MarkD

+1 on crspotless
Incredible... DI water leaves nothing, zero, zip, nada on your car.
Makes for a stress-free car washing experience.
For me that is huge as I am on well water and the TDS (total dissolved solids) are over 700pm at all times.
Lots more on the concours forum on RL as said before...

oh, and no afilliation with CRSpotless...
They do have pretty great customer service though.

Toreador

I have one of those in my garage as well.
Works GREAT!!
Soft water does not help with water spots. Soft water has salt in it, salt is a mineral, and when the water evaporates, the mineral stays behind causing water spots.

The de-ionizer wross996tt linked to is to remove ALL minerals from the water, hence no water spots.

Another great tip is to keep spraying water all over the car, never allowing any section of it to dry before you are done washing.
Then, dry section by section, starting from the top.

Here's a great secret for a good shine between waxings:
While the car is wet, before drying, spray the section to be dryed with detail spray, then dry. The detail spray will enhance the shine, and allow the towel (always microfiber towels with waffle weave) to glide smoothly over the paint, minimizing micro-scratches

smackboy1

I just got this deionizer http://www.watersticks.com/deionizer.htm. It attaches inline with the water hose and works great. I tried the Mr. Clean but the DI cartridge doesn't last very long and the amount of DI water spray is pitiful. The Waterstick is just a length of PVC pipe filled with resin and compared to the CR Spotless it's kind of cobbled together, but it's not as pricey and easier to store away. After washing I just final rinse with DI water and park it in the garage to air dry.

perfectlap

even simpler. Rinseless car wash. Been using Optimum's No Rinse for a year now.
I found for my personal use, that the full on bucket and hose wash is really overkill on a well maintained paint surface. The lubricant in No Rinse leaves a nice spot free slickness. A 2 gallon bucket of warm water, grit guard, 2 ounces of No Rinse and a natural sea sponge. I hold the sponge over the panels to soak/loosen the dirt. Wipe down, dunk the sponge and move to the next panel.

WHole process is done in 10 minutes. And no hose to put away.
The left over water in the bucket is used to clean the wheels with a wheel face brush.

While the car is still damp I spray each panel with a quick detailing polymer (FK1 425). This way you eliminate the dry rubbing (which is no good) and restore the anti-static barrier.

In my experience, the more soap/detergent you use the more water is required, the more drying you have to do. Way too much paint contact, which really should be kept to a minimum.

The leaf blower may be the best method of drying but your neighbohrs will look at you like your from another planet.

Ucube

Hmmm...the Mr. Clean system works quite well on all my cars.

vrinner

Where do you get micro fiber towels?

BlackCab996

websites for companies like Autopia or Griot's Garage - they're worth the extra $$, especially if you have a dark car - I know I've mentioned this before, so forgive me if you've seen some of my other posts: I have a real love/hate relationship with my Black paint. I hate the work to keep it clean but love it when it is clean. Keeping swirl marks to a minimum is a constant goal. The microfiber towels help a lot in minimizing damage to the car's finish.

I think my next P-Car will be Silver or White so that I can lower my stress and spend less time detailing the car

Charlie C

I use a synthetic chamois called the "Absorber". It works great. After I wash the entire car, I do an overall rinse (again) to make sure all of the car is wet. Then I use the Absorber and wring it out as I go. Perfect!
You can get it anywhere locally or online.
Here's one Absorber :
Very easy. TIP: When you're done with the car, rinse out the Absorber and wring it out partially. Put it away while it's still wet and it keeps it soft.

Charlie

JBRipps

My black '85 targa is for sale.....I will never buy another black car for that same reason....toooooo difficult to keep clean. I can dust the back....then the front.....the back will have a layer of dust in a few minutes....especially in the spring when everything is flying in the air.

J

Charlie C

You're not driving fast enough.
Just wax it so the dust won't stick and drive it to make the dust blow off!

gr8330

I did the same and it's great

Dutchie in NC

I got mine at Sams... big stack of 24... better price than at car stores