I use the 'big blue microfiber' towels and I keep them really clean. I felt that reduces the chance of swirls, etc.

I haven't found a source for discounted resin. CR Spotless prices, as far as replacment resin is concerned, are really high. I guess buying the bulk container (45 lbs) is the best way. I did that once. I tend to wash my car every week and change the resin twice a year. I keep the water use to a minimum during wash/rinse to both conserve water and resin contamination.

 

well having a black car (in HB no less) I can assure you that you won't need to wipe it down as long as the resin is still good. I only used mine for about 4 months though. Maybe I wasted too much water with my washes?? I'm going to try a new technique, "wash" with ONR which supposedly encapsulates the dirt and then rinse with the DI water. I'm hoping that this will eliminate scratches completely.

 

Costco sells the Resin for less.

 

You can search for resin with window washing companies and find a far lower unit price.

 

What is 'ONR'?

 

Optimum No Rinse. Basically you put a few capfuls into a bucket of water and use a grout sponge and lightly pass it over each quarter panel. The dirt comes off very easily. ONR claims that the dirt particles are encapsulated and isolated from the paint. So you dry each quarter immediately. I've used it for a while now and it does seem to work well but with black paint, any small defect is very visible so I'm trying to minimize the potential for scratches which is why I bought the DI. This way, I won't have to dry the car.

 

here is link from costco
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product...hse=BC&topnav=

 

Yes, I washed it in the driveway and drove it back into the garage as soon as I was done with the final rinse since I want to avoid pollens sticking to the surface. My car is Basalt Black and it even passed by wife's visual inspection and she's usually much better at picking up spot and marks than I am. The most time consuming part was actually waiting for it to dry so I can put the clear bra sealant on.

I used the DI water for all steps though (shampoo, first rinse, final rinse) , not sure if it will make a difference. I am also hooked up to a softener as someone mentioned that this can help to reduce resin usage.

BTW, the water monitor is always reading "000", is it normal? I assume since my resin is brand new, the TDS should be 0. Is there a way to get the TDS of the incoming water from the monitor?

All in all, I was prepared to return the CR Spotless back to Costco if it couldn't pass the mustard and this is definitely a keeper. It took at least half of the time off washing my car, so a biweekly wash is completely doable for my schedule. I also plan to just rinse it down if it is only dust.

Another thought just strike me. Can we extend the life of the resin by swapping the 2 canisters back and forth? Since this is a multi-stage system, doing so will be similar to tire rotation so we do not wear out the 2 sets of resin unevenly?