OT: No more auto detailers

[Coronita]

So I got back from my vacation, and my car was a total mess.. Mud, tar, bird poop, tree sap, on top of a caked on layer of dirt for the past two months that I hadn’t had time to deal with (ok, I had to take my car in for service so, it was washed one time in between)…

So I call the usual guy that details my car after a long hiatus to see if he can squeeze me in for next week…

He responds,

“I’m sorry, but with the drought, the city pulled my business license unless I can recapture the water…”
Ouch…I guess it makes sense… But I wonder how many other detailers are going to go out of business.

I think I’ll take my car in for warranty work again and let them deal with the wash next week… Heh heh…

[paramount]

sort of related – I cancelled my vacation this summer because the lake I annually visit is drying up.

And moonbeams major concern is a useless “high-speed” train.

[Rich Toscano]

[quote=paramount]And moonbeams major concern is a useless “high-speed” train.[/quote]

And that, folks, is a textbook example of a political threadjack. (Of the kind that is not welcome, per: http://piggington.com/threadjackers_will_be_persecuted_maybe_even_prosecuted )

[an]

[quote=flu]I think I’ll take my car in for warranty work again and let them deal with the wash next week… Heh heh…[/quote]That’s how I get my car wash :-). I bring my Mobile 1 oil and my own filter and have the dealer change my oil for $23-25 bucks and they wash and vacuum my car :-).

[Coronita]

What I don’t understand is I read the water restrictions and nowhere did it say that car washing must be done only if you can recapture the “gray water”. I guess it’s different for auto detailing businesses..

But even if they recapture the water (which I don’t think is too difficult), I don’t understand what they would do with it.. Does the city expect each individual detailer to be able to own the equipment to recycle the water and reuse it? That technology I don’t think exists for a mobile auto detailer nor is it affordable for a small time auto detailer..

[Anonymous]

I’m surprised a car guy like you Flu would allow a dealer to damage your car’s finish with their brillow pad style of car washing.

[UCGal]

[quote=flu]What I don’t understand is I read the water restrictions and nowhere did it say that car washing must be done only if you can recapture the “gray water”. I guess it’s different for auto detailing businesses..

But even if they recapture the water (which I don’t think is too difficult), I don’t understand what they would do with it.. Does the city expect each individual detailer to be able to own the equipment to recycle the water and reuse it? That technology I don’t think exists for a mobile auto detailer nor is it affordable for a small time auto detailer..[/quote]

The commercial car wash places do recycle the water onsite. I had a conversation with the owner of the south clairemont car wash, across from Keihls. They had to put that in during the drought in the 90’s.

[ocrenter]

[quote=Rich Toscano][quote=paramount]And moonbeams major concern is a useless “high-speed” train.[/quote]

And that, folks, is a textbook example of a political threadjack. (Of the kind that is not welcome, per: http://piggington.com/threadjackers_will_be_persecuted_maybe_even_prosecuted )[/quote]

LOL, yes, perfect example Rich, absolutely perfect!

[ocrenter]

[quote=UCGal][quote=flu]What I don’t understand is I read the water restrictions and nowhere did it say that car washing must be done only if you can recapture the “gray water”. I guess it’s different for auto detailing businesses..

But even if they recapture the water (which I don’t think is too difficult), I don’t understand what they would do with it.. Does the city expect each individual detailer to be able to own the equipment to recycle the water and reuse it? That technology I don’t think exists for a mobile auto detailer nor is it affordable for a small time auto detailer..[/quote]

The commercial car wash places do recycle the water onsite. I had a conversation with the owner of the south clairemont car wash, across from Keihls. They had to put that in during the drought in the 90’s.[/quote]

Another good reason not to wash your own car.

[Coronita]

[quote=deadzone]I’m surprised a car guy like you Flu would allow a dealer to damage your car’s finish with their brillow pad style of car washing.[/quote]

A dealership that has a body shop associated with it usually knows how to wash a car without messing things up too bad…And besides, it’s not that I have a Ferrari, and there are much nicer 6, 7, M series that I’m sure they can handle….

[Coronita]

[quote=AN][quote=flu]I think I’ll take my car in for warranty work again and let them deal with the wash next week… Heh heh…[/quote]That’s how I get my car wash :-). I bring my Mobile 1 oil and my own filter and have the dealer change my oil for $23-25 bucks and they wash and vacuum my car :-).[/quote]

Damn, $25 for labor isn’t bad at all.

[Coronita]

[quote=ocrenter][quote=UCGal][quote=flu]What I don’t understand is I read the water restrictions and nowhere did it say that car washing must be done only if you can recapture the “gray water”. I guess it’s different for auto detailing businesses..

But even if they recapture the water (which I don’t think is too difficult), I don’t understand what they would do with it.. Does the city expect each individual detailer to be able to own the equipment to recycle the water and reuse it? That technology I don’t think exists for a mobile auto detailer nor is it affordable for a small time auto detailer..[/quote]

The commercial car wash places do recycle the water onsite. I had a conversation with the owner of the south clairemont car wash, across from Keihls. They had to put that in during the drought in the 90’s.[/quote]

Another good reason not to wash your own car.[/quote]

Unfortunately,with a really dark metallic/black color car, that $15 car wash often times you get what you pay for. I won’t even want to wash it at home, since I have hard water, and on a black/dark finish, that pretty much etches into the paint, even if I am careful. The newer white car, I drop it off at a $15 wash place, simply because white is so hard to really mess up the finish, even if the person washing decides to do the Karate Kid “wax on /wax off” thing with a towel..You really can’t see the tiny swirl marks on a light/white color finish, and it buffs/polishes out…The new dark color car, I use to send to a detailer for $30 every 1.5 months is still better than $15 every two weeks…That or the stealership I go to which is pretty careful about things.

The beaters usually only get washed when it rains. I was so excited two weeks ago when it was raining. Except maybe sometimes I wash the miata to delete the cone markers and other evidence of how bad I did that day.

Oh well..First world problems you know…

[UCGal]

LMAO – I have a black SUV that I wash maybe 2-3 times a year. I park in the garage mostly – so it isn’t as bad as it sounds… but obviously I’m not a car person. I take it to he place on Clairemont Dr. above Mission Bay, or I do it myself. Haven’t seen any issues with etching. But haven’t been looking.

My husband washes his truck every year, need it or not. But it’s coming up on 20 years old. LOL

[spdrun]

Solution: car older than 10 years old. Preferably bought cheap in the Midwest or East with hail damage. Serves add’l purpose of irritating HOA dictator.

Take it to a self-serve car wash — the kind with the coin-operated squirt gun — once every few months.

[CA renter]

[quote=UCGal]LMAO – I have a black SUV that I wash maybe 2-3 times a year. I park in the garage mostly – so it isn’t as bad as it sounds… but obviously I’m not a car person. I take it to he place on Clairemont Dr. above Mission Bay, or I do it myself. Haven’t seen any issues with etching. But haven’t been looking.

My husband washes his truck every year, need it or not. But it’s coming up on 20 years old. LOL[/quote]

Same here. 🙂

[Author]

Posts