REVIEW / MINI-HOWTO: Detailers Pro Waterless Wash

[Romans5.8]

In conversations on this forum I'm glad I'm not the only one- a car guy living in an apartment with NO garage and NO free flowing source of water! That means a two bucket wash is an inconvenient thing that I'm not always able to do! It also means my cars are subject to all sorts of nastiness in the elements.

Thanks to AutoGeek, I found out that Waterless Washes are an awesome solution! So, now that I'm at the end of my bottle of DP Waterless Wash, I figured I'd do a little review!

It's a short review, and I'm definitely no expert. I'll do a more 'in depth' review when I can actually compare it to a couple different products! This will be both a written review and a 'video review'. I did not take any pics! (Sorry!), but the video should show you the fantastic results you can get.

Now- here's the thing. Nick, Mike, all you guys- you're awesome! But not all of us live in sunny Stuart, Florida, and not all of us "wash" sparkling clean cars. So how can a guy like me, who has a daily driver that has to deal with all of the road grit that happens and accumulates, even with frequent washing (in the video you'll see my car that was washed TWO DAYS PRIOR), well, I have to be the guinea pig. But hopefully you guys can see that this waterless wash well enough to be taken seriously, EVEN with a dirty daily driver!

PRODUCTS USED

Detailers Pro Waterless Auto Wash Concentrate
(Get the concentrate, the bang-for-the-buck factor is big especially when you figure in shipping. The ready-mix is not cost effective)

Kwazar Mercury Pro Dual Action Spray Bottle
(Unless you are doing larger vehicles, opt for the half litre bottle. It'll be easier to use and work with. My 1 litre bottle is good for 3 or more washes even with the tremendous amount I use, which means I'm lugging around the next two washes with me the whole time I use it!)

Miracle Towels
(Great Towels! My favorite)

Chemical Guys Towels
(These particular ones not sold on AGO)

Other assorted microfiber towels

The Skinny

No ifs, ands, or butts about it. The product works. Smells great too! While I wouldn't be scrubbing on a fresh mud run truck, for a daily driver OR a dusty but pristine show car, this stuff works. I would recommend knocking off large bits of grit, like salt or ice, at the coin-op first. Afterwards though, this is what will get it clean!

My process:

I liberally apply the solution to a panel, one panel at a time. I saturate soiled areas and watch the dirt melt away, and make sure the panel is well-saturated. My thinking? It breaks down to a couple bucks a wash IF you use the less-cost effective smaller bottle. (A gallon of the highly concentrated pinnacle waterless product can translates into less than a dollar per wash! WAY less than a dollar!)

Afterwards, I wipe the panel down with the fluffy side of my microfiber towels. I wipe top to bottom and do not make any 'repeat passes'. Just one pass, top to bottom. As evident by the clean, second buffing towel in the video, even a heavily soiled panel is C.L.E.A.N. after one gentle wipe- which is ideal. That means I get a clean car with minimal touching and zero scrubbing or pressure. Then, I buff with the buffing side (or a seperate buffing towel) leaving behind a clean, shiny panel. The DP product does not contain wax, but it should be buffed anyway to prevent streaks.

NOTE that in the video, it was very cold. Temp was dropping quick and I hadn't realized that it was FOURTEEN DEGREES when I was outside. In fact, the product started freezing as soon as it hit the panel of my car. So I aborted mid-wash. That's also why it seemed to be so streaky in the video- it was. And doing it one handed, I didn't want to damage the finish by scrubbing or buffing hard, I figured I'd deal with it when the camera was off. Fact is, it was just too cold. Above freezing is, I think, what's needed to be effective.

Bottom Line:

It's a short review because there's not much to tell. I want to do two things. I want to remove all of the grit from my car. Second, I want to eliminate any potential for paint damage. This product does it! I've used it, so far, about a dozen times and have not noticed any swirls or scratches or other marring. It just works. Period!

There will be a more in depth review, and a much better / more professional review when I get a chance to use the pinnacle product and have something to compare it to (and it's warmer).

Please NOTE, in the video; I include a lot of information that you AutoGeekers may find remedial. However, my YouTube channel is a motorcycle vlogging channel. I have a few hundred subscribers, many of whom are content to use lemon pledge and paper towels to clean their bikes (A common practice believe it or not). So I was making the video for that audience as well. Also, my 'towel handling' wasn't very good one-handed. In future videos, I will spend more time explaining how to use towels properly, including pulling up on the leading edges, etc. I may have a 'camera-wife' for those videos!

Thanks guys! Video follows!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYqz6cHlSU0

[wrb_subie]

Telling me the video is private

[Romans5.8]

Fixed! Thanks!

[Romans5.8]

Well I've finally used up the last of the DP waterless wash. On to the pinnacle! Time to see what the difference is. In theory, the pinnacle is both better AND cheaper (as it's more dilluted).