[mchart]

I personally use DP (Detailers pro / Dual Penetration, the autogeek brand.waterless wash concentrate. Makes a good general detail spray, etc. Fairly decent price as well.

 

[HARDWARE]

I bought this setup from Amazon and have used it twice so far:Camco 40043 TastePURE Water Filter with Flexible Hose Protector . It seems to give me more time to get dried off and is more forgiving if I miss something. There are no flow issues either. It's not going to work miracles, but I feel it was definitely $15 well spent. As others have said - try to work in the shade on a car with a cool surface.

 

[mchart]

That filter will do nothing as it won't remove hardness from the water. It's just a sediment filter. Not even sure how they could claim it removes chlorine.

 

[izzyfahzhool1]

I live in NW NJ and have a well. The water, while delicious, is pH 6.0 and about 250 ppm TDS. That is considered really, really hard water. It leaves horrible, tenacious water stains on everything upon drying. I bought that Mr. Clean water de-ionizer thing several years back but did not consider it to be practical because of the capacity of the de-ionizer cartridges. Griot's has an in-line water de-ionizer. My experience with Griots is that, while they sell quality products, their hardware accessories are way overpriced. This morning on Amazon, I came across a California company, CR Spotless Water Systems. They have at least three portable, garden hose hook-up de-ionizer systems; DIC-120, DIC-10 & DIC-20. The DIC-20 is the largest and most expensive @ $449. That is a lot of money, true, but I may go for it, after hearing back from them regarding several questions I asked. One can either buy new mixed-bed resin de-ionizer cartridges from them or the bulk resin that goes inside. If anyone is interested, I'll report back on what they say and, if I buy it, how well it works for me.

 

[Mattionals]

I live in NW NJ and have a well. The water, while delicious, is pH 6.0 and about 250 ppm TDS. That is considered really, really hard water. It leaves horrible, tenacious water stains on everything upon drying. I bought that Mr. Clean water de-ionizer thing several years back but did not consider it to be practical because of the capacity of the de-ionizer cartridges. Griot's has an in-line water de-ionizer. My experience with Griots is that, while they sell quality products, their hardware accessories are way overpriced. This morning on Amazon, I came across a California company, CR Spotless Water Systems. They have at least three portable, garden hose hook-up de-ionizer systems; DIC-120, DIC-10 & DIC-20. The DIC-20 is the largest and most expensive @ $449. That is a lot of money, true, but I may go for it, after hearing back from them regarding several questions I asked. One can either buy new mixed-bed resin de-ionizer cartridges from them or the bulk resin that goes inside. If anyone is interested, I'll report back on what they say and, if I buy it, how well it works for me.

My DIC-20 comes in tomorrow. I have Trenton, NJ city water and have always had spotting issues. I expect the whole foam cannon/pressure washer/DIC-20 combo to make keeping the car clean a little easier.

 

[izzyfahzhool1]

I'm very interested to see how you like that DIC-20 unit; please post your thoughts and impressions. I guess you just gotta pay for clean, de-ionized water. Apparently, it is key to drain the cartridges after use to prevent algae build-up.

 

[Mattionals]

Ok, mini review:

Received the unit (50 lbs shipped) on Tuesday and it came in a basic cardboard box. There was sufficient amount of styrofoam in the cardboard box to make sure the unit was not damaged during shipping. Unboxing was fairly easy, with all loose parts and filter elements in their own smaller cardboard boxes and wrapped in plastic wrap.

Assembly:

Just glancing at directions indicated what was fairly obvious. Removed all pieces from their individual boxes, placed the centering rings over the cartridge filters, screwed the filters into the caddy mount, and torqued down with included filter wrench. I then applied the included (awesome that they do this BTW) teflon tape to the fittings, and hooked the unit up to my outdoor hose spigot. On the other side of the unit I connected up my 3200 PSI DeWalt pressure washer (CAT Pumps FTW!) and turned on the water at the spigot.

I let the system pressurize and then let the pressure off the pressure washer pump by pulling the trigger on the washer wand. Started the pressure washer and I away I went. To be fair, I did my homework when I bought the DIC-20 to make sure that the pressure washer I had was not going to exceed the max flow rate of the DIC-20 and CR Spotless suggests to stay in a 2.5 to 2.8 GPM range. The Dewalt is a 2.8 GPM max unit, so everything worked fine and the TDS meter on the CR Spotless never did jump up beyond .000 which by their standards means a spot free rinse.

This was the first wash for my car, and also my second time using the Chemical Bros. TORQ foam cannon with Mr. Pink soap. I did a modified two bucket method (no grit guard in my Home Depot buckets, so I manually rinsed my microfiber mitt in the dirty bucket) and did a thorough wash at approximately 8 PM. Granted, I was protecting myself from quick dry off with barely any sunlight, but water will still evaporate over time, so even though I washed at night, I was still susceptible to water spots. Cleaned everything and then rinsed off without the PW (ran out of gas!) and just parked it in the garage and didn't wipe it down.

I decided not to wipe it down so I had the most amount of water on the car to see if it the CR Spotless really did the job. Otherwise, I'd be pretty PO'ed if it didn't and now my sweet new car would have spots all over it!

The conclusion:

IT WORKED GREAT! No spots, no swirls (means I did a good wash :biggrin: ), and an overall clean and spot free finish. Anybody who is looking to do their own detailing and doesn't want to spend tons of time racing against the sun to dry right after the final rinse or go over the entire car with quick detailer and a dampened MicroFiber towel should invest in this unit.

I did empty out the water from the filter canisters once I was done, because as Izzy stated, there have been accounts where algae tends to build up.

Hope this review helps!

 

[izzyfahzhool1]

That was most informative and helpful; thank you. I never heard back from those mutts, but I ordered the unit anyway. I also ordered a single bowl cartridge sediment filter [I have one installed inline in my house water system but am not totally responsible in regularly changing the filters] with garden hose fittings. I'll try to "adapt" the bowl to a board or something and attach it to the DIC-20 caddy. I ordered this de-ionizer from COSTCO online. They add two extra bags of cartridge resin and some other things plus they knock $20 off the price [$429 not $449.] Shipping is free-then gotta pay $30 sales tax. Oh well.

 

[izzyfahzhool1]

My DIC-20 comes in tomorrow. I have Trenton, NJ city water and have always had spotting issues. I expect the whole foam cannon/pressure washer/DIC-20 combo to make keeping the car clean a little easier.

So I did go for the DIC-20 system. I modified it slightly by attaching a bowl containing a sediment filter to the unit. I would say that it did a splendid job of rinsing the car and not leaving any water spots. It's expensive but I saw no other option, if I want to wash the car myself.

 

[macssuck]

Thank you for the reviews on the CR spotless system. I'm still thinking about it. Right now I'm washing early in the morning but I always miss a little area and the spot(s) are pretty noticeable.

Life's been a bit crazy but I did a some homework on this.

After talking to the neighbor who uses a DI tank from Culligan I called 4 Culligan dealers and got 4 different prices and the closest dealer won't take my money because I don't have a business license. When I called one of the other dealers the lady that answered the phone couldn't understand why I wouldn't just take my car to the local swirl-o-matic and sarcastically said "what do you drive a Bugatti".

Of the dealers I called I liked the Culligan dealer in Salinas. The nice girl who answered the phone and the sales guy who returned my call were excellent to deal with. I priced the tank my neighbor has(can't remember size now) and Salinas was less than $25 a month for tank rental and less than $75 for the exchange. Other Culligan dealers were significantly more. My neighbor has been using the same tank for 2 years cleaning solar panels and washing his personal vehicles.

 

[GottahaveaV8]

Just ordered the CR DIC 20 from Costco.

http://www.costco.com/CR-SPOTLESS-De-Ionizing-Spotless-Water-System™.product.11762647.html


$60 bucks off right now, plus you get extras:

Includes:
DIC-20 with in-line TDS meter
(2) 20” cartridges filled with de-ionizing resin
4’ inlet hose (attaches to hose bib)
Nozzle (7 pattern garden sprayer)
Roll of Teflon plumber’s tape
Housing wrench
Quick start guide/warranty card
Bonus: (2) sets quick connects
Bonus: (2) bags of resin (R2-20)

 

[Cruiseshipkid]

I have a hose fitting on my house water softener. Just for the car.. Makes washing much better.
No more hard water scale

 

[Stingray]

Water

it's all in the water, Or whats not in the water :smile

I bought a D.I. Tank set up years ago, My Dealer, Calls it crack water, cause once your hooked, you'll never use anything else.

It was 1k all in, I've had it about 15 years, It's a mixed resin bed tank, and I get it recharged about every three months. Cost is about $50

And I wash four cars every week, and haul it to AZ. when we go to use on my boat, That usually is the kiss of death.

If it was double the cost I'd do it. there is NO drying, NONE, if you rinse well, it drys completely spot free.

I don't think I've dried a car in 15 years.

 

[PFWiz]

As an ex Navy Nuke, I really don't think that you want to be washing your car with de-ionized water.

De-ionized water water is water that has been both mechanically and chemically filtered. Every thing (minerals, impurities) has been removed from it. This includes one ion per molecule, hence the name. When used with certain Austinetic stainless steels this stuff is the cats azz. It causes no corrosion of any kind and introduces no minerals / impurities.

Unlike nuclear power plant primary piping our cars are not built out of high grade stainless steels. This has some unfortunate effects.

De -ionized water is just that, it is missing an ion. Nature abhors a vacuum (remeber high school chemistry?) and the water is going to try very hard to get it's ion back. Amongst de-ionized waters favorite targets are copper and aluminum. De-ionized water might as well be strong acid as far as those two metals are concerned.

In automobile body shops(I am talking about where autos are built, not Joe's Auto Body) I have seen de-ionized water (used because some idiot though that using "the best water in the plant" was good thing even though I specifically stipulated they use distilled water) eat through brand new copper heater coils in less than 3 weeks.

Soft water is a good thing and leaves no water spots when you wash your car. De-ionized water is something else all together....

 

[aussiem5]

The underpowered portable battery leaf blowers (Black & Decker, etc) are completely 100% useless for blowing leaves.

But they do work really well for getting rid of standing water after car washing... and starting campfires in the middle of nowhere.

 

[Stingray]

As an ex Navy Nuke, I really don't think that you want to be washing your car with de-ionized water.

De-ionized water water is water that has been both mechanically and chemically filtered. Every thing (minerals, impurities) has been removed from it. This includes one ion per molecule, hence the name. When used with certain Austinetic stainless steels this stuff is the cats azz. It causes no corrosion of any kind and introduces no minerals / impurities.

Unlike nuclear power plant primary piping our cars are not built out of high grade stainless steels. This has some unfortunate effects.

De -ionized water is just that, it is missing an ion. Nature abhors a vacuum (remeber high school chemistry?) and the water is going to try very hard to get it's ion back. Amongst de-ionized waters favorite targets are copper and aluminum. De-ionized water might as well be strong acid as far as those two metals are concerned.

In automobile body shops(I am talking about where autos are built, not Joe's Auto Body) I have seen de-ionized water (used because some idiot though that using "the best water in the plant" was good thing even though I specifically stipulated they use distilled water) eat through brand new copper heater coils in less than 3 weeks.

Soft water is a good thing and leaves no water spots when you wash your car. De-ionized water is something else all together....

Although all of the above is true, 15 years of washing and detailing cars says different. I have never had a rust/pitting/ dissolving issues with any of my cars.
I would think East Coast road treatment would be worse.

Continually pumping DI water through a plant is vastly different than a final rinse in my driveway.
It's cost effective, compact, time saving. I have yet to encounter any adverse affects due to it.

 

[PFWiz]

Although all of the above is true, 15 years of washing and detailing cars says different. I have never had a rust/pitting/ dissolving issues with any of my cars.
I would think East Coast road treatment would be worse.

Continually pumping DI water through a plant is vastly different than a final rinse in my driveway.
It's cost effective, compact, time saving. I have yet to encounter any adverse affects due to it.

I was thinking about this during the day....

To a certain degree you may be right. They paint job and other coatings protect your aluminum hood, radiator...etc as long as the coating is there. Also since as you said the DI water is not continuously in contact with the susceptible metals then they are not damaged as badly.

Here is the the thing though. You are paying extra money for a DI water system as opposed to a water softener (system that removes only minerals and impurities) and the only thing your extra money buys you is the possibility of damaging your car. :eek

 

[Stingray]

I was thinking about this during the day....

To a certain degree you may be right. They paint job and other coatings protect your aluminum hood, radiator...etc as long as the coating is there. Also since as you said the DI water is not continuously in contact with the susceptible metals then they are not damaged as badly.

Here is the the thing though. You are paying extra money for a DI water system as opposed to a water softener (system that removes only minerals and impurities) and the only thing your extra money buys you is the possibility of damaging your car. :eek

I'm not against Soft water, and in my situation, I was looking at what mobile detailers used, I had no system, so I was spending money on something anyways. DI turned out to be the most cost effective and portable for me.
In a homeowner application, Soft Water May make more sense, you can tie it into your home and see benefit from it. I know guys that use soft water.

At the time DI was the most compact, Least maintenance, most portable, And least expensive alternative. Between $150-$200 a year. With 1K outright 15 years ago. I think that may still be true today. But I'm not saying ditch you water softener in favor of this. It's just whats worked for me.

BUT full disclosure , The shop that services my tank has the concrete floors eaten up, with a rough texture because constant contact with the water has etched the floor. Now we are talking 6 days a week, 10 hr days, for over 15 years. some will jump on this and say..See I told you it's bad for your car
I don't see it that way. most mobile detailers have DI tanks they lease, or buy bulk water into a huge container, And they buy it by the gallon.

The crap on the road sitting in pockets of your car are more hazardous.
Someone here just did a huge gravel brodie that made my skin crawl.
that was more hazardous. :grin :grin that was cool to watch!!!!!!!

Sorry for the derail, this is supposed to be about drying our cars. not chemistry 101....

:wink

 

[noisycricket]

Although all of the above is true, 15 years of washing and detailing cars says different. I have never had a rust/pitting/ dissolving issues with any of my cars.
I would think East Coast road treatment would be worse.

Continually pumping DI water through a plant is vastly different than a final rinse in my driveway.
It's cost effective, compact, time saving. I have yet to encounter any adverse affects due to it.

Not to hijack the thread, but not sure what you mean by "missing an ion"
De-ionized water is just that, isn't it--water without dissolved ions (eg iron, copper, etc etc)--the water itself is unchanged. You could call distilled water an extreme version of de-ionized water. It isn't more reactive or more of a solvent than any other form of water, it just has fewer "impurities" that could spot or leave deposits.
Seems like kind of an extreme measure, to rinse with de-ionized water, but hey, some people are extreme about car care (and their car will look better than mine for it!)
I have a dark colored car and will have to try one (or more) of the detail sprays suggested here, but living in the Seattle area, I think I'm just going to have to get used to water spots on the car 8-9 months out of the year...

 

[Stingray]

Not to hijack the thread, but not sure what you mean by "missing an ion"
De-ionized water is just that, isn't it--water without dissolved ions (eg iron, copper, etc etc)--the water itself is unchanged. You could call distilled water an extreme version of de-ionized water. It isn't more reactive or more of a solvent than any other form of water, it just has fewer "impurities" that could spot or leave deposits.
Seems like kind of an extreme measure, to rinse with de-ionized water, but hey, some people are extreme about car care (and their car will look better than mine for it!)
I have a dark colored car and will have to try one (or more) of the detail sprays suggested here, but living in the Seattle area, I think I'm just going to have to get used to water spots on the car 8-9 months out of the year...

The ion comment was not mine,


And around So Cal. just about every mobile detailer uses DI water and a pressure washing rig.

At my old office the guy had built a reputation for good work, He showed up on Tuesdays and spent about 10 hrs just doing car washes, no detailing at all.
Wash Dry Vac, Next car please.

Now to be productive.

I've not tried a detail spray with a dry, I'll try that next week. It sounds like a good way to kill two birds with one stone.
Thanks for the tip.