Reviewed: Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine

stilez

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cardetail_norinse.jpg




Product: Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine





Price & Price Per Ounce:



Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine

$13.95 - 15.95 / 32 ounces ------------------ $.44 - .50 / ounce ------ $.44 - .50 / wash

$34.99 - 39.99 / 128 ounces ----------------- $.27 - .31 / ounce ------ $.27 - .31 / wash



vs.



Protectall Quick and Easy Wash

$9.95 / 16 ounces ----------------------------$.62 / ounce -------------- $1.24 / wash

$35.95 / 128 ounces -------------------------$.28 / ounce -------------- $.56 / wash





Manufacturer Claims *taken from Autogeek.net*:



Clean, shine, and protect in one step…without rinsing!



Optimum has done it again! They’ve developed another product that marries car care and environmental responsibility – two things that are often treated as mutually exclusive. But, in this age of VOC regulations, Optimum is finding ways to enhance the beauty of automobiles and keep the environment safe.



Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine is a true breakthrough in car care. It’s a multi-purpose product that serves as a waterless wash, a quick detailer, and a clay lubricant, depending on how much water you add. You don’t have to be a chemist to formulate your own excellent car care products; just follow the directions on the bottle! Plus, this product does not require rinsing. You can conserve water and still get your vehicle beautifully clean!





Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine

Clean, shine, and protect in one step…without rinsing!



Optimum has done it again! They’ve developed another product that marries car care and environmental responsibility – two things that are often treated as mutually exclusive. But, in this age of VOC regulations, Optimum is finding ways to enhance the beauty of automobiles and keep the environment safe.



Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine is a true breakthrough in car care. It’s a multi-purpose product that serves as a waterless wash, a quick detailer, and a clay lubricant, depending on how much water you add. You don’t have to be a chemist to formulate your own excellent car care products; just follow the directions on the bottle! Plus, this product does not require rinsing. You can conserve water and still get your vehicle beautifully clean!







Here’s how it works:



* Add 1 ounce of No Rinse Wash & Shine to 2 gallons of water to make an excellent no rinse car wash. Soak a Cobra microfiber towel in the solution and wash your vehicle with the wet towel. Dry each section with another Cobra microfiber towel. There’s no need to rinse! The lubricants and substantive polymers in the formula will protect your vehicle from abrasion as it safely cleans all vehicle surfaces. The polymers encapsulate dirt and cause it to drop to the bottom of the bucket. No Rinse Wash & Shine actually cleans the wash water as it cleans your vehicle! And it leaves your vehicle super slick, like it was just waxed!





* Add 1 ounce to wash water made with your regular car wash. No Rinse Wash & Shine’s advanced polymers and lubricants offer more surface protection and slickness than ordinary car soap alone. It acts as a water softener and conditioner to improve the quality of the water that touches your vehicle to provide the ultimate safe wash.





* Add 2 ounces of No Rinse Wash & Shine to a gallon of water to make a super-slick clay bar lubricant. Wet the surface of your vehicle to provide a slippery protective layer beneath Opti-clay. After you’ve clayed each section, simply wipe it dry. This solution is as effective as any clay lubricant you can buy!





* Add 6 ounces of No Rinse Wash & Shine to a gallon of water to make an excellent quick detailer. Fill up a spray bottle with this mixture and use it to clean and shine your vehicle, just as you would use a traditional detailer. The proprietary polymers bond to the paint surface to protect it from abrasion and micro-marring as you clean. The incredible formula leaves your vehicle extremely slick and glossy, like you just applied wax!



One bottle of Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine gives you 4 essential car care products! And the performance of each is as good as or better than any existing, one-purpose product. Compare for yourself!



There’s a long list of benefits to using Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine instead of traditional car washes, quick detailers, and clay lubricants:



1. No Rinse Wash & Shine is environmentally safe. No Rinse Wash N’ Shine eliminates the run-off that occurs from rinsing a soapy car. The rinse water runs into storm drains and out to bodies of water inhabited by fish and wildlife. Water that runs into storm drains does not receive treatment at a waste water plant before reaching a body of water. All the soap, oils, and dirt that was on your car is now in the nearest lake or stream. By using No Rinse Wash N’ Shine, you are protecting the water quality because everything that was on your vehicle ends up in a towel and not in a local pond. No Rinse Wash & Shine is water-soluble, biodegradable, and meets all water usage laws established by the federal Clean Water Act and the Environmental Protection Agency.



2. You can wash your vehicle in the winter. Since No Rinse Wash & Shine requires a minimal amount of water and there’s no need to rinse, you can wash your vehicle in your garage. This makes winter detailing practical and convenient.





3. No Rinse Wash & Shine helps you conserve clean water. People living in beach or island communities are familiar with water restrictions. These may include putting sprinklers on timers or restricting household water usage to just a couple of hours a day. These laws are in place to conserve water where usable water is in short supply. Optimum No Rinse Wash N’ Shine allows you to conserve water while washing your vehicle because there’s no need to rinse. One gallon of water is all you need to wash your vehicle as well as any ordinary car wash. You can still enjoy a clean vehicle at home and abide by local ordinances.





4. No Rinse Wash & Shine replaces many products that are not safe for the environment. Quick detailers were one of the first categories of products affected by VOC laws. Because most are formulated with petroleum byproducts, quick detailers have all but vanished from retailers’ shelves. No Rinse Wash & Shine is not a quick detailer but it does increase shine and slickness as well as any quick detailer on the market. With its state-of-the-art polymers and lubricants, it enhances your vehicle’s finish without releasing harmful compounds into the air.





5. You only have one bottle to throw away. If you buy a separate quick detailer, car shampoo, and clay lubricant, you’ll have 3 bottles to throw away. If you replace all those products with one bottle of No Rinse Wash & Shine, you’ve only got one bottle to toss. Plus, all Optimum’s bottles are recyclable.







Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine just makes good sense! It’s safe and effective on your vehicle, safe for the environment, and easier on your wallet than buying multiple car care products. For a clean, shiny vehicle, No Rinse Wash & Shine is all you need!






MSDS Info: http://www.chemicar.com/cardetail_norinse.pdf





Packaging: Clear, tough, cylindrical bottle with screw-on top. The labeling is cleanly laid out, easy to read, instructive, and moisture resistant.





Color/Scent/Viscosity: A thin, watery viscosity in a light blue colour. The scent is almost non-existent but you can smell a faint hint of a chemical (not solvent), but I can't put my finger on exactly what it is. Irregardless, its hardly noticeable.





How I used (as per instructions): I used as a presoak, as well as a car wash, both as per instructions.



For the wash, I used 1 ounce per two gallons of water (less product than QEW) in both a one bucket (no rinse bucket) and two bucket (rinse and wash) method. I used on a well protected vehicle, one that is only QD'd weekly, and one that has never seen a wax/QD (pictured).



I used a 2-bucket method with the Audi below (1 wash, 1 rinse) with the wash bucket containing 2 mitts, 1 ounce of Optimum NRWS and 2 gallons of water. I washed half a panel, then put the mitt in the rinse bucket, and moved on. I washed half the car, then dried it via a Pakshak WW MF towel. The temperature was around 35* and the humidity was negligible.





Overall Thoughts: As this product sits, its a direct competitor to Protectall's Quick and Easy Wash ( http://protectall.com/qelg.htm ). I have been using QEW for almost 2 years now and have loved it. I have tried it in each and every use that Optimum describes. Optimum surpasses.



Without going into the boring details I have concluded this:



Slickness: Optimum (by a noticeable amount)

Beading: Optimum (by only a little)

Cleaning: Optimum (on lower panels, I usually need a couple swipes for the nasty stuff with QEW)

Drying without streaks: Optimum (especially on glass)

Protection/Shine: Optimum (hard to measure, but the surface felt slicker on the QD'd and unprotected surface once dried)





QEW, watch out, Optimum has a winner on its hands.







Other Notes: For signifigant soil, I suggest using this method to presoak when a hose is not available: http://autopia.org/forum/showthread.php?t=65424





Purchasing:



http://www.autogeek.net/optimum-no-rinse.html

http://www.pakshak.com/optimum-no-rinse-wash-and-shine-32oz.html

http://www.prestostore.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?ref=exceldetail&ct=46688

http://www.chemicar.com/cardetail_norinse.php

http://www.superiorcarcare.net/opnoriwash.html





Pictures:





Before

IMG_1228.jpg






After (wheels/tires/wells were cleaned by other means)

IMG_1234.jpg






NO added marring/swirling/scratching

IMG_1231.jpg




Full Shot

IMG_1232.jpg








Questions/Comments, feel free.
 
I totally agree Sean. I love this stuff. Great review!

edit: One thing is weird tho, I dislike their regular car soap, but love this stuff...go figure :LOLOL
 
This is the first meaningful review I have seen comparing this product to QEW. Thanks for all the time and effort Sean. :hifive: I look forward to trying this product.



Don't forget to give Sean kudos if you think this post was helpful!
 
Great writeup Sean. I really like the Optimum much better an QEW. Its definitely slicker. I didn't find I liked it as much as Poorboys Spray and Wipe though when mixing it for that application per their directions.
 
Pretty much my findings as well



Inerestingly, I talked to Mike Phillips of Meguiars about QEW when he was here last weekend. He said their chemists have analyzed QEW and say for what it does, it is a good product but they felt it could be improved. However, they have no interest in making a product of this type (too hard to market to the retail level due to the unique useage).



I am glad David at Optimum felt differently!
 
Scottwax said:
Pretty much my findings as well



Inerestingly, I talked to Mike Phillips of Meguiars about QEW when he was here last weekend. He said their chemists have analyzed QEW and say for what it does, it is a good product but they felt it could be improved. However, they have no interest in making a product of this type (too hard to market to the retail level due to the unique useage).



I am glad David at Optimum felt differently!





I agree with you and Sean!
 
Morbid: Quartz Gray Metallic. I like the colour, too...It shows nice, but hides defects well.



Kenney: 6 ounces per gallon of water.
 
Very nice write up Sean...great job :xyxthumbs



I have yet to use the No Rinse as a stand alone wash but I have used it within my wash water and really like it. Oh yeah, for those who don't care for the Optimum car shampoo.....stay tuned.



Anthony
 
I would love to try this stuff, but I am still terrified to NOT rinse after washing a section. I would like to save water etc, and people are speaking very highly of this product...maybe I should make the jump.
 
GSRstilez:



When I brought my '05 UltraSport (A4) I looked at a metallic/w Pearl effect color but opted for the Brilliant Black (solid) instead.



I guess it's a trade off as you are right about that darker metallics are far easier to maintain but solids are easier to paint match and don't require alot of blending.



Obviously I had my "painters" hat on when I made that purchase decision, next time I'll wear my detailers hat instead.
 
Anthony Orosco said:
Very nice write up Sean...great job :xyxthumbs



I have yet to use the No Rinse as a stand alone wash but I have used it within my wash water and really like it. Oh yeah, for those who don't care for the Optimum car shampoo.....stay tuned.



Anthony





...urrr ummmm, 4 what pray tell? What'cha cookin?
 
MorBid said:
GSRstilez:



When I brought my '05 UltraSport (A4) I looked at a metallic/w Pearl effect color but opted for the Brilliant Black (solid) instead.



Good move! There's still nothing quite like black in my book. :2thumbs:



I'm interested in No Rinse Wash and Shine because it seems like it can make a near infinite amount of "bread and butter" QD according to the dilution Anthony posted earlier before it hit the market.
 
MorBid said:
I'm really feel'in that B7. Is that Dolphin Grey?



You betcha!! Looks like the front end of the new A6. I think it may be the reflex silver (i am sure it has a different name now b/c it looks a bit darker bu still has some flake in it. I heard the S6's just got released and RS6's are around the corner......WEEEEEE!
 
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