Best way to wash car in college?
 

I am a freshman in college and I am living in the dorms the first year so i have nowhere to wash my car. I go home once a month so i can do it only that often by hand. There are a few "hand" washes in the area. I have visited them and they first use water pressure to get the dirt off, then they rup a mit with soap over it, then rinse it, and then give it a somewhat of a dry. I can dry my own car and clean the windows in the parking lot afterwards, so this is what i have been doing. Should i keep going to the "hand" wash every 2 weeks or would a coin op car wash be better...with my own buckets, soap, and towels of course. I am just worried about the water pressure. The other alternative would simply be to wait every month for when i am home to hand wash it. I live in CA by the way so there is only rain, no snow. Thanks for all the help in advance.

Just use the coin op car wash. The water pressure is nothing to be concerned about. As you already mentioned, never use the soap or brushes they provide, they cause more damage than good.

They will dry out the paint and any wax that you have on the surface. They use the cheapest soap that you can get and they get it in bulk. You can buy a bottle of Meguiars NXT soap, thats what I use but you can get what you prefer, for probably 12 bucks and it will wash your car 15-20 times. Just make sure you get a notable brand like Meguiars, Mothers, even Turtle Wax brand is better than what you get at a car wash.

i goto the coin-op if i'm feeling lazy and bring a cotton towel. i just spray the car with water, wipe off the dirt and spray it again. squeegee dry. but if i feel like it i just fill a few buckets with water and do the same outside in my parking lot. just get a wash mit squeeze water on the car and wipe. then rinse off a section at a time with the buckets of water. squeegee dry and use a mircofiber towel to get excess water off.

No problem, their fine!
This is only an alternative if you can not hand wash!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In the NE the ability to hand wash ceases after october.
Spring is comming!!:rockon:

that soap strips wax off. after i used it the paint wouldn't bead water anymore. i had to rewax the car and lesson learned. they are very harsh soaps.

paint doesnt bead water,wax does!
what hurts more?
A dirty car with salt/dirt/moist sludge on it.
B clean car cleaned by "harsh"soap.
:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: ain't it great to argue (disagree) about things!:lol: :lol:

well there is no wax left so the paint would not bead water in this case. anyway... like i said the car gets just as clean without soap. i almost always use water and a cloth and it comes out great.

Soap is an emulsifier, try takeing a shower with out soap:o .

i do all the time just water, who needs shampoo these days? haha jk. ya i know its better to wash with soap but i would only use the special car wash mixes at the store.

you know there's always someone who scrubs their tires with that brush...

I would rather have a slightly dirty car than a car with no wax on it.

I never really wash my car by hand during the winter, I just run it through the mobil car wash. The soap must be pretty decent because water still beads after more than just a couple of runs through it. The soap is also colored yellow, blue, and green which is pretty sweet LOL

That yellow,blue,green stuff is old oil in the water, no wonder it beads.:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:

LOL
I will have to take a pic so you can see, it is not what you think! They dye it!

:roflmao: A joke!:moon:

Well if it strips the wax, then its also going to take any oils out of the paint. That leads to clearcoat failure, and cracked faded paint. No good can come of it.

Har Har...
LOL
I am gonna have to keep an eye on you Mr. Munson.:hgrin:

I had the same problem as you! I went to Wal-Mart bought my own bucket, soap, microfiber wash mit, and absorber. I go to the coin-op wash just to rinse off my car and I hand wash it myself. It sounds ghetto but hey I'll do whatever to keep my car clean.

I hope my clear coat fails and paint cracks. I have a perma plate warranty for that crap and they will repaint for free. Go ahead and crack paint, i dare ya

^^That would be great if they repaint it to factory standards instead of Maaco standards.