Suggestions for a new Waterless Wash

pheerix

pheerix

New member
So I've been using Opti-Clean for the past couple months and the more I use it the more I dislike it. It cleans well (even dirty wheels) and so far has kept the marring down to almost nil but it streaks like a mofo and requires too much pressure and buffing for my comfort. A big PITA on glass. I always have to follow up with a QD to remove the residue which doubles both the time and number of towels to do a quick wash. Also the dilution ratio isn't great at 1:3 and the smell is borderline unpleasant.


So my requirements are:
1. Spray and wipe off with almost no buffing required.
2. Good cleaning ability even on wheels.
3. I am looking for some protection left behind so it saves having to apply a QD or LSP afterwards.
4. Economic dilution ratio.
5. Can be applied in a pinch (i.e. warm body panels, direct sunlight)
6. Smells good.
7. Compatible with ONRWW and OCW because I have gallons of both.


So far I've narrowed my choices down to a few but would like some input from people who've used these products personally:
1. Megs D115 - Generally good reviews. The price and dilution ratio is what's holding me back. Is it just as safe to use a lower ratio like 1:8 or 1:10?
2. Pinnacle - I like that it has carnuba in it. I use OCW and I love the combination of polymer protection and carnuba glow. My hesitation with this one is that it might require a lot of buffing?
3. UWW+ - Very popular but somehow to me the dilution ratio seems almost too low to be a safe waterless wash and effective cleaner?


Any comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading.
 
pheerix,
Don't hesitate to try the Ultima. I haven't tried either the Pinnacle or Blackfire waterless washes, but have both Ultima and Optimum on the shelf and reach for the Ultima most often. Despite the weaker dilution ratio, it's possible with UWW+ and a good sprayer to fog a vertical panel without any runs, something you can't do with OC. UWW+ also wipes dry and streak-free with less rubbing than OC and the surface feels more lubricated when wiping.
I don't use either on glass. ONR mixed at clay lube dilution is my usual go-to, unless I'm using window cleaner.
Don't give up on the Opti Clean, though. It's a fantastic interior detailer. According to Chris@ Optimum, mixing at 1:4, plus 1 oz. of IPA per quart gives sufficient cleaning power as well as streak-free performance on glass and touch screens, while still leaving some protection. I'm never without a small 3 oz. spray bottle in my console for regular interior maintenance.

Bill
 
I've been using ONR for years now and have no need/desire to switch. I mix 4 tbls in a quart spray bottle and fill with water (distilled if I have it, tap if not). For the wash, I fill a 2 gallon bucket with hot tap water. I soak a MF waffle weave towel and wring out. I spray the panel (top down of course) then wipe with the damp towel, followed by a dry towel. Rinse and repeat. I'm always very happy with the results. I often follow-up with DG Aquawax for some extra sheen and a top coat of protection.
 
Billy Jack said:
pheerix,
Don't hesitate to try the Ultima. I haven't tried either the Pinnacle or Blackfire waterless washes, but have both Ultima and Optimum on the shelf and reach for the Ultima most often. Despite the weaker dilution ratio, it's possible with UWW+ and a good sprayer to fog a vertical panel without any runs, something you can't do with OC. UWW+ also wipes dry and streak-free with less rubbing than OC and the surface feels more lubricated when wiping.
I don't use either on glass. ONR mixed at clay lube dilution is my usual go-to, unless I'm using window cleaner.
Don't give up on the Opti Clean, though. It's a fantastic interior detailer. According to Chris@ Optimum, mixing at 1:4, plus 1 oz. of IPA per quart gives sufficient cleaning power as well as streak-free performance on glass and touch screens, while still leaving some protection. I'm never without a small 3 oz. spray bottle in my console for regular interior maintenance.

Bill
Click to expand...

I'll try a lower dilution ratio maybe that'll cut down on the streaks. That's a good tip about the interior cleaning properties. Maybe I'll demote it to that once I get something else. Deciding between D115 and UWW+ right now.
 
I'm confused. What's wrong with the ONRWW gallon you already have? Does ONRWW not have a QD dilution like ONR does?

I can see it not being quite strong enough for wheels if you're only washing once a month or have brakes that dust like crazy, but it sounds like you already have what you're looking for.
 
I think the only problem you will have is finding something that doesn't require buffing but also leaves some protection.

Poorboy's Spray and Wipe meets some of your requirements. It doesn't require any buffing, works great on wheels and other surfaces, smells good, and can be used in direct sunlight. But it doesn't leave anything behind.

Or you could try PB's Spray and Gloss. It does leave some type of protection.
 
pheerix said:
So far I've narrowed my choices down to a few but would like some input from people who've used these products personally:
3. UWW+ - Very popular but somehow to me the dilution ratio seems almost too low to be a safe waterless wash and effective cleaner?
Click to expand...

I personally use UWW+ very often. I've used it as a clay lube, waterless wash, quick detailer, and drying aid.

As a clay lube, it performs great and I've had no issues with multiple brands of clay and clay alternative.
As a waterless wash, it did much better than I expected and I frequently use it to waterless wash the day after a wash when I want to add a new layer of LSP.
As a quick detailer, I use it to pick up bird bomb's and dead bugs works even better if FK1000-P is your LSP.
As a drying aid, it leaves a slick finish and helps pick up anything you might have missed during the wash.

One waterless wash was after a week of daily driving and parking outside, but I was in a hurry to clean my car for a wedding with less than 35mins to wash my entire car. I broke out the UWW+ and sprayed down the whole car using a lot of the UWW+ mixture (water and UWW+). Then I sprayed/primed my WW drying towel and got to work rolling the towel around my hand as I wiped to always keep a fresh part of the towel against the paint. To my amazement I did not mar or scratch the paint doing a totally waterless wash. My wife thought it looked as good as a full 2 hour wash I typically do. As I'm not often pressed for time I very rarely do a waterless wash like this.

I frequently use the UWW+ to do a full wipe down the day after a wash to apply another layer of LSP and I find it works best for this task.

I recently started using this as a drying aid after diluting the product more (not sure of the ratio). It works well as a drying aid, almost as well as CG v7 and about on par with CG P40 quick detailer.

At first I was disappointed with UWW+ because I had mixed it a bit strong and I was getting a lot of streaking but after adding more demineralized water I found it performed much better! I totally can relate to your doubts about the dilution ratio as I felt the same way but trust me if anything the ratios are still too strong IMHO. My current mixture of UWW+ and demineralized water is definitely weaker than directed (not by much) and works just how I want it do (we have high humidity).

-Hope this helps
 
brownbob06 said:
I'm confused. What's wrong with the ONRWW gallon you already have? Does ONRWW not have a QD dilution like ONR does?

I can see it not being quite strong enough for wheels if you're only washing once a month or have brakes that dust like crazy, but it sounds like you already have what you're looking for.
Click to expand...

ONRWW is primarily a rinseless. There's actually no manufacturer recommended dilution ratio for QD. I think it's because they want to market Opti-Clean as their waterless. As such I'm just not sure how safe or well it'll work as a waterless. Right now I use the ONR recommended dilution ratio for QD just to remove whatever Opti-Clean residue is left. I guess I could be brave and just try ONRWW at QD strength as a waterless. I'll report back. Oh and my brakes are crazy dusty.
 
Skip the Pinnacle. I wrote a review on the AG side and they wouldn't print it because they thought I was using it wrong. They were very nice and called me and explained how to use it. I was already using it the correct way. I still use it, but I have to use a QD to remove the streaks. Try UWW+.
 
pheerix said:
ONRWW is primarily a rinseless. There's actually no manufacturer recommended dilution ratio for QD. I think it's because they want to market Opti-Clean as their waterless. As such I'm just not sure how safe or well it'll work as a waterless. Right now I use the ONR recommended dilution ratio for QD just to remove whatever Opti-Clean residue is left. I guess I could be brave and just try ONRWW at QD strength as a waterless. I'll report back. Oh and my brakes are crazy dusty.
Click to expand...
Right on. Sorry, I was just a little confused. I haven't used ONRWW, but I use ONR quite often. If there is no recommended dilution for ONRWW for QD perhaps there's a reason for that. Maybe someone else will chime in on whether they've used it as a QD before or not.

Also, with dusty brakes I understand now why you want something stronger. I love my ONR as a QD, but I don't think I would count on it to get bad brake dust off.
 
I played around with various dilution ratios with the Opticlean and what worked best for me between 4:1 and 5:1. As previously suggested, adding some IPA does help with glass. Having said that I strongly prefer using ONR as a rinseless wash, maybe I still have some difficulty making the leap to waterless.
 
Lowejackson said:
I played around with various dilution ratios with the Opticlean and what worked best for me between 4:1 and 5:1. As previously suggested, adding some IPA does help with glass. Having said that I strongly prefer using ONR as a rinseless wash, maybe I still have some difficulty making the leap to waterless.
Click to expand...

I keep hearing 1:4 - 1:5 ratio works better for people than the recommended 1:3. I'll definitely give it a shot. I still want something that smells better though and that leaves behind better protection. I do waterless probably what most will call a quick detail i.e. A few days of dust and road grime. Anything longer than a week or if it just looks too dirty I do a rinseless.
 
XxBoostinxX said:
I think the only problem you will have is finding something that doesn't require buffing but also leaves some protection.

Poorboy's Spray and Wipe meets some of your requirements. It doesn't require any buffing, works great on wheels and other surfaces, smells good, and can be used in direct sunlight. But it doesn't leave anything behind.

Or you could try PB's Spray and Gloss. It does leave some type of protection.
Click to expand...

+1 and is sun freindly
 
52split said:
Infinite use detail juice
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It's been quite a while ago but I have a friend that ended up with a bottle of this. He didn't seem to remember how he came across it and didn't think he'd use it as he's not yet sold on a waterless wash and offered it to me. This product is advertised with a host of claims as to what it can do, everything from a waterless wash, to a spray detailer, to a protectant. An almost miracle product.

I've only used it as a wash so I can't speak to it's other claims. That said, I tried this at a couple of different mix ratios. I watched a video that showed it's use. I also used it with the towel and bucket method as the seller of the product suggests and at the recommended ratio and also a wee bit more concentrated. Interestingly I've used that same method the seller uses since the time I first tried a waterless wash but they've laid claim to the washing method. Don't get me wrong, I don't think this is a bad product but I didn't think it did anything better than the product I used most often (PoorBoys) at that time. It didn't leave me with a reason to buy and I didn't.

I passed this on to another friend who typically ends up with my surplus supplies. I didn't bother to follow up and see what he thought of it. His experience may have been better than mine. He also didn't call me back and ask me where to get it. :)
 
Oh here we go with the "I invented the multiple mf wash method" claim....

Anyways, to each his own. I've used OPTIMUM ONR, BF WATERLESS/RINSELESS, and ULTIMA...all were ok but paled in comparison to IUDJ. The lubricity, gloss, and marr free performance outperformed the others on my MB black paint.
 
52split said:
Oh here we go with the "I invented the multiple mf wash method" claim....
Click to expand...
Not me, I make no claim, I thought everyone did it that way.

52split said:
Anyways, to each his own. I've used OPTIMUM ONR, BF WATERLESS/RINSELESS, and ULTIMA...all were ok but paled in comparison to IUDJ. The lubricity, gloss, and marr free performance outperformed the others on my MB black paint.
Click to expand...
There you have it, that's the reason so many products can remain on stage, front and center. YMMV
 
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