When I wash the bike at my parents house in Cornwall, the water is so soft that I don't get any water marks, even in full sun. When I wash the bike at home (Northamptonshire), the water is so hard that I always get water marks as I can't dry the bike fast enough. I normally dry the bike as soon as possible after rinsing with a large microfiber towel. So apart from taking a few hundred litres of water home with me next time I visit my parents, what are the tricks of the trade for avoiding or easily getting rid of water marks?
Water softener..... about £1250 installed.... and £80 a year on salt...... you save that on soap etc.
Wash or at least rinse it during a shower or rain, unless its one of the southerly storms that bring saharn dust. Rain is very mildly acidic and leaves the car.bike water blemish free.
Buy bottled DI water Or else - just use a detailing spray after its dried to remove the water marks..
Thanks for your input guys. I've decided to give detailing spray a go and to connect up a water butt and try that as well.
Personally I wouldn't use rain water. It collects all sorts of impurities including dust, grit and can be acidic. Just google car wash filters and you'll have a vast number to choose from. Raceglaze do quite a nice one, you only need do a final rinse so it doesn't work out expensive.
I agree that using rain water might not be ideal. A good option if the detailing spray doesn't work out. However cost of Race Glaze 7 litre system which would provide about 415 litres for the final rinse starts to make @AirCon 's "whole house" water softener look like a better long term solution.
BEST PRODUCT for removing waterspots..Koch Chemie FSE.....truly amazing stuff. Or buy one of these....; https://purefinalrinse.co.uk/product/pure-final-rinse-single-bag-vessel/
@rob lewis - thanks for the recommendation. I've ordered some and will give it a try. Looks interesting but twice the price of the Race Glaze 7 system. Something like this would make sense if I cleaned my wifes black car every week - I don't, maybe 2 or 3 times a year if she's lucky I think I'll see how the Koch Chemie FSE stuff works out
Trust me for removing water spots and laying down protection simultaneously there is nothing to beat it.....I'm confident you will be impressed.
I think scrambler owners use curly kale smoothies made with an added so͞op′sŏn of jasmin, frankincense, with a petit sprinkle of unicorn horn powder and moostash gel to remove water marks
Rob How long do the resin bags last. I know it will depend on your local water hardness but just an idea 1 car 100 Car’s.? EDIT After checking using my laptop not phone - I can see about 50 washes per bag... Thanks
Hi Simon...it really depends on your water hardness.....Once the TDS meter reaches 14-18 the water will leave spotting. On the ' Pure Final Rinse ' system one bag would see me through approx 100 vehicles but our water is incredible in Huddersfield....reading only 40 on my TDS meter....I know some of my detailing associates down south have readings of over 400 on their water so they would not get many cars out of one bag....
Rob Thanks Any reason you recommended that Brand over many of the others? Is it that the bags are easy to change or that it performs better than other systems? I did see something similar (looked identical) with a strange name their small unit was same price but the bigger units less than Pure Rinse - not that you need a larger one.. Then there are the versions with loose resin. Or is it that you have had good experience and recommend because of that? Just curious as I see one of these in near future. Last one - do you drain yours or leave it connected after you use it? Thanks
For me its just pure ease of use ( changing the resin ).....and the fact my water is so good that a bag does last a very long time........Plus its only used and connected for the FINAL rinse if the weather is hot ( and panel temps are high ).....and I've no chance to dry a vehicle down before the water starts to dry on the panels. For water that reads in the hundreds on a TDS meter, then something like the Race Glaze system would be a lot more economical......albeit that changing the resin is a tad more difficult....
