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I learned my lesson the hard way. Last May was a particularly wet and rainy month (thank God!). It rained several days each week, sometimes for many days at a stretch. I learned last September that after a rain it was better to wash the car rather than to quick detail it (see Wash or Wipe after Rain?); but it seemed fruitless to wash my car after a rainstorm, given that it was probably going to get rained upon the very next day; and I certainly didn't have time to wash daily anyway. And so Luthien was ignored for days on end
It wasn't until early July that I observed that the rain water (and perhaps hard water from previous washings) had caused etching in the paint. I assumed that they would come right out with some nonabrasive paint cleaner, like DC1. Wrong! So as already reported, I eventually had to enlist the aid of local detailer Dan Wendell to remove the etchings with his rotary.
So what to do when it rains? Though "semi-retired" (that's what an old guy calls unemployment), and therefore with some free time on my hands, I'm still not willing to spend multiple hours washing and re-washing my vehicle each week. I don't know about everyone else, but counting all the time it takes to prepare the buckets, pull out the hose, wash the wheels, tires, and wheel wells, rinse off the car, wash the car, rinse off and dry the car, attend to the the door and trunk jams, clean out the buckets and brushes, put the hose away, etc., etc., I find that two or three hours of my life have disappeared. Well, perhaps I'm prepared to give up two or three hours a week for my Luthien; but I'm not prepared to give up six or nine or twelve hours. I love her dearly, but I also have a wife who wants some loving, too.
It rained a couple of days ago, so I decided to give Luthien an ONR wash yesterday. For those of you who are not acquainted with the product, Optimum No Rinse (ONR), made by Optimum Polymer Technologies, is a remarkable product. Add one or two ounces of ONR to two gallons of water and, voila!--you have a rinseless wash solution. Gently wipe it onto the dirty paint surface (sometimes you need to do a couple of passes to get the surface clean) and then gently dry. The polymers both encapsulate the dirt and provide a lubricant to protect the paint from abrasion as you wash and dry.
I have used ONR a lot during the past nine months, especially during the winter months, and am still learning how to use it properly. I still prefer the old fashioned wash method with a hose (I've been using Gold Class shampoo this past year, but the bottle is just about empty and I have a bottle of NXT car wash waiting to be opened and tried), especially when I want to give the wheels and tires special attention. But the old fashioned way, as stated above, just takes so much darn time. But if one just wants to do a quick wash, ONR is the ticket. And you can ONR you car while it's sitting in your garage.
As I said, I gave Luthien an ONR bath yesterday afternoon. I then went out last night and found myself, and Luthien, caught in a shower. I had no idea it was going to rain. Darn, darn, darn. So this afternoon I decided to give Luthien a quickie wash. I wasn't going to worry about the wheels or the top--just wash the paint and get rid of the water spots before they damage the paint.
The whole process, including prep and clean-up, took me about 45 minutes. That's a heck of a lot better than 2 to 3 hours! You don't have to worry about pulling out and putting away the hose. You don't have to worry about the water prematurely drying on the paint. You don't have to worry about water dripping from all those hidden crevices.
Tip of the day: if it rains and you need to do a quick wash of your car, ONR! Save some love, time, and energy for the significant others in your life.
I hope that one day soon Meguiar's will release a product that it comparable, if not superior, to Optimum No Rinse.
Cheers,
Al
It wasn't until early July that I observed that the rain water (and perhaps hard water from previous washings) had caused etching in the paint. I assumed that they would come right out with some nonabrasive paint cleaner, like DC1. Wrong! So as already reported, I eventually had to enlist the aid of local detailer Dan Wendell to remove the etchings with his rotary.
So what to do when it rains? Though "semi-retired" (that's what an old guy calls unemployment), and therefore with some free time on my hands, I'm still not willing to spend multiple hours washing and re-washing my vehicle each week. I don't know about everyone else, but counting all the time it takes to prepare the buckets, pull out the hose, wash the wheels, tires, and wheel wells, rinse off the car, wash the car, rinse off and dry the car, attend to the the door and trunk jams, clean out the buckets and brushes, put the hose away, etc., etc., I find that two or three hours of my life have disappeared. Well, perhaps I'm prepared to give up two or three hours a week for my Luthien; but I'm not prepared to give up six or nine or twelve hours. I love her dearly, but I also have a wife who wants some loving, too.
It rained a couple of days ago, so I decided to give Luthien an ONR wash yesterday. For those of you who are not acquainted with the product, Optimum No Rinse (ONR), made by Optimum Polymer Technologies, is a remarkable product. Add one or two ounces of ONR to two gallons of water and, voila!--you have a rinseless wash solution. Gently wipe it onto the dirty paint surface (sometimes you need to do a couple of passes to get the surface clean) and then gently dry. The polymers both encapsulate the dirt and provide a lubricant to protect the paint from abrasion as you wash and dry.
I have used ONR a lot during the past nine months, especially during the winter months, and am still learning how to use it properly. I still prefer the old fashioned wash method with a hose (I've been using Gold Class shampoo this past year, but the bottle is just about empty and I have a bottle of NXT car wash waiting to be opened and tried), especially when I want to give the wheels and tires special attention. But the old fashioned way, as stated above, just takes so much darn time. But if one just wants to do a quick wash, ONR is the ticket. And you can ONR you car while it's sitting in your garage.
As I said, I gave Luthien an ONR bath yesterday afternoon. I then went out last night and found myself, and Luthien, caught in a shower. I had no idea it was going to rain. Darn, darn, darn. So this afternoon I decided to give Luthien a quickie wash. I wasn't going to worry about the wheels or the top--just wash the paint and get rid of the water spots before they damage the paint.
The whole process, including prep and clean-up, took me about 45 minutes. That's a heck of a lot better than 2 to 3 hours! You don't have to worry about pulling out and putting away the hose. You don't have to worry about the water prematurely drying on the paint. You don't have to worry about water dripping from all those hidden crevices.
Tip of the day: if it rains and you need to do a quick wash of your car, ONR! Save some love, time, and energy for the significant others in your life.
I hope that one day soon Meguiar's will release a product that it comparable, if not superior, to Optimum No Rinse.
Cheers,
Al
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, and I sure will give it a try! Added to my ADS shopping list!
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