A Clean Car

[aubry588]

I'm new to the car wash industry, and i am working on a futura millennium and everything is going pretty good. This wash was so run down and everything was so rigged up, but we are turning it around. Now, I have heard that pre-soak is what really cleans the car in a touchless car wash. Is this true, and if so what is the best chemical to do the job?

 

[mac]

At this point your question is a lot like asking if blonds really are more fun. (Yes, they are.) With any touchless machine it will be the chemicals that clean the car. Many, if not the majority of touchless operators use a two step chemical process. Usually they apply a low ph chemical, an acid, followed by a high ph chemical, called a base inchemistry. Some operators use only a high ph with good results. The wash quality will be determined a lot by your geographical location, and other local conditions such as the ph of the water, and if the water is softened well enough.Generally the more expensive the chemical, the better it cleans. Not always, but most of the time. I would start by asking the local soap salesmen to come and set up a sample to see how well it does. Not all soap salesmen are created equal either. The chemical needs to be mixed right and delivered to get good coverage and maximum dwell time. You should expect to pay around 0.45 to 0.80 per car on chemical costs per wash. Where are you located?

 

[Waxman]

I use a 2 step application of a high ph chemical with great results.

Water quality as well as speed and psi/volume of water you put on the car are critical. Also the water must be heated for optimum results.

 

[aubry588]

I'm located in Covington GA like 30 miles east of Atlanta. I have a guy from Blenco coming out. Are they good chemicals?

 

[termn8tr]

I as well use a 2 step application of a high ph chemical with great results. Have to agree that soft, heated water is a huge plus and dwell time is very important.

 

[aubry588]

Does heated water really make a big difference? Because some people have told me that it does not. I thought it would make a HUGE difference. I'm thinking of getting a tankless water heater. I'm also not sure what "dwell time" is sorry, lol. Again, I am very new to all this. I think the products that Blendco are going to show me are the 2 step products like you all are talking about. I guess I'll see how well they work when they come.

 

[Gabriel]

Good company--Great products. Have used them for almost 10 years. Get the water hot and use long dwell time on two step. Good luck.

 

[Waxman]

dwell time is how long the soap sits on the vehicle.

yes, heated water is important.

 

[termn8tr]

Are they going to show you a 2 step with the same product (high PH only) or a 2 step with the first application of a low PH and the second step a high PH. There's a difference. Our dwell time is 75 seconds. Hot water at 115-120 degrees max.
We didn't have good results with a low & high step. However, with a 2 step high PH, great results. We use HP 03-5 by Turtle Wax Inc.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

To clear things up a little, heated water is only needed for the pre-soak. The rest of the water can be cold. It would be a huge waste of money to try to heat enough water to do the HP cycle.

 

[aubry588]

Blendco will be here Tuesday. They are going to show me some demos. Thanks guys!

 

[Waxman]

This is a nice, clean car.

 

[BillClinton]

I have a D&S 5000. I use 1st step of low preasure heated high pH presoak followed by a high preasure low pH presoak. I understand that this is the preferred method for D&S 5000's, but all of your posts talk about either 2 high pH passes or having the low pH put on first and THEN the high pH. Have I been told something that is incorrect? I have only been in business for 11 months. None of the chemical distributors that I have talked to have told me anything different.

 

[rph9168]

I really don't think there is an absolute right way. Personally I have seen it work with low/high and with two highs as well. A lot depends on your set-up, location, water and prevailing weather. If you are satisfied that your set-up is working well I would not mess with it.

 

[BillClinton]

Does anyone else use high pH and THEN low pH?

 

[Fatboy769]

Does anyone else use high pH and THEN low pH?

I've been using that set up for about a year, it seems to work alot better for me than low/high. I'm located about 100 miles north of you.

 

[JGinther]

Likely the theory behind your soap setup is to put on the presoak strong on a dry car, then use the high pressure acid to lower the pH on the car to assist in drying. But to answer your question, the chemicals don't care when they work. What matters is what they work on. If setup wrong, they will be using all of their pH strength neutralizing the other detergent, or getting diluted by water already on the vehicle. So, it depends on recommended titration levels by the chemical supplier; just be sure to account for neutralization waste and the actual dilution on the vehicle, and you should get good results either way.

 

[MikeV]

Your Millennium is not set up for a 2 step presoak unless the previous owner did some modifications on it. I use a high ph presoak and hot water, good dwell time.

 

[soapy]

I use only a high PH presoak with no acid. You need to get a PH tester and a titration kit. I like to test both when checking my chemicals. Companies have different strengths they like to run to acheive cleaning. I have seen PH recomendations from 11.0 to over 12 on the PH scale. That is for the presoak as it hits the car. Titration amounts I have seen run from 14 drops to 25 drops using a titration kit. Blendco likes to see between 20 to 25 drops on their titration tests. I think anything over 14 drops will generally clean a car well. A general titration kit should be close to the individual chemical companies titration kit. Test them both along side each other and you will have base to figure from.

 

[aubry588]

Your Millennium is not set up for a 2 step presoak unless the previous owner did some modifications on it. I use a high ph presoak and hot water, good dwell time.

Wow i was wondering what the deal was with the 2 step presoak. Well Blendco actually came out on Friday and im getting a tank put in hopefully tomorrow. How much dwell time do u recommend? Thanks again for explaining to me.