Review & How-To: Meguiars D115 Rinsefree Express Wash and Wax

Marc08EX

New member
Review & How-To: Meguiar's D115 Rinsefree Express Wash and Wax
Meguiars Rinse Free Express Wash & Wax D-11501

01%2520-%2520Packaging.jpg


Description: (Taken from Autopia's website)

To wash and protect!

- Clean all exterior surfaces without rinsing
- Protect all exterior surfaces without waxing
- Biodegradable detergents or eco-friendly

Meguiars Rinse Free Express Wash & Wax cleans and protects all exterior surfaces without the need for a hose or running or water. Biodegradable detergents allow you to clean your vehicle with minimal water use and little environmental impact. Not only does washing your vehicle with Meguiars Rinse Free Express Wash & Wax save time, but it saves valuable resources.

Rinseless washes have become popular for many reasons. More areas have heavy water restrictions which limit the amount of water that is used while washing your vehicle. Meguiars Rinse Free Express Wash & Wax allows you to safely wash your vehicle with less than four gallons. If you live in an apartment or other building where running water isn't always available, you will appearance the take-anywhere ability of Meguiars Rinse Free Express Wash & Wax.

Meguiars Rinse Free Express Wash & Wax not only cleans your vehicle but it also encases your paint, glass, and trim in a tough, protective wax shell. Meguiars Rinse Free Express Wash & Wax creates a high-gloss shine with high levels of water beading. Not only will you save time and water, you will protect your paint with every wash.

Price:

$79.99 for 128oz (Concentrate)

Introduction:

I have always been a traditional wash kind of guy. Not only do I enjoy bringing out two buckets, dragging out the hose and washing my car this way, but I also feel that this is the safest way to do it. Advancement in detailing technology presented us with different alternatives to the traditional wash. One of them is the waterless wash. When this first came out, I was scared to use a product like this. I mean how in the world will a spray on product have enough lubricity to remove dirt/dust safely and not scratch up the paint, right?

About a year and a half ago, I moved to an apartment where in access to a traditional wash was non-existent. I had to pack up my traditional wash supplies and go to a car wash to do this. This got old pretty quick. Sometime ago, I went to one Thursday Night Open Garage in Meguiar's where the great Michael Stoops himself personally showed me how to properly do a waterless wash and how safe it is. From that point on, the rest is history.

Since then, I've always used the Meguiar's Ultimate Wash and Wax Anywhere. It works extremely well but the price point was just too high. I've always been reading about raves for the Ultima waterless wash. AG had a BOGO one day and I had an order cooking up at the time so I decided to take the plunge and try it out. Here's my review on that product:
Review & How-To: Ultima Waterless Wash Plus

How-To Do A Waterless Car Wash:

I am going to write this article from scratch and as if I'm teaching a guy completely new to waterless washing.

Here's a picture of the product description and instructions:

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Right off the bat, I already love one feature of this product. And this is the cap of the gallon container. Here's a picture of it:

03%2520-%2520Cap.jpg


I don't know about you but I absolutely hate dispensing product from a gallon jug to a small measuring cup ESPECIALLY if the gallon jug is close to full. It's just darn near impossible not to make a spill. This cap found in the D115 makes life so much easier! I made different dilutions (as you'll see later) and I didn't spill a drop of product. This feature is just a simple feature yet AMAZING in my book. I can't thank Meguiar's enough for doing this.

Here's a picture of me dispensing D115 from a gallon jug to a measuring cup:

04%2520-%2520Pouring.jpg


Here's a picture that shows the color of D115. It's like a mix of blue and green.

05%2520-%2520Concentrate%2520Color.jpg


The product description recommends a dilution of 4:1 but it also says that the user can dilute it up to 20:1 in applications of direct sunlight. So I said, I wanted to test out three different dilution ratios. I also bought a new low pressure hand pump sprayer for this test. Here's a picture of the test subjects:

06%2520-%2520Different%2520Dilutions.jpg


So this is my mixtures for each dilution ratio:
2oz of D115 with 8oz of mineral water for the 4:1 ratio.
1oz of D115 with 8oz of mineral water for the 8:1 ratio.
0.5oz of D115 with 10oz of mineral water for the 20:1 ratio.

One observation I made was that the solutions bubbled up when I shake them. Although the bubbles are short lived. This is not surprising given how this product is probably a relative of the Meguiar's D114 Rinsefree Express wash. Here's a picture I tried to capture of the product bubbling up:

07%2520-%2520Bubbles.jpg


What's a review without comparing them to other products right? I wanted to test out D115 against the RTU version, Meguiar's Ultimate Wash and Wax anywhere and the cost-effectiveness champion, the Ultima Waterless Wash.

08%2520-%2520Competition.jpg


Now time to show you how to properly use a waterless wash. I normally use a waterless wash on a dusty vehicle only. I'm ok with heavy dust. But I've never even dared use it on a vehicle that has driven through rain. But I wanted to test thsi product out so I didn't wash the vehicle for a month and a half or two (I was already thinking of this review back then). The car has driven through 2 rain storms and been rained on while parked a couple of times. Here are some before pictures of the test vehicle:

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10%2520-%2520Before.jpg


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I apologize that the pictures are sometimes over exposed. The sun was just too intense here in the desert. This review was done at about 6:30 in the morning where the sun was rising. The ambient temps were in the mid 80s to low 90s I would say.

I first start off by misting the waterless wash solution on the panel I'm working on. It is important to point out that you should work on small sections at a time. You can even break down an entire panel if you want to. No one's rushing you. Take your time because technique is EXTREMELY important here.

12%2520-%2520Hood%2520Sprayed.jpg


This is about how much product I typically apply when doing a waterless wash:

13%2520-%2520Hood%2520Product.jpg


I learned a great technique explained by the great MOL admin himself, Michael Stoops on how to properly do waterless washing. I was in the TNOG session in this article so I got to see it first hand. Here's the article for your reference:
Ultimate Wash & Wax Anywhere - Tips & Tricks

As I mentioned above, technique is very important here. You will need lots of microfiber towels. Don't feel bad if you have to use more than you have to. It's easier to wash your dirty microfiber towels than to polish out swirls and scratches created by a dirty towel.

Therefore I'm going to dub this technique the:
"Michael Stoops Waterless Wash Method" or MSWWM for short.

So what you do is you fold your microfiber towel into a manageable size. I folded my Meguiar's Supreme Shine microfiber towel 3x as shown below:

14%2520-%2520Hood%2520Towel.jpg


What you do is you keep the microfiber towel flat on the surface and perform the first swipe on the panel you're working on as shown below:

15%2520-%2520Hood%2520First%2520Swipe.jpg


How long you swipe will highly depend on how soiled the surface is. It's really a judgement call and totally up to you. If you want to be safer then you can stop halfway.

After your first swipe, you will see a line of dirt in your microfiber towel as shown below:

16%2520-%2520Hood%2520Towel%2520After%2520First%2520Swipe.jpg


What you do next is tilt the microfiber towel to expose a clean part of that same fold. That way, you're not rubbing around the dirt taken from the first swipe on the paint surface. This is what I mean. This is a shot of me doing the second swipe of that same panel with the microfiber towel titled:

17%2520-%2520Hood%2520Second%2520Swipe.jpg


Here's a picture showing the 2nd line of dirt from the 2nd swipe. As you can see, the dirt was embedded on a different section than the first swipe. The dirt from the first swipe never made contact to the paint.

18%2520-%2520Hood%2520Towel%2520After%2520Second%2520Swipe.jpg


Now you keep on repeating this until you've soiled that side of the microfiber towel. Here's a shot showing the third swipe:

19%2520-%2520Hood%2520Third%2520Swipe.jpg


Consequently, here's a shot showing the 3rd line of dirt:

20%2520-%2520Hood%2520Towel%2520After%2520Third%2520Swipe.jpg


As you can see, majority of this specific side of the towel is already soiled. What you do next is flip the towel and expose a clean side and keep on repeating as you work your way through the car.

After you're done with washing the panel you're working on, you'll use a 2nd dry microfiber towel to buff off the excess product away.

Here's a picture showing a half/half shot of the panel I worked on:

21%2520-%2520Hood%2520Half.jpg`


Here's another set of pictures of me showing the Michael Stoops Waterless Wash Method:

Dirty Passenger Side Rear Quarter Panel:

22%2520-%2520Pass%2520Rear%2520Quarter%2520Before.jpg


Spraying the waterless wash:

23%2520-%2520Pass%2520Rear%2520Quarter%2520Sprayed.jpg


Amount of product used:

24%2520-%2520Pass%2520Rear%2520Quarter%2520Product.jpg


Start with a clean microfiber towel:

25%2520%2520-%2520Pass%2520Rear%2520Quarter%2520Towel.jpg


First swipe:

26%2520%2520-%2520Pass%2520Rear%2520Quarter%2520First%2520Swipe.jpg


Dirt from the first swipe:

27%2520-%2520Pass%2520Rear%2520Quarter%2520After%2520First%2520Swipe.jpg


Second swipe:

28%2520-%2520Pass%2520Rear%2520Quarter%2520Second%2520Swipe.jpg


Dirt from the second swipe:

29%2520-%2520Pass%2520Rear%2520Quarter%2520After%2520Second%2520Swipe.jpg


Third swipe:

30%2520%2520-%2520Pass%2520Rear%2520Quarter%2520Third%2520Swipe.jpg
 
Re: Review & How-To: Meguiar's D115 Rinsefree Express Wash and Wax

Here's the panel after performing a waterless wash. Shiny ain't it?

31%2520-%2520Pass%2520Rear%2520Quarter%2520After.jpg


Here's the very filthy passenger side rear door. It's full of gunk picked up from driving in the rain. On this panel, I used the Ultima Waterless Wash.

32%2520-%2520Pass%2520Rear%2520Door%2520Before.jpg


Product being sprayed:

33%2520-%2520Pass%2520Rear%2520Door%2520Sprayed.jpg


Towel after multiple swipes:

34%2520-%2520Pass%2520Rear%2520Door%2520Dirt.jpg


The same panel after:

35%2520-%2520Pass%2520Rear%2520Door%2520After.jpg


Here's an awesome 50/50 shot on the difference a waterless wash makes:

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Here's the dirty passenger side front door

37%2520-%2520Pass%2520Front%2520Door%2520Before.jpg


Meguiar's UWWA being sprayed:

38%2520-%2520Pass%2520Front%2520Door%2520Sprayed.jpg


Amount of product in the surface:

39%2520-%2520Pass%2520Front%2520Door%2520Product.jpg


Start with a clean side of the towel:

40%2520-%2520Pass%2520Front%2520Door%2520Towel.jpg


Perform the swiping technique employed as described above:

43%2520-%2520Pass%2520Front%2520Door%2520Second%2520Swipe.jpg


Multiple lines of dirt when performed correctly:

46%2520-%2520Pass%2520Front%2520Door%2520After%2520Third%2520Swipe.jpg


That same panel afterwards:

47%2520-%2520Pass%2520Front%2520Door%2520After.jpg


Here's another 50/50 shot showing that panel compared to the dirty and filthy adjacent panel:

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Here's a set of pictures of me using the all new Meguiar's D115 Rinsefree Express Wash and Wax:

Start with a dirty panel:

49%2520-%2520Driver%2520Front%2520Door%2520Before.jpg


Product being applied using a low pressure hand pump sprayer. This panel had the 4:1 dilution ratio.

50%2520-%2520Driver%2520Front%2520Door%2520Sprayed.jpg


D115 sitting on the surface:

51%2520-%2520Driver%2520Front%2520Door%2520Product.jpg


Again, let's reiterate the process. Do the first swipe:

52%2520-%2520Driver%2520Front%2520Door%2520First%2520Swipe.jpg


Now tilt the microfiber to expose a clean portion of the same side while doing the second swipe:

54%2520-%2520Driver%2520Front%2520Door%2520Second%2520Swipe.jpg


Continue doing this until that side of the microfiber towel is completely soiled. It should look like this:

57%2520-%2520Driver%2520Front%2520Door%2520After%2520Third%2520Swipe.jpg


Here's the panel after cleaning it with 4:1 D115:

58%2520-%2520Driver%2520Front%2520Door%2520After.jpg


Here's the dirty driver side rear quarter panel:

59%2520Driver%2520Rear%2520Quarter%2520Before.jpg


This panel received the 20:1 D115 ratio. Here's the panel after cleaning it.

60%2520-%2520Driver%2520Rear%2520Quarter%2520After.jpg


Once I finished wiping the hood and the sides of the car, I stopped there. I had 5 panels where I used different products. I also left the tail gate dirty. The main reason for this is because I wanted to do an experiment. I wanted to get the opinion of my co-workers and see if they see a difference between each test panel and if they feel any difference in slickness as well. The main reason I wanted to do this is because I wanted to get unbiased opinions. I think I might be biased in some way.

Here are some of my minions feeling up my car's paint:

71%2520-%2520Minions.jpg


I had 7 test subjects. And here's a picture of their answer sheet. I had them rank each test panel based on looks and slickness from 1 to 5. 1 being the best and 5 being the worst. I also said that you can put equal ranking if you don't notice a difference between panels.

70%2520-%2520Exp%2520Data%2520Input.jpg


After the experiment was completed, of course the test panels were full of hand prints and that's no good for the paint especially since it's black baking under the hot Arizona sun. So what I did was to finish up the entire car when I got home. I mixed all the remaining solutions together into the pump sprayer. I calculated that it should come out to 12.8:1 dilution ratio. That's an approximate number of course because I used some product from each solution.

Here's the tail gate's before and after shots using this new dilution ratio:

Before:

61%2520-%2520Rear%2520Hatch%2520Before%25201.jpg


After:

62%2520-%2520Rear%2520Hatch%2520After%25201.jpg


Before:

63%2520-%2520Rear%2520Hatch%2520Before%25202.jpg


After:

64%2520-%2520Rear%2520Hatch%2520After%25202.jpg
 
Re: Review & How-To: Meguiar's D115 Rinsefree Express Wash and Wax

Photoshoot and Gloss Pictures:

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***Disclaimer: I know I didn't clean the lower plastic portions of the vehicle. This is because I just wanted to review this product on the paint only. I know that it will work with the plastic as well. It has since been cleaned.

Cost Analysis:

Assuming a MSRP of $79.99 for a 128oz container of the D115.

- At the 4:1 ratio, 1 gallon of concentrate will make 5 gallons of solution. So that comes out to $0.125/oz.
- At the 8:1 ratio, 1 gallon of concentrate will make 9 gallons of solution. So that comes out to $.0.0694/oz.
- At the 10:1 ratio, 1 gallon of concentrate will make 11 gallons of solution. So that comes out to $0.0568/oz.
- At the 20:1 ratio, 1 gallon of concentrate will make 21 gallons of solution. So that comes out to $0.0298/oz.

For the Meguiar's Ultimate Wash and Wax Anywhere, the price is $0.625/oz.

For the Ultima Waterless Wash 16oz concentrate, the price is $0.0291/oz.

Experiment Results:

Again, here's the result sheets:

70%2520-%2520Exp%2520Data%2520Input.jpg


I asked several of my co-workers to give me their honest opinions. The test subjects ranged from car guys who are meticulous about their ride/paint to guys who think cars are just a mode of transportation from point A to point B. So I had a wide variation in my audience type.

Majority of them can't distinguish which panel looks better than the others. The people that put different rankings in the looks department made a point that it was very hard to do so. So I will conclude that they all produce very similar, if not the same looks.

Now this is where the results get interesting... The results from the slickness test. Three people couldn't tell a difference in the slickness between all panels.

One person ranked the slickness to be:
1. UWWA
2. D115 4:1
3. D115 20:1
4. D115 8:1 and UWW+

Here's the ranking of another person:
1. UWWA / UWW+
2. D115 4:1 and D115 8:1
3. D115 20:1

Another person's ranking:
1. UWWA / D115 4:1
2. D115 8:1 / UWW+
3. D115 20:1

Another ranking:
1. UWW+
2. UWWA / D115 4:1
3. D115 8:1 / D115 20:1

Opinions and Observations:

This product works extremely well as a watereless wash. I think it safely removes the dirt/grime in the paint surface and it leaves it looking shiny and freshly waxed. Of course, proper lubrication, good technique and common sense are all needed. This product can be diluted at different ratios which is a great feature. You can dial down the cost and performance of the product without sacrificing the performance and results.

I think that the D115 at the 4:1 ratio closely resembles the Meguiar's Ultimate Wash and Wax Anywhere. Maybe the UWWA has a slightly higher wax concentration than the D115 at 4:1 but I'm not sure.

The Meguiar's UWWA was evaporating very quickly in the hot climate. The D115 at 4:1 closely resembles this characteristic. In the product instructions, Meguiar's said the user can dilute the product up to 20:1 in hot climates. I did notice that the product was not evaporating as quickly when you increase the amount of water in your ratio.

This product is very hydrophobic when you spray it on the surface. It seems to want to run off right away. I think it just shows how great the wax protection is built into the product.

I think that at the 12.8:1 ratio, the product worked just as well. I feel that I will be using this product at around 10:1 ratio and I feel it should work great! From the data gathered in my experiment, the leaner product ratio doesn't seem to sacrifice the looks.

The smell of this product was fantastic - as with any other Meguiar's product. I think it's very important for a detailing product to have a great scent because it makes it a pleasure for the user to work with.

I think this product used for rinseless washing is just an absurd idea. The ratio remains the same for rinseless. 4:1 to 20:1. It's just not cost effective when you compare it to the dilution ratio of a similar product like D114 at 256:1. If it was me, I'd rather use D114 to do rinseless washing and use a stand along spray wax after like D156 or UQW.

Conclusion:

Meguiar's first came out with an amazing waterless wash product but the price point was just too high. This has led a lot of users (I think) to look for more economical alternatives. A lot of people have begged for Meguiar's to come out with a bulk version of the UWWA product and finally, they delivered with a BANG! With this new waterless wash concentrate, I think Meguiar's is back in the waterless wash game. Meguiar's was able to compete with the competition's price point without sacrificing the performance and results of the UWWA product. You really can't go wrong with any of the concentrates listed in this review. But you need to give this product a shot, I promise you it won't disappoint. Meguiar's always delivers AMAZING products and this is another testament to that. I know that this will be my go-to waterless wash product from now on.

THANK YOU Meguiar's for listening to our request.
 
Marc I gotta say you out did yourself on this review, top notch.

I got a sampler size from autoality and just mixed some up. So next time I wash my car I'm gonna give it a go. Really looking forward to trying it.
 
Re: Review & How-To: Meguiar's D115 Rinsefree Express Wash and Wax

This is a review and half Marc Nice job!
 
Re: Review & How-To: Meguiar's D115 Rinsefree Express Wash and Wax

Wow excellent review!!!!

I need to set aside some time and read this completely!!! Excellent!!!!
 
Re: Review & How-To: Meguiar's D115 Rinsefree Express Wash and Wax

Yowsers!

Excellent method of review.

You even used judges!

Holy moley!:bigups

I'm not a fan of waterless washing but you sure have convinced me to at least give it a chance, perhaps when my car isn't as filthy as that one. ;)

One of the most important pieces of information I gleaned:

Of course, proper lubrication, good technique and common sense are all needed.

Thanks for putting forth the excellent effort and taking the time to teach waterless washing.
 
Re: Review & How-To: Meguiar's D115 Rinsefree Express Wash and Wax

THANK YOU so much for the compliments everyone!!! I sincerely appreciate it. I'm glad to hear that you guys enjoyed my review. This makes me want to do more.

So is Megs a Rinseless product or waterless?

Like Mark said, it's designed to do both.

But IMHO, this is exclusively a waterless product. If you use this as a rinseless wash, you must have deep pockets. The cost for doing rinseless goes astronomically high. Like I said, I'd rather use D114 for rinseless and follow it up with a stand alone spray wax after.
 
Re: Review & How-To: Meguiar's D115 Rinsefree Express Wash and Wax

Okay, I had a few minutes to come back and pick through the article. Wanted to post again, AWESOME REVIEW!!!!!
 
Re: Review & How-To: Meguiar's D115 Rinsefree Express Wash and Wax

Thanks a lot Todd!!! Means a lot coming from you.
 
Re: Review & How-To: Meguiar's D115 Rinsefree Express Wash and Wax

Very well thought out and explained. Thank you for going to so much trouble in doing, explaining, and photographing this.
 
Re: Review & How-To: Meguiar's D115 Rinsefree Express Wash and Wax

Nice review, thanks.

I'm surprised that the rinse-less dilution ratio is the same as the water-less. Why would that be? I would think the required ratios would be similar to those of UWW+.
 
Re: Review & How-To: Meguiar's D115 Rinsefree Express Wash and Wax

I'm surprised that the rinse-less dilution ratio is the same as the water-less. Why would that be? I would think the required ratios would be similar to those of UWW+.

Preaching to the choir man. I think this product is made for waterless and not rinseless. The product name shouldn't be "rinsefree" IMHO.
 
Re: Review & How-To: Meguiar's D115 Rinsefree Express Wash and Wax

Preaching to the choir man. I think this product is made for waterless and not rinseless. The product name shouldn't be "rinsefree" IMHO.


To me the “rinsefree” makes sense. Because in reality a rinse-less & water-less wash are both “rinsefree”

 
Re: Review & How-To: Meguiar's D115 Rinsefree Express Wash and Wax

Waterless would never fit either -- I mean you have to add water lol...

curious why would you use mineral water?
 
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