Mr Clean AutoDry car washer - my review
 

I went out and bought that device you've probably seen on TV lately - that Mr Clean car washing thingy.

Well, I washed my car with it today. It turned out pretty damn good. I bought the starter kit at walmart for 19.99, plus I have a 5.00 mail in rebate, so it should come out to be around $15.00, which isn't too bad. The starter kit is only good for 3 or so washes, which isn't too big of a deal.

Pros about this thing: It does work as advertised. I washed my car, let the sun dry it, and didn't have any waterspots - even on the glass. The rims turned out really nice too! Its easy to use - just load up the soap, filter, connect to hose and go.

Cons: It goes through soap and filters fast. The filter media is based on the PUR water filter (activated charcoal basically). It really does clean the water up pretty good, but the starter kit filter is only good for 3 uses it claims. Subsequent filters are good for 10 uses. I didn't get the cost on the filters or soap. The soap is also sort of runny, not too foamy or thick. Even though, the wash turned out pretty good.

Overall I'd compare this thing to a car wash for your home, since most car washes pretty much do the same thing for their spotless rinse. It saves time and the hassle of having to actually go to a car wash though. If you prefer to do things the old fashioned way, that's fine, but I actually like this thing and will continue to use it to wash my car!

I was wondering about this product, but wasn't too sure about letting my black car air dry.. Makes me nervous..

I am gonna try it out next paycheck

im gonna get one soon and give it a try also, i have a really dirty car right now and cant wait to c how it works

i just washed my car with this product and i must say it is well worth the money!!! no worries about your color of car either, if you follow the easy directions it will turn out like the car looks brand new!!

Injen

so it does work like they have advertise it huh? i about to go and try it.

If I didnt own a WHITE car and I didn't have some really good absorber towels and my yard blower...

I'd buy it :)

I just use my blower after I am done washing -- gets a lot of the water off, then the absorbers get the rest....

spotless on the glass, and even if I had spots on the paint, it would be hard to tell :)

Good review!! I think its a good deal, but I wasn't too excited about the cost of refills...

When I used to live in a place with hard water and I used to have a black car, I would use my pump sprayer filled with distilled water. I'd soap up the car and rinse with the pump sprayer instead of the tap...

That worked pretty good -- hard water sucks!!!

if you want to save $$$ in the long run... buy the absorber and the water blade, it's the perfect combo!

I find that no product will ever come out the way the old fashioned by hand car wash will but if you dont have several hours to wash you car then if it works go for it. Are you sure there is no negative result in letting your car dry outside?

Ah yes, the water blade -- forgot to mention that I use this as well...

Its all great, except when you have the hard water... the water blade and absorber still left tiny white spots of hard water film on the black car. Its not bad, but you could really tell with just a little quick detailer how much the hard water film affected the shine.

The blower is actually best for getting the water out of those hard to reach places... some cars just drip drip drip drip drip for ever... Modern Mustangs are terrible... a friend has one and you can spend an hour drying it off and having it weep out more water... darn fake scoops!

Lots of great products are out there... the water blade rocks, and so does the absorber. This is the the combo I use the most with the white Civic.

the absorber $10 / water blade $20 = $30 ---> last for years
mr. clean auto dry car wash $20 / soap & filter refills $5 each (replace every other week/month) = keep wasting money

it may seem to be a great new product... but i'm sure after a while, you'll get tired of having to keep spending $$$ on it.

when i get done washing & drying my car... i'll use the quik detailer to add some shine and protection, and it also gets rid of the water spots. :D

I agree, you do end up spending a lot over the course of a year in refills... Plus, I'm not as obsessive about having my Civic look like a show car. Its why I chose a white one (low care color)


The hard water I used to have -- trust me, you'd go through quik detailer by the gallon... :D It worked well, and got rid of the hard water spots -- the hard water film was a different story. About the only way to get that off was to wax the car.

hard water sucks... :)

boy, glad i no longer own a black car or live where the water is hard...

My parents have hard water, but they bought a water softener that actually has hookups directly on it for car washing... Kind of cool.

(off topic -- )
Also, Amway now makes a detailer that works REALLY good. Its more like the Mother's detailer than the Meguiar's Quik Detailer. Gives the car a nice slick finish and shine. Works good on our Sonic Blue Mustang. Its not a good detailer for using with claybar since it is almost TOO slippery. But, it seems like it would be awesome after you've washed, clayed, and waxed the car.

(done with off topic)