[Maxwagen]

I've never used a waterless wash - period. But I'd really like to start trying to keep my car cleaner during the nasty gritty, salty New England winters. Just picked up a 2017 F31 last week, and figure this is a good time to start.

Is anyone in a dirty, salty part of the country using waterless washes indoors with their cars during winter, and would you recommend it?

[MaximusJ]

I'm not in your neck of woods, but i'm in Quebec, Canada so I might chime in. Yep; here its as gritty and salty as it gets. I also have to cross a bridge while commuting twice a day; so it gets nasty sometimes.

I still manage to keep my paint pristine-ish through all those tough winters. And I just got a new whip as well so I had to go through the prep process all over again.

I started with a clear bra; covering the whole bumper, half of the hood/roof and mirrors; and I've put a ceramic coating on the whole car.

First time for the coating, but the bra has been doing wonders on my previous cars. I've always put a good paint sealant before the winter with some DIY Carwash sprays when it gets too dirty and it always stayed relatively clean. Now the coating might be the thing that was missing to my prep process to go from pristine-ish to pristine while still being easy to clean without having to take the mits out (it gets down to minus 30 celcius / -22 F. here; so definitely not an option to give a proper wash + I dont trust carwash in general; except a few).

Will see next spring how bad the winter was :P I hope the coating will protect the paint well.

Hope it helps.

[Billfitz]

I use Optimum No Rinse whenever the temperature is above freezing, outdoors in my driveway. I fill my bucket in the house with hot water, so it's not at all uncomfortable on the hands. The key is to do it before you get a lot of salt and crud build up, otherwise you need to find a way to rinse it first, which isn't easy if your outside faucets are shut off and hoses drained for the winter. I like how it works so much that it's the only washing method I use, year round.

[LiquidMercury]

Pressure washer plus foam cannon and a two bucket wash any time of the year as weather permits. I've used touchless car washes during the winter to remove the nastiest of shit winter tosses out on the roads, but honestly waterless (to me) is a gimmick and can take twice as long to clean your car, especially if you're wanting it for winter, then waterless ain't the way to go.

It generally comes in a windex bottle size and unless you have awesome forearm muscles, trust me, they'll be dead after spraying your entire car, lol. Waterless is essentially for very light dirt/dust build up on your car, not for winter grime/salt. I wouldn't recommend it for that, let alone any time of the year, but that's my opinion.

[thatg20guy]

I agree with Billfitz and use ONR for the winters here in Chicago as much as I can. There's a difference between waterless washing and rinseless washing and you need to be very careful which method you use when. Like LiquidMercury said, waterless washes are mainly a spray-on product that you can wipe down - they provide a little more lubrication/cleaning power compared to a standard detail spray, and are usually recommended for light dust/post-rain cleaning with little dirt and grime.

Rinseless washes are used with one (or 2) buckets and either a wash mitt (you'd use the 2-bucket method here) or a bunch of microfiber towels soaked in the rinseless wash solution. I use the one bucket method with a bunch of microfiber towels, flipping the towel after each pass. It's also recommended to saturate the panel you're cleaning with a quick detailer spray made of the same rinseless wash you're using (1:16 if using ONR) before you start wiping the panel down with the ONR saturated towel.

With salt and other nastiness that harsh winters bring, I like to go to a DIY car wash and just pressure wash all the big debris off before doing an ONR wash - just helps to minimize marring and scratching. Hope this helps!

[Billfitz]

Originally Posted by LiquidMercury

It generally comes in a windex bottle size and unless you have awesome forearm muscles, trust me, they'll be dead after spraying your entire car

Not with Optimum. You add it to a bucket with a couple of gallons of water, soak a microfiber towel in it, wipe a panel clean, then wipe it dry with another microfiber towel. Once the first washing towel gets dirty I use what was the drying towel as the next washing towel, putting another dry towel into the rotation. It takes me less time to wash with No Rinse than with other methods.

[LiquidMercury]

Originally Posted by Billfitz

Not with Optimum. You add it to a bucket with a couple of gallons of water, soak a microfiber towel in it, wipe a panel clean, then wipe it dry with another microfiber towel. Once the first washing towel gets dirty I use what was the drying towel as the next washing towel, putting another dry towel into the rotation. It takes me less time to wash with No Rinse than with other methods.

Ah, that's good to know as that's the only type I've seen online. I'll be honest that I've never actually tried this type of product outside of what I've seen simply online. If it works well, that's a good option.

[Maxwagen]

I don't have any DIY car washes near me. Best I think I could do would be to run it through the touchless wash to get the garbage off, and then do a waterless wash at home make it shiny.

[LiquidMercury]

Originally Posted by Maxwagen

I don't have any DIY car washes near me. Best I think I could do would be to run it through the touchless wash to get the garbage off, and then do a waterless wash at home make it shiny.

Seriously? Not a single one? That's just, barbaric my friend! Complain to your city counsel asap! lol

[jeffc83]

I also use Optimum no rinse and it's great for winters here. I also have some stuff from Amazon (can grab name if interested) that uses NO water but it is horrible in the sun as it dries too quickly so I tend not to use it as much. In the shade, it's works quite nicely as is creates a "thick haze" that simply gets buffed out after spraying leaving the surface perfect.

[Maxwagen]

Originally Posted by LiquidMercury

Seriously? Not a single one? That's just, barbaric my friend! Complain to your city counsel asap! lol

Actually I just did another check and there are self service bays hat I didn't know of before. No excuses now!

[SportySpice]

Waterless wash works great when the car isn't very dirty. I use it almost exclusively in the summer. I really like that I can do it anywhere because my garage is narrow and not detailing friendly.

I tried waterless, rinseless, and the traditional two (actually three) bucket method at self-service facilities last winter in Chicago. Luckily, it was a relatively mild winter for us so, weather permitting (temps in 20s or higher), I went with the traditional wash. I found it gave best bang for the effort.

I'm surprised by all the fans of rinseless wash here. I guess individual living conditions and preferences matter. I don't find rinseless to be any easier than a traditional wash. If anything, it's a bigger hassle because of all the towels needed, and I worried about rubbing a cloth on my salt-encrusted paint without soapy foam. If this winter is colder and the traditional method REALLY isn't practical, I may revisit. But for me, it's my least favorite way to clean my car.

Do you folks do anything to clean the salt from the undercarriage of the car? I'd shoot a blast of water from the pressure washer under there while cleaning, but I always wondered if I was making things worse. Thoughts?

[Maxwagen]

Anyone run their car through a touchless to get it "clean" and then finish off with waterless to get it "actually" clean? I'm not opposed to doing the touchless wash in the winter without a wax cycle, but in terms if getting your car actually shiny clean, it's not that good.

[Billfitz]

Originally Posted by SportySpice

I don't find rinseless to be any easier than a traditional wash.

Traditional wash: rinse the car, wash it with detergent in water applied with sponge or microfiber towel, rinse again, wipe dry with microfiber towels.
Rinseless wash: wash it with no-rinsh in water applied with a microfiber towel, wipe dry with microfiber towels.

If anything, it's a bigger hassle because of all the towels needed,

I use the same number of towels to dry the car with either method. I use that number of towels plus one to do the entire job with no-rinse: one towel initially to wash with, then when that towel is fully loaded with dirt the towel I was using to dry with becomes the next wash towel. On average six towels does the whole car, and that's not exactly a major expense. When done they get tossed into the regular laundry.

[SportySpice]

Originally Posted by Billfitz

Traditional wash: rinse the car, wash it with detergent in water applied with sponge or microfiber towel, rinse again, wipe dry with microfiber towels.
Rinseless wash: wash it with no-rinsh in water applied with a microfiber towel, wipe dry with microfiber towels.

I use the same number of towels to dry the car with either method. I use that number of towels plus one to do the entire job with no-rinse: one towel initially to wash with, then when that towel is fully loaded with dirt the towel I was using to dry with becomes the next wash towel. On average six towels does the whole car, and that's not exactly a major expense. When done they get tossed into the regular laundry.

Great - that's your experience. Mine is different.

[Dreamerbimmer]

Originally Posted by thatf30guy

I agree with Billfitz and use ONR for the winters here in Chicago as much as I can. There's a difference between waterless washing and rinseless washing and you need to be very careful which method you use when. Like LiquidMercury said, waterless washes are mainly a spray-on product that you can wipe down - they provide a little more lubrication/cleaning power compared to a standard detail spray, and are usually recommended for light dust/post-rain cleaning with little dirt and grime.

Rinseless washes are used with one (or 2) buckets and either a wash mitt (you'd use the 2-bucket method here) or a bunch of microfiber towels soaked in the rinseless wash solution. I use the one bucket method with a bunch of microfiber towels, flipping the towel after each pass. It's also recommended to saturate the panel you're cleaning with a quick detailer spray made of the same rinseless wash you're using (1:16 if using ONR) before you start wiping the panel down with the ONR saturated towel.

With salt and other nastiness that harsh winters bring, I like to go to a DIY car wash and just pressure wash all the big debris off before doing an ONR wash - just helps to minimize marring and scratching. Hope this helps!

+1. This is how my Bimmer got through its first winter.

Normal dirty - ONR inside the garage using Garry Dean method.
Very dirty - Coin-op car wash first, just to rinse it first. Drive home and clean using Normal dirty method.
Very dirty and very cold - touchless car wash.

[MSCD]

This was posted by Detailers Image....

[435MSport6Speed]

During mid winter I just periodically use the self serve spray car wash to knock the big stuff off.

Non mid winter, I use ONR with lube pre soak. Works very well.

[bheng89]

+1 for ONR. Also a extra bonus, I use a mixture of ONR and water in a spray bottle for a quick detailer

This year, I plan on applying a layer or two of Chemical Guys Jet Seal before it starts to get cold. Hopefully it makes washing a bit easier this year around. Will make sure to report back of the results!

[Billfitz]

I've never used Jet Seal, and it may be perfectly OK, but I'd be concerned about a product that seems to be recommended for use on any surface, rather than only on paint. I can recommend this, which I do use:
https://www.amazon.com/Jescar-Power-...CNY46XBJKASQEY

It can be applied by hand, but it's much easier with a low speed buffer and foam pad. Put it on, let it set an hour or more, then buff with a buffing pad.

[John in VA]

Originally Posted by bheng89

This year, I plan on applying a layer or two of Chemical Guys Jet Seal before it starts to get cold. Hopefully it makes washing a bit easier this year around.

It's a sealant - nothing magical. I've used it on paint & wheels. It's better than Wheel Wax, but not much different than RejeX.

[klasser]

We have been using Detailer's Pride Rinseless wash for years now. And it really works well. It can even remove safely the hardest dirt like mud. It has been tried and tested with my wife's Jeep cleaning her moto metal wheels after driving it in the rain.