Meguiar's D115 rinseless wash questions.

[Killthelag]

Hello. Recently I read about the product D115 rinseless wash and I'm interested in it. My car usually is not dirty at all but I'm kind of afraid to use it for the first time. I have a hose and access of water in my driveway. My question is, can I do a quick rinse with water to wash away some dirt first, and then use the D115 immediately without drying the car first? I mean when the car is still wet and will the product lose some effectiveness? Thanks so much. =)

[Superior Shine]

Re: Meguiar's D115 rinseless wash questions.

That is a compete waste of product. If you wish to use water go ahead and perform a traditional car wash. D115 when used as directed is an awesome product. I use it every day in a pro detailing business.

[Daniel Kinder]

Re: Meguiar's D115 rinseless wash questions.

to MOL Kill

If Superior Shine tells you it's going to rain, you better bring you a umbrella!!!

[C8N]

Re: Meguiar's D115 rinseless wash questions.

I do that all the time with D114.
However D115 is a more expensive product and my understanding is that its more of a waterless wash.

[Christopher.Brown]

Re: Meguiar's D115 rinseless wash questions.

Joe (Superior Shine) is correct in saying that is a waste of water...

D115 was formulated to be used as a stand alone product. It has a ton of 'polymers' in it that work as surfactants which encapsulate dirt and add lubricity to them so they are easily picked up by a high quality microfiber in a safe fashion.

DONT BE SCARED. Meguiars took a few extra years to introduce this product to the market after waterless washes appeared. They got this baby RIGHT!!! you will save time and $$$$$ in water....

i have found the sweet spot of dilution to be 1:8 ... 1 part of D115 to 8 parts Distilled Water ----- use distilled because there are no hard mineral deposits or additives of any type in it, and thus PH NEUTRAL..... this dilution provides ample lubricity and gloss while allowing the concentrate to go further and thus be more cost effective!

I encourage you to have a D115 only washing party today!!

[C8N]

Re: Meguiar's D115 rinseless wash questions.

While I have no doubt in the quality of Meg's products, you really have to look at its intended use.

If you have a mildly dirty car, washing your car with D115 alone is fine.
However, if you have a really dirty car, I would strongly suggest for a 2bk wash or at least hose it down to knock out the heavy dirty first before proceeding with D114 or D115.

I highly doubt Meg's intended D114 or D115 to be used on a car that has been off-roading and etc

[larry0071]

I would not expect to use it on a typical Northern salt and grime encrusted car in the winter.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Meguiar's D115 rinseless wash questions.

We certainly understand your hesitation to use a waterless wash on a dirty car; it can be kind of tricky to wrap your head around the process after every one has been touting the importance of the two bucket wash method for so many years. In the world of professional detailers, however, such waterless washes have really become the norm, even on surprisingly dirty cars and even as a routine maintenance wash on previously detailed vehicles. Obviously technique is going to be extremely important here, and that includes towel management. If you're used to using a quick detail spray where you just lightly mist it onto a panel and then wipe it off, and you use just one towel to do the entire car, you're going to need to adjust that process here.

First off, a proper waterless wash is vastly different from your typical quick detail spray. QDs are really just designed to add some lubricity to the surface so that your microfiber towel can safely pick up the light dust from the surface without scratching the paint like a dry wipe would do. But a waterless wash uses very different ingredients that actually microencapsulate the dirt while adding even more lubricity than a QD spray, thereby making it safe to remove much heavier surface contaminants. Certainly there are going to be some limitations here, just as there are with any product. As C8N points out, you wouldn't want to use this on a 4X4 that's been out mudding in the woods, but then again you wouldn't just dunk a wash mitt into a bucket of soapy water and start wiping that truck either - you would hose it down first, and quite possibly with a pressure washer and not just with your garden hose (another limitation, in this case). You describe your car, however, as "usually not dirty at all" so this really should be a nearly perfect product for your needs.

There are a couple of things you'll want to change up from the way you've been using a quick detailer, though. First, use a bit more product than you normally would with a QD spray. You don't need to flood the surface, but you do need maybe double the amount of product you're used to using. Then, give the surface an initial wipe with a microfiber towel folded in quarters, lifting the leading edge of the towel for each wipe of the area. This keeps that line of dirt picked up by the towel away from the paint for the second wipe. You will then want to follow that initial wipe of the area with a second, clean and dry towel to finish off. Move to the next section and repeat the process, using a clean side of that first towel. As you work around the vehicle, keep refolding that first towel to expose a clean side (remember, a towel folded in quarters gives you 8 sides to work with) and don't worry about it becoming quite wet with product. You're using that second towel for the final drying of the area. Once the first towel is saturated and fully dirty, set it aside and use your second towel, the drying one, for the initial wipe. Grab a third towel to use as your new drying towel. Continue this process of setting aside the dirty towel, upgrading the drying towel to wash duty, and grabbing a new towel for drying, as often as you need to. If the car is only lightly dirty you might only need 3 towels. If it's quite dirty then you may need 6 or more. See this article for more information and pictures that show the process.

I can tell you from personal experience that I, too, was skeptical of waterless washes early on. My first use of Ultimate Wash & Wax Anywhere (which is essentially the consumer version of D115) was after driving my weekend toy across the desert from Las Vegas to Orange County, CA in a down pour. That was 275 miles in the rain, on a truck route that hadn't been rained on for many months. That means several months of collected oil, rubber dust, and general road grime that had collected on the pavement was now finally being released by the rain, and kicked up by all the traffic on the freeway. And it seemingly all landed on my baby. When I got home I decided to put UWWA to the real test - you can imagine how filthy this car was. And, being a two seater convertible with a cloth top, there isn't a lot of paint to deal with. Still, I used 6 towels to clean the car, and it came up perfect. Not a mark in the paint either, and this being my weekend toy, my baby, you know it was in darn near perfect shape before this. I can honestly say, without any reservation, that this was the moment I fell in love with UWWA and the wateless washing process.

[Killthelag]

Re: Meguiar's D115 rinseless wash questions.

Thanks all for the replies. I'm afraid to try it the first time not because I don't trust the product. It because I do not trust my skills since I'm new to the car detailing. As you guys mentioned, D115 rinseless wash will not leave scratch on paint if you know what you doing and use it what it intended to use. Obviously I am new and sure can't do what Mike did in the article on my first try. I just want to be safe because it is a brand new car. So my original question remains.

Can D115 apply immediately when the car is wet after I do a quick rinse with a hose? Since the D115 has to mix with water at the first place before you use it, I don't see why not right? Then dry it with new towel and leave wax all in one step. I don't mind wasting product if I have a gallon to play with. As long as if a quick rinse will make it safer. Thanks so much.

[07gtcs]

Re: Meguiar's D115 rinseless wash questions.

I would go rinseless if your afraid of a waterless. Much safer if you ask me.

[C8N]

Re: Meguiar's D115 rinseless wash questions.

IMO, the key to a successful waterless/rinseless wash is to inspect your wash towel often and to use as many as needed.
I inspect my towel after every wipe.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Meguiar's D115 rinseless wash questions.

So my original question remains.

Can D115 apply immediately when the car is wet after I do a quick rinse with a hose? Since the D115 has to mix with water at the first place before you use it, I don't see why not right? Then dry it with new towel and leave wax all in one step. I don't mind wasting product if I have a gallon to play with. As long as if a quick rinse will make it safer. Thanks so much.

Yes, you most definitely can do this if you so desire. Especially since, as you say, your car never really gets all that dirty. If it makes you more comfortable, go for it. Get used to this process, and work your way into the actual waterless process slowly. Really, we'd rather someone ask questions and proceed cautiously with any process rather than diving in with virtually no knowledge and doing some damage, then asking how to fix the problem. So you're erring on the side of caution, and there's nothing wrong with that.

[ron rock]

Re: Meguiar's D115 rinseless wash questions.

When will you post the people's names for Feb.1 St. Class?