I needed a new wet/dry vac for the garage/cars, so after consulting our resident detailer (Canuck), I went ahead and purchased the Ridgid WD4070 Pro Series vac. It's a 4 gallon, 5HP "pull along" style vac. I chose it because it has a small, compact footprint, it's light and best of all a lifetime warranty. Some may gripe at the only 4 gallon capacity, but it will be used almost exclusively for vacuuming the car..so 4 gallon is plenty. The compact design makes it a breeze to store and the wheels on it pull along effortlessly even on gravel without fear of tipping. The cord wraps around the top handle, and there is small caddy in the back to hold your attachments. There's also a tube on top that holds you main attachment. It's a slick, compact design and it's a nice change from the bulkier, upright styles which are a PITA to store and can tip. The cost was $110 CDN from Home Depot.
It's very powerful too! I didn't find it extremely loud...but it's definitely louder than a house vacuum. It has the same power as much larger vacuums, so it's plenty powerful for cleaning the car. In addition to the vacuum, I also bought the VT2534 Car Cleaning Kit at $50. And am I glad I did! For starters, you get a fantastic hose. It's much, much more pliable than the standard corrugated plastic hose. It seems to have a somewhat rubber coating and is much softer than the standard hose...so it's less likely to mar any surfaces. The 11 foot length is just great! No need to have the vacuum unit right up close to the car because the hose is sooo long. You also get a wide claw nozzle like you find fitted on the industrial car wash vacuums and a soft dash detailing brush. My favorite pieces are the crevice tool and the stiff carpet brush. The crevice tool is an impressive 14" long and has a rubberized section on the end that is flexible. Best crevice tool I've used, mainly because it's so long. No need to have your hand jammed between seats ever again! But the best is the stiff carpet brush. It's a very stiff brush...just about as stiff as a fingernail brush. The stiff brush stir and lifts up the dust/dirt and makes it a breeze to pick up. I would do long sweeping passes to get the bulk dirt, then circular brushes to finish, then one more long pass to leave that just shampooed look on the carpets. The is by FAR the best carpet/upholstery brush I've ever used and gets the carpets far cleaner than any other too. It nearly looks as if they've been just shampooed. So despite the somewhat high cost of the accessory kit, I think it's worthwhile.
All in all, I'm VERY pleased with this vacuum and I would highly recommend it to any fellow enthusiast for their car cleaning needs.
