Review - Meguiar's D114 Rinse Free Express Wash

**rwright** · 02-24-2012, 06:13 PM

Al, I can't speak on behalf of Meguiar's or Michael Stoops, but I can tell you that I washed a very dirty white Audi A4 Wednesday night with no issues. From what I could tell there were no wash induced marks in the direction I washed each panel, given I only had fluorescent garage lights and no Brinkmann or halogens. The last time this car received a hand wash was in November when I washed it, only seen touchless washes. I know this isn't the scientific answer you seek but it is a real world experience.

**Chris Thomas** · 02-24-2012, 08:35 PM

I think I may be the one Mark was referring to, but my observation was not meant as derrogatory:

Having used the new M114, it's very different from ONR. the consistency is very thin and like others have mentioned the foaming. It feels like more of a highly diluted soap than any other rinseless. Someone was asking recently about a rinseless with no polymers and this may be it...however, if I'm right about it being a soap, you could use D111 at a higher dilution and save a ton of money. There is also no mention of an encapsulation process which is what makes rinseless washing actually safe. Lubrication alone isn't enough. Many use a presoak with ONR and I would think that would go double for D114 with no polymers and that's probably why they are having trouble dialing in the dilutions.

One point Mr. Stoops made implied that polymers may inhibit correction or get in the way. I cannot speak for all rinseless washes, but ONR can be painted over with no issue so there will never be a situation where those specific types of polymers would inhibit correction.

**rwright** · 02-24-2012, 09:23 PM

Chris, will the polymers left behind by ONR interfere with wax application? Specifically a finishing wax with no cleaners. I assumed the wax would bond to the polymers and not the paint, but the statement that you can paint over ONR with no problems makes me second guess this now.

**Chris Thomas** · 02-24-2012, 09:56 PM

Originally Posted by rwright

Chris, will the polymers left behind by ONR interfere with wax application? Specifically a finishing wax with no cleaners. I assumed the wax would bond to the polymers and not the paint, but the statement that you can paint over ONR with no problems makes me second guess this now.

there are no known issues with any available products.

walletless · 02-24-2012, 11:42 PM

Great review! Thanks for a very in-depth write-up prompting folks like Mr. Stoops & Chris to respond!

One question: On the same car, have you used ONR as well (I assume yes since your last picture had a half-empty ONR bottle)?

If so, can you tell how the two compare in terms of streaking left behind and final result? Also, have you tried D114 at the new recommended dilution ratio (1oz per 2 gallons) and noticed any difference?

**rwright** · 02-25-2012, 12:54 AM

Originally Posted by walletless

Great review! Thanks for a very in-depth write-up prompting folks like Mr. Stoops & Chris to respond!

One question: On the same car, have you used ONR as well (I assume yes since your last picture had a half-empty ONR bottle)?

If so, can you tell how the two compare in terms of streaking left behind and final result? Also, have you tried D114 at the new recommended dilution ratio (1oz per 2 gallons) and noticed any difference?

Haven't used them on the same car yet but past experience with ONR yielded zero streaking. I haven't tried at the new ratio but plan to this weekend, just have to get through this Tahoe I have sitting in my garage.

**Michael Stoops** · 02-28-2012, 02:01 PM

Chris, it's good to know that the polymers Optimum uses in ONR won't impede any correction process that might be used subsequent to washing with ONR. Some polymers certainly will, and we see it in the real world. We chose not to include any polymers or waxes in D114 for a variety of reasons. Also, we take no offense to the comments you made, especially since our first hearing of them was so out of context as to be essentially meaningless. No knee-jerk reactions to it on our part, that's for sure! Regarding any specifics as to how we achieve a scratch free finish with D114, we prefer not to enter into such a discussion other than to say that once again we pride ourselves on this one simple fact: the product inside the bottle does what the label on the outside of the bottle says it will.

Basically, that means that the most important thing here is not so much how a product works, but that it works as advertised and to your expectations. We have seen no scratching of the surface when using D114 as intended, and that is being borne out by end users as well. From personal experience I can tell you that using D114 side by side with ONR and a few other similar products, D114 and ONR were both the best at cleaning the surface and both, by far, the best with regarding to streaking (ie, neither exhibited any).

And the reason I mention ONR here and not any of the others I've used is because I'm a fan of ONR and have been for quite a while, but the others I've tried have left me flat. I won't tell you which ones I have specifically used that I didn't care for simply due to my position with Meguiar's - I don't want there to be any appearance whatsoever that I'm bashing or talking negative about a competitor. As a company, Meguiar's is well aware that there are plenty of great products on the market from a wide variety of manufacturers, and that some of those products may fit better into an given individual's workflow, etc. From personal experience with a wide variety of products, I can honestly say the same thing. It's actually pretty rare that I come across a product that I truly dislike and would never consider using in the future, regardless who I work for. But in my position I'm not going to name those names.

But I digress.....................

**Chris Thomas** · 02-28-2012, 02:58 PM

Michael,

Thank you for your reply. Like you, I always try to avoid saying anything negative about another manufacturer's product. I did feel like I needed to clear the air about the polymers in ONR so that our products can co-exist clearly having different compositions without a negative conotation about the addition of polymers.

I've never been able to use a single brand for all of my detailing, so I'm glad to detail in a time where we have so many options. One Meguiar's product I use on every detail is my Gold Class brushes. I probably have them all except the dog hair remover...but I dread when they wear out because they are hard to find!

I plan on using the D114 again when the weather heats up as that's the true test for streaking, but my initial results showed absolutely none just as you mention.

**Bigbull2984** · 05-30-2012, 07:46 PM

I just also tried this, I have also own ONR and Blackfire Rinseless and love them both. This is a different product, I love the way it left the surface squeaky clean(no slickness).It was weird seeing suds, buts this product does clean the car really well. I tried this on a black car, and then wiped off with cobra towel and I was pretty impressed; and no streaks. I think this would be great after polishing a car and before applying LSP.

If someone is in a hurry and wants wash and gloss get the ONR or BF. I usually love doing touch up after washing, with BF polymer spray or even taking the extra 20 mins to apply a paste wax. D114 will be a permanent part of my detail arsenal.