A few weeks ago I was on Amazon's site and I came across a car wash product called Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine. It claimed to be a car wash solution that required very little water with no pre hosing and no rinsing. It is therefore touted as environmentally friendly and useful in places with water restrictions. Thirty six people had rated it and 34 of them gave it 5 stars.

I was intrigued, thinking if I can wash the car without making a soapy mess, or perhaps wash the car while it was in the garage that would be a good thing.

I followed the directions which say something like - mix 2 ounces with 2 gallons of water in a bucket, spread on with a washing mit a section at a time and then dry. I thought it worked well, but here is where it gets even more interesting. The 3rd time I used it, instead of dumping what was left over, I just left the bucket in the garage near the Jag. Now any time I come back from a drive I can take two minutes, slip on the wash mit and wash the front bumper area or behind the wheels or whatever needs a touch up.

So here is the question. This seems too easy. What am I missing? Will this stuff ruin the finish, take the paint off, melt the aluminum. Perhaps some of you more knowledgeable car washers can chime in. Thanks

 

I use stuff called "detailer's pro", which is pretty much the same thing. I think the trick is to get as much dirt off the car as possible before washing. I take my car outside and hit it with the hose first to get the loose stuff, paying special attention to behind the wheel areas. This way the car is also soaking wet when I pull into the garage, which can only help. Then I do a lap around the car washing everything above bottom-of-door height. Lap 2 I do the side skirts and bumpers. I also use 2 buckets, one for the wash solution and a clean water one for rinsing the mitt. My car has some swirls in it in direct sun, but a) its ebony so no hiding them if they're there, and b) The paint was in terrible shape under the coat of wax the dealer put on, and I did the polish job myself. Its entirely possible that I didn't get ALL the swirls out in the first place.

Opinions on car-care forums seem to be pretty split on this type of wash method, but it seems as long as you're careful it shouldn't be too bad. For me, where I live its too cold in the winter, and too hot in the summer for car washing. Plus I have no shade so in summer its either wait for the sun to go down, or wash like a maniac to try and avoid water spots. Being in the garage is a whole lot nicer.

 

ONR is the best! I've been using it for a couple years now. You'll never go back to the old school methods of washing.

IMO, one of the most important things to remember is you need an extra wash bucket filled with clean water to rinse you wash medium out with, and then wring it out onto the ground (or a waste bucket). Otherwise, your ONR solution bucket will become very dirty, and you will end up with a film all over the windows and paint (which will require another washing to remove). I just figured this out this weekend.

http://www.autopia.org/forum/car-det...idue-help.html

 

By the way, even though ONR is pretty good at encapsulating the dirt and stopping it from marring the paint, it is not magic. If you have a piece of gravel in the mitt, you will still marr the paint. For this reason, I wouldn't just leave a bucket around pre-mixed with a dirty wash mitt in there. You always want to be using a clean wash medium.

Also, if you leave ONR/water solution around for a week or so, it turns clear. I'm guessing this means that its "polymerizing" properties are diminished.

 

I also like ONR. My XKR is currently filthy and I'm about to give it the ONR treatment- finding time lately has been a big problem.

So I generally spread the wash over 3 days as time permits.

Day 1 : spray a detailer concentration of ONR over the paint , leave a while to soak and hose off. This allows the ONR to "capture" surface dirt before hosing off and reduces any friction/scratching with the hosing.

Day 2: wash with ONR and put on car cover. The ONR is very good stuff at grabbing the dirt and it feels like there's a good layer between the mitt and the paint to prevent most scratching. Rubbing very lightly is key to best results. At the very least it's heaps better than most non-pros will do with a standard wash - and also much better than a non-contact "laser wash" that uses recycled soapy,salty and gritty water

Day 3: remove cover , hose off and wax with Optimum Spray Wax.