Optimum No Rise and Wax - Trying to avoid swirl marks

[Zidarich]

So I know this has been discussed to death, but let me explain my current situation.

Have my second black Model 3 - with the first one I used Wash-Wax All Waterless wash, and despite my best efforts, ended up with swirl marks all over the paint. Trying to avoid that on car #2, though I’m not at the point where I want to get the car ceramic coated. I want something quick and efficient.

Everyone on here raves about Optimum No Rinse, and debating between doing that with the two bucket method with grit guards vs the Chemical Guys Foam Power Wash kit: https://www.amazon.com/Chemical-Guy...ocphy=9003499&hvtargid=pla-567776711907&psc=1

Would the two bucket method with ONR be enough to avoid the swirl marks I was getting with the waterless Wash Wax-All, or is getting a foam kit a much safer way to avoid screwing the car up?

 

[joebruin77]

In my opinion, a traditional wash with a foam cannon or gun is probably the safest bet. However, it also depends on how dirty the car is. If the car has a lot of dirt and debris, the the foam wash is a must. But if the car is lightly to moderately dusty and dirty, then ONR rinseless wash is a safe alternative, plus it uses less water.

What a lot of people do not realize is that scratches and swirl marks are often introduced into the paint during the drying process. There are a couple ways to avoid this. First, some people like to use forced air to dry, so that they never actually touch the paint with a towel. The second option is to use very plush, soft, and clean microfiber towels along with a drying aid. I personally think the best drying aid on the market is Ammo NYC Hydrate. You actually dry your car with a damp towel and the Hydrate, so you never actually touch your paint with a dry towel. You can watch a video on how to use it correctly. Larry, the respected owner of Ammo NYC has some really great videos on youtube. If Hydrate is too expensive for your taste (runs about $25 a bottle), then I also have found that Meguiars Ultimate Quickwax (or the professional version Meguiar's D156 Synthetic Spray Wax) also works great as a drying aid.

BTW, users of ONR say that a two bucket method is not necessary because ONR encapsulates the dirt. That said, I personally still use a two bucket method. But if you are going to do a two bucket method, make sure you add the ONR solution to both buckets, not just the wash bucket. You want to rinse in an ONR solution as well.

 

[Rojer Lockless]

I always just pressure wash the car with water, then foam cannon it, then wipe it down, then wash it off, then squeegee it clean.

 

[Apprunner]

So I know this has been discussed to death, but let me explain my current situation.

Have my second black Model 3 - with the first one I used Wash-Wax All Waterless wash, and despite my best efforts, ended up with swirl marks all over the paint. Trying to avoid that on car #2, though I’m not at the point where I want to get the car ceramic coated. I want something quick and efficient.

Everyone on here raves about Optimum No Rinse, and debating between doing that with the two bucket method with grit guards vs the Chemical Guys Foam Power Wash kit: https://www.amazon.com/Chemical-Guy...ocphy=9003499&hvtargid=pla-567776711907&psc=1

Would the two bucket method with ONR be enough to avoid the swirl marks I was getting with the waterless Wash Wax-All, or is getting a foam kit a much safer way to avoid screwing the car up?

 

[Apprunner]

Have you tried the Gerry Dean Method. You only need one bucket but basically you put in 8-10 clean microfiber cloths in the bucket and use one clean cloth per panel. You never re-introduce the dirty cloth back in the bucket. This way, there is even less of a chance of swirls. Also, you can pre-rinse the car using a spray bottle with ONR to further de-risk introducing swirls. Its about as fast as a traditional wash.

 

[quikshifter]

optimum is great. I use the green one with wax and car looks amazing

 

[tfraley]

If you have access to water/pressure washer then use it.

I have my weekly wash down to 15min, Spray wheel cleaner, Foam, blower and fiber cloth a very little bit
Once a month I'll do everything else or if something needs it but basically that's been working for me.

 

[355rockit]

I have a black model 3 as well. I rinse it down (given just mainly dusty), blow most of water off with leaf blower and then dry it with a microfiber cloth that has Chemical Guys banana Wet Wax. After that I take off wet wax film with Meguire's instant detailer. So far no scratches. If the car does have dirt film after rinse, a wash mitt coated in Meguire's wash and wax works well. No bucket and rinse mitt well for dirt accumulation.

 

[mazers]

I have a red Model 3 and had never heard of ONR before buying this car. I guess I never cared as much for any other car. I have only used Optimum No Rinse with Wax (green one) on the car. I also use the one bucket method, so once a towel touches the car, it never does again. I usually spray the car off first and then use a cordless blower on it before washing. In the winter and a lot of other times, I use a Worx battery powered pressure washer (40 volt) to spray it down first so I don't have to drag out the hose. Not a scratch on the car in over a year.

 

[Zidarich]

In my opinion, a traditional wash with a foam cannon or gun is probably the safest bet. However, it also depends on how dirty the car is. If the car has a lot of dirt and debris, the the foam wash is a must. But if the car is lightly to moderately dusty and dirty, then ONR rinseless wash is a safe alternative, plus it uses less water.

What a lot of people do not realize is that scratches and swirl marks are often introduced into the paint during the drying process. There are a couple ways to avoid this. First, some people like to use forced air to dry, so that they never actually touch the paint with a towel. The second option is to use very plush, soft, and clean microfiber towels along with a drying aid. I personally think the best drying aid on the market is Ammo NYC Hydrate. You actually dry your car with a damp towel and the Hydrate, so you never actually touch your paint with a dry towel. You can watch a video on how to use it correctly. Larry, the respected owner of Ammo NYC has some really great videos on youtube. If Hydrate is too expensive for your taste (runs about $25 a bottle), then I also have found that Meguiars Ultimate Quickwax (or the professional version Meguiar's D156 Synthetic Spray Wax) also works great as a drying aid.

BTW, users of ONR say that a two bucket method is not necessary because ONR encapsulates the dirt. That said, I personally still use a two bucket method. But if you are going to do a two bucket method, make sure you add the ONR solution to both buckets, not just the wash bucket. You want to rinse in an ONR solution as well.

Thanks! I drive a lot during the week, and the car is usually dirty, so maybe the foam gun is the way to go.

Do I need to use two buckets still after the foam wash, or is one with a grit guard okay?

I’m assuming you still need to dry with microfiber towels. I tend to be less than gentle with everything that I do, so I should try and focus on not pressing too hard.

 

[WilliamG]

Just bear in mind that black is REALLY hard to not have swirls. Generally, if you live in a really bright environment with good sun, it will look worse. Thankfully I live in Seattle where the light is quite flat a great deal of the time, and overcast a good amount of the year. Black looks great in this environment in that the swirls don't show up very much.

That said, there are days, or specific garage/street lights that make me cringe at how swirled the paint is. It was swirled to all heck from the factory - as all Model 3s are, so my advice is to you to be gentle (I use Aero Wash Wax with no trouble, by the way), and don't look too closely at the paint.

 

[MountainJedi]

Thanks! I drive a lot during the week, and the car is usually dirty, so maybe the foam gun is the way to go.

Do I need to use two buckets still after the foam wash, or is one with a grit guard okay?

I’m assuming you still need to dry with microfiber towels. I tend to be less than gentle with everything that I do, so I should try and focus on not pressing too hard.

Another option is to use a quick/instant detailer as a drying aid. You can make one with ONR (or buy one as mentioned above) and then you just spray that on the panel prior to drying. Helps to keep any left over particles from scratching.

I know some people have recommended things like Chemical Guys here, but in my experience, if you want to avoid swirls and scratches on black paint, you need to spend more money on quality products. I would order some high quality drying towels rather than buy a bulk pack of Chemical Guys. As @joebruin77 mentioned above, quality products are going to run in the $25/bottle range and quality microfiber is going to be more than $10 per towel (depending on the size). I've got a bunch of Guzzler waffle weaves for drying and Gold Plush and Super Plush for buffing from Autogeek.

It's expensive to try to keep swirls out of a black car, but you can save some money if you're OK with having some swirls you won't see except for in direct sun light on a recently cleaned car.

 

[djroberts]

I had mine ceramic coated and they told me to use one of those pump garden sprayers to spray on the soap they sold me. Then I I'm supposed to wipe it off with a damp microfiber rag and lastly a dry microfiber rag.

They said never to use hose water because the minerals in it will stain. They seemed a bit strict to me but the last part does make sense.

 

[joebruin77]

Here is a great video from Larry at Ammo NYC where he talks about how he developed his Hydrate drying aid. You can skip the first 2:50. I have used Hydrate and can attest to its effectiveness. It is the best way to dry your car without inducing scratches:

 

[Zidarich]

Thanks for all the help everyone.

Seems to me like maybe a good middle ground (and not having to dish out for a foam cannon) is ONR with Wax is using the two bucket method with a mitt. My car gets dirty, and I don’t get to washing it every week, but it seems like a good compromise.

 

[Apprunner]

Thanks for all the help everyone.

Seems to me like maybe a good middle ground (and not having to dish out for a foam cannon) is ONR with Wax is using the two bucket method with a mitt. My car gets dirty, and I don’t get to washing it every week, but it seems like a good compromise.

I find this to be the best method doing a rinseless wash. Prevents swirls.

 

[Bill Foster]

Ex wife had a black mustang that I corrected then used ONR one bucket method on for 3+ years, once a week before she sold it.

Scratch free when I sold it too.

 

[Dana1]

So I know this has been discussed to death, but let me explain my current situation.

Have my second black Model 3 - with the first one I used Wash-Wax All Waterless wash, and despite my best efforts, ended up with swirl marks all over the paint. Trying to avoid that on car #2, though I’m not at the point where I want to get the car ceramic coated. I want something quick and efficient.

Everyone on here raves about Optimum No Rinse, and debating between doing that with the two bucket method with grit guards vs the Chemical Guys Foam Power Wash kit: https://www.amazon.com/Chemical-Guy...ocphy=9003499&hvtargid=pla-567776711907&psc=1

Would the two bucket method with ONR be enough to avoid the swirl marks I was getting with the waterless Wash Wax-All, or is getting a foam kit a much safer way to avoid screwing the car up?

CR spotless isn’t cheap but it’s very very good. Used on Bentleys.

 

[joebruin77]

I realize the main question of your original post is about how to wash your car without inducing swirl marks. But keep in mind that if you put on good quality paint protection, this will help as well. You don't have to do ceramic coatings or PPF to protect your paint. A good quality sealant, such as Opti Seal or Powerlock, will help protect against swirls. Certainly better than bare paint. In fact, Gerry Dean, mentioned by Apprunner above, favors sealants above ceramic coatings.

 

[Glamisduner]

My favorite is a pressure washer and foam cannon. I put a capfull of ONR in with the soap. Then I dry and spray beadmaker and wipe it off. Makes dirt just wash off easily the next time. Ceramic coating helps too.