[BawstinMike]

Hey guys..

I am looking into buy a spot free system. Not sure which to get. I am out in AZ where the water is very hard, I installed a water softener for the home. I am wondering should I install the Spot Free after the softener.. if so which one?

I have the CQ Finest coating on the car now.

Thanks!!!

[RKtect]

I briefly looked into purchasing a deionizing water system several years ago. Autogeek, Amazon, Costco, & Windows&Wheels sells the CR Spotless DIC-20 system. Of the first 3, Costco is the least expensive. Read the reviews on Costco & Amazon. The major complaints are that the resins need to be replaced frequently & they are expensive. Without stellar reviews, I decided not to purchase.

Griots Garage and On The Go (portablewaterdi.com) have their versions. However, I did not see many reviews for their systems.

If you decide to purchase, please post your review here.

[T-Man]

I purchased the dual bed standard filtration system from
www.portablewaterdi.com
about 2 years ago. As only a customer and not a promoter I would highly recommend this system for non commercial use of DI H2O. The DI water quality is par with commercial tanks that I've used in the past, but you don't get the same capacity out of the tanks cause they are mini compared to commercial tanks. Even being small the tanks kept my water spot free for a year. I would say their claims of about 100 washes is pretty accurate. Only bad thing is it takes about 7-10 days to get refill packs so plan accordingly. I made that mistake my first time around and had to wash with normal water, Never again!
Here's my home wash setup.

[Apple Corps]

Well, I have gone a very different path. My son and I used a dual canister resin filter system. Heavy, bulky to roll around, changing filters were $$ and sometimes hard to get the canister tops free.

So, I have started using an inexpensive pump up garden sprayer filled with 2 gallons of distilled water - the distilled water is about 95 cents a gallon.


I wash with regular water, rinse thoroughly with regular water (very high TDS as it comes from the Sierra Nevada Mountains). I then use a blower to remove 75% of the water. Out comes the sprayer - less than 2 gallons of distilled water used - a quick pass with the blower and a small towel - done.

So far - not a single spot. Fast, easy, inexpensive and not more equipment to buy and maintain and store.

[T-Man]

Originally Posted by Apple Corps

Well, I have gone a very different path. My son and I used a dual canister resin filter system. Heavy, bulky to roll around, changing filters were $$ and sometimes hard to get the canister tops free.

So, I have started using an inexpensive pump up garden sprayer filled with 2 gallons of distilled water - the distilled water is about 95 cents a gallon.


I wash with regular water, rinse thoroughly with regular water (very high TDS as it comes from the Sierra Nevada Mountains). I then use a blower to remove 75% of the water. Out comes the sprayer - less than 2 gallons of distilled water used - a quick pass with the blower and a small towel - done.

So far - not a single spot. Fast, easy, inexpensive and not more equipment to buy and maintain and store.

Yes it isn't cheap to have true DI water but it's the only way to wash a car. Why do you think professional detailers use DI water when washing? Very simple answer; fastest most efficient way to get a spot free wash every time. I think I pay about 5-7 cents per gallon an it only takes 10 gallons to do a complete wash so less then a dollar. Yes you must buy the tanks first so there's a added expense up front, but you own them and they should last a lifetime.
I'm not sure where you live "Apple Core" But there's no way you can achieve a completely spot free wash utilizing that system in a hot, sunny, dry climate region. Just in the time from the first wet down to washing one side of car or the rims the other parts of car would already be water spotted. Plus who wants to wash and hose and hose again and then fill a sprayer and then spray, and then blow, and then dry.
Who's got time for that? Not Me!
A true DI water filtration system regardless of brand can allow you to wash a car in 10-15 mins. No multiple rinsing or filling spray canisters or blowing or even drying. They are worth every penny an you'll never look back.

[Apple Corps]

Well, my experience is different. I'm getting excellent results with little cost or time involved. Could not ask for more.

I live in central California - 108 today. That said, I don't wash in direct sunlight and I usually do the wash early in the morning.