Waterless Car Wash - safe for a job like this?

[hacker-pschorr]

My neighborhood doesn't have any water restrictions (yet). I'm still looking into having some waterless car wash in my arsenal. Mostly to keep the cars clean through the winter months when hosing down a car is not a good option.

My big question, is it safe for a job like this?

[CieraSL]

Re: Waterless Car Wash - safe for a job like this?

I would at least take the hose and spray the mud off before doing a waterless wash. Even then, you're still going to have plenty of crud stuck on there, so you might be just better off to go with a regular wash.

[ClearlyCoated]

Re: Waterless Car Wash - safe for a job like this?

Nooooo....

At least I wouldn't. Rinseless car washes are really intended more for dusty finishes than something with caked on mud. It seems like it would just generate a real mess too. I'm sure that some ONR users will tell you to go for it, but this car looks like it really needs a two bucket wash.

[hacker-pschorr]

Re: Waterless Car Wash - safe for a job like this?

I do not disagree at all with the first two comments. I keep wondering what people do in situations like this where water washing is not allowed.
What if you live in an area like this, a customer hires you to wash a car covered in mud like mine?

Call me curious, one of those feelings like I'm missing something with this waterless stuff.


This picture is from 2003, it has been washed since

[Justin A]

Re: Waterless Car Wash - safe for a job like this?

I'd use a SOFT brush (DRY) and lightly and very carefully dust away the majority of the dried dirt, as if you were excavating artifacts that were millions of years old. After that, a waterless wash might be safe to use.

[Tuck91]

Re: Waterless Car Wash - safe for a job like this?

No,

your going to need at least a heavy stream of water to help scrub those tires and wheelwells.

[CharlesW]

Re: Waterless Car Wash - safe for a job like this?

Actually, my vehicles often look that bad or worse during the winter months and I do either a rinseless or a waterless wash, but only after either going to the DIY wand wash or going through the touchless wash in my area.
After the really nasty stuff is removed, I finish with the rinseless or waterless product at home in the garage. It could be done outside if the temperature allows, but in Iowa, that's not gonna happen a lot during the winter.
I read a lot about how bad commercial car washes are for your paint and wax, but I don't think they are all that bad.
The one I go to uses all fresh water with no recycled water in any part of the wash.
It also doesn't do a real good job of removing road film from the vehicles. No way would I ever just dry my car after using it.
If it doesn't even remove road film, what's the odds on it removing a wax or sealant?
I guess I got a little off-topic there.
No, in my opinion, that vehicle is not a candidate for either a waterless or a rinseless wash without a pre-cleaning.

[HCAD]

Re: Waterless Car Wash - safe for a job like this?

Definitely a pre-wash at the local car wash that has a high pressure hose. No scrubbing brushes please! Just a high pressure around the wheels, wheel wells and along the sides (wherever you see mud). Then you're fine to do the ONR method. Often on a dirty vehicle I'll have to use two, maybe even three different buckets of ONR. When the first one looks to be overly dirty I just mix a fresh bucket. Easiest of all is to keep your rinse bucket (2 bucket method) clean after a few dips of an especially dirty wash mitt. Maybe even two wash mitts.

[PaintPolisher]

Re: Waterless Car Wash - safe for a job like this?

I keep wondering what people do in situations like this where water washing is not allowed.
What if you live in an area like this, a customer hires you to wash a car covered in mud like mine?

Call me curious, one of those feelings like I'm missing something with this waterless stuff.

I cannot speak for waterless products only for ONR because this product worked for me during four years of drought. You do not want to rush taking off the layers of crud. Minimize the opportunity to mar the finish.

I have washed cars like this one with more mud, tacky Georgia red clay or worse yet when covered with dried slush, sand and various salt mixtures from up north that turn a black car white in color.

Step one is to lay down a containment mat to catch the debris. Pre soak with ONR in a pump up sprayer, let sit a couple of minutes to liquefy the hardened offending material [spray more if you need too.] Load up MF mitt or sponge and slowly with gently pressure this material will start to liquefy and come off onto your wash media or fall off onto the containment mat. Here is where the grit guard is a must. Squish the media into the grit guard removing all the material and keep doing this process until finished with these nasty areas, rinse out media frequently. Empty your pail mix a clean batch of ONR up and change your wash media. Now you are ready to start cleaning the car in the normal rinseless manner.

To save my back when cleaning these lower body panels I switch body positions to kneeling on a gardeners pad or sitting on my cushioned wheeled mechanics stool.

[roushstage2]

Re: Waterless Car Wash - safe for a job like this?

No. A waterless wash is not made for that.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Waterless Car Wash - safe for a job like this?

There is a little to much mud for the waterless wash. Have to do some type of prewash to knock down that mud.