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BMW 3-Series and 4-Series Forum (F30 / F32) | F30POST > Technical Forums > Cosmetic Maintenance: Wash, Wax, Detailing, Repairs > Car wash products
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      11-03-2013, 06:39 PM   #1
chetman7
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Car wash products

Picked up a 435 black sapphire

I currently live in an apt complex, so I don't have access to a garage or hose water source. What I do have is a self serve car wash down the street

I know that the soaps at this facilities are usually very harsh. I was wondering if there was any product that I can use easily to wash my car at the self serve facilities...maybe something I can mix at home and spray on when I get there.
I know there are some waterless car washes out there, but I figured with the upcoming winter that watrless car washes are more for spot checks between car washes.

Any advice is appreciated. I wonder if there is a way I can adapt a foam cannon to the already there pressure washer.
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      11-03-2013, 09:38 PM   #2
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I do all of my own detailing but use the self serve wash in winter. I haven't really been able to figure out a way to use my own soap etc. but personally I don't really worry about it too much. A good sealant or nano-coating in the fall seems to protect the paint fairly well.

In my experience I would only use the waterless wash product after I had actually washed/rinsed the car at the self serve car wash. The product I used (Poorboys, I think) was kind of a like a thicker exterior detailing spray.
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      11-04-2013, 01:23 AM   #3
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Coat your car. Go with Gtechniq or Cquartz. Coat your paint, trim, windows, and rims (preferably in the barrel as well). These coatings are chemical resistant and the possibly harsh soaps at self washes can not strip your coating. With the high powered pressure washers they have, you can spray down with soap, rinse and you are finished. Keep in mind, without a full scrub down, it will never be absolutely clean. Dry by patting. A good thing to bring with you is a bucket that you should fill up before you start spraying down your car. At the end, with this bucket of water, you can use a bowl to scoop this water out to sheet the beads off your car. This will basically dry your car. Pat down the remaining beads to avoid any possible scratching.
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      11-04-2013, 02:22 AM   #4
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Optimum no rinse wash is what you're looking for. You can mix it and put it into a spray bottle. A lot of people wash their cars in their garage in the winter with this product. Works great and a lot of detailers use it.
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      11-04-2013, 06:46 PM   #5
chetman7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PTek Will View Post
Coat your car. Go with Gtechniq or Cquartz. Coat your paint, trim, windows, and rims (preferably in the barrel as well). These coatings are chemical resistant and the possibly harsh soaps at self washes can not strip your coating. With the high powered pressure washers they have, you can spray down with soap, rinse and you are finished. Keep in mind, without a full scrub down, it will never be absolutely clean. Dry by patting. A good thing to bring with you is a bucket that you should fill up before you start spraying down your car. At the end, with this bucket of water, you can use a bowl to scoop this water out to sheet the beads off your car. This will basically dry your car. Pat down the remaining beads to avoid any possible scratching.
Read a little about the Cquartz product, it looks great, but it looks like you need a lot of prep work in order to properly lay it down.
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      11-06-2013, 04:03 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Presario View Post
Optimum no rinse wash is what you're looking for. You can mix it and put it into a spray bottle. A lot of people wash their cars in their garage in the winter with this product. Works great and a lot of detailers use it.
+1

When I use ONR I use 2 gallons of H20 for the wash bucket and 3 gallons for the towel rinse bucket. It saves on water but not on time. All you really need is two buckets that you fill up in your apartment to bring down to your car port. You're not getting other cars wet by you because you don't need to spray your car down.
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      11-07-2013, 12:14 PM   #7
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Thanks. I picked up a small bottle of ONR from autogrek to try. Hope it works well
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      11-07-2013, 05:17 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chetman7 View Post
Read a little about the Cquartz product, it looks great, but it looks like you need a lot of prep work in order to properly lay it down.
It's a trade off. Putting in the work now will save tons of time every time you wash your car for the next 2 years. Not to mention you won't have to wax your car for another 2 years. If you are like me, that's once every week or 2. It takes me less than 10 minutes to foam and rinse my car with a pressure washer and another 15 minutes to dry with air. And your car will look amazing
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