Kit Offers Car Cleaning With No Added Water

Posted May 1, 2015 at 8:11 PM

As you may have heard, there’s a drought.

Officials are calling on residential water users to fix leaky faucets, let their lawns go brown and avoid long showers.

So for consumers passionate about keeping their cars clean, who prefer to wash their car themselves but want to avoid using a hose and bucket, Radiant Ride, an automotive cosmetic repair business in Stockton, is introducing a cleaning kit that requires no added water.

The Radiant Waterless Car Care Kit features all water-based, biodegradable cleaners that are non toxic and contain no petroleum solvents. It includes spray-on, wipe-off, exterior wash, vinyl-rubber cleaner, interior cleaner, wheel cleaner and glass cleaner, as well as interior wipes and microfiber towels.

“Our core business model is cosmetic repair services for new car buyers,” said Earl “Sticks” Brown, Radiant chief executive. … “Given the state of the water crisis, we also wanted to emphasize the benefits of waterless technology.”

As with Radiant’s repair service, the care kit is currently being sold through new car dealerships.

Big Valley Ford in Stockton is among those stocking the new product, said Steve Kubitz, dealership general manager.

“This is an excellent alternative to making our cars shine,” he said Friday. “We’re excited to get it going.”

Kubitz said he liked the fact the products are water-based and biodegradable. He also said they worked well when applied to a couple of cars in the dealership’s lot.

“It’s just an opportunity for people to save water and make their cars look great,” he said.

Big Valley has the kits priced at $89.

Brown, who currently offers his cosmetic repair service through 16 dealerships in San Joaquin and Stanislaus Counties, said he originally offered a cleaning care kit containing more traditional products, requiring use of a bucket and hose, as an enhancement to the service contract.

But given all the focus on California’s drought, he said he believes the waterless care kit could well resonate with a larger market.

“This waterless kit will give us the opportunity to partner with multiple dealerships throughout the state,” he said.

He hopes to initially distribute 2,500 to 3,000 of the kits through new car dealers throughout Northern California and looks to launch an e-commerce site for online sales by June.

Whether consumers respond to the waterless wash message is yet to be seen, but Brown believes there’s great potential.

Californians are expected to buy 1.9 million new cars this year and about 70 percent of new car buyers express an interest in keeping their vehicles looking like new as long as possible.