Found the perfect hose nozzle for car washing

[Russ]

According to the FAQ the correct way to rinse your car is with a solid stream of water and not with a spray nozzle. Griot's Garage sells some nice nozzles which fit the bill however I'm not inclined to fork over $40 for one.

Home Depot sells a "Nelson Hose Adapter with Flow Control" (p/n 2903, UPC 0-77855-82903-2) that can be adjusted from a solid stream to a spray with one hand. It's supposed to be used as a garden hose quick connector but it works perfectly for car washing and costs only $3.00.

Russ
'91 black/black

 

[nsxtasy]

Griot's Garage sells some nice nozzles which fit the bill however I'm not inclined to fork over $40 for one.

The Griot's nozzle is not the same thing; it can produce a steady stream and it's designed not to scratch your car's finish. Also, it's $9.95, not $40, as you can see here.

 

[cojones]

Originally posted by Russ:
Griot's Garage sells some nice nozzles which fit the bill however I'm not inclined to fork over $40 for one.

The more expensive nozzle from Griots Garage (see here -> http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog.jsp?&SKU=11590 ) did not get good reviews in the FAQ, IIRC.

 

[NSX4U2]

According to the FAQ the correct way to rinse your car is with a solid stream of water and not with a spray nozzle.

Huh? Interested to know what difference a solid stream of water as oppose to a fine mist has to do with removing a surfactant from a painted substrate?

 

[Russ]

Originally posted by nsxtasy:
The Griot's nozzle is not the same thing; it can produce a steady stream and it's designed not to scratch your car's finish. Also, it's $9.95, not $40, as you can see here.

It looks like that Griot's nozzle will only produce a steady stream, and it's not obvious how it prevents scratching the car's finish (unless you like to smack your hose against the car, ahem.)

I don't know for certain why the FAQ states that a steady stream is better than a spray. I suspect it's more gentle on the finish and more likely to rinse surface grit away rather than grind it into the paint, particularly at the pre-surfactant irrigation stage.

I've also noticed a stream tends to leave larger water droplets than a spray. This may have some benefit in reducing water spotting, although that's just a guess.

-Russ
'91 black/black

 

[dochartung]

I don't know about nozzles and which one works best. IMO the best way is a light mix spray stream to get the dirt/soap off. I will tell you that when you are finished rinsing the car it is best to take the nozzle off the hose and turn down the water pressure. This will work only if you have a good coat of wax on your car and I assume we all do. The slow soft water flow allows the Hydrogen bonds of the water molecules to bind together more effectivley. The effect is a lot of the excess water that is usally there after you are done washing, will now bind and role off the car. This will speed up the drying time without soaking several towels or wringing shamies.

 

[Lud]

Dochartung is right on the money...

Assuming your car is properly waxed... Rinse the it however you want, but then go over it one final time with a steady stream of water (as opposed to a spray) and almost all of the water will sheet off, greatly reducing the amount of drying effort. If you use a spray there will be thousands of droplets all over the car.

[This message has been edited by Lud (edited 19 November 2001).]