too cold out for washing at home!!!!!!!

A

alwaysmint

New member
here in PA> it is VERY cold out today.looks like i will be feeding quarters to the self serve bay at the local car wash.Does anyone else here have to hide their own bucket and soap like i do?The owner of the local car wash hase HUGE signs reading NO BUCKET WASHING!.I say too bad, because there is no way in hell I am using that street broom attatched to the wall on my car.
I can't even imagine using it on my wheels either.Does anyone else have this problem where hey live?how about the spray wax;is it worth fifty cents?
it smells pretty good!looking forward to hearing from you guys!!!!!!!!
 
It's a problem in my area as well, but having a garage, I finish the job at home with Spray & Wipe. I just knock the heavy accumulation off at the DIY place.
Before the bucket washing was banned, I used a 5 gallon bucket with a lid and filled it with my wash solution and took it to the DIY place. Since it is no longer allowed, I no longer do it.

One thing I always wondered. If you leave the meter running at the DIY place while you bucket wash, would they complain? They are still getting their money and not supplying much but lights and heat. Might be worth asking the owner/manager.

As far as the spray wax, I sometimes go to a drive-thru and pay an extra 50 cents to not have the spray wax applied. I can't imagine that it has any value.

Another thing about commercial washes. Some use recycled water and those I wouldn't use. It is sometimes done to save money, but I also think it is required by some cities to conserve water.

Charles
 
You could try those "Bucketless" washes, Mothers had one (deleted) and Eagle One has one. I've read that 3M has one too, but I haven't seen it.
By using a bucketless wash, you "technically" wouldn't be doing a bucket wash.
But that's basically just skirting the issue, as the owners want $$$ from their customers, not inventive loopholes. As Charles mentioned, see if "keeping the meter running" while you use a bucket is acceptable.
Are there any other wash bays in your area? Some places are "pay-by-the-minute" so you can basically sit there and read a paper, since the owner still makes the same rate from you as if you were washing, so a bucket wash is usually acceptable there.
The spray wax smells like Pledge™ to me. It seems to make water run off better, but I would prefer to use a QD or booster wax instead. But this aould be dependent upon whether or not you could stay indoors and apply the QD or wax. If they aren't allowing bucket washing, they likely wouldn't allow you to take up space to dry/QD your car either.
 
patches said:
hi, does that Q E W remove the wax also as it cleans??? :confused:
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No. Or at least no more than a bucket wash would.
QEW and S&W are both quite gentle on wax and I wouldn't be concerned about using either of them daily if it was necessary.

Charles
 
Luster said:
I haven't used a coin-op car wash in years. And the wax they use has a very short longevity. (probably about 2-3 days)....

There are several good "no bucket, no hose" washes out there. I've used QEW in very cold weather. I just use warm water and wear rubber gloves.

I've since migrated to the heated garage, but outdoor is invigorating!!!

Try these:

QEW
Poorboy's S&W
Dri-Wash 'n' Guard Waterless Wash
Freedom Waterless Car Wash

And wear gloves!!!
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Stay away from the bucket free eagle one. i used it once..it was wheel wash after that. the basis for a bucket is to clean existing debris off the mitt your using...if u eliminate that..it didnt matter how much i rinsed the mitt with the hose. fine scratches galore. it was no fun. :(
 
Charcoalmax said:
Stay away from the bucket free eagle one. i used it once..it was wheel wash after that. the basis for a bucket is to clean existing debris off the mitt your using...if u eliminate that..it didnt matter how much i rinsed the mitt with the hose. fine scratches galore. it was no fun. :(
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That's exactly why I don't use a wash mitt when using QEW. Always a Microfiber towel, and never more than one pass per quarter-fold towel (total 8 passes, then rinse).....
 
Charcoalmax said:
Stay away from the bucket free eagle one. i used it once..it was wheel wash after that. the basis for a bucket is to clean existing debris off the mitt your using...if u eliminate that..it didnt matter how much i rinsed the mitt with the hose. fine scratches galore. it was no fun. :(
Click to expand...

What kind of mitt did you use? I use my own spray bucketless wash solution, and I find that crap rinses off my chenile mitt easier then with a bucket.
 
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