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Home Autodry Car Wash Systems?


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I have been wondering about those home use spray gun systems seen on TV like Mr. Clean Autodry Car Wash System that claims, "Provides a spot-free clean with no need to hand dry!"

 

Anyone tried one? Any feedback.. Boy, it would save so much time in my day to jump that last step, or at least save time by having to do less of it.. but it seems to good to be true.

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hmmm.. may have to ask Santa for it..

 

if there is I thing I know about myself, with my new cars, I am into washing & detailing the heck out of them often... for the first 6-8 months. Then, inevitably, my interest starts to wain and I start to dread it. So, anything like that which is legit, I might have to give a shot.

 

I did not realize it was just a filter. I assumed it was some 'stuff' they was sprayed onto the car in conjunction with the water and thus, it left some sort of film on it that reduced surface tension so the water bailed out. so I thought, if it is some 'stuff' what does that do to the finish and the windows over time.. some toxic film build up? but if it is just a filter...

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I have been using the Mr Clean system for 2 years. No need for a bucket anymore and the car dries almost

spot free. If you look really close you may be able to see a very faint spot here and there, but I've read that

pro detailers say that is better than wiping. Wiping causes scratches.

 

CORRECT. Wiping causes scratches. I don't care what you dry it with, over time, you WILL get spiderwebbing. I own a detailing company and I pay a water company $120 every 3 months to come out and exchange my deionization tanks. Mr. Clean systems use a mini filter like this to achieve spot free water. Your TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) in the water will determine how long your Mr. Clean filter will last. Go to my website pleasewashmycar.com and click "Why Spot-Free?". I took a vid of a black Benz that some detailers just got done wiping the crap out of. Horrible scratches.

 

Soft water is not the answer. As a matter of fact, when you add salt to the water to soften it, you are adding more TDS to it. I fell victim to the RainSoft "This water will dry your dishes spotless" scheme. So I paid 4 grand to have this whole house system put in. Sure, my clothes are softer and the soap suds really well, but it spots like crazy. The only way to achieve spot free water is to deionize it, distill it or reverse osmosis it.

 

I also use a leaf blower for those folks who don't want a wet car dripping in their garage....however, if it hasn't been waxed recently, the water doesn't blow off....just spreads.

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  • 3 months later...

It took me 2 years to finally waste my money on this garbage. The rinse spray comes out so slow, it takes 1 hour just to rinse the friggin' soap off the car. The soap they provide is damn good soap though, it made my wash mitt turn black......and I mean black. Just install a whole house filter on incoming water supply, and voila, spot free rinse. I use a leaf blower to dry my car and wheels and it works beautifully. This kit is a pita and not worth the money. Now if someone can tell me where to find Turtle Wax tire shine.........it is actually a wax for your tires and works awesome......no sling-off and lasts for weeks!.....I will be a happy camper. The shine is deep and black not glossy.....and I shit you not, it lasts 2 weeks ! Best tire dressing on the market.

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I think you may need to reread the directions. Quote "It takes 1 hour just to rinse the soap off the car." You are

supposed to wash the car just as you always do, that is, soap one area then rinse normally(middle setting on the gun).

The filter setting is used AFTER this process. Takes me less time than wiping.

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Nothing magic here - it works. Manual car washes have the same feature. It just softens the water so it doesn't leave any spots.

 

I've also head of people using a leaf blower to get the excess water off.

 

 

My husband uses a leaf blower and only a leaf blower on our Shelby GT500 when he washes it. Uses it for the outside and the motor as well. He will not wipe it dry....It does and will scratch

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I "read the directions" I do not wash one fender then rinse, wash the door handle then rinse, wash the antenna then rinse.......This kit is a waste of time, it just filters the water to remove the minerals that cause spotting. There is no magic solution. I can piss out more than the rinse setting on this piece of garbage. Like I said, filter the incoming water supply and use a leaf blower to dry.

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I "read the directions" I do not wash one fender then rinse, wash the door handle then rinse, wash the antenna then rinse.......This kit is a waste of time, it just filters the water to remove the minerals that cause spotting. There is no magic solution. I can piss out more than the rinse setting on this piece of garbage. Like I said, filter the incoming water supply and use a leaf blower to dry.

 

Call your local water filtration company and get a set of 4ft DI tanks delivered to your home. For $75-$100, you will get thousands of gallons of filtered, spot-free water. I have the 5ft tanks and I get over 3 months of use before they need to be swapped out....and I am constantly filling my 60 gal tank in my detail van. I'm washing about 15 cars per tank too. So, for a homeowner that washes 2-4 times per month, you're talking maybe a year or more worth of use. The one time cost (per year or so) for never having to hand dry your car is more than worth it IMO.

 

Of course, it all depends on the TDS of the water coming into the tanks. Mine varies between 190-250.

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What do you know about the rainsoft system? All I know is I would have to sell one of my nuts to afford it.

 

Funny you say that..

 

My buddy started selling their systems, so I told him he could come give us his "in home demonstration" crap so he could get $50. Well, after promising that my dishes would be spotless (as well as anything else), I thought that this may be the answer. I was, at the time, bartering my detail water from a medical supply company and it was a bit of a hassle. SO - $5K later, we had a whole house softener/air purification system and some :censored: spotted dishes and car. After going to their office and pissing and moaning, they took 2 grand off and gave us years worth of laundry/dishwasher/hand/shower/car soaps. They also gave us craploads of fake armor all/furniture polish/stainless steel cleaner/window, well, you get it.

 

So, after wasting your time reading this, the bottom line is, other than water that feels, well, soft, RAINSOFT SUCKS. All it does is replace certain chemicals in your water with salt, which is a spotty substance...and any softener can do that, regardless of what Florence Henderson says.

 

Spot free can only be made 3 ways - Distillation/Reverse Osmosis/Deionization.

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  • 4 months later...

I bought the Mr. Clean Auto-dry Kit ($34.95 at Target) and find it acceptable. It's not perfect by the fact that when you finish one section (of the vehicle) and move to the next, you will always have some over spray from the normal rinse that will spot if you do not do an overlapping spotless re-rinse. The final step I do during the wash is to do a spotless re-rinse of the entire vehicle. Any water that remains beaded after 30 minutes I remove using a clean microfiber cloth. Soap runs about $4.95 for a bottle that will yeild 5 washes (Edge) and the filters are $5.95 and while rated for 10 car wash rinses, I have been getting about 6.

 

There is a drawback to the Mr. Clean Auto-dry car wash kit; it is for light duty wash & rinse only. If you have a large amount of dirt that needs to be removed, i.e., MUD, SALT other road GRIME, then you will need a more powerful spray nozzle for the initial rinse and (perhaps) wash cycles.

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