seems to work, then spray entire car off with Meguires Detail spray when I get home to remove any dust, ect... Is this a viable option? Please help me out. I want the best possible shine for my cars. Plus, the shinier they are, the more I can justify to my wife comming in here and purchasing products to keep my car and truck looking beautiful.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

**Dalight** · 07-12-2004, 02:52 PM

From what I`ve heard (you can search to confirm), there are a few problems with Mr. Clean.

1. Water pressure too low

2. Filters don`t last long and are expensive

3. The clean rinse agent leaves a residue on your car.

Some people have bought water filtration devices designed for RVs though.

**longarm** · 07-13-2004, 08:19 AM

Wow, nobody else in here has well water? No tips huh?:nixweiss

**Matt M, PA** · 07-13-2004, 08:22 AM

We don;t have well water, but what BDawg says seems to be the consensus with AutoDry. I would add that the harder the water, the faster you`ll go through those filters.

Our water leaves spots too, so I blow out the wheels, headlights, handles, etc with the leaf blower (electric) then towell. I have very few problems with spots.

Maybe a search on hard water or well water would help.

**jfelbab** · 07-13-2004, 08:49 AM

Why not look into renting or buying a whole house water softener? This will yield other benefits besides better car washing.

**tguil** · 07-13-2004, 08:59 AM

I too have very hard well water and have never had a problem with a "white dusty film" being left on one of my freshly washed vehicles. Spotting -- yes, but nothing worse.

I always use a good car wash shampoo -- one of Meguiar`s various products. I rinse each section immediately after I wash it. I do not wash my vehicle on days when it would dry to fast. I try to dry the vehicle as quickly as possible.

Before switching over to NXT tech wax and microfiber towels for drying, I`d usually QD after drying.

Tom

**04BlackAV** · 07-13-2004, 09:27 AM

If your car isn`t to dirty try using QEW.I have hard water and tried QEW the other day.Working one panel at a time top to bottom and using WAUD I had no spotting and my life has now got a whole lot easier.

**ForceFed4** · 07-13-2004, 10:12 AM

Originally posted by 04BlackAV

I have hard water and tried QEW the other day.Working one panel at a time top to bottom and using WAUD I had no spotting and my life has now got a whole lot easier.

So you`ve had good results combining QEW and WAUD? I`ve wanted to try this, how do you go about it?

Do you just spray on WAUD before wiping off the QEW wash solution, or do you rinse between the QEW and WAUD with water or clean wash solution?

I was concerned about QEW and WAUD not interacting well together, but if other people have done it with good results I`m definitely going to start doing this as my normal "between waxes" protocol.

**vapore0n** · 07-13-2004, 10:23 AM

I have well water in my town and the Mr Clean didnt improve things on my car. Because of the very low pressure I couldnt rinse the whole car, just those places that tend to accumulate water, like under the side view mirrors. It still spotted a bit, but rain water seems to cause this too. If you dont want spots, dont wash in the sun or when its too hot. and QD after washing.

**04BlackAV** · 07-13-2004, 12:36 PM

ForceFed4...You use the Waud just before you wipe the panel dry in my case with a WW.I`ll take the mitt rinse in one bucket then go over and dip the mitt in the QEW bucket,wipe the hood down(or which ever panel) with the mitt then spray Waud onto the hood and dry.I`ll say this combo works great on a large vehicle like my AV and leaves no water spotting behind.I was aways reluctant to try QEW and now realize what a great product and time saver it is.I also like using Protect All`s;All-Surface Care another of there products that`s easy to use and looks good on black.

**ForceFed4** · 07-13-2004, 01:02 PM

04BlackAV: Thanks, I`ll give it a try next time I QEW. I hear you on the QEW... I was scared at first, but after a couple months I`m convinced at its safeness and enffectiveness.

I`m even more pleased to hear it works well with WAUD, another product I was highly skeptical of at first, but now like.

**longarm** · 07-13-2004, 01:04 PM

I have a water softener. It doesn`t help much for washing. It`s so damn hot in Michigan, every time I`ve tried to wash my car at home it dries on me. Plus, I also suffer from not enough water pressure.

SOOOO, Would it be ok to wash my car about 3-4 miles away at the quarter car wash and drive home very slowly and leaving about 8-10 car lengths inbetween me and the person infront of me? Then when I get home use something like Meguires Quick Detail Spray with a good Micro-Fiber WW to wipe any dust off?

**longarm** · 07-14-2004, 12:36 AM

****BUMP****

**Aurora** · 07-14-2004, 02:29 AM

Go with the QEW, like the previous posts have mentioned. I live in a townhome and I would say I havent done a regular wash and rinse in four months because of it. Just constantly rinsing is the key.