Mix degreaser with waterless/rinseless to cut grime?

[Machine154]

Thanks for the replies.

My touchless is an automated wash bay.

My garage is heated and has a hose and I also have an electric pressure washer, but not wanting the water getting shot around on my drywall and also freezing up my garage door and such. If my garage was bigger, I would consider putting up waterproof walls.

For the touchless, putting on degreaser ahead is possible but I think it would only make sense if I was waxing right after because the degreaser I think will eat my wax.

Our roads aren’t salted per se, but there is a little in the sand mix. Maybe they have other options for anti-clumping and those chemicals are causing the issue. Also, a lot of cars, mine included, are running studs and tearing up the asphalt. I wonder if some of the grime comes from ground-up asphalt.


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[DetailZeus]

Thanks for the replies.

My touchless is an automated wash bay.

My garage is heated and has a hose and I also have an electric pressure washer, but not wanting the water getting shot around on my drywall and also freezing up my garage door and such. If my garage was bigger, I would consider putting up waterproof walls.

For the touchless, putting on degreaser ahead is possible but I think it would only make sense if I was waxing right after because the degreaser I think will eat my wax.

Our roads aren’t salted per se, but there is a little in the sand mix. Maybe they have other options for anti-clumping and those chemicals are causing the issue. Also, a lot of cars, mine included, are running studs and tearing up the asphalt. I wonder if some of the grime comes from ground-up asphalt.


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Sounds like a pain! I always thought the chemicals in touchless tunnels were mixed fairly strong to begin with but maybe you're dealing with a different animal.

Without using a pressure washer of any sort I would presoak the slower panels with degreaser and let dwell, then follow with your ONR presoak and wash. I would add a rinse bucket if you're not using one already so you don't contaminate your ONR bucket with degreaser.

And not to spend your money for you but I'd rethink your LSP as mentioned before and the whole degreaser thing might not even be necessary. One option is using a "wipe on walk away" sealant like Opti-seal after every wash as a drying aid. Though I can't comment on how well it will do against serious grime vs a "wipe on wipe off" like fk1000p.

Another option is trying a rinseless like McKee's N914 which my understanding is a different chemistry and has a bit more cleaning power. I haven't used it myself.

[Klasse Act]

N914 is a great waterless wash because it does one thing...clean, that's it! I would adjust the strength a bit more when making a gallon at a time, I usually double it for winter duty and it flat out cleans, period!

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[Mantilgh]

I’m still thinking about picking up Marine 31 Port to Starboard All Purpose Cleaner for a stronger cleaner that wipes away clean. The description makes it sound similar to the waterless/rinseless washes but with the kick of an APC.

Edit: It even says it’s good for salt stains.

Marine 31 Port to Starboard All Purpose Cleaner, mildew remover, marine vinyl cleaner, boat cleaner

McKees High Intensity APC wipes away nicely at light dilution ratios, but I’m not sure if it is still so streak free if used closer to full strength.

[Klasse Act]

N914 is made for cleaning your paint without harsh chemicals though, it's been vetted for years as being the only TRUE cleaner only WW on the market.

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[Breese147]

N914 is made for cleaning your paint without harsh chemicals though, it's been vetted for years as being the only TRUE cleaner only WW on the market.

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+1 on this N914 is a really nice pure waterless wash that also has many applications. I like using it as clay lubricant also because you don’t have to worry about it leaving any residue/LSP behind that you would have to remove before applying any protection.


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[Mgavin1985]

I think its brilliant maybe do waterless wash with onr and a bunch of soaking towels, do your pre soak with your concoction then waterless wash with onr only should be fine.

[Mgavin1985]

U need to get a coating then washes are very different and you do get some scratch resistance to wash marks with certain coating

[Klasse Act]

Yeah I'm thinking the GD method is the only way to go here, lots of towels dipping wet and lots of pre-spraying the panels, one at a time!

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[Machine154]

Update:

After applying traditional wax on Thanksgiving weekend and running through several touchless tunnel washes, I decided to give it another go in the garage.

First wash: GD method and waterless pre-spray using Opti-Clean and ONR, full vehicle. Failed to remove grime in all areas exposed to road spray - front clip, lower side panels, and full rear of SUV. Also can clearly feel the drag resistance in the microfiber.
Second wash for road spray areas: Traditional car wash detergent in higher concentration, foamed well and a weak solution of degreaser added. Slight improvement, but the grime is still in place.

Tested 2 small areas using full strength degreaser and also bug and tar remover. Turns out that even full strength degreaser is significantly less effective than the bug and tar remover. The bug and tar remover cut right through it, leading me to believe that the grime may in fact be coming from asphalt in some manner.

I used copious amounts of bug and tar remover and the remaining grime areas cleaned right up. I followed immediately with ONR and a clean microfiber.

I used some of my least favorite microfibers for applying the bug and tar remover. Take a look at my photo after just 1 lower panel.



Is it safe to wash my bug and tar microfibers with the others?

Based on this experience, I think my waxing has no benefit and I have to strip it off with bug and tar remover in the end, even after only 2 weeks. And I'm going to need to add more bug and tar remover to my supplies. Any recommendations for bug and tar remover? Or an alternative product? My next bottle is a spray but seems to have a lot of surface warnings about clear plastics, adhesives, etc. Not sure what I should look for. I have never washed 1/2 of a vehicle with bug and tar remover.