Hard water and car washing

[e-pony]

I should've said: the car has already been professionally ceramic coated. It does help, but doesn't eliminate the problem.

When I take the car to the hand car wash, it doesn't have this problem. They told me they use "diluted water" to prevent spots, but I can't do that at home.

I dry with a leaf blower, then with microfiber cloth.

Spray with a detailer like Wolfgang’s while damp then wioe off with super soft, super absorbant cloths

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[Kismit]

Dionized water filter system. Not cheap.

my brother bought one and it's amazing

 

[krazieboy]

my brother bought one and it's amazing

It really is. I've built my own system at home. but resin isnt' exactly cheap heh.

 

[joebruin77]

If you want to reduce water spots when drying your ceramic coated car, I would suggest you 1) add a couple ounces of ONR or any other rinseless wash to your wash bucket and 2) use a drying aid such as Turtle Wax Hybird Solutions Wet Wax or Technicians Choice Ceramic Detail Spray and some soft microfiber towels to wipe away any water spots.

You can also visit autogeekonline.net and search the topic. This is an online forum of professional detailers and enthusiasts. For example, here are a couple related posts with helpful info:

https://www.autogeekonline.net/foru...light=how+to+stop+water+spots+ceramic+coating

https://www.autogeekonline.net/foru...ions-/130164-can-one-prevent-water-spots.html

If you want to purchase a deionizing system, Costco carries one that is not terribly expensive. It is around $180. Resin refills are $89 for a 2 pack.

 

[yngwenli]

Here is the Costco one you're referring to I assume. Not having to use/waste time drying sounds attractive (seems longer than the washing). It's onsale till Jun 20th for $139.99 ($40 off).


https://www.costco.com/unger-profes...otless-car-wash-system.product.100471577.html

 

[HBSofDE]

Per Chicago Auto Pros on YouTube, put some spray detailer onto the surface of the drying towel. They did not specify a brand.

 

[joebruin77]

Per Chicago Auto Pros on YouTube, put some spray detailer onto the surface of the drying towel. They did not specify a brand.

Using a drying aid like you mentioned really makes a big difference. What a lot of people don't realize is that with rinseless washes (or any kind of wash for that matter), scratches and swirls are often induced during the drying process. By using a drying aid, you increase lubrication between your drying towel and the paint, thus reducing the chances of scratching the paint.

Some of my personal favorite drying aids are:

1) For a ceramic coated car, I like Griots Garage Ceramic Speed Shine or Technicians Choice Ceramic Detail Spray.

2) For a car with a traditional wax or sealant, I like Meguiars D156 Synthetic Spray Wax. There is a consumer version of this product called Meguiars Ultimate Quick Wax.

3) One of the most unique and effective (but also a bit pricey) drying aids on the market is Ammo NYC Hydrate. With Ammo NYC Hydrate, you can dry your entire car with a single damp microfiber towel. It sounded crazy to me at first, but I tried it and it worked.

4) Or, you can skip all of the products above and just use the same rinseless wash solution you used for the main rinseless wash. For example, ONR can be diluted 1:16 to create a detail spray that can be used as a drying aid.

 

[snowy_91]

I installed a hot and cold faucet tied to my water softener in my garage.

 

[billy_at]

Here is the Costco one you're referring to I assume. Not having to use/waste time drying sounds attractive (seems longer than the washing). It's onsale till Jun 20th for $139.99 ($40 off).


https://www.costco.com/unger-professional-rinse'n'go-plus-spotless-car-wash-system.product.100471577.html

Wow, this seems great. I guess the main downside is the filters cost $45 and each only lasts 11 washes. Still, cheaper than taking the car to a handwash.

 

[RMoore]

Using a drying aid like you mentioned really makes a big difference. What a lot of people don't realize is that with rinseless washes (or any kind of wash for that matter), scratches and swirls are often induced during the drying process. By using a drying aid, you increase lubrication between your drying towel and the paint, thus reducing the chances of scratching the paint.

Some of my personal favorite drying aids are:

1) For a ceramic coated car, I like Griots Garage Ceramic Speed Shine or Technicians Choice Ceramic Detail Spray.

2) For a car with a traditional wax or sealant, I like Meguiars D156 Synthetic Spray Wax. There is a consumer version of this product called Meguiars Ultimate Quick Wax.

3) One of the most unique and effective (but also a bit pricey) drying aids on the market is Ammo NYC Hydrate. With Ammo NYC Hydrate, you can dry your entire car with a single damp microfiber towel. It sounded crazy to me at first, but I tried it and it worked.

4) Or, you can skip all of the products above and just use the same rinseless wash solution you used for the main rinseless wash. For example, ONR can be diluted 1:16 to create a detail spray that can be used as a drying aid.

Anyone have experience with Ammo hydrate vs hydrate pro? The latter seems new and improved but isn’t available in the Ammo website. I’d be willing to try one of these.

 

[joebruin77]

Anyone have experience with Ammo hydrate vs hydrate pro? The latter seems new and improved but isn’t available in the Ammo website. I’d be willing to try one of these.

I think the main difference between the regular Hydrate and the Hydrate pro is that the pro version has ceramic infused in it. So if you have a ceramic coating or a ceramic spray sealant as your paint protection, you would probably want the Pro version. But if you don't want or need ceramic protection, then the regular Hydrate is just fine.

I have not used the pro version (like you mentioned, it is not available yet). But the regular Hydrate is in my opinion the best drying aid on the market. The only reason I prefer Technicians Choice Ceramic Detail Spray is because it is so much more cost effective. A 16 ounce bottle of Hydrate is $25. A gallon of Technicians Choice CDS is around $37-$40.

 

[RMoore]

I think the main difference between the regular Hydrate and the Hydrate pro is that the pro version has ceramic infused in it. So if you have a ceramic coating or a ceramic spray sealant as your paint protection, you would probably want the Pro version. But if you don't want or need ceramic protection, then the regular Hydrate is just fine.

I have not used the pro version (like you mentioned, it is not available yet). But the regular Hydrate is in my opinion the best drying aid on the market. The only reason I prefer Technicians Choice Ceramic Detail Spray is because it is so much more cost effective. A 16 ounce bottle of Hydrate is $25. A gallon of Technicians Choice CDS is around $37-$40.

Thanks. I’ve been using the Hybrid Solutions Ceramic spray on my other cars and recently picked up their Ceramic Wet Wax which I guess is also a drying aid? So maybe I’m all set? As an aside about to put on second coat of the ceramic spray on my new MME, picked up yesterday. My son and I washed it yesterday, did a gentle clay bar treatment, and then applied the first coat of the ceramic spray. Looks great (though looked great before since it’s new ).

 

[joebruin77]

Thanks. I’ve been using the Hybrid Solutions Ceramic spray on my other cars and recently picked up their Ceramic Wet Wax which I guess is also a drying aid? So maybe I’m all set? As an aside about to put on second coat of the ceramic spray on my new MME, picked up yesterday. My son and I washed it yesterday, did a gentle clay bar treatment, and then applied the first coat of the ceramic spray. Looks great (though looked great before since it’s new ).

Yep, the Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions Wet Wax is a great drying aid, especially if you already have the Hybrid Solutions Ceramic Sealant as your base protection.

If you like Turtle Wax products, once you use up your HS Wet Wax, you may want to check out the Turtle Wax Graphene Flex Wax. It can also be used as a drying aid and is supposed to offer a bit more gloss, due to the graphene content. But it is also a bit more expensive.

 

[RMoore]

Yep, the Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions Wet Wax is a great drying aid, especially if you already have the Hybrid Solutions Ceramic Sealant as your base protection.

If you like Turtle Wax products, once you use up your HS Wet Wax, you may want to check out the Turtle Wax Graphene Flex Wax. It can also be used as a drying aid and is supposed to offer a bit more gloss, due to the graphene content. But it is also a bit more expensive.

I’m new to car washing and detailing and the Hybrid Solutions is all I’ve tried so far. That said, the ceramic spray seems to work reasonably well and it is easy to apply and not pricey. I did read a post by @Pushrods&Capacitors where he was impressed with his results with the much pricier Adam’s Graphene Ceramic coating, and thought about giving that a try. But might be interesting to try the Hybrid Solutions Graphene spray you mention. Yes, it’s pricier than the wet wax but still only about $30 on Amazon.

 

[MachTee]

As has been pointed out, the use of a drying aid is the key, and not wash it under the sun. For me though, I only have a small window in the summer time when the sun is not hitting directly, 8-9AM and after 7PM. I usually go out at 9am. Fortunately my cars are ceramic coated, so using my Ego leaf blower gets 90% of the water off. When I do a wipe down, I spritz some Chemical Guys waterless wash as lubricant to dry. I just bought a gallon of ONR to try since my Chemical Guys stuff is running low.

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