That’s right, there’s an annual Car Wash Show.
And, of course, it’s in Vegas.
Next week, I’ll be knee-deep in cleaning supplies, equipment and professional services offered to the car wash industry. And I need your assistance to get the most from this opportunity.
While I line up Q&A opportunities with CEOs like Washify’s Adam Korngold, I know who’s boss. It’s you, dear reader. So allow me to serve answers to your car wash Industry queries.
If your first question is why an autoblogger attends The 2017 Car Wash Show (avoiding SEMA like the plague), the answer is simple: my dear cousin’s start-up is literally cleaning up in Mumbai. I’m thrilled that my passion for cars and entrepreneurship finally came in handy for one of his business ventures.
Hit me up with questions!
[Image: carwash.org]
MAN: Okay. Fair enough. But you sound like you’re ready to become your own boss in the exciting world of frame-nudging! Yes, for a minimal franchise fee, you’ll receive a pair of straightening gloves, a canister of wall lubricant and a booklet of the most commonly asked questions you will hear, including: “Who are you?” and “What are you doing here?
Q; Why is it necessary, in automated car washes, to put an utterly disgusting smelling “perfume” in the soap that is sprayed onto the vehicle? My cars and garage reek from it for days. Does anyone actually like this?
This! Just use bleach compounds and be done with it.
Bleach: What Clean Smells Like
I hope you were being sarcastic because sodium hypochlorite is a strong oxidizer.
“sodium hypochlorite is a strong oxidizer”
Don’t care; smells Clean!
Regular Clorox is only 6%, and it’s going to be diluted quite a bit. Plus, it kills cold and flu viruses ,and 99% of household germs, so keep your windows open through the car wash, and leave them open all day to dry.
Pretty sure they do that to cover up the stench of the mold and mildew that grows so well in automated car washes.
Bleach!
Try rolling up your windows ;)
If you have kids, you want the windows open. Use a wet/dry vacuum on the upholstery and carpeting afterward, and an afternoon in the sun with the windows down will make it clean in and out!
Will there ever be a car wash (with brushes) that doesn’t scratch a vehicle’s paint all to hell?
Well, most of the scratches are in the clear coat, not the paint. Back in the days before voc regulations, when they used thick enamel paint, you filled in the scratches by rubbing in some Simonize. That would hold up long enough to stay out of automatic car washes except Spring and Fall. In between, just hose off the dirt, wipe dry and buff with cheap terrycloth towels.
My aunt never even used wax. On the thick paint on her Fords, she used a soft bristled brush and Spic’N’Span once a month. She said it made the paint and chrome shiny on her ’58 Fairlane.
What product do they have/recommend for application to plastic headlight covers to prevent them from getting cloudy?
You hate SEMA?
Huh?
It’s a frigging blast.
You crazy.
Okay ..Two questions . I have a 15 Mustang finished in Guard Green. The temps here can range from +90F to -25 F. They don’t bring the snow plows out, until there is 2 inches of snow. Instead they spreads a brine solution, before the first snow flake has fallen. They follow that with liberal applications of salt/calcium. A short drive in such conditions, and the car is coated with these concoctions.
I have the Mustang sprayed with Krown every year. It seeps out of every nook and cranny. Frankly its quite messy. Very effective at “slowing” the rust process, mess, and all.
$5.00 dollars at the spray wash, with a little soap, and a lot of rinse, certainly improves the look of the car.
My question …. With the modern clear coat paint ,Is waxing still necessary ?
Next question. The interior is what they call leather?…I really wonder if that material was ever worn by a cow ?
My question ..What product can i use to beautify, and help preserve the “leather” areas of the interior.
It’s real leather underneath that plastic coating.
Since we eat so many hamburgers, leather is cheaper than most kinds of cloth, certainly less expensive than good vinyl. It also wears out so slowly that it saves on warranty costs.
I also Krown annually and take to the car wash often. To save a couple bucks at the car wash, I use the soap setting to loosen the grime and lubricate it so the brush doesn’t scratch, then the foaming brush, then hose off with the “hot wax” or “clear coat” setting. Those are usually the only 3 settings I use on the dial. You wind-up with a few water spots by not finishing with the soft water spray, but sure beats road salt. On my Megacab that comes to $6 if I’m working at a decent pace. I could do my old pickup with $5. You should be able to wash your Mustang for less.
Also, I look for other vehicles of the same model and vintage as mine and note where they’re rusting. I pay particular attention to those areas on my vehicles, doing paint touch-up, extra thorough cleaning at the car wash, and occasional Krown touch-up from a spray can.
Yes, wax. Two or three coats of Collinite #845, or similar carnauba wax will take the hit for minor [e.g. tree branches, etc.] scratches. Snow, ice and most dirt will slide off more easily. It’ll always look cleaner. And, it’s fun to do your own wax ‘n’ wash.
This actually sounds interesting .
.
I wonder why the people who run the brushless car wash I occasionally use, don’t have any contact info on it, they stopped maintaining it properly several years ago in spite of it being a huge ca$h cow, busy all day long every day of the week .
.
-Nate
Last summer we had a dry spell that lasted most of August. The local paper started printing the stock “drought” articles. One of the big urban myths they keep repeating is that an automated car wash “recycles” water and thus only consumes about 25 gal of fresh water per wash compared to the owner washing a car by hand and using 50 gal of water.
I tested this story by timing how long I spayed water from my “Mr Clean” applicator/nozzle and found it utterly false. The flow rate was about 1 gal per minute and I spent about 7 minutes applying soap or rinsing with the device.
Rounding up to 10 gal of total water use is conservative.
I think the 50 gallons quoted by industry lobbyists to wash a car by hand is a made up number that lazy newspaper folk do not fact check. My methods always use less water than a commercial car wash. However, when water supplies get tight, the local government restricts individuals from car washing but gives the commercial operations a pass. If water supplies are indeed low, neither hand washing or commercial washes should be allowed.
There was a story somewhere about a guy who could wash a car with a microfiber cloth and a single gallon of water. I noticed the car was cleaner than mine most days, not really dirty enough to wash. I guess that’s what people with black cars have to do.
What’s actually in the “pre-wash” stuff you spray on at the coin wash, before the soap?
It’s just water and softener, usually just a little 20-Mule Team Borax. Put a few drops on your hands. If it feels a little slippery, it’s water softener to lift loose dirt. The fancy term is “surfactant”.
Oh, well we have an expert right here. Thanks!
What brand of interior cleaning products do the owners of these companies use, assuming they still sometimes clean their own car?
To what extent are the car wash water regulation rules we saw in Breaking Bad true to life?
@ Corey..I’m not sure…Better call Saul. : )
Whatever happened to the Mr Clean autodry filters? Is there any plan for the company to sell filters again? I haven’t been able to find a similar, easy method to use filtered water to avoid water spots after washing my car.
Yes! Those were a godsend when using hard as hell Lake Ontario water. Now that I live in a soft water area, there’s no big need, but I cleared out the store when they discontinued it and only used up the last one about a year ago.
Do any of those car show models need help with keeping their skimpy outfits polished?
Is there any alternative to the rail and rack system that draws cars through the wash? Damage to alloys with low profile tires is what keeps me from ever using automated washes.
Not many of the rails left here in CT most have a system where the wash heads move around the stationary car.
Those are all called LASERWASH here. And you pay a premium for those.
I do have a legit question. It seems that the National Carwash Association (or something similar) used to vote on the “most washable new car”. Saturn Aura and 1st gen Ford Fusion come to mind as previous winners. Winners usually had smooth designs and few recessed to trap dirt/bug splatter, few seams to trap water. I have not seen anything related to this in a while. Is such voting still a thing?