A spotless car wash without hand-drying.(cars)(Product/Service Evaluation)

We tested the Mr. Clean AutoDry and found it to be an effective aid in preventing water spots and eliminating the chore of hand-drying your vehicle after a wash.

Water spots form when droplets evaporate from a vehicle's exterior and leave behind mineral deposits. Those spots are worse in hard-water areas. To prevent them after hand-washing, the vehicle should be meticulously dried with a cloth or chamois.

Eliminating hand-drying does more than save labor: Hairline scratches, or swirl marks, can be introduced by small pieces of dirt caught in the cloth.

HOW IT WORKS

The AutoDry attaches to a garden hose and has a built-in detergent dispenser, a water filter/deionizer cartridge, and a dial that switches washing modes. You start by removing loose dirt using plain water. Switching to the detergent mode lets you wash the car with suds without a soap bucket; there's no need to rinse your cloth of sponge in dirty wash water, which can also result in paint scratches. Use plain water again to rinse. Switch to the final-rinse mode, which filters the water and deionizes it, removing dissolved minerals. The deionization and the proprietary detergent, which the company says leaves a polymeric film on the vehicle, combine to sheet off the water quickly. The remaining water should then evaporate without leaving deposits.

WHAT WE FOUND

We purchased and tested several of the AutoDry devices and had 10 staffers use them to ...