No Rinses: Light Duty Only?

[weeble]

Hello,

I've started using ONR and I have some DP no rinse on the way, too. I just love the No Rinse thing so far, doubly so in water scarce Denver.

I'm wondering, though, if No Rinse products are appropriate for very, very, very dirty cars. Think 100 miles in heavy winter traffic in the mountains. As a former Minnesotan I felt I knew a thing or two about dirty winter cars caked in salt and what have you, but this mountain traffic crud is a whole 'nother level.

So the question is: is there a point on the clean/dirty continuum where a No Rinse shouldn't be used? If so, where do you draw the line?

[Bert31]

I feel safe using ONR on my car up to the point mud is caked a car. If dirt is caked on your car then you need to rinse off the car first.

[dublifecrisis]

For light duty, use the standard method and for heavier soiled cars, look into what some do-which is a pre-soak method using a pesticide like pump sprayer filled with ONR.

[CharlesW]

I've never really pushed the limits of rinseless washing.
When the vehicles have caked mud and salt residue from winter driving, I hit the DIY spray wash first.
It may not be truly necessary, but I definitely feel more comfortable doing it that way.
From your description, chances are your 100 mile trip in heavy winter traffic in the mountains would fall in that category. :)

[TLMitchell]

Hello,

I've started using ONR and I have some DP no rinse on the way, too. I just love the No Rinse thing so far, doubly so in water scarce Denver.

I'm wondering, though, if No Rinse products are appropriate for very, very, very dirty cars. Think 100 miles in heavy winter traffic in the mountains. As a former Minnesotan I felt I knew a thing or two about dirty winter cars caked in salt and what have you, but this mountain traffic crud is a whole 'nother level.

So the question is: is there a point on the clean/dirty continuum where a No Rinse shouldn't be used? If so, where do you draw the line?

I was wondering the same thing when I first picked up some ONR. Posted this little test on my first experience:

************************************************** *********

Posted here n there:

Greetings all,

I've been reading all the threads on just about every forum singing the praises of Optimum No-Rinse. I figure I probably oughta have anything that's getting such universal raves in my arsenal. Then again, I've got an integral, heated, 3-bay garage with hot n cold water and floor drains ::::scratching head:::: Why would I use ONR?!?

I have found some times when the vehicles aren't quite dirty enough to drag out the hose or heat up the garage. For those times I've been using Poorboy's Spray & Wash and been ecstatic with the results. However, considering some pro detailers report using ONR on their details instead of a wet wash I figgered I needed to see what the hub-bub is all about.

FedEx dropped off a box of goodies today with a qt of ONR inside. I've got a couple of days off and my GMC truck is gonna get the full treatment while I try out the new Flex that arrived last week. The truck's gettin' a wet wash and blow dry so I conscripted my S.O.'s black Hyundai Tucson for a little test.

The Hyundai received a polish and detail about a month ago. I figgered it'd be a good candidate for revealing any marring that might occur using ONR. Winter arrived hard and early in NE Ohio so some marks may be the result of salt, crud and numerous washings. Still, I wanted to test this stuff out.

She pulled in the garage with the Tucson covered in typical winter grime and salt spray. Fortunately, winter gave us a bit of a respite and there wasn't ice and snow all over it and the wheel wells weren't packed. I initially decided to do a spot-test and just do the hood because we're expecting a few days of rain, snow & ice.... no sense in going through the effort to have a pristine vehicle for all of 10 minutes next time it leaves the garage. Intending to just do the hood I read the mixing instructions and added an ounce of ONR to a couple of gallons of water. I washed the hood and dried.... and for some strange reason I thought I could actually stop there. D'OH! No chance....

I don't have a full complement of 'before' pics because I wasn't planning on doing the whole car or writing a review. After a couple more panels and seeing the results I thought it might be a good idea to take some pictures. Not much room to maneuver with two vehicles in the garage so there aren't any full-views and not many specifically targeted before and afters.

I did the left front fender after the hood...... the contrast between it, the rest of the side and the cruddy front wheel is plainly visible.
http://i730.photobucket.com/albums/ww304/tlmitchell99/ONR%20Test/2.jpg

The rest of the left side.... the pictures don't actually show how grimey and gritty everything is. When I got down to the rockers and started hearing the grit grinding I wondered if this might be a little more than ONR was designed to handle.
http://i730.photobucket.com/albums/ww304/tlmitchell99/ONR%20Test/1.jpg

left side after:
http://i730.photobucket.com/albums/ww304/tlmitchell99/ONR%20Test/11.jpg

Right front wheel and fender before:
http://i730.photobucket.com/albums/ww304/tlmitchell99/ONR%20Test/3.jpg

Right side after, front wheel still uncleaned:
http://i730.photobucket.com/albums/ww304/tlmitchell99/ONR%20Test/4.jpg

Right front wheel clean:
http://i730.photobucket.com/albums/ww304/tlmitchell99/ONR%20Test/5.jpg

Random after shots, some with flash, some not:
http://i730.photobucket.com/albums/ww304/tlmitchell99/ONR%20Test/10.jpg


http://i730.photobucket.com/albums/ww304/tlmitchell99/ONR%20Test/12.jpg


http://i730.photobucket.com/albums/ww304/tlmitchell99/ONR%20Test/6.jpg


http://i730.photobucket.com/albums/ww304/tlmitchell99/ONR%20Test/7.jpg


http://i730.photobucket.com/albums/ww304/tlmitchell99/ONR%20Test/8.jpg


http://i730.photobucket.com/albums/ww304/tlmitchell99/ONR%20Test/9.jpg


I used a blue chenille MF wash mitt which others have recommended for use with ONR. It picked up the grit but didn't appear to want to get rid of the dirt when going back in the bucket. Still, I detected no scratching and the mitt loaded with ONR & water glided over the cruddy surfaces. When I got to the wheels and wells I couldn't bear to use one of my favortie mitts so I dug out one of my old cheapie, underhood mitts. Here's the aftermath:
http://i730.photobucket.com/albums/ww304/tlmitchell99/ONR%20Test/IMG_0392Small.jpg


When emptying the bucket there was not only grit in the bottom, there was mud I had to dig out with my hand. I guess ONR gets things clean, huh?

I'm still undecided on this product for my uses. If my vehicle needs washed or I'm going to do someone else's I prefer a wet wash. It gets the crevices clean as well as water in the door jambs and around the hood and trunk which enables a quick wipe to leave 'em sparkling. With ONR you'd have to clean 'em specifically.

It took me a little over an hour to do the whole vehicle and I didn't get the nooks and crannies nor did I clean the jambs or wipe around under the hood the way I usually do with a wet wash. It takes me a little over an hour to wash, blow-dry and blot with waffle-weave as well as all the jambs and a light wipe under the hood using my traditional 2-bucket method so I didn't save any time. And the results are no better. IMO, than using PB's Spray & Wipe on the car if it weren't so cruddy and grimey. Truth is, this car needed *washed*. But it was a good test for ONR, which does what it's supposed to do and does it well.

I gotta wonder about the pros that report using ONR when they detail a customer's car instead of dragging out the hose. I s'pose if the vehicle is 'Southern California dirty' vs 'NE Ohio winter dirty' it'd be a time and water saver. For those that don't have access to a hose or garage this stuff would be the ticket as well.

I'd be interested in hearing how others use this product, especially those that choose it over a wet wash if they have the means.
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Since posting this I've found a ton of uses for ONR. I use it at QD strength to spray & wipe the motorcycles and at lube strength with clay. I don't regularly battle the serious winter crud with it, but I could! Using 2 buckets with a dedicated rinse is essential and makes life a LOT easier! If I didn't have the benefit of heat and water in the garage I think I'd probably head to the spray car wash to blast off the worst and then use ONR at home. YMMV.

TL

[Superdutytd]

While ONR is a great product I don't see it as being safe to wash a vehicle that has been treated to winter road conditions.

[Emile]

As others have posted, very dirty cars should receive a pre-soak otherwise the ONR/DP Rinseless wash bucket will get dirty real fast.

My vehicle that is always sealed up, sometimes I will do a pre-soak outside with the pressure washer and foam gun. Just foam up the car with some DP Xtreme Foamula and my foam cannon, and then pressure-rinse everything off. I'll then pull the vehicle into the garage and blow dry as much water off the vehicle as I can, and then I will proceed to ONR the vehicle. Since the vehicle is well-waxed, most of the heavy dirt and stuff will just slide off the vehicle during the pre-soak/rinse. Not to mention that the pre-soak is a BIG help with wheel wells since ONR almost worthless for cleaning dirty wheel wells.

[Bunky]

My rinseless bucket has never been that dirty until I do the tires/wheels. I am wondering at what point the cleaning ability drops. I think one time I just mixed up a small batch and did the wheels but forget how it did.

[weeble]

Thanks everyone. Tonight I had a very dirty wagon after some wet dirt road All Wheel Driving. Dirty and gritty. I got out a pump pressure sprayer and initially was pleased with what was coming off. As I worked my sponge top to bottom, I became increasingly uncomfortable, and I ultimately I finished off at a coin op wand wash (I have 2 spots at my ancient inner city rowhouse and I can't be foam-cannoning all over the place).

I started this thread hoping the answer was "no rinses can handle anything!". I guess that threshold is personal thing, and like so much in life you recognize the threshold when you hit it.

[Emile]

I believe you could have just pulled the car out and done a quick rinse with a garden hose and sprayer.

Do you have a foam gun? A foam gun is a nice touch-less way to get most of the dirt off by foaming the car up in a blanket of car wash soap and then rinsing everything off, and immediately pulling in and performing a rinse-less wash.

[christian900se]

Rinseless washes are pretty effective even on abused and neglected cars in my experience. Just a few examples of what ONR can do:

Before:

http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu202/christian900se/IMG_1508.jpg

After:

http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu202/christian900se/IMG_1572.jpg

Before:

http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu202/christian900se/IMG_1379.jpg

After:

http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu202/christian900se/IMG_1444.jpg

Before:

http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu202/christian900se/IMG_1433.jpg

After:

http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu202/christian900se/IMG_1480.jpg

[sportscarhiatus]

In my mind, I have NO doubt that ONR can "clean" a vehicle, whether it be light dirt, medium dirt, or heavy dirt.

What concerns me however, is that in the process of using ONR, particularly in a heavily soiled vehicle, aren't you in essence SCRATCHING the paint??? I mean, it's common sense, you're dragging dirt between the mitt/sponge and surface of your car.

If anything, a good presoak/rinse is a must.

[Bunky]

I washed a Chevy Impala that sits outside every day and has not been waxed in 9 months with ONR. It did not have caked on dirt but it took some time to get it clean. I usually went over each section several times. I had even sprayed it with ONR from a hand pump pressure sprayer as a pre-soak.

[loudog2]

If the vehicles are bad. I'll take it down the street to the coin operated pressure wash. Blast all the dirt and slat off, then back to the garage for the rinseless wash. Of course if it is warm enough(above 35-40F) I'll wash it in the driveway with the hose.

[Showroom Shine]

Nice write up TL MITCHELL.
I was also a skeptic about ONR. I use it all the time now. I have a Nomad Pressure Washer. I use ONR in it,along with a schmitt. Great combo. The Nomad takes the place of the hose,and it can be used in the garage too.