2016 WRX Limited ISM New Car Prep and Optimum Gloss Coated!

[donbeezy]

I appreciate all of the positive comments everyone!

A couple of things I wanted to add to my DI Water Filter.

1. If I were to do it again, I would have positioned the probes in the Inlet and Outlet Tees down, instead of up. Because the probes aren't that long, I don't think they are always reading the water. A few times, I have noticed my Input water was reading 0 TDS, then when I pushed the prob in a little, and twisted, it started reading 30...

2. I don't check the TDS monitor as much as I thought I would, because I am not that close to the filters when I am using it. To make the system more simple, and cheaper, you could just connect the hose inlet and outlet to directly to the housings, and use a Hand Held TDS Meter to take a reading of the water coming out of your system before and after the wash process.

3. For a cleaner, and possibly better functioning Inline TDS Meter Setup, it may have been better to drill and tap the lid of the filter housings, thread in the John Guest Fittings, and connect the probe there. That way, the probe would be in the water stream, and you won't have to deal with all of the extra PVC fittings. I was nervous to try drilling and taping the filter housings, but other companies out there do this for pressure gauges. There is even a circular flat spot in the housing lid for that reason.

If you look at the first gen CS Spotless systems, they have Tee Fittings like I do before the inlet, and after the outlet. Then in the newer ones, you can't see where the probes are. I bet they are installing the probes in the lids.

so should i get rid of the TDS monitor all together and get a hand held meter? or should i drill and tap the lid and place it there?

im probably gonna mount mine to the wall and wont be anywhere near it while using the water.

 

[Whiplash Willy]

so should i get rid of the TDS monitor all together and get a hand held meter? or should i drill and tap the lid and place it there?

im probably gonna mount mine to the wall and wont be anywhere near it while using the water.

It is hard for me to say, because I have yet to drill and tap a lid, and really it comes down to personal preference. Using an inline TDS Meter (If it is reading properly) is the most convenient way to check on your water. Those Inline meters auto shutoff after about 3 min though, so really it is just a spot check. A hand held meter isn't that much cheaper, and I imagine you would have to fill a glass or something to check the water's reading, which kind of sounds like a pain.

If you look at the instructions for a hand held meter, it looks like you have to submerge the meter to get a reading, not jus stick it into a stream of water, which would be more convenient.

TDS-EZ Water Quality Tester - HM Digital

Drilling and tapping the lid though would be the cleanest/simplest way to hook up an inline meter, and you could potentially get a better reading this way, however you do risk screwing up the lid. Worst case scenario, you end up having to buy a new $30 lid. Even if you aren't close to the filter setup, you can periodically and easily spot check your water readings.

 

[donbeezy]

It is hard for me to say, because I have yet to drill and tap a lid, and really it comes down to personal preference. Using an inline TDS Meter (If it is reading properly) is the most convenient way to check on your water. Those Inline meters auto shutoff after about 3 min though, so really it is just a spot check. A hand held meter isn't that much cheaper, and I imagine you would have to fill a glass or something to check the water's reading, which kind of sounds like a pain.

If you look at the instructions for a hand held meter, it looks like you have to submerge the meter to get a reading, not jus stick it into a stream of water, which would be more convenient.

TDS-EZ Water Quality Tester - HM Digital

Drilling and tapping the lid though would be the cleanest/simplest way to hook up an inline meter, and you could potentially get a better reading this way, however you do risk screwing up the lid. Worst case scenario, you end up having to buy a new $30 lid. Even if you aren't close to the filter setup, you can periodically and easily spot check your water readings.

thanks for the info. will give the in line meter a shot. 3 mins is plenty of time to check it during usage.

 

[Whiplash Willy]

So last night, I came out to my car after work, to find it covered in waterspots.......

I have parked in the same spot for over a year, and never once have they turned the sprinklers, but I guess someone thought it would be a good idea to turn them on in the middle of the day.

Here are some shots of the carnage, once I got home:

Luckily I was able to wash my car as soon as I got home, I didn't even eat! Sadly, I was not able to remove all of the waterspots. They are hard to see now, and can only be seen at certain angles, but they are still all over the flat surfaces of my car. The Hood, Front Windshield, and Trunk are covered in them. The Passenger side and Roof didn't get hit by the sprinkler. Luckily the wash was able to remove the spots from the driver side.

It sucks that I put so much effort to ensure I wouldn't get water spots (Built DI Filter System and only use that to wash my car, and still hand dry), and all of that can get ruined by one mid day sprinkler session.

I am going to order Optimums MDR Water Spot Remover, and see if it will completely remove the spots. I may not be able to use it until the weekend after this one, so hopefully my wash removed all of the dissolve minerals, and the spots won't etch any further. If that doesn't work, I am going to polish my Hood and Trunk, then re-apply 2 coats of Opti-Gloss, and polish my windshield. I am hopeing it won't come to that though.

And for the icing on the cake....I live in Oregon, where it is illegal to pump your own gas, but work in Washington, so I always fill up in Washington, so I don't have to cringe as some gas jockey drops the cap on my paint, while slamming the nozzle into the side of my car and spill gas all over. Even though its more expensive, it is worth the piece of mind. Well, yesterday I forgot to fill my tank during my lunch break, so I had to fill up in Oregon on my way in. This is the 2nd time I have let someone else fill this car, and I figured what were the chances they would spill gas on my car.....Well, the Gas Jockey got the nozzle into the tank fine, without dinging my quarter panel, however when he removed the nozzle, as he rested his left hand on my trunk and clanked his ring on my paint, ended up dripping a decent amount of gas down my quarter panel as he slowly and sloppily removed the nozzle..... I ended up running home to flush it off with Distilled Water, then used some Opti-Clean and a MF towel to clean the entire area.

It is so frustrating to try so hard to keep something nice and clean, just to have careless people thoughtlessly ruin it for you.....

 

[Whiplash Willy]

An update on the waterspots... The weekend before last I tried removing the waterspots with a claybar, then distilled vinegar, but neither worked. I ordered Optimum's MDR Water Spot Remover, and Carpro's Water Spot Remover. I finally received them this last Friday, and was able to use both over the weekend.

I tried the MDR first, however it had no effect. Almost defeated, I gave Carpro's Water Spot Remover a shot, as my last ditch effort before breaking out the polish...I am very happy to say that Carpro's Water Spot Remover completely removed all of my remaining waterspots, and left my Optimum Gloss-Coat intact! I am very happy with the results!

Here is my other thread on water spots, for a few more details.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/103183-limited-options-time-sensitive-water-spot-removal.html#post1407791

 

[Jomax]

I'm in love with carpros water spot remover. Brother bought a black navigator and the dealer would rinse down the cars with tap water and never wipe the roof... In AZ you can think what that did... Carpro WP remover did the job!!

 

[Jomax]

I appreciate all of the positive comments everyone!

@Bigry18, you should really try a paint coating. If you can polish a car, you shouldn't have any problem applying today's consumer level coatings. The hard part is deciding which one to use!

I just broke 1000 miles on the WRX, and am loving driving it! I have always wanted a WRX since they hit the US in 2002! Finally I was able to make it happen! Initially I wasn't sure if I would like AWD vs RWD, but I do love the feeling AWD gives when you accelerate through a corner! Plus, I am too old to "have fun" with RWD cars in the street these days.

A couple of things I wanted to add to my DI Water Filter.

1. If I were to do it again, I would have positioned the probes in the Inlet and Outlet Tees down, instead of up. Because the probes aren't that long, I don't think they are always reading the water. A few times, I have noticed my Input water was reading 0 TDS, then when I pushed the prob in a little, and twisted, it started reading 30...

2. I don't check the TDS monitor as much as I thought I would, because I am not that close to the filters when I am using it. To make the system more simple, and cheaper, you could just connect the hose inlet and outlet to directly to the housings, and use a Hand Held TDS Meter to take a reading of the water coming out of your system before and after the wash process.

3. For a cleaner, and possibly better functioning Inline TDS Meter Setup, it may have been better to drill and tap the lid of the filter housings, thread in the John Guest Fittings, and connect the probe there. That way, the probe would be in the water stream, and you won't have to deal with all of the extra PVC fittings. I was nervous to try drilling and taping the filter housings, but other companies out there do this for pressure gauges. There is even a circular flat spot in the housing lid for that reason.

If you look at the first gen CS Spotless systems, they have Tee Fittings like I do before the inlet, and after the outlet. Then in the newer ones, you can't see where the probes are. I bet they are installing the probes in the lids.

Here is a link to the manual for the older CR Spotless system:
http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/autogeek/cr-spotless.pdf

Here is a link to the newer version:
http://www.goodbyetoweldry.com/library/CRSpotless_Instructions.pdf

These manuals are good to use as reference when building your system, as well as using/maintaing them. Also, AutoGeek has a good video review of the CR Spotless system which is worth a view:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnU2KdJIfrY

I talked to servapure, who customizes these housings, and they drill and tap the lids, as a service, to install pressure gauges (See link Below)



20" Big Blue Whole House Sediment Removal Water Filter System

Also, if you look at the housings that CS Spotless uses, they look more like these, and defiantly not Pentek Big Blue Housings. For such an expensive system, it is kind of lame they don't use brand name parts...

https://www.amazon.com/Filter-Housing-Black-Pressure-Relief/dp/B005CK4SXI/ref=sr_1_35?ie=UTF8&qid=1466528672&sr=8-35&keywords=water+filter+20%22+housing

Thank you x10000!!!!!! Ordering them tonight!