Waterless car wash between regular washes?

B

blk96gt

New member
I've been thinking about picking up a waterless car wash, but I had a few questions before I chose one. The main reason I'm wanting one is I just don't think my car gets dirty enough to justify a full wash most of the time. The car is not a daily driver and doesn't get driven in the rain. It's mainly just light dust after driving and dust gathered when sitting in the garage. I'm hesitant to use a QD as I think the dust is a little too heavy for it. The car is also black, so any marring will show up easily.



Are people actually using waterless washes for this purpose? I've done some searching, and haven't been able to turn up much info. I use Zaino, so that was another factor I've thought about while looking at waterless washes. Will any of these affect the durability/application of Zaino?



I don't mind washing the car, but I'm looking at a couple hours by the time I wash and dry the whole thing (blowing all the water out of crevices, cleaning door jams, etc.) The fact that I always end up with a few more waterspots than I had before doesn't help either.



Are there any safe washes that could be used that would take 30-45 minutes for a wash, and that wouldn't leave a few gallons of water hanging around in crevices? Do I just need to nut up and wash it like normal? Thanks for the help.
 
blk96, pickup some ONR (Optimum No Rinse) a 5 gal bucket and lid. Mix up 2 gals and keep it in the garage, use it when you need to with a chanille mit and a waffle weave. End of problem for anyone who lives in a good climate. You will never look back. I've used the Griot's waterless wash and it is a good product but you will spend probably 20 times more with no advantage, I would only use the waterless products if there was no other possible way to clean up the car.
 
Any advantage when using a chenille mitt over say a microfiber or foam mitt? I was about to make an order with pakshack, are their waffle weaves sufficient for ONR?
 
blk96gt- Good luck with the ONR/etc. approach, and I do mean that sincerely. Doesn't work for me but it does for others, so maybe it'll work for you.



Chenille might rinse clean better than MF as MF can really retain some kinds of stuff. But I bet most of the happy ONR users are using plush MFs for their wash media. IIRC Scottwax likes MF-covered sponges.



I'd give the whole thing some thought and see what sounds best to *you*. With ONR, the idea is that you're loosening the dirt so it'll come off the car, and then getting the dirt to transfer to the wash medium. It sticks to that pretty tenaciously too, the wash medium won't "come clean" very well when you dunk it back in your ONR mix (so you might want more than one of whatever you wash with). Hmm....now you're rubbing your paint with something dirty, huh? [think about that ;) ] When you go to dry, if the drying towel gets dirty, it means you didn't get all the dirt off while washing, right? Hmm...you're rubbing your paint with something dirty again; what kind of "something" do you want to use if you're doing that, a WW or something plush? [think about that too ;) ]



Yeah, yeah, I know..the ONR encapsulates all the dirt so well that it doesn't mar anything for anybody except me, I'm just pointing out how the process works so blk96gt can make an informed decision about what wash/dry media to try.
 
blk96gt said:
.....Are there any safe washes that could be used that would take 30-45 minutes for a wash, and that wouldn't leave a few gallons of water hanging around in crevices? Do I just need to nut up and wash it like normal? Thanks for the help.
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For me, one of the big advantages of ONR is it takes significantly less time to wash and dry the car. Even taking into account things such as the undersides of the doors I would be amazed if it took me 30 minutes to clean the car, although the size of the vehicle is a key point.



I have recently started using Permanon to see what all the fuss was about and I had forgotten how long it takes to wash, rinse and dry the car in the traditional manner. ONR is not ideal for everyone, no product is but I do miss it.
 
First off, I wouldn't sweat anything interfering with Zaino's bonding. Zaino has some pretty strong cleaners/solvents that should remove just about anything including baked on tar(yeah, I know Sal says it doesn't). As others have mentioned, for as much time as it takes to do a safe and thorough job of using a waterless wash, you can wash with ONR. I've been ok with a mildly dusty car and Opti-clean and Poorboys Spray and Wash. I'm testing 3D's product now.
 
blk96, let me start off by saying I really respect Accumlator's opinions, he is very knowledgeable and has been detailing for a long time, he is an asset to this site. That said give ONR a try for yourself, buy a small bottle and make your own decision but I don't think it will disappoint you, especially with a car that is only a little more that dusty most of the time. Chenille mitt is my choice as it is cheap and works fine. The pakshak purchase is fine, if you are unhappy with the ONR you will still have a good wash mitt and drying towel. I work in an independent Porsche shop and that's all I detail and I can honestly say I have never had a complaint, lots of times I just do a wash as the car has gathered dust and some fingerprints over its stay and customers always ask what I used on their car.
 
Thanks for the info everyone. I'll go ahead and give ONR a try. I'll set up my lights and try a section and see how it turns out. Will report back with my results once I get home in a couple weeks.
 
pdsterns- Heh heh, that was a very considerate way to say "don't put too much stock in Accumulator's take on ONR" :chuckle: I do appreciate your bothering to put it that way, and yeah, plenty of people are perfectly happy with the rinseless/waterless wash approach. Just because something doesn't always work for me, that doesn't mean it won't work for somebody else.



And BTW, I do still covet your Audi 4K ;)
 
Accumulator, being a diplomatic is very important in all of life and believe me I do not want to insult you in any way at all as I believe you know more about detailing than I do. You are one of the "elders" as far as I am concerned. Did you know there is an improved ONR which I have only used once or twice and I like it even more than the original, why not give it another try, 2 bucket method, chenille mitt and a waffle weave. If you are unhappy with it you can always use it concentrated as a clay lube. Most of the time I am caring for cars that are in very good condition and maybe my opinion is a little tainted.



P.S. Audi 4kS still very good
 
For light dustings between regular washes, think about EcoTouch waterless car wash. Here's a link to learn a bit more,

Waterless Car Wash

I've tried ONR, Protect All Quick and Easy Wash, and Eco Touch waterless products and I'm swinging, more and more to the Eco Touch wash. A really great spray bottle too.

-John C
 
Due to apartment life, the only time my car sees water is when it rains. A waterless product is the way to go for many reasons that are repeated over and over on the forums.



For me, it is just faster than a normal wash and that's reason enough for me.



Driving only on city streets and covered parking, I can go a month without washing and any good waterless product will not cause scratching / marring.
 
Ben@Autopia said:
.. I can go a month without washing and any good waterless product will not cause scratching / marring.
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That's what sooo many people report! Eh, just not Accumulator-proof I guess :nixweiss But then I've only tried ONR and QEW (not the 3D stuff ;) ). Plus, see below for more...



pdsterns said:
Did you know there is an improved ONR which I have only used once or twice and I like it even more than the original, why not give it another try...
Click to expand...



Yeah, I did hear about that, glad to hear they don't just leave well enough alone.



Eh, leaving aside all the other reasons why I don't use such approaches (e.g., the need for extensive flushing of certain areas, the issue of doing the undercarriage, both of those are sufficient reasons right there), I really don't think I'm gonna do any rinseless/waterless washes except for *maybe* cleaning off "garage dust", which I might do once every few years. Even if it turned out perfect almost every time, that "almost" is a dealbreaker for me; I just won't run *ANY* increased risk of marring, not for any reason I can think of. But anyhow, the flushing/undercarriage factors make it wrong *for me* no matter what. So I think every wash is simply gonna take me hours of difficult work, gallons and gallons of water, and lots of expensive shampoo.



Yeah, I guess I sound closed-minded about it :o but I can't make the case for it being of benefit to me :think: Sure do understand why others like it though, and I hope I don't sound *too* negative when I post my concerns in response to people who are considering it.
 
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