Best Waterless wash
 

I have a couple of cars, one, black which looks dirty within seconds and the other one, I'm about to sale and make it more respectable.

Given the current water issues, what Waterless Wash do you recommend (and more importantly don't you recommend.

Also, any you can buy locally.

On Can Tire, they have

Sans-Zo Waterless Car Wash
Goclean Waterless Wash (not in stock in local store)

No idea if Lordco etc have anything


Many thanks!

I use Ultima WW+
Don't buy those single bottles at the store. Get a concentrate like ultima. You get 10x more then that single bottle and the price is almost the same.

i use optimum no rinse

it will need some correction over time, but ONR is nice and slick.

If you have a black car and are planning on using a waterless wash, plan on having it corrected ever 6 months or so.
No matter what wash you choose you will damage the paint. There is not a wash on the market that provides enough lubrication while lifting the hard dirt off the paint.

If it looks like this now http://s3-media4.fl.yelpcdn.com/bpho...sdM0gfkw/o.jpg

It will look like this a short time after using waterless washes.
http://graniteautogrooming.com/wp-co...swirls_big.jpg

Thanks, very helpful. What do you guys mean with 'corrected', a full wax or clay bar or something else.

My black 500 is a nightmare for swirls so will be clay baring it shortly as its 11months old. This isn't so critical, but my other car a tired old Nissan Murano is going to be used as trade-in, so a few hrs giving that a good clean might net me a few hundred more dollars.

Off to look for those products.

Many thanks!

Correction is referring to using different compounds to effectively remove the damaged layer of clear coat and expose a smooth glossy surface.
Clay bars only remove surface containments, and if not done correctly, will mar the paint and cause more damage than good.
A good wax will help to hid much of this, but it is only hiding the problem and only for a short time. The fillers in the wax will only last a few months before it all comes back.

what about products like this?


the product has been around in europe for years, but not sold here so just using it as an example. the reviews online tend to be positive, but are mostly only from motorcyclists not car owners...

There are loads of products out there that will work, the problem is you need to use a LOT of the product to prevent damage to the paint.
They are really also only designed for very lightly dirtied vehicles. Cars that are not used on the daily and that just get a very light layer of dust and things. Its good stuff id you wash up for a car show and just to give it a once over when you get there sort of thing.

I have yet to see a waterless wash that did a good job as cleaning and preventing damage t the paintwork. The only time I see them perform well is when you use a huge amount of the product to really saturate the area, even then you still end up getting light damage to the paintwork.
I tried a few years back and used a digital microscope to look at the paint before and after, and there was not a single one that did not leave light scratches in the paintwork after use.

I always recommend that if there is an issue with water or you don't have access to a hose and bucket, to pick up a wash bucket and do a two bucket was at the local car wash place. Just load the bucket in the trunk with soap, fill up with water when you get there and give it a good wash. Some wash places don't like when you do this, but if you come prepared it does not take much more time if any to wash this way.

if done correctly, barely any correction.. my car was last detailed october 2013.. i used to wash it every wknd using the garry dean method with ONR.. there's only light swirls on it today.

what color is your car trollguy?

Subaru lightning red, no metallic in it..

and by light swirling.. i mean they do exist but the paint still looks deep and slick.

that of course could be a function of ONR and the optimum spray wax though! :o

i'm black as black can be... no hope for me here :(

and they just announced stage 3 water restrictions starting tomorrow, so no water washing of anything, period. i haven't washed my car in two months. i guess i better do it now while i still can, evil nosey neighbors be damned.

OH MAN.. haha yeah. say no to black man.. i'd die if i owned a black car. esp a black Subaru car. Subaru paint is horrible..

i just read that too. however, i'd like to believe we can still do rinseless washing which only consumes 2 gallons of water :D

but yeah, better get on that today!

my dad's forester is camilla red pearl, which is sort of a darker red than yours i think. i've used ONR on it in the past and swirls don't really show up unless under really bright sunlight in the day. otherwise, it's good for daily, but not show quality.

Just washed my car as soon as I heard Stage 3 Restrictions are starting tomorrow.

Better get out there and wash your ride!

Also, I came to this thread to see about waterless wash products...hmm I wonder how fast they will sell out at Canadian Tire...

^started today T_T

I'm ordering Sonax Brilliant Shine in the next couple of weeks. Will reports on its effectiveness considering that it's quite well loved online. My car is white, so it's moot about how the paint is, but I know it needs serious corrections.

I hope you're not using it for waterless wash. At best, Sonax BSD can only handle light dust wipe downs since it is a hybrid quick detailer/spray sealant.

To the above post regarding swirls, I've used optimum on rain driven dirtied car and never had gotten that many swirls come spring when it is time for the yearly correction. If it was that bad I don't think anyone in detailing forums would be using it. That being said if your car is filthy I would rather take it to a wash bay to do a proper cleaning. If you must use waterless wash due to sewer bylaws or water restrictions, I recommend the ones that require a bucket (ONR). I use to use ONR per their dilutions in a bucket, as well putting it in a spray bottle to wet any surface with the solution before wiping.

If you look at the people using it on the detail forums (I'm on all of them), it is used because they are detailing the car and do not want to use water. So any damage created is then fixed by the paint correction afterwards.

Prolonged use of any kind of waterless wash will damage the paint, its a fact. The amount of damage will depend on the dirt that you are subjecting the car to and the frequency of product use.
The easiest way to confirm this is take a corrected surface, use some waterless wash and then put it under a microscope (USB style is great for this) and you will see new scratches, EVERY time.
This is also why the top names in detailing do not use this method on there vehicles. Its counter productive to a detailer unless you cant or dont want to used water (some vehicles you just dont want to use water on).

My car isn't filthy because I washed it weekly at work before the water restriction, so BSD is likely going to be my way of sealing off what I have. Sonax themselves did say it wasn't explicitly a waterless, but it's effective enough as one in a pinch.

I don't think every detailer in forums do paint correction after every waterless wash, that is ridiculous. There are people with bylaw restrictions regarding getting anything into the sewers that can't wash their cars the normal way that have to use this method. And knowing how pro green vancouver is it will probably happen to us in the future given our storm sewers are not treated before hitting the streams.

I'm not saying waterless wash won't damage paint, but the two picture comparisons you put up are extreme. I'm as obessive over my paint as the next detailer and prefer the absolute bead and sheeting off from my LSP and waterless washes tend to mute it with whatever polymers they impart. It's something I have to live with on my daily driver though. It does a good job and I've done it a few times during the fall/winter and come Spring to have to do my usual one step correction with little effort then I think its fine.

As for top detailers, they work on nice high end garage queen cars, they have no need to offer waterless wash services. What I'm trying to get at, for a daily driver there is a limit to what some of us can do, and waterless wash if done correctly isn't a bad alternative. It is better than how most people wash their cars regularly and their sins, leaving mitts on ground, same wash media for wheels and paint...etc

@CorneringArtist

Sonax BSD is great, spray some water after you apply it and watch the insane beading effect. If you end up liking it I really recommend pairing it with their other product, Polymer Net Shield, as a base layer.