Condo living/car wash options...UPDATE

[TTG]

Instead of going all of that trouble, why dont you guys go to the nearest self wash with your two buckets, ONR & etc and spend couple of dollars and get it done the right way.

I usually go to the self wash during the winters (mild Seattle winter that is) at night where there aren't that many people around and can wash the whole car for $4.

First $2: Fill up the buckets, rinse the car and clean the winter mats.

With your buckets filled, take your time and wash the car properly....

Second $2: Rinse the car down, clean the buckets and you are good to go.

Dry the car.

Usually couple of us would get together and do this in the evenings.

This all started when we were all living in condos but now it is kind of a get together these days.

[Stevens21234]

i do all of the above. but I go one step further and get deionized water from whole foods for 50 cents a gallon (spend about $15) to wash a car using the sprayer, 2 bucket method with no spots. Also have the 8 hp dryer.

[MrSmileyDC]

Originally Posted by TTG

Instead of going all of that trouble, why dont you guys go to the nearest self wash with your two buckets, ONR & etc and spend couple of dollars and get it done the right way.

I usually go to the self wash during the winters (mild Seattle winter that is) at night where there aren't that many people around and can wash the whole car for $4.

First $2: Fill up the buckets, rinse the car and clean the winter mats.

With your buckets filled, take your time and wash the car properly....

Second $2: Rinse the car down, clean the buckets and you are good to go.

Dry the car.

Usually couple of us would get together and do this in the evenings.

This all started when we were all living in condos but now it is kind of a get together these days.

I would do that, but the self wash places do not really exist in my area. I have one spot that has two bays, but it is always busy except when it is raining of course.

I need to take care of two cars anyways.

[DaBean]

Originally Posted by TTG

Instead of going all of that trouble, why dont you guys go to the nearest self wash with your two buckets, ONR & etc and spend couple of dollars and get it done the right way.

I usually go to the self wash during the winters (mild Seattle winter that is) at night where there aren't that many people around and can wash the whole car for $4.

First $2: Fill up the buckets, rinse the car and clean the winter mats.

With your buckets filled, take your time and wash the car properly....

Second $2: Rinse the car down, clean the buckets and you are good to go.

Dry the car.

Usually couple of us would get together and do this in the evenings.

This all started when we were all living in condos but now it is kind of a get together these days.

I used to do that in SF as well (still living in condos... since I'm not a trillionaire), but I felt much happier taking my own time on the my street, without having to drive anywhere, and without being in a hurry (even at night, sometimes there's a wait).

Plus, HOA pays for water so for me it's free but who cares about a few bucks... it's really about convenience and results.

[bobbydigital]

Luckily my condo building has an area for car washing with a hose.

The only downsides are that the water pressure is a tad low. Also, they leave a disgustingly dirty bucket and rag there that some people in the building use. I call it sandpaper

Because of this, I haven't had to use ONR (except as a quick detailer or when I need to clean when I'm away from home).

I have thought of buying a foam gun that works with a hose though. I like the idea of a suds bath to maximize cleaning and minimize chances of scratches even more.

[khaye1]

Originally Posted by DaBean

Finally did a full wash this past weekend. Ended up going through most, but not all, of that tank. Car wasn't extremely dirty so I didn't need to hose down a lot.

I parked the car right outside of my building's garage and used the portable power wash system + 2-bucket. I filled the washer with 5 gallons, and each of the buckets with ~4 gallons. Total wash = 13 gallons. There was a lot left in the buckets, but that's by design in order to keep the grime density low.

Overall, I am pleased with the results.

I'm finally gonna pull the trigger on this but need to now one more thing...how is the build quality? How many times have you used and charged it? how's the battery life, enough to do 2 cars in one charge?

[RJVIII]

ONR with the Gary Dean method has been my go to. Do a quick mist of the car with ONR at quick detailer strength and go at it. Total water use =4.5 gallons.

[khaye1]

I used the ONR 2 bucket but I also do a pre-spray with a quick detailer mixture...works well and swirls are almost non existent. however, like I said before...i need to spray the wheels down. I tried the pump sprayers from home depot but they weren't strong enough to knock out grime off the wheels.

[MatthewDavid]

Originally Posted by DaBean

I used to do that in SF as well (still living in condos... since I'm not a trillionaire), but I felt much happier taking my own time on the my street, without having to drive anywhere, and without being in a hurry (even at night, sometimes there's a wait).

Plus, HOA pays for water so for me it's free but who cares about a few bucks... it's really about convenience and results.

SF, too! My building won't let me use the hose or the driveway. Liability or something. Anyway I got the Ivatio portable sprayer and did a initial and final rinse with ~6 gallons distilled water in addition to two wash buckets (regular water); one for soap, one for cleaning the sponge so as not to contaminate the soap bucket. I use distilled water and it's awesome as a final rinse, no spots. Never used deionized water but distilled is more than enough.