Hey...you guys are talking about car washes....I live in Northwest Ohio. They use salt on the roads here in the winter time. A car wash does not use fresh water for every wash. They filter the used water so it looks clean but it isn't. The water still has salt in it. Filtering will not remove salt. A guy at where I work bought a brand new Ford automobile. When it rusted out, he had a Ford Rep look at it. When the Rep asked him if he took it to a car wash, he said yes and the rust-out warranty was voided because the car wash water contains salt. You might want to keep this in mind if you live in a cold climate.
GradyJ

 

WHAT!
If that is true, how come my vehicle looks clean and unspotted after it gets washed? If there was salt in the water, wouldn't that leave spots on the windows?

 

Maybe some car washes don't filter water properly but the new car wash in my town filters just about everything out of the water. I never had any streaks or anything on my finish after washing my truck. I only use the car wash in town during the cold winter months, other than that I hand wash the rest of the year.

Ron

 

Are you sure about that? Why would they re-use the dirty water?

 

Cost savings. Some do because of discharge requirements that they have to meet on an industrial basis because of regulations imposed on such establishments. Others reuse because they think that it's the environmentally correct thing to do.

None the less, many do utilize filtration systems which filter out the solids (sand and such) and respray 'used' water.

You'll see this frequently in areas where water is often scarce and it's an accepted practice. In fact, I just read a magazine article a few months ago about an auto-wash in Tempe that does just this... I think it was in Modern Car Care (trade magazine).

RP

 

Whodathunkedit!!!?

Guess I'll have to find new ways of taking a bath. *kicks dirt*

hehehe

 

dirty water i live in arizona where you can't even drink the water, let alone wash your truck. we use reverse osmsosis to rinse, then wax. if you have salt in your water all you have to do is wipe it down before it dries, then wax lightly. believe me it is a pain to do all the time but here that is what it takes. i have a lariat with a lot of chrome that spots real easy, so you can guess how long it takes for me to wipe it down

 

I would imagine the reason they filter it is because it is cost-effective as well as perhaps EPA requirements. It makes sense they would do this. I know the reverse osmosis system in my house removes salt from softened water but a car wash isn't going to go to that much trouble and cost. I was surprised to hear about it myself when the guy told me that. I had never actually given it any thought. And just filtering out the solids, soap, etc., won't remove salt. Re-cycling the water has got to be very cost-effective.

GradyJ

 

the EPA requires that in any state with the potential for a two year drought or more than three thousand gallons of water to be used on a daily business in a non-precipitous area to re-cycle their water or face the wrath of a bunch of nerds who can shut you down. Car washes are not the only ones affected as my poor buddy opened a septic cleaning business and get hit with a $2500 fine for flushing systems with non-recycled water.

Local ordinances also play a huge factor in water issues as does simple cost. I can clean my pool water for 9 bucks but drain and re-fill it 62.

 

[I] i do know that the car washes here in az, do have reverse ossmossis for the final rinse. there are just a couple that have it right, because they still have filters to keep changing. it works real well here, however we still need to wipe it down. i guess wherever you go there will be water problems, mr.clean machine works real well, all i know is there is a ton of products out there to wash your truck with.

 

got bored and started reading local ordinances. It goes further than I thought. The self car washes in harris county (Houston, TX proper) are also affected. No one is safe from water conservation and the effects it has.

The only confusing part is while we may have a four to six week drought most summers (typical peak july heat) we get a ton of rain almost year round. Makes me wonder how much water we waste and how much of the crap we don't our local council decides to "recycle".

 

i don't know about texas, but here the water to wash, drink, or anything you need water for is no good. thats why we use ro systems for everything. too many minerals in the water. i live right on the colorado river, and still we have shortages. as far as washing a vehicle, wiping it down completley is the only way to remove the water spots. i do not mean little spots, it looks like a fog on you vehicle if you don't use spot free, then still wipe it down

 

A survey here in the UK estimated that a single car wash, is the same as 12months average weathering by mother nature. It was also found that the chemicals in cars wash machines (what the type of machine) contained acids to give the finish a new look by the time the machine had finished drying -

I must use a machine I use a powerwasher with the rinse only option!!