Optimum No Rise and Wax - Trying to avoid swirl marks

[TypeRx]

Has anyone used the Optimum Car Wax? I just used it an learned it can also be used as a drying additive. Also good for glass as opposed to older style wax. Obviously not ceramic-infused or anything but from what I can tell it leaves a very glossy, slick, hydrophobic shine. For less than the Opti or Hyper-Seal.

Yes, it is a great product. I have been using Optimum Car Wax for several years as a drying aid on my coated cars. It is a hybrid spray wax that has no carnauba in it. Being a synthetic wax, it has much better life span than than a traditional spray wax but if you are using it as a drying aid, durability really only matters for the time period between wash to wash. If you were to use it as the only protective product (no ceramic coat, etc.) on well prepared paint, it would last ~4-6 weeks without difficulty...perhaps a bit longer. It does leave a glossy and slick finish -- looks great.

OCW is easy to apply, economical (buy a gallon on sale for like $38-40), has a pleasant smell, and can be used safely on all exterior surfaces.

 

[joebruin77]

It is a hybrid spray wax that has no carnauba in it

Sounds like you really like Optimum Car Wax. I plan to give it a try and compare my experience with it to Meguiars D156 and Xtreme Solutions Sonic Wax.

BTW, I actually think it contains both synthetic waxes/polymers and carnauba wax. So you get the best of both worlds. From the Autogeek website:

"The formula combines high-grade carnauba wax and sealant polymers to give you outstanding shine and protection. The carnauba produces a warm, high-impact gloss that is the standard in the auto care industry while the polymers bond the shine to the paint to create the long-lasting durability typical of a synthetic wax."

 

[TypeRx]

^^^Yeah, you are right.

 

[The_Observer]

Wow, reading this thread is kinda making me regret to get the regular ONR. Welp, I guess will have to wait to finish my gallon of it first before getting ONRWW.

 

[TypeRx]

Wow, reading this thread is kinda making me regret to get the regular ONR. Welp, I guess will have to wait to finish my gallon of it first before getting ONRWW.

No, don't feel that way! I have gallons of both ONR and ONRWW and almost always use ONR by itself. The combo product certainly has more diluted "wax" than using ONR followed by OCW as the drying aid. So, I believe the better approach is to use separate products rather than a combo approach unless slightly increased convenience is a major driver.

ONR is a more versatile product as well -- I wouldn't use diluted ONRWW as a mild interior all purpose cleaner, as an example. ONR is better for that.

 

[The_Observer]

No, don't feel that way! I have gallons of both ONR and ONRWW and almost always use ONR by itself. The combo product certainly has more diluted "wax" than using ONR followed by OCW as the drying aid. So, I believe the better approach is to use separate products rather than a combo approach unless slightly increased convenience is a major driver.

ONR is a more versatile product as well -- I wouldn't use diluted ONRWW as a mild interior all purpose cleaner, as an example. ONR is better for that.

How often do you use OCW? Might be something I will pick up as well.

 

[joebruin77]

How often do you use OCW? Might be something I will pick up as well.

I totally agree with TypeRx that using ONR followed by a separate wax such as Optimum Wax is preferable to using just ONRWW alone. ONRWW is great if you need to do a rinseless wash as quickly as possible and you don't have time for a two-step process.

I have not personally used Optimum Wax yet, but I plan to try it. As for how often you should apply it, Optimum claims it can give up to 5 months of protection, but many users online say it is more in the range of 1-2 months. That said, reapplying it is so easy that you would not have to go that long between applications. My guess is that if you used it as a drying aid at least once every 2-4 weeks, you should be good.

 

[The_Observer]

I totally agree with TypeRx that using ONR followed by a separate wax such as Optimum Wax is preferable to using just ONRWW alone. ONRWW is great if you need to do a rinseless wash as quickly as possible and you don't have time for a two-step process.

I have not personally used Optimum Wax yet, but I plan to try it. As for how often you should apply it, Optimum claims it can give up to 5 months of protection, but many users online say it is more in the range of 1-2 months. That said, reapplying it is so easy that you would not have to go that long between applications. My guess is that if you used it as a drying aid at least once every 2-4 weeks, you should be good.

I think I might go with just ONR + OCW for the time being. Would it matter if my car is ceramic coated using optimum car wax?

 

[joebruin77]

I think I might go with just ONR + OCW for the time being. Would it matter if my car is ceramic coated using optimum car wax?

Actually, that does make a big difference. Although I have a full-car PPF, I do not have a ceramic coating so I am not speaking from personal experience. That said, my understanding is that waxes are a waste on a ceramic coated car because the waxes will not adhere at all to the coating. Ceramic coatings repell waxes just like any other chemical and the wax will simply wash off the coating during a wash.

With ceramic coatings, you want to use ceramic-infused washes or sprays to give the ceramic coating a boost. So if I did have a coating, I would use a ceramic-infused rinseless wash. I am not aware of a ceramic-infused rinseless made by Optimum. Two examples of ceramic-infused rinseless washes would Mckees 37 SiO2 Rinseless Wash or Wolfgang SiO2 Uber Rinseless Wash.

To answer your original question about ONR or ONRWW, for a ceramic coated car, I would not use ONRWW or Optimium Spray. You could use ONR to wash the car but you would want to use a ceramic-infused spray sealant as a drying aid. I believe Adams makes a ceramic boost spray, a ceramic spray sealant, and a ceramic-infused waterless wash. If you already have a ceramic coating on your car, the ceramic boost spray would be good to use after an ONR wash.

Finally, if you want to stay in the Optimum family, Optimum's professional line Opticoat makes an excellent ceramic-infused spray sealant called HyperSeal that makes an excellent drying aid.

Hope that helps,
joebruin77

 

[The_Observer]

Actually, that does make a big difference. Although I have a full-car PPF, I do not have a ceramic coating so I am not speaking from personal experience. That said, my understanding is that waxes are a waste on a ceramic coated car because the waxes will not adhere at all to the coating. Ceramic coatings repell waxes just like any other chemical and the wax will simply wash off the coating during a wash.

With ceramic coatings, you want to use ceramic-infused washes or sprays to give the ceramic coating a boost. So if I did have a coating, I would use a ceramic-infused rinseless wash. I am not aware of a ceramic-infused rinseless made by Optimum. Two examples of ceramic-infused rinseless washes would Mckees 37 SiO2 Rinseless Wash or Wolfgang SiO2 Uber Rinseless Wash.

To answer your original question about ONR or ONRWW, for a ceramic coated car, I would not use ONRWW or Optimium Spray. You could use ONR to wash the car but you would want to use a ceramic-infused spray sealant as a drying aid. I believe Adams makes a ceramic boost spray, a ceramic spray sealant, and a ceramic-infused waterless wash. If you already have a ceramic coating on your car, the ceramic boost spray would be good to use after an ONR wash.

Finally, if you want to stay in the Optimum family, Optimum's professional line Opticoat makes an excellent ceramic-infused spray sealant called HyperSeal that makes an excellent drying aid.

Hope that helps,
joebruin77

My situation of partial PFF + ceramic coat rest of the car definitely makes this a bit more complicated. My PFF portions aren't ceramic coated, can I still use a ceramic boost spray on them?

 

[Mutant]

I think I might go with just ONR + OCW for the time being. Would it matter if my car is ceramic coated using optimum car wax?

Actually, that does make a big difference. Although I have a full-car PPF, I do not have a ceramic coating so I am not speaking from personal experience. That said, my understanding is that waxes are a waste on a ceramic coated car because the waxes will not adhere at all to the coating. Ceramic coatings repell waxes just like any other chemical and the wax will simply wash off the coating during a wash.

Depends on what you want the drying aid to achieve. If it is to apply a layer of protection that lasts on the ceramic coating then as stated most ceramic coatings will shed the wax in less than a week. If is better to use a ceramic spray sealant that is compatible with the ceramic coating. Ideally stick with same vendor (ie use CarPro Reload with CarPro coatings) but not 100% required.

If the purpose of the drying aid is to provide lubrication to minimize chance of marring with drying towel then Optimum Car War is a very good option. When claying a vehicle with Optimum ceramic coating, recommended lubricant is Optimum Car Wax.

 

[joebruin77]

My situation of partial PFF + ceramic coat rest of the car definitely makes this a bit more complicated. My PFF portions aren't ceramic coated, can I still use a ceramic boost spray on them?

Are you sure you do not have a ceramic coating on the PPF as well? Usually for cars with partial PPF and a ceramic coating, the coating goes on the entire car, including on top of the PPF.

Either way, yes, you can apply a ceramic-infused spray to PPF. You may just want to double check with the manufacturer that the particular product is safe for PPF.

Some other ceramic-inufsed sprays you can check out are Technicians Choice Ceramic Detail Spray, Amp (by the makers of The Last Coat), or Topper (a new ceramic-infused topper by Xtreme Solutions). I have used both TC CDS and Amp. Both are great products. TC CDS provides some good protection. Amp is more geared to give maximum gloss and slickness, not as much focused on longer lasting protection. But you probably don't need that level of protection since you have the coating.

 

[joebruin77]

I wanted to correct an earlier post I made. It is true that in general, if you are going to be applying a paint sealant, it is better to use ONR to wash, clean, or, if needed, clay the car (as opposed to ONRWW). The reason is that the wax in ONRWW could interfere with the sealant's bonding to the paint. But if you are planning on specifically using Optimum Wax, then apparently you can use either ONR or ONRWW. I was curious about this question, so I contacted Optimum customer support and here was their reply:

"All Optimum products are formulated to work together, so whether you select No Rinse or No Rinse with Wax, they both can be layered with Spray Wax. ONR leaves protection and gloss behind (durable for 1 - 2 weeks), ONRWW has carnauba that adds hydrophobics along with added gloss, with slightly greater durability. Both can be topped with Wax and there are no negatives associated with either product."

The amount of protection and gloss left behind by ONR is pretty minimal. But if you truly want your paint to be as clean and bare as possible before applying a sealant (i.e. nothing on the paint at all), I would suggest using Mckees37 N-914 instead. It cleans the paint really well and leaves absolutely nothing behind (no polymers, no gloss enhancers, etc).

 

[Mutant]

"All Optimum products are formulated to work together, so whether you select No Rinse or No Rinse with Wax, they both can be layered with Spray Wax. ONR leaves protection and gloss behind (durable for 1 - 2 weeks), ONRWW has carnauba that adds hydrophobics along with added gloss, with slightly greater durability. Both can be topped with Wax and there are no negatives associated with either product."

The amount of protection and gloss left behind by ONR is pretty minimal. But if you truly want your paint to be as clean and bare as possible before applying a sealant (i.e. nothing on the paint at all), I would suggest using Mckees37 N-914 instead. It cleans the paint really well and leaves absolutely nothing behind (no polymers, no gloss enhancers, etc).

If using Optimum's polymer based sealant Opti-Seal, the same compatibility with OCW or ONRWW is also assured (sealant can penetrate wax to bond with paint). Not sure if the same compatibility applies to their SiO2 based sealant Hyper Seal however.

 

[TypeRx]

You can use Optimum Car Wax on top of a coated car no problem. I do and have for years. Sure, the wax won't last all that long but if you are using it as a drying aid after every wash...does durability matter at all? IMO, it doesn't matter much. You are using it to reduce surface tension as you dry (to reduce micromarring) and also to add a little gloss, UV, and hydrophobic behavior.

 

[RyFreddy]

So it’s safe to use ONRWW and follow with opti-seal on PPF?

 

[joebruin77]

So it’s safe to use ONRWW and follow with opti-seal on PPF?

Yep, both products are safe for PPF.