Washing Cars in Hot Weather

Long-term for doing this it would be best to epoxy the floor for concrete longevity and also using a squeegee when done to get any sitting water out for faster drying.

How do you like the ES? It's on my radar. My fear is it'll bore me to death.
 
Long-term for doing this it would be best to epoxy the floor for concrete longevity and also using a squeegee when done to get any sitting water out for faster drying.

How do you like the ES? It's on my radar. My fear is it'll bore me to death.
$3k for epoxy, I passed.

It’s my MIL’s car. I think it is overpriced for what you get, but that’s just me.
 
During the summer I wash the car as soon as there's some daylight. Which is at about 0500. Then I back it into the garage to dry it, and wax it if need be. I should be living in Florida within the next 6 months if things go well, so I better learn the tips and tricks for living in a hot climate.
Lol don’t worry, the cars won’t dry there.
 
Long-term for doing this it would be best to epoxy the floor for concrete longevity and also using a squeegee when done to get any sitting water out for faster drying.

How do you like the ES? It's on my radar. My fear is it'll bore me to death.
I was thinking the same. Wouldn’t want moisture in that cement then releasing into the sheet rock and then diffusing elsewhere. Seems like a recipe for mold.

That or some sort of tarp/basin to get the water out.

I’m kind of surprised that car washing is even allowed in CA.

IMO the best bet is washing either near dusk or when the shade trees provide cover. Then pull inside and apply product under artificial light. Same deal in the AM.
 
$3k for epoxy, I passed.

It’s my MIL’s car. I think it is overpriced for what you get, but that’s just me.
I bought 2 Rustoleum 1 gallon epoxy floor paint kits and did my 1 1/2 car garage with about 30% left over. Cleaned it one day, taped some items the next day and painted it that afternoon. Cleaning the floor took longer than painting it. It still looks good after 4 yrs.
 
The people we bought from had the garage floor professionally done. They left the paperwork for us when we moved in. They paid $3,800.00 total. (that was for 980 sq. ft.) That's just a tad under $4.00 a sq. ft. (Solid high gloss grey with no speckles). And that included moving everything out, and back in. (They didn't have quite as much crap as I do).

They sure did a beautiful job. Now I wouldn't have a garage floor without it. Although I'm not so sure it's a job I would want to do myself. I really don't think you save that much. Especially with all the prep work you have to do, with removing existing oil spots and such. If not done properly the stuff can peel off. Mine looks like they did it yesterday, and it's coming up on 4 years old.

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My garage floor was done professionally six years ago and looks brand new. Everyone who sees it compliments the appearance of cleanliness. Oil drips clean up easily. Increases home value and desirability.
 
I found a solution.

My garage is somewhat sloped to drain water onto the driveway. So, as long as I spray carefully and avoid getting the walls wet, washing inside of the garage is a non-issue.

During hot weather, the cement absorbs the water pretty quickly. Any water that remains after the wash gets squeegeed out. I also leave the garage door cracked for a few hours to vent out any remaining moisture.

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Still looks good after over a year:
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Being able to garage the car helps tremendously with paint/clear coat longevity
 
Long-term for doing this it would be best to epoxy the floor for concrete longevity and also using a squeegee when done to get any sitting water out for faster drying.

How do you like the ES? It's on my radar. My fear is it'll bore me to death.
I test drove one, which my wife loved. I was impressed by the seats, dash and ergonomics. The back seat space was exceptional. Detractors I felt were soft engine mounts and Buick-like chassis compliance in city maneuvering, stopping, starting. Based on that, i found the GS, which is back to the Camry-sized chassis, but RWD with a tighter chassis.

i also checked out a bimmer 328, and felt it had superior suspension dynamics and gas mileage, but at the end of the week the GS came home. every now and then I ponder getting something else, but the GS is so good at doing what it does, it stays. I just ordered new wheels and tires for it, quite happily.
 
I also wash my vehicles in the morning before the sun starts burning down. Or I wait for an overcast day. Also, if you rinse your car with water from a bucket the water will run off much better compared to when you hose the car down with pressurized water. The latter method tends to result in water beading and pooling rather than in sheeting off. There are also drying agents that will help dry the finish very quickly and without water spots.
 
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I wash the four daily drivers either before 1:00 pm or after 7:30 pm in the summer when I can count on shade. The four in the driveway are washed once a year being under covers same with the two stored in the garage. The four daily cars are washed on the lawn since there is mandatory water reductions in place for Northern California. So instead of wasting the water in the street it goes into the lawn under the pin oaks. Not that I use a lot since we range between 75-100 gallons per day for three which is way below what is said to be average.
 
I also wash my vehicles in the morning before the sun starts burning down. Or I wait for an overcast day. Also, if you rinse your car with water from a bucket the water will run off much better compared to when you hose the car down with pressurized water. The latter method tends to result in water beading and pooling rather than in sheeting off. There are also drying agents that will help dry the finish very quickly and without water spots.
That’s why it’s good to rinse without the nozzle attached to the hose (high flow, low pressure). With a good coat of wax or sealant, the car almost dries itself.
 
Didn't someone tell you that CA is in a severe drought?

Hopefully you don't have a neighbor that dislikes you and narcs you out to the government.
 
I have the benefit of shade after 5pm so I’ve never had to wash a car in the hot sun unless I wanted to. I don’t wash mine in the garage due to the faucet location, but whenever I do rinse out salt in the spring I break out the floor dryer. The ones they use in bathrooms at rest stops. Works great and not too expensive to obtain. Also works great to dry out the underbody after washing them, but by the looks OP doesn’t need to deal with road salt.
 
Didn't someone tell you that CA is in a severe drought?

Hopefully you don't have a neighbor that dislikes you and narcs you out to the government.
Who says I wash my vehicles at home? At my place in Marin we are currently not allowed to wash vehicles at home but we can go to a self-serve car wash. At my other place, in SF, we have to use a hose with a shut-off nozzle and I don't think anybody will complain about a bucket wash. That's reasonable, I think.
 
Didn't someone tell you that CA is in a severe drought?

Hopefully you don't have a neighbor that dislikes you and narcs you out to the government.
That would go over really well. Rest assured, without using a drone, my neighbors have no idea what I'm doing.
 
Didn't someone tell you that CA is in a severe drought?

Hopefully you don't have a neighbor that dislikes you and narcs you out to the government.
I’m not aware of any water restrictions against car washing in my county.
 
I wash in the evening when the sun sets and I get the shade of the house on my driveway. and I dry with an electric leaf blower, cuts down on drying time and gets all the water hiding in the nooks and crannys. :)
This^^^^^^^^^^. Just wait for the afternoon shade on the drive.
 
It's a statewide drought.


And self-serve car washes and automatic car washes are fine since they recycle the water, using some expensive water filtration, to minimize the water usage, compared to washing at home.
 
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