No rinse wash versus hose and bucket

[FURY]

After using Zaino products for a few decades (since Sal started the company), I switched to ONR-about 4 years ago on my pearl S. I have always used copious ONR spray-top down, to be certain that the dirt has had time to emulsify ( double spray no matter whether I see the dirt flowign off or not) and then sopt spray the areas that tend to pick up the most dirt. When I then used th microfiber ONR solution impregnated towels, the surface of the vehicle is extremely slippery and I haven't seen any swirl/scratch marks, etc.. I do double launder towels andif a towel hits the ground it is relegated to wheel usage, which I also treat with ONR, BTW.

Thank you very much

FURY

 

[lotusland]

"Old school" is really not a good option here in San Diego. Our storm drains go directly into the ocean so any soap does as well. Exotic cleansers would be even worse presumably. Now plenty of people still wash their cars in their driveways here, even I do once in a while, but generally I try and avoid letting anything go down the drain.

 

[D.E.]

I'm not convinced that these new wash methods will not do harm and I doubt that they are any faster than the old way, however I have found a rinse aid to enhance the normal hose and bucket wash. You will need a second bucket of warm water and to it add about a cup of Astro J wax which is the same product sprayed on your car at an automated car wash. The soap residue disappears due to a wetting agent and a wax coating becomes obvious on all surfaces. I purchased 5 gallons of Astro J Wax from the supplier of car wash products.

I like that the wax runs into the hidden seams of the body to provide winter protection and it enhances my semi annual Zaino Brothers polish application.

I'm old school and not likely to change.

Hi Don,

I’m old school as well, auto magazine articles, two buckets, wash from the top down, rinse the whole car every time you rinse a body panel, wheels last, wax, do it all in the shade...

The new stuff is good. It does lift and emulsify the dirt so it is just a matter of wiping it off. It leaves a very nice shine. If we were scratching our cars doing this, someone would have noticed by now.

I don’t know if it is quicker. It is different. It is worth trying.

 

[A-Wimoweh]

@FURY - do you still use the Zanio sealants, like Z2 or Z5? Or is there a ONR product for this?

 

[nweck]

I use the ONR also and have found that I can get a wonderful result using distilled water. Our water here in Arizona is very hard and leaves lots of scale behind otherwise.
I can wash the entre car with only one gallon of distilled water and it just shines!!!

 

[FURY]

@FURY - do you still use the Zanio sealants, like Z2 or Z5? Or is there a ONR product for this?

Hi A-Aimoweh!

No...I had the S Modesto'd and the ICE, SUV I either use ONR or drive through with wax optionsepending on time available, for the most part. Drove the SUV across U.S> recently and the SU looks great. BTW, the ONR is not the wax containing variant. Zaino just was not time/reward worthy for me and i was a real Zaino proponent-still fine, I guess, but very happy with my choices at this point.


Side note: Gotta be sure to triple check over time with the servic personnel at TESLA to be certain they do not wash the car when in for service-they really like to do that-)


Thank you very much

FURY

 

[ArbitrageMan]

One other note, I dry the car using my leaf blower.

 

[A-Wimoweh]

One other note, I dry the car using my leaf blower.

Nothing wrong with that, especially if it's an electric leaf blower.

 

[FURY]

Nothing wrong with that, especially if it's an electric leaf blower.

LUUUVING the Stihl BGA 56, BTW

Thank you very much

FURY

 

[lotusland]

FURY -- hello fellow RU!

OK I'm checking back in here after doing my first wash using the waterless system on a really dirty car. I took it to the mountains and snow, and while it did not get as dirty as I had hoped, it was still fairly dirty. No problem using the waterless wash afterwards! I did add one extra pass, kind of a pre-wash pass with the spray bottle and an extra towel, but other than that followed the normal process. It looks great now, of course it is raining so it won't last. I can get a full wash out of one spray bottle so that is roughly eight washes for one gallon of water, not counting the water for washing the towels.

 

[A-Wimoweh]

Pics or it didn't happen...

 

[Russell]

How long does it take to wash your car with ONR or similar chemical, 1 or 2hrs?

All I use is a soft brush like this https://smile.amazon.com/Carrand-93062-Deluxe-Brush-Extension/dp/B00HFL4CK6 and water from a garden hose.

I spray the car with water to soften the dirt. I then drag the brush over the car to break the dirt loose while gently spraying water on it to rinse it away. Since the brush is on a long handle, I can do the roof without needing a step ladder. I can do the whole car in about 30mins.

When I'm done, there's no towels to wash or buckets to clean. Just rinse the brush and put it away.

 

[A-Wimoweh]

Doesn't take long, really. Just as quick as using a hose. It would be alot quicker if I did not have to wait to fill up the two buckets in my garage sink. Sometimes I'll also use this method to wash other areas, like under the hood, door sills and edges, and around the edges of the trunk. SInce you don't have to rinse, you don't have to worry about a bunch of water getting into your interior.

 

[FURY]

FURY -- hello fellow RU!

OK I'm checking back in here after doing my first wash using the waterless system on a really dirty car. I took it to the mountains and snow, and while it did not get as dirty as I had hoped, it was still fairly dirty. No problem using the waterless wash afterwards! I did add one extra pass, kind of a pre-wash pass with the spray bottle and an extra towel, but other than that followed the normal process. It looks great now, of course it is raining so it won't last. I can get a full wash out of one spray bottle so that is roughly eight washes for one gallon of water, not counting the water for washing the towels.

Hi Lotusland!

The pics of my modelS, after Modesto and ONR, with my Monstro and Kowas were just amazing-the flares just staggering.

Thank you very much

FURY

 

[Big Earl]

How long does it take to wash your car with ONR or similar chemical, 1 or 2hrs?

All I use is a soft brush like this https://smile.amazon.com/Carrand-93062-Deluxe-Brush-Extension/dp/B00HFL4CK6 and water from a garden hose.

I spray the car with water to soften the dirt. I then drag the brush over the car to break the dirt loose while gently spraying water on it to rinse it away. Since the brush is on a long handle, I can do the roof without needing a step ladder. I can do the whole car in about 30mins.

When I'm done, there's no towels to wash or buckets to clean. Just rinse the brush and put it away.

It takes us about 30 minutes with two people working on it - one person washing each panel and the other following along with the drying towels.

Please post a close-up of your paint with a reflection of the sun or other light source. I'm curious about swirl marks since you don't use any soap as a lubricant.

 

[A-Wimoweh]

Please post a close-up of your paint with a reflection of the sun or other light source. I'm curious about swirl marks since you don't use any soap as a lubricant.

That's mean. Once you see the swirls you have caused, they can't be unseen.

 

[SMAlset]

We have only used Waterless washes since owning our Teslas. If your car is really dirty with weeeeks of dirt or caked on mud, take it first to one of those self-spray car wash stations to remove the really caked on stuff. You don't want to rub any of that in. The waterless spray does a good job loosening dirt and dust on the car but it's not meant for heavily soiled vehicles. We have Xpel, and now on my car also ceramic coating, on our cars and it doesn't take much to get the heavy stuff off. Just be mindful to follow Tesla's recommendation on using a spray particularly around your sensors. If you use the waterless method it also adds a coating that helps slough off dirt in the future and makes the car look so nice and shiny. Makes you regret when you haven't washed it in a while since clean the car looks fabulous and new.

BTW if you are going the DIY route, we use the products from Eco-Green Autoclean. Believe they sell the products out of southern California. We have an Eco-Green Autoclean car wash location here in Redwood City we frequent when in that area. Picked up some supplies from them in person for touch up use at home -- like from those pesky birds and bees. Our detailer who did our PPF also uses their products. We are fortunate to have another Waterless car wash outfit in the San Jose area (Future Wash) that we also go to. Believe they use another waterless product but not sure which. Both sources of products however do a great job.

Since people have asked how you do it, here's a link to the Eco-Green Autoclean website on How To (with video): How to | Eco Green Auto Clean, Inc. . As you will see, you fold the microfiber cloth into quarters as someone mentioned and then turn inside out and fold in quarters to use that side of the cloth for 8 clean cloth passes with it. Make sure you start off with a dampened cloth. Same if you use a product like The Absorber -- "today's" chamois cloth -- to dry off your car ( The Absorber, Superior to Microfiber Car Cleaning Towels ).

 

[Russell]

It takes us about 30 minutes with two people working on it - one person washing each panel and the other following along with the drying towels.

Please post a close-up of your paint with a reflection of the sun or other light source. I'm curious about swirl marks since you don't use any soap as a lubricant.

Two people 30 minutes is 1 hour.

Here are some pictures. Just to let you know, I go this car last June from Tesla and it was not in the best condition. There are some deep scratches in the clear coat like the one in the 2nd picture. And I polished and waxed the car 2 months ago.

 

[Big Earl]

The paint looks pretty good. What wax are you using?

 

[SoCal Buzz]

@Jason, I used ONR for my first car and recently switched to CarPro ECH20 Waterless Wash & Detail Spray for new 100D. It performs better in my opinion and even smells good. I also have Feynlab Ceramic coating, and the ECH20 polymer qualities reinforce the coating, according to my detail guy. Regarding the technique, I have a wash bucket and rinse bucket, both with ECH20 solution and separate microfiber towels for each. If the car has caked on stuff, I find it easier and safer to rinse off with hose first.