Alright, so let me tell you about this car wash machine thing I rigged up at home. Going to those commercial car washes? What a pain. Either they're packed, or they cost an arm and a leg, or they just do a half-baked job, you know? I was just fed up with it. Plus, I like tinkering with stuff in my garage, it’s just something I do.

So I thought, why not try to build something myself? Nothing fancy, mind you. Just something to get the grime off. First thing I did was just sketch out a really basic idea on a piece of scrap paper. Figured I'd need a decent pump, some hoses, and some spray nozzles. Seemed simple enough, right? Famous last words, as they always are when I get these bright ideas.

Then came the hunt for parts. I’m not made of money, so I tried to keep it cheap. It's always about how little I can spend to get something working.

• The Pump: Rummaged around in the shed for a good hour, moving old paint cans and stuff I’d forgotten I even had. And what do you know, found an old pressure washer pump that still had some life in it. Bit rusty, covered in cobwebs, but I figured I could clean it up. Better than buying new, that's for sure.
• Hoses and Nozzles: Went online and ordered a cheap kit of assorted nozzles and some reinforced hose. You know, the kind that probably wouldn't last forever but would do for a start. Click, click, buy, and hope for the best when it arrives.
• Frame: At first, I didn't even think about a frame. Just figured I'd hold the nozzle like some kind of car-washing Rambo. But that got old real fast, especially trying to get the roof. So, I grabbed some leftover PVC pipes I had from a plumbing job I did last year. Easy to cut, easy to glue, and cheap as chips.

That was the "easy" part, or so I thought. Gathering stuff is one thing, making it all work together is another beast entirely.

Putting It All Together - The Messy Bit

Okay, so I got all my bits and pieces spread out on the garage floor. Looked like a DIY disaster waiting to happen. First up, getting that old pump working. Spent a while cleaning it out as best I could, hooked up an inlet hose to a big water barrel I have for rainwater. Trying to be a bit green, you see. Then, I attached the outlet hose. That was straightforward enough, just screw it on tight.

Next, the nozzles. I tried a few different ones from the kit. The first one I picked was more like a gentle mist. Useless for car dirt, unless the dirt was made of dust bunnies. Swapped it for something with a bit more oomph. Connecting them to the PVC frame was a bit fiddly. Lots of PVC cement, plenty of waiting for it to dry, and a lot of crossed fingers it wouldn't leak like a sieve the moment water hit it.

Oh, and the wiring for the pump. Kept it super simple. Just a heavy-duty switch I salvaged from an old appliance and a long extension cord. Safety first, right? Well, 'safety third' after 'get it done' and 'make it cheap' maybe, but I tried! Made sure all connections were taped up good and proper.

First Tests and Facepalms

The moment of truth. Dragged the car onto the driveway. Fired up the pump. And… water. Everywhere. But not really where I wanted it. Those PVC connections? Some were weeping. Some were outright spraying water in directions I hadn't planned. It was like a badly choreographed fountain show. So, it was back to the drawing board, or rather, back to the PVC cement and pipe wrench. Tightened everything up, added more cement where needed. It was a bit of a battle, I tell ya, me versus the leaks.

Then the pressure. It was okay, but not great. That old pump was definitely showing its age. I spent a good afternoon taking it apart again, cleaning out some gunk I missed the first time. That helped a bit. Also played around with nozzle placement on the PVC frame I eventually built, trying to get decent coverage on the car without having to move the whole contraption a million times. It was a lot of trial and error. Mostly error, at first.

I remember one time, I didn't secure the outlet hose properly, and when the pump kicked in, the hose whipped around like an angry snake, soaking me and half the garage. The dog, who was watching from a safe distance, wasn't impressed either. Just looked at me like I was an idiot. Good times, good times. You gotta laugh, right?

So, Does It Work?

After a lot of swearing, tinkering, getting thoroughly drenched, and probably annoying the neighbors, yeah, it actually works! Is it a professional, drive-through, all-singing-all-dancing car wash you see at the fancy places? Heck no. Not even close. It's basically a glorified pressure sprayer on a rickety PVC stand that wobbles a bit if you look at it too hard.

But you know what? It gets the car clean. Or clean enough for me, anyway. I just wheel it out, hook up the water, plug it in, and blast away. It’s not automated by any stretch; I still have to move the car or the sprayer around a bit, and for the really tough spots, a sponge and some elbow grease are still my best friends. But no more queues, no more wasting twenty bucks for a five-minute wash that misses half the dirt.

The best part? I built it. With my own hands. From bits and pieces I scrounged and bought cheap. There’s a certain satisfaction in that, even if it looks like something out of a mad scientist's shed, or something my kid would build with LEGOs if LEGOs sprayed water.

Final Thoughts on My DIY Car Wash Adventure

Looking back, it was a fun little project. Frustrating at times, sure. I probably spent more time fixing leaks and tweaking nozzles than actually washing the car in the first few weeks. My knuckles took a beating too. But I learned a bit more about pumps, and a lot about the impressive holding power (and sometimes lack thereof) of PVC cement under pressure.

Would I do it again? Maybe. If this one finally gives up the ghost. I’d probably try to find a better pump from the start, or maybe even design a more robust frame out of something other than PVC that creaks. But for now, my home-brewed car wash machine does the trick. It’s rough, it’s ready, and it’s mine. And honestly, that’s all that matters to me. Saves me a bit of cash, gives me something to point at and say 'I made that' when the car's looking halfway decent for a change.