How will you care for your Rivian in drought conditions?

[RivianuserR1T]

I live in the SF Bay Area where we are starting to be under mandatory drought restrictions.

I'm concerned that some of the "waterless" wash methods will leave my Rivian with swirls all over the paint.

I'm wondering how you guys are planning on taking care of your Rivian that are in a similar boat as I am?

Sponsored

 

[Party Mode]

Unfortunately there are not many options for what you are describing. There are a few products like ONR or griots waterless wash that both work Pretty good. But note I wouldn’t use them on a mud covered vehicle. They work on normal dusty , some bug splatter , normal everyday roan water dirty car scenarios. And yes all car washes will leave behind some degree of light swirl marks. years ago I made an investment in a professional detailing buffer and pads to remove these types of surface flaws on my cars. It has made a huge difference in my cars appearances. I honestly don’t even think about running my cars thru mechanical car washes because I know twice a year I prep and polish/ wax sealant protect the surface And remove all imperfections. It’s supper easy and you will not damage or hurt your paint job. I have over the years done at least 100 vehicles. The attached pic below was my fathers black corvette, it was swirled covered all over.

YouTube is your friend on learning this stuff. I didn’t know anything about this stuff. It’s super easy and rewarding to do.
I would check out on youtube,
Griots
pan the organizer
apex auto detailing
auto fanatic

 

[fastwheels]

No shortage of water where I live but I suggest you have your Rivian ceramic coated - makes keeping a vehicle clean much easier, as well as minimizing minor scratching and swirl marks.

 

[ajdelange]

As I recall it is pretty humid around the bay. Get some room dehumidifiers and run them to collect water from the air. Use solar panels to run them if you are concerned about the earth or your electric bill. These things produce an amazing amount of water though it will clearly take a couple of days to collect enough to wash a truck.

I was chuckling to myself as I started to write this but now I'm not so sure it is as silly as I at first thought it was.

 

[Ray R]

Ceramic coating and keep it garaged.

 

[SANZC02]

In SoCal when we went through the droughts the last several years they still had car washes open that use up to 75% of recycled water. I would just go to one of those when needed.

 

[guernsej]

I'm in San Diego and I've worked out a pretty eco friendly regimen over the years:

-touchless carwash (with water recapture) once a month or so
-meguiar's waterless wash afterwards to get the dirt film and water spots off
-tree branches until I don't care about the paint anymore

Works best with aluminum body panels.

 

[SteveInBend]

I'm a big proponent of maintaining a protective layer of dirt over the paint.

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

Drive it through a river/lake/bay.

 

[Smithery]

As I recall it is pretty humid around the bay. Get some room dehumidifiers and run them to collect water from the air. Use solar panels to run them if you are concerned about the earth or your electric bill. These things produce an amazing amount of water though it will clearly take a couple of days to collect enough to wash a truck.

I was chuckling to myself as I started to write this but now I'm not so sure it is as silly as I at first thought it was.

San Jose resident here.

We actually have a dehumidifier that collects a couple gallons a day.

If we gathered it in a "truck wash barrel" instead of watered the plants with it, we'd have 14g a week... and I'm kinda wondering if that could be enough?

 

[Gshenderson]

San Jose resident here.

We actually have a dehumidifier that collects a couple gallons a day.

If we gathered it in a "truck wash barrel" instead of watered the plants with it, we'd have 14g a week... and I'm kinda wondering if that could be enough?

The bigger question is if there’s a ban on car washing, will you get ticketed for doing this? I have some property in UT on a community water system where the HOA specifically forbids irrigation - even if it’s water you capture from your downspouts.

 

[Sdvictor]

Hand car wash place (manual). Those places recycle and filter water and are part of county water saving programs.

 

[ajdelange]

The bigger question is if there’s a ban on car washing, will you get ticketed for doing this?

Do it at night. Better for the car that way too.

 

[ajdelange]

We actually have a dehumidifier that collects a couple gallons a day.

If we gathered it in a "truck wash barrel" instead of watered the plants with it, we'd have 14g a week... and I'm kinda wondering if that could be enough?

These things are pretty cheap. Get a second one.

I wash my car with RO water that is drawn from a translucent tank so I can see how much is taken. I am not at all careful in water use (it's a 100 gal tank) but even so I don't think it takes more than 20 - 30 gal to wash an X.

Sponsored