Ok, who has tried the Mr. Clean thingy

[Chuck]

that they keep advertising on tv...attachment for the end of your garden hose that contains special soap and water conditioning filter, that allegedly prevents water spots when you wash your car (and presumably, your Airstream! )? they say you can let your vehicle air-dry with no spotting. does it work? is it worth the 20-something bucks?

[cosmotini]

Chuck,

I bit. Got one and tried it with my car. It didn't quite work the way it does in their commercial. At least the drying part didn't. It IS a nice way to wash your vehicle, however. I'm holding out hope that it may be weather related as it was pretty cool the times I've used it. I'll be using it again tomorrow.

Whether it dries or not, I'll keep using it to wash the vehicles.

Dennis

[67caravel]

Is there a website?

[Silvertwinkie]

I was interested, but I also felt it sounded too good to be true. I'd be very interested in what you find as the weather changes.

[Porky Pig]

Originally posted by Xray
Is there a website?

Mr. Clean Auto Dry

Some of the guys over at TheDieselStop.com have reported good results with the product.

[cosmotini]

Ok, this weekend I washed my car (black) with the Mr. Clean Auto Dry and let it dry on it's own after rinsing. First, it took an hour and a half to be MOSTLY dry before I gave in and finished it with a chamois. The temperature was 72 and it was overcast. I will never do that again. It left numerous water spots that are really obvious - especially on black. Overall, just using it to wash your vehicle, it's pretty useful. But don't count on not having to dry your vehicle by hand.

Dennis

[linjoe21]

Hey, we tried it!! We've got a 2004 Ford F-250 diesel and a 2003 PT Cruiser - both a dark blue. It worked GREAT!!
The first time on the truck wasn't as good, but the second time it was FANTASTIC. I guess the secret is to really rinse it well with the filtered water. The second time we used it on both vehicles, it was amazing. We didn't have to touch it with a chamois, towel, or anything. The vehicle, the windows, chrome, everything was shiny and spot free. I think it's wonderful.

[Chuck]

Hmmm...varying results, I guess, eh? I wonder if the quality of the water at your house has to do with it...if its "not THAT bad" to begin with, perhaps the boost you get from this device is adequate. but if you start out w/ really poor quality water (hardness/calcium/mineral content), its not enough.

I was just thinking that if it works as advertised, it might be a boon to the folks w/ the polished trailers, who report that the water-spotting problem is a big pita, and that the spots "really stick out". (that oughtta teach 'em to put all that work into polishing! ). But then again, I guess those folks are gluttons for punishment, anyway

[Porky Pig]

OK .. I went to Wally World and purchased one of these Mr. Clean kits .... and it works for me.

Did the AS first .... it was really dusty .... after I was all done I noticed I missed a spot up by the big awning ... the area actually looked a bit oxidized when compared to the rest of the trailer.

Then I did my white truck .... which was actually starting to look tan ... amazing results.

We've been out on the road for a a couple of weeks .. and the AS is starting to look a bit ratty .... so I'll give it another treatment when I get back to the house.

The only problem I see is when I'm out fulltiming and looking for a place where I can do a wash job with my Mr. Clean.

I'm sold.

[53flyingcloud]

Originally Posted by chuck

Hmmm...varying results, I guess, eh? I wonder if the quality of the water at your house has to do with it...if its "not THAT bad" to begin with, perhaps the boost you get from this device is adequate. but if you start out w/ really poor quality water (hardness/calcium/mineral content), its not enough.

I was just thinking that if it works as advertised, it might be a boon to the folks w/ the polished trailers, who report that the water-spotting problem is a big pita, and that the spots "really stick out". (that oughtta teach 'em to put all that work into polishing! ). But then again, I guess those folks are gluttons for punishment, anyway

Chuck,
Is this the product that, was reported to have a built-in water filter?
53FC

[Chuck]

yes. some special soap, plus a filter.

[uwe]

The filters would probably last for one midsize to large Airstream, or 2-3 "real" good car washes. The instructions call for filter replacement as soon as spotting occurs.
I found the replacement Filters at over $ 5.00 too expensive in the long run and put the thing back on the shelf.
Instead, I am going to look into the water treatments that detailers and car lots use. I do think that soft water is a big time saver, especially when washing the Airstream.

[Porky Pig]

Originally Posted by uwe

The filters would probably last for one midsize to large Airstream, or 2-3 "real" good car washes. The instructions call for filter replacement as soon as spotting occurs.

I would say that filter life depends upon the quality of water being filtered and the amount being used.

So far, I have washed my 34' and my F-350 Crew Cab ... some pretty large items ... and my filter is still good. My directions say to replace the filter when it starts to turn color (brown) ... and it hasn't done that yet .. it is still blue.

[Silvertwinkie]

Hey, one thing comes to mind....I know that Jack did a whole bunch of research on the subject of safe cleaners for the Airstream finish.

Jack found that Armor All cleaner had the least nasty stuff in it that some other cleaners had that ***could *** possib react with the special Alcoa finishes.

Now I am not saying that the Mr. Clean is bad, nor am I trying to say the sky is falling, but I am saying that I'd be careful what you put on your Airstream to clean it as it is a FAR different type of finish than a car.

In concept I think the Mr. Clean is a good idea, but I'd really look long and hard at what may or may not be in the product before applying it to a new (very expensive) coach. Just my .02

FYI......

[Silvertwinkie]

BTW, when I say Armor All cleaner, I meant Armor All Car Wash solution!

[ALANSD]

I have used the Armor all for over a year...my washing was cut down considerably though when I added the vinyl car port, and used the Liquid Glass treatment last summer. Armor all cost like 3 bucks a big bottle and takes a few small splashes to fill a bucket. Seems like a better deal to me than the new Mr Clean stuff. Even with a chamois thrown in.

[HP9K]

I have used the Mr. Clean system on my dark blue Excursion and it works exactly as advertised. The soap that comes with the system does a good job of getting the road grime off the truck - I was amazed how dirty the wash mitt became as I used it.

It also gets the diesel exhaust "funk" off the rocker panel and the rear bumper near the tail pipe - in the past I had to use a more agressive cleaner on those areas to get them clean.

I'm still on the starter kit that is supposed to be good for three uses, but I believe the refill kits have water filters that are good for 10 washes, so the refill cost isn't as bad as it first appears.

[millionairstream]

-I can honestly say that this was a waste of time. I threw mine in the trash and chalked it up in the "why did I believe that one" category.

In the marina where I keep my yacht, we have several "real" water softeners, and also a few folks have gone and purchased portable water softeners. The difference is what they call "contact time" and the speed of washing doesn't allow hard water to become soft when passing through such a small chamber.

The portable ones are expensive- $700 for the ones that have a 12 year warranty. Less expensive and smaller ones didn't work for most who bought the West Marine El Cheepie version. I'm about to invest in 2 of the better ones- they're 3' long and 6-7" in D. 1 for the boat and 1 for the trailers/cars/aircraft/cycles.

I was stupid, bought one of the Mr Cleans thinking it would be OK for a car, but unless the water is dribbled through it- forget it in a hard water situation.

The soap may help if its loaded with phosphates. I prefer to avoid that with our environemental issues.

I also know from washing my boat that the sun intensifies the aggression of the hard minerals, so we always schedule washing it in the late afternoon, or the early AM- at sunrise is best.

[Porky Pig]

Very interesting that folks are getting mixed results from this product. Same thing over at TheDieselStop forum. Some hate it ... some love it. Go figure.

[cosmotini]

I am beginning to wonder if humidity isn't a factor in the success of these things. I live in an area where the humidity is generally high. If you've been to St. Louis, you know what I mean.