ONR leaving a residue. HELP!

[amcdonal86]

I have been having much difficulty using ONR. No matter what I do, I seem to be left with a residue that when wiped, leaves streaks that look like very fine swirls. However, when i wipe them again in the other direction, the streaks go the other way. The car is black, so in the sun, the film residue ONR leaves behind is very visible.



Here is my method.



4 gallons of ONR solution in a bucket (one ounce per 2 gal)

1 grout sponge

6-8 Costco microfiber towels (not the best, I know, but they don`t scratch and I can throw them away as soon as I see any dirt)

ONR solution in spray bottle (1 oz per gal or so)



Basically I was the car in the garage. I do a couple panels at a time. First I spray the panels I`m about to do with the ONR in the spray bottle. Then I soak the sponge with ONR solution in the bucket and gently wipe the panels down. Then, I spray the panels again with ONR and wipe down the panels with a MF towel gently. Then I go over the panel one last time with a dry towel, making sure to get every last drop.



When I`m done, I pull the car out into the sunlight and to my amazement there is quite a lot of filmy cloudy areas on the car. Even spraying it again with the ONR and wiping it doesn`t get rid of the haze.



I use municipal water which is not hard, but I have tried distilled water with exactly the same results. I`ve also tried using QD sprays which also do not help.



What gives? Is it the type of towel I`m using? I find that hard to believe. Unfortunately I live in an urban area and do not have access to a hose, but I never had this problem (or never noticed it) with other traditional products.

[Astro_ng]

That means the water is dirty, have a second rinse bucket. Your problem should vanish. Two bucket method, ditch the spray bottle. Wipe once with bucket #1, then wipe a second time with bucket #2.

[amcdonal86]

Interesting. I will try that, tomorrow perhaps. Could it be that simple? Why doesn`t Optimum let people know that they still need a rinse bucket?



Should the second rinse bucket have ONR in it? And should I use a different sponge for the second bucket?

[imported_WCD]

I wash a black BMW each week with ONR- one bucket. I think you are putting too much ONR on the car IMO. There are times when I do not even rinse or prespray- just go right from the bucket with the mitt. I used to have too much ONR concentrate in the bucket and that is the only time I had this issue- especially on glass.



Here is what I do now:



ONR- bucket to car and do the entire car unless heat is an issue. I use MF washing mitts.



While still wet, spray Car Wax over and then dry first pass with ww and 2nd with soft mf towel.



I still do glass with something as I never seem to get it streak free.



Scott might have a better answer, but my guess is there is just too much ONR on the paint- more than you need. I`ve done the 2nd bucket deal, but switched back when I did not see marring from one bucket. Most of my cars that I do are not that bad- every two weeks and garaged. Never snows on the coast of CA as well.



Rob

[Nth Degree]

First of all, I don`t think the ONR or the water is your issue. It sounds more like an issue with you MF towels. Either they have laundry detergent residue, fabric softener or wax/sealant still in them. Do a little research about caring for you towels. Once they have fabric softener in them they are pretty much useless for any paint work.



The ratio you are using sounds correct. You could easily double that and still not have an issue. I would be concerned about going with less as it may not have enough ONR to safely wash the car and would be comparable to washing with just water.




Interesting. I will try that, tomorrow perhaps. Could it be that simple? Why doesn`t Optimum let people know that they still need a rinse bucket?



Should the second rinse bucket have ONR in it? And should I use a different sponge for the second bucket?





I don`t think the directions from Astro were clear to you or you are not familiar with the traditional 2 bucket method. A rinse bucket is not for rinsing the car, but for rinsing your wash media. Essentially, you want 1 bucket of plain water and one with your ONR solution. After washing a panel, drop your wash media into the water only bucket. Then dry the panel. Swirl you wash media around in the water bucket, then wring it out before dipping into the ONR bucket and continuing on to the next panel.



It is possible to do the whole car at one time as WCD mentioned, but I would stick with working small sections until you are getting the results you want and become comfortable with ONR washes. If your water is an issue, you can wash the car in the usual manner using tap water, then go over the car again with a spray bottle of ONR mixed with distilled water. But again, I am quite certain the water is not your current issue.

[ls7drew]

You would just use one bucket for rinsing off/ringing out the mitt (this allows it to absorb more of the ONR) and scrubbing with grit guard then in the 2nd bucket that has the ONR would still suggest a grit guard in that scrub one more time to be save then dry and repeat.



Up until recently I had been just using 1 bucket with Grit Guard 2oz for 2gallons of water, pre spraying with ONR at QD strength, washing down 1-2panels at a time, then drying with a Cobra Guzzler HD (blotting technique). No issues with streaks, but after I`m all done washing/drying I do go over the whole car with QD and 70/30 MF Towel

[pwaug]

You`re not mixing the ONR too strong so that`s not the problem. You`re not washing too much of the car before drying and you`re out of the sun so that`s not the problem. It sounds to me like your towels are not picking up the ONR solution. I`ve never had luck using a long or medium nap towel for my first wipe--always leaves too much behind for the second towel. I`ve had best results by using a slightly dampened high quality waffle weave towel for the first wipe then a fluffier (is that a word ?) high quality MF towel for the second wipe. As mentioned before make sure your MF towels are properly cared for--no fabric softener and put some vinegar in the rinse water to make sure all the soap residue is removed, then rinse again. You seem to be overly cautious with the amount of ONR solution you use (I use 2 gallons for an entire car and wheels-only prespray when really dirty) but then are skimping on the drying step by using Costco MF towels. I`ve never used them, but I just would never take the chance with that final drying step where the MF is basically wiping over almost dry paint.

[amcdonal86]

Sounds like the towels are suspect. But I`m going to give it another shot on my girlfriend`s dark blue Hyundai Sonata today and see how it goes.



I think the dirty water theory is most plausible--I don`t believe I wring out the sponge onto the ground, in an attempt to save the ONR solution (otherwise I could run out). Instead, I wring it right back into the bucket I draw from, making the ONR solution very dirty.

[pwaug]

Sounds like the towels are suspect. But I`m going to give it another shot on my girlfriend`s dark blue Hyundai Sonata today and see how it goes.



I think the dirty water theory is most plausible--I don`t believe I wring out the sponge onto the ground, in an attempt to save the ONR solution (otherwise I could run out). Instead, I wring it right back into the bucket I draw from, making the ONR solution very dirty.



I don`t think that is the issue as I use only 2 gallons and put the mit into the same solution after each section--ONR causes the dirt to fall to the bottom of the bucket. Could the grout sponge be causing any issues?? I use a medium nap MF mit that works very well.

[opie_7afe]

i have had this same exact issue before, and it was driving me nuts until i just bought some cheap brand new towels for a test and i had no streaking after that. so in my experience it was down to the detergent i was using for my towels. it was not allowing the onr to absorb/was residues still left in my towels. that is when i started to separate my towels even more carefully and started washing my towels using delicate wash detergent or detergent for microfiber(i heard ECOS detergent at walmart works great for MF towels) i wash mine in a HE washer, i do a presoak using hot water and then i do an extra rinse using hot water as well. give that a try and see if it helps. also i noticed this issue when i would pre spray the panels with onr solution that was too low of a dilution.

[amcdonal86]

That means the water is dirty, have a second rinse bucket. Your problem should vanish. Two bucket method, ditch the spray bottle. Wipe once with bucket #1, then wipe a second time with bucket #2.



I am happy to report that doing this solved the problem COMPLETELY. This is what I did this time:



2 2 gallon buckets of ONR solution (1 oz per 2 gallons)

1 2 gallon bucket of clean water

Costco MF towels (brand new never used)

1 grout sponge



1. Wet grout sponge with ONR solution and wipe down a few panels

2. Squeeze out sponge onto ground

3. Put sponge in clean water bucket and wring it a few times

4. Squeeze out sponge onto ground and return to ONR bucket

5. Dry panels with two MF towels



The result is amazing! Now I see why you all love ONR so much!



I think using better towels might produce an even better result, but I think I will stick with the cheapies for now. I don`t have a real garage (just covered parking) or a W/D to wash towels.



Thanks for the help!

[amcdonal86]

I dunno, isn`t the whole point of ONR that is suspends dirt in solution?

[Evaporator]

I do multiple dry pass. Scottwax way. I use faucet water and ONR at oz per 2 gal as directed.

No issues so far.



What I do is use the first rag to get the bulk of water, then go for a second pass with a dry MF cloth.



All my MF cloths are eight pack cheapo from Target and WalMart



To wash, I put washer on hot setting and run it through a wash with two rinse. I use powder detergent which is more aggressive at breaking down oily residues. Dry in the dryer w/o using the dryer sheet.

[amcdonal86]

Well I just tried my new method with my Black Ford Mustang and I have to say it looks flawless!!! I can`t believe I was such a bonehead for not squeezing out the dirty water out of the sponge onto the ground.



Unfortunately, this means I will need 3-2gal buckets of water for the average sized car instead of 2 that I used previously.

[akimel]

My bet it`s the towels. I had a similar problem and mentioned it on the forum a few months back. Everyone suggested that it was my towels, so I went and got some new ones from Pak Shak. And you know what? The new towels cured the problem. Heck if I know why my old drying towels weren`t absorbing the ONR properly. Maybe I should boil them and see if that makes a difference. In any case, the new drying towels solved my streaking problem.