Smart DIY! I really like the Mr. Clean thingie. Works really well for me. Howver, I can see that buying replacement filters at $5 a pop is going to get old fast....

Makes washing the wife's car quicker so I have more time for mine. :wink

 

Correct me if I am wrong but I thought you need a water softener to get rid of the water mark. Water mark are the result of mineral in the water (thus hard water.) I didn't know the filter will filter out mineral.
If a filter can filter out metal and mineral in the water, why do we need water filters and softeners ? For sure it is 2 different equipemt for 2 different purpose.
Guess I drift too far from supposing a 993 p-car question :P

 

wongmb...your correct. i spoke with someone on this subject yesterday. the filter will remove chlorine, salt, sand, etc. it will not remove the minerals or soften the water, which is what causes the spots. i have looked into a water softner to put in my basement which will make the wife happy (washing her hair), plus it'll change the water coming out to my garden hose.

 

Bob,
What a brilliant idea!! All of my cars are black, this is the answer to minimize the water spots. Thanks!!
Andrew

 

Avillena-

Could you post a pic. of your car. I too have a blk on blk 96 and am very close to getting the RS tail and splitters and would love to see how it will look. Thanks. BTW beautiful car!!!!

 

But will a water softener even work? My understanding (and I could be wrong here) is that it removes calcium (or carbonate?) and replaces it with sodium (hence the need for salt). Several years back I had a leaky water softener and my water always tasted salty since salt was leeching in. I don't know about you, but I AM NOT spraying that kind of water on my p-car!!!! What could be worse than that?!?!?

 

I also use the BIG BLUE - great towel! Two of them do the job. As JPS does, I wash, drive a few blocks, then wipe remaining trickle marks. Having a black car I am very curious as to the benefit of these proposed systems.

Crimson Nape Racing - Which filter/cannister did you buy? I have a Home Depot nearby.

 

Mac993,
Thanks, here it is.

http://forums.rennlist.com/upload/porschepic_copy3.jpg

Andrew

 

NICE!!! I love that tail. Can't wait to get mine. Where did you get yours and who painted it? Thanks again.

 

fluid15 - I got the GE SmartWater household filter canister (about $15.00) and a pack of 2 sediment filters that filter down to 5 microns (about $7.00 for the pack of 2). Also, I was mistaken about the capacity - the filters are rated for 16,000 gallons! I seem to remember something about water softeners reducing spots like some of you guys said, but all I can say is with this filter and our Memphis water (which, BTW, comes from artesian wells and is good water), this thing works. JPS is also right, a good steady stream w/o the nozzle will "wash" most of the water off, but ever since I ran over the end of my hose and replaced it with a brass "aftermarket" end, the water comes out funny and that method does not work anymore. So instead of buying a new $15 hose, I spend $50 and half a day making this thing....

 

Now that's funny!

Beautiful county, bty....

 

Crimson - thanks for the response. I need to try this thing, fighting water spots on a black car is a losing battle!!!!

 

JPS is right, I've been using the smoothi stream of water method to dry my cars for years. I usually only need one small towel to clean up the small drops left behind when I use this method. I almost never have to towel dry my glass this way. However, you must have a good coat of wax on your car for this method to work effectively.

Noel

 

Very cool. Sounds like you recover the additional cost of setup in the price of the filters in no time at all.

CNR, in reviewing your setup I have a couple of questions for you. When your not using the filter and just running unfiltered water do you have water back flowing into your filter system? Does it make a difference if you do? I can't tell if your setup has a back flow valve on the down side of the filter. I see the butterfly valve on the right but not one on the left. Just curious if that shortens the life of the filter at all.

Nice job, BTW. I can't stand the water spots so starting with a really good wax job and staying on top of it has helped me a lot.

 

911 343 - there is no backflow preventer or check valve, but when the valve into the filter is closed and the bypass valve open, some law of physics will not water into the filter backwards - if it can't go out, it can't get in. IIRC, it is the ninth law of filterdynamics.