For years car dealers have used Deionized water tanks to wash cars. For those of us who live in areas with hard water always have to fight water spots.

Does anybody know where to purchase a "home" version of a DI water system? I've checked on the web and talked around and can't find a source.

If we can find these systems at an affordable price I'm willing to put together a group buy.

RHES2K (Sick of the water spots)

 

RHES2K, If you discover something, please let me know. We have sewers where I'm at, but no city water. The well water is terrible for spots. I have a black car that shows the spots so bad I quite hand washing it at home.

 

If you can't find anything to deionize the water, get an air compressor, and with an air nozzle, "blow dry" your car before the hard water has a chance to attack the paint and leave residue.

This is the quickest way to remove water from the car. Follow up the blow dry with a coat of Zaino Z6 Gloss Enhancer spray (www.zainobros.com) or an equivalent instant detailer.

Cheers,

 

Deionized water would really be helpful only for the final rinse.

So you could just do it the low-tech way: keep the car wet with the hose until you're ready to dry it, then carefully pour a gallon of distilled water (even purer than deionized) over the whole car. All the nasty dissolved solids should go away. Then dry as usual.

You can buy distilled water at the supermarket or auto parts stores, and you need to keep it around for your battery anyway.

 

I would be leary of using the air compressor. To be effective over such a large area it would have to have fairly high pressure (otherwise the spots will form before you can get them dried). I've tried this on some old cars. With the potential for grit, sand, etc. in the air - I personally wouldn't consider risking it on a brand new paint job.

As for buying distilled water. Given the limited area covered by a gallon, it would be an expense rinse if you did this regularly.

 

I saw this drying procedure once on television.

On a well waxed car - as you wash and rinse, rinse the whole car each time to keep it wet. When you are through with the body, take the nozzle off the hose and have the water at a low pressure but good flow rate. Start at the top of the hood and send a sheet of water down the hood and then go to the trunk followed by the sides of the car. Once the water sheets off, it takes most of the spots with it. Then follow up with a clean, moist chamios. There - no spots.

 

DLQ04, with regards to drying off the car with a compressor, I'll support your comments about LOTS of dust and grit in the air. However, if you are doing this inside a garage or undercover, it is perfect to do. In case you haven't read any of my previous posts, I used to be a professional prestige car detailer.

You actually have less chance of damaging the car with compressed air than you drying the car with the traditional contact chamois. Think about it....how can you damage a car when you are blowing any dust away that might be on it? You are not blowing dust 'onto' the car like a sandblaster. But get a piece of dust trapped between the chamois and the paint and you will be more likely to trap the dust particle and cause damage.

DragonX - congratulations! You have found the method that professional detailers use on their own personal cars (too time consuming for 'trade' jobs).

Cheers,

 

How 'bout we organize a group buy on stills? Instead of moonshine, just make your own distilled water.

 

Run a search using the words "reverse osmosis." Several sites should pop up with info. A reverse osmosis system is probably the best thing out there to clean up hard water.

http://search.yahoo.com/bin/search?p=reverse+osmosis

I use something called the "Revolutionizer" on my car to keep the spots small. Sort of like this product:

http://www.spotfree.net/

It doesn't make the spots totally disappear, just really, really small. Almost unnoticeable. I'll have to invest in a real reverse osmosis system in a couple of years.

Don't just use the water as a final rinse. Use it for the entire washing process.

 

I keep a pump garden sprayer that sprays just enough water to "rinse" after I've finished washing and rinsing the car with the hose. In using the sprayer, I use a lot less water and can easily take care of the car with a gallon. Following DragonX's instructions works fairly well too, but combining it with using DI water should assure no spots!