Best *rinseless* car wash

[walletless]

Hello,

I realize this is a Meguiars forum, but I have generally seen unbiased opinions here, so I thought I will post this question.

I live in an apartment, and am considering Rinseless wash options. The popular ones on the market are:
1) Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine (ONR)
2) Meguiars Rinse Free Express Wash (RFEW)
3) Detailers Pro Rinseless Wash & Shine
4) Protect-All Quick & Easy Wash (QEW)
5) 3D Waterless car wash

From these, which is the best product to use for washing the car about once a month in normal conditions (not too dirty)? The car is black paint, only few months old - so I want to ensure that I use good products. One big concern is streaking during drying - do any of these leave streaks behind?

[Detailing by M]

Croftgate!

[STRIFE]

Re: Best *rinseless* car wash

i only have experience with ONR, i can only say it's the best rinseless I have ever used, once my 2 jugs of ONR are used up I will order a jug of RFEW

[umi000]

Re: Best *rinseless* car wash

Of the three rinseless washes I've used - ONR, DP Rinseless, and Ultima Waterless Wash in rinseless dilution - the best, in terms of lubrication, feel of the wash mitt on the paint, and slickness of the cleaned surface, is the Ultima - and it was not close. I am interested in trying Meg's rinseless, as well as the Blackfire, Duragloss, Chemical Guys and the new version of ONR.

[Shawn T.]

Re: Best *rinseless* car wash

ONR is good stuff.

Croftgate is still very good but other companies have officially caught up to them and are offering equally good rinseless washes at a cheaper price.

[walletless]

Re: Best *rinseless* car wash

thanks for the replies. Looks like ONR is pretty popular. Meguiars stuff is very new, so not many people seem to have used it yet. I will probably just get ONR for now and wait for some reviews on Megs later.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Best *rinseless* car wash

ONR will leave a bit of a polymer behind so it will feel slicker than Meguiar's Rinse Free Express Wash, but ours wipes dry extremely easily with no streaking at all. ONR and QEW are both very nice products, and I have personally used both extensively. Another great option, however, is our Ultimate Wash & Wax Anywhere, especially for apartment dwellers. It's in a ready to use spray bottle, and you use it similar to the way you'd use a quick detailer, only you use a lot more product. It is similar to Rinse Free Express Wash except it contains some very durable polymers so it lays down some nice protection while it cleans, and the finish feels very slick when you're done. Both of these new products of ours allow for easy rinsing of the accumulated dirt from your wash mitt/wash towel, something that has been known to frustrate users of some other popular competitors. Now, UWWA is going to be a bit more expensive since we anticipate 3 to 5 "washings" from a $15.00 bottle where as Rinse Free Express offers 1 oz/2 gallons of water, or 128 washes for $40.00.

[Murr1525]

Re: Best *rinseless* car wash

The UWWA appears to be on sale at Autozone at the moment though, so you could buy a few bottles.

[Shawn T.]

Re: Best *rinseless* car wash

ONR will leave a bit of a polymer behind so it will feel slicker than Meguiar's Rinse Free Express Wash, but ours wipes dry extremely easily with no streaking at all. ONR and QEW are both very nice products, and I have personally used both extensively. Another great option, however, is our Ultimate Wash & Wax Anywhere, especially for apartment dwellers. It's in a ready to use spray bottle, and you use it similar to the way you'd use a quick detailer, only you use a lot more product. It is similar to Rinse Free Express Wash except it contains some very durable polymers so it lays down some nice protection while it cleans, and the finish feels very slick when you're done. Both of these new products of ours allow for easy rinsing of the accumulated dirt from your wash mitt/wash towel, something that has been known to frustrate users of some other popular competitors. Now, UWWA is going to be a bit more expensive since we anticipate 3 to 5 "washings" from a $15.00 bottle where as Rinse Free Express offers 1 oz/2 gallons of water, or 128 washes for $40.00.

Mike, could you elaborate on this a bit more? The dilution ratio in the directions in 1 oz/1 gallon. Could it be used 1 oz/2 gallons? This could definitely make it more appealing to many rinseless users as it puts the price point closer to ONR.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Best *rinseless* car wash

Yes, Shawn, in discussion with Jason Rose he tells me that we are going to be recommending, in the tech bulletin and new catalog, a dilution ration of 256:1 for routine washing and 128:1 for cases when the vehicle is extremely dirty. Obviously for any very heavy built up dirt - like if you've been off roading in the mud - you'd want to pressure wash first. In situations like heavy road salt, etc, the stronger dilution ratio would be the way to go but for more routine washing an ounce to two gallons of water is perfectly fine. You'll find that this product wipes dry very easily without streaking, and the dirt that is picked up on your wash mitt is released quickly and thoroughly with just a brush against the Grit Guard in the bottom of your bucket.

[walletless]

Re: Best *rinseless* car wash

ONR will leave a bit of a polymer behind so it will feel slicker than Meguiar's Rinse Free Express Wash, but ours wipes dry extremely easily with no streaking at all. ONR and QEW are both very nice products, and I have personally used both extensively. Another great option, however, is our Ultimate Wash & Wax Anywhere, especially for apartment dwellers. It's in a ready to use spray bottle, and you use it similar to the way you'd use a quick detailer, only you use a lot more product. It is similar to Rinse Free Express Wash except it contains some very durable polymers so it lays down some nice protection while it cleans, and the finish feels very slick when you're done. Both of these new products of ours allow for easy rinsing of the accumulated dirt from your wash mitt/wash towel, something that has been known to frustrate users of some other popular competitors. Now, UWWA is going to be a bit more expensive since we anticipate 3 to 5 "washings" from a $15.00 bottle where as Rinse Free Express offers 1 oz/2 gallons of water, or 128 washes for $40.00.

Thanks Mike. Yes, UWWA is a good waterless option, but becomes VERY expensive quickly. I plan to wash about once a month later, but right now, there is a lot of construction work going on at my work place which deposits stuff on my parked car. Until that time, I will be washing more frequently (once a week). If I wait to do it once a month, the car will be dirty enough that rinseless/waterless options will not be OK with it.

[Garage Troll]

Re: Best *rinseless* car wash

Walletless,

I have used ONR, Ultima, and CroftGateUSA. I can recommend both the ONR and Ultima. Ultima is fantastic stuff, however, it becomes a little pricier when you're using it as a rinseless wash. For a waterless it's just fine (price wise).

ONR has been in my arsenal for nearly 3 years now and I love it! I can honestly say that I have used it on some very grungy cars in the winter with no issues.

Sadly, I have not had the chance to try Meguiars new RFEW (really excited to once I use my bottle of ONR) but I was reading a review on Autogeek that was very positive. Apparently, the author felt that it released dirt very very well and wiped dry very easily.

As far as CroftGateUSA, I agree with Shawn. It has fallen behind and I really can't say it performs on the same level as the other two I've used. I'm not saying it's bad, but it doesn't wipe clean and leaves streaks on the surface (got them out with UQD). The other thing is it is pricey. For the equivalent of what you get with ONR and RFEW, you're looking at $80 for 128 oz.

So, all in all, it doesn't seem like you could go wrong with either ONR or Meguiars RFEW.

[PPLd]

Re: Best *rinseless* car wash

Yes, Shawn, in discussion with Jason Rose he tells me that we are going to be recommending, in the tech bulletin and new catalog, a dilution ration of 256:1 for routine washing and 128:1 for cases when the vehicle is extremely dirty. Obviously for any very heavy built up dirt - like if you've been off roading in the mud - you'd want to pressure wash first. In situations like heavy road salt, etc, the stronger dilution ratio would be the way to go but for more routine washing an ounce to two gallons of water is perfectly fine. You'll find that this product wipes dry very easily without streaking, and the dirt that is picked up on your wash mitt is released quickly and thoroughly with just a brush against the Grit Guard in the bottom of your bucket.

Michael,

Can this product be used as a Quick Detailer or Clay Lube like ONR?
If yes what is the dilution ratio for these?

[Detailing by M]

ONR is good stuff.Croftgate is still very good but other companies have officially caught up to them and are offering equally good rinseless washes at a cheaper price.

I must disagree, just based on my use of Croftgate for years now and here's a recent poll. http://www.autodetailingnetwork.com/...l-results.html

[walletless]

Re: Best *rinseless* car wash

Michael,

Can this product be used as a Quick Detailer or Clay Lube like ONR?
If yes what is the dilution ratio for these?

I would LOVE to know this too. ONR is attractive even as a quick detailer. At 2:16 dilution, I am looking at cleaning 2 cars per 16oz. That is 128 cars for a total of $40+ship - quite cheap! If Megs has similar dilution for using as a QD, it would be an attractive option.