Steve 96C4S

So... I finally cleaned my 993 at the new house and since there is no driveway, I have to parallel park it next to my garage in the alley behind my house, with the hose running from the back of my house, thru the garage, out to the alley. It's so strange for me after having tons of room at my last house in a very long driveway with space for 3 cars. I'm guessing most of you are blessed with lots of space and driveway (like I used to have) to clean your cars, but for those of you that are space impaired like me now, do you have any pics of your car cleaning situation? I'd be curious to see how you do it?

It was really nice to get the car clean today though on a warmish, sunny, Northeast winter day. I used my new Griot products for the first time since getting them like the weatherproof black tire stuff (works better than anything I've ever used to get the tires black and shiny), the large microfiber drying towels (WOW, why did I wait so long to get them?), the microfiber cleaning mitt (ok I guess - much thicker and heavier than the lighter chenille cotton mitts I've used for years, though I'm not sure that's a good thing), and their liquid car wash (not sure if it's any better than the P21S I've always used, but it sure is thick). I finished off with a healthy dose of Leatherique. I love the smell of the leather after it's been "leatheriqued". Smells better than new.

Here's some pics showing my new, limited space to clean a car...
The hose extends thru the garage to the alley:


The bimmer had the first cleaning of the day:


I love my car


Got the first thumbs up today by some of the neighbors - they had never really seen the 993 before today while it hibernated in the garage till now

My very small cleaning space. Glad it's a small car.


Just like living in the city, but in the suburbs


All done




The BMW barely fits in this small space




Steve R

doberdog

Steve,

I live in the city with a tiny garage and a back lane. When I wash the car if someone comes up the lane I have to move, so you have it good. I'd get a plumber to run hot and cold water lines to your garage or you could do what I do and I run a hot and cold hose to the back lane. This way you don't have to run it through the garage and you don't have to run back to the house for warm water in the winter.
Once you get used to it, it isn't a big deal.

Steve 96C4S

Thanks Zack. Actually, you just reminded me of something... someone said one day that I could have a plumber run a line that's already inside the garage and turn it into a spigot. It serves the upstairs apartment and the plumbing line is next to the hot water heater in a closet at the front of the garage. Apparantly my plumber could tap into that line and make the inside of the garage have a serviceable hose situation. What I really would have liked is a spigot in back of the garage where I clean my cars, but ... you can't have it all I guess...

Cheers,
Steve R

Garth S

Install a faucet of this type through the back wall: the shutoff sits inside the wall for freeze protection, giving you hot & cold year round.

Steve 96C4S

Garth,

Thanks for the idea and the picture to go with it. I'll run it by my plumber friend. That sounds like an excellent option.

Steve

baron95993

I think is looks great. The cars look like they have a smile
Baron

Mike J

Hi Steve,

Its pretty easy to run a few lines from one end of your garage to the other. I would place your hose bibs inside the garage by the door with a hose on a reel. I assume you neighbours do not like having hose reels hanging on the side of the garage facing the alley so I would hang it just inside the garage. I depends on your neighbourhood but in mine I would not have a hose bib with hot water accessiable to people walking in the street/alley. Its too easy for some kid to turn it on and drain your tank! :-)

Depending on how they built your walls you can also wash your car inside the garage and let the water run out the door. Try this one and see if the base of the side/end walls get wet, if so then don't do it. The garage should have a slightly sloped floor to allow for this to happen.

Cheers,

Mike

Steve 96C4S

Good stuff, Mike. I wouldn't wash the car in the garage as I'm going to have the walls painted dove white and then have the floor epoxied. I told my neighbor that I'm painting the garage and she said "Why?!? It's just a garage, it's going to get dirty?" I wanted to tell her that it'll set off my Porsche posters more nicely and that the garage is a sanctuary to me but I changed my mind and just shut up. She was a lady neighbor that wouldn't have understood.

That was a great idea Mike, to have the hose reel attached to the garage inner wall near the large door opening area next to my wife's Acura RL. I'll run all this by my plumber friend.

Steve R

verboten

Go with normal faucet, I have a siphon and when you turn it off the entire run of hose slowly leaks out and floods the garage.

My 02 cents, paint the walls and epoxy floors. It is the best $ I ever spent for the area we all love to be in.

911C2

that is very neat. I live in MI and could use soemthing like this. Do you kow the brand? Is this something one coudl pick up at Home Depot?

Mike J

This is pretty standard plumbing stuff and its available at Home Depot, etc.

Cheers,

Mike

Garth S

As Mike said ..... that particular one is by Moen.

lucycan

I have a similar setup in my garage. One set for the sink and one set for a dedicated hose line. Works great!

Steve 96C4S

Do you happen to have any pics of this set up? It's hard to visualize some of the stuff you guys are describing. Any idea of how much a plumber might fairly charge me to split off the line in the garage (the line that goes to the upstairs apt above the garage from the downstairs utility room inside the garage) and make a spigot available in the garage itself or in the front of the garage where the big garage door opens up?

Steve R

Mike J

Steve,

Why don't you DIY? This sort of job is quiet easy and then you can put it exactly where you want it?

Cheers,

Mike