Anyone ever try a rinseless wash of their vehicle? If so what were your results and was it worthwhile?

I am thinking of this for our cars during the horrid winter season where access to a water hose is not an option and want to avoid automatic car washes.

I got some products ordered and can test/practice on my spare car, a 2004 Honda Accord to see what happens.

I just hate seeing our newer cars caked with road grime and salt in the winter like the car in the video. I do make sure they have a fresh coat of quality sealant before winter starts. Using Jescar Ultralock Plus.

This video goes over the process. Normally those who use this process don't let their cars get this dirty but here in northern Illinois it is not a reality for most of us in the winter for daily drivers.

Thanks for sharing any experiences.

I wash my vehicle once a year - in April to clear off all the winter salt and sand. The rest of the time I'll pull it out of the garage once a month during a steady rainfall.

I've done it in the winter and works to get the salt/grime off. It doesn't replace a 'wet' car wash but leaving salt on a newer/nicer car isn't great.

Are you worried about scratches?

Is a 'touchless' car wash available in your area eg just water and no use of brushes.

quote:

Originally posted by Graniteguy:
I wash my vehicle once a year - in April to clear off all the winter salt and sand. The rest of the time I'll pull it out of the garage once a month during a steady rainfall.

I have been guilty of pretty much the same in the past myself.

quote:

Originally posted by sig 226:
I've done it in the winter and works to get the salt/grime off. It doesn't replace a 'wet' car wash but leaving salt on a newer/nicer car isn't great.

Are you worried about scratches?

Is a 'touchless' car wash available in your area eg just water and no use of brushes.

Thanks for sharing your experience and I agree 100 percent about trying to get the salt grime off.

There are a couple available but my concern is that they use very powerful chemicals to get the car clean that could possibly remove or diminish significantly my sealant and possibly degrade plastic trim . The other downside is that all the car washes are mobbed with long lines when there is a break in the weather.

I have done a hose wash before in the winter but I have to drag the hose real out of the basement and then drain it and put it back when I am done and if freezing comes back that night I could have ice on the driveway. Plus if I can do rinseless wash in garage I will be out of any wind and it is warmer and I can use warm water in the bucket for more comfort on my hands.

The rinseless wash option looks interesting. Supposedly the latest products do a really good job of breaking down the dirt and suspending it in the solution and also provide good lube to remove safely supposedly during the wash and also provide lubrication during drying. To remove really heavy grime it is recommended to do initial pre spray of rinseless solution mixed in warm water, rinse off with warm water in sprayer after a few minutes which will float off most the dirt/grime, and then spray rinseless solution again to do the contact wash part and then towel dry and maybe spray on some sealant and wipe off after that if needed.

Find a touchless wash with a monthly membership, these places are all the rage now, sign up when the weather gets bad and cancel it when the weather is good again, top of the line with all the trimmings is $30 a month.

You can run your car through it 10 times a day if you want, zero extra cost, net cost, $3 a wash. They have free vacuums, the ones here are well taken care of corporate owned not some guy doing it on his own, machines are maintained, work, and you can buy a package with all the sealants, wax, tire clean and shine or base level.

Cheap really if you live up north, I do it here in lovebug season and the rainy months then cancel it. There are no contracts no penalties, find the one you like.

Run the car through it to get off all the grit, grime, salt, dirt, ice, caked on schmutz it will not only clean off the body but the under carriage which is where you won't get with that touchless stuff.

Frankly I wouldn't touch a car I like with it with all that Illinois winter road grime on it.

quote:

Originally posted by grumpy1:

quote:

Originally posted by sig 226:
I've done it in the winter and works to get the salt/grime off. It doesn't replace a 'wet' car wash but leaving salt on a newer/nicer car isn't great.

Are you worried about scratches?

Is a 'touchless' car wash available in your area eg just water and no use of brushes.

Thanks for sharing your experience and I agree 100 percent about trying to get the salt grime off.

There are a couple available but my concern is that they use very powerful chemicals to get the car clean that could possibly remove or diminish significantly my sealant and possibly degrade plastic trim . The other downside is that all the car washes are mobbed with long lines when there is a break in the weather.

I have done a hose wash before in the winter but I have to drag the hose real out of the basement and then drain it and put it back when I am done and if freezing comes back that night I could have ice on the driveway. Plus if I can do rinseless wash in garage I will be out of any wind and it is warmer and I can use warm water in the bucket for more comfort on my hands.

The rinseless wash option looks interesting. Supposedly the latest products do a really good job of breaking down the dirt and suspending it in the solution and also provide good lube to remove safely supposedly during the wash and also provide lubrication during drying. To remove really heavy grime it is recommended to do initial pre spray of rinseless solution mixed in warm water, rinse off with warm water in sprayer after a few minutes which will float off most the dirt/grime, and then spray rinseless solution again to do the contact wash part and then towel dry and maybe spray on some sealant and wipe off after that if needed.

Yes I failed to elaborate on the pre rinse steps, but I did follow those as well... I used Optimum No Rinse Wash and Shine Version 6 FWIW.

If you wanted to avoid hard water spots, I used distilled water as part of the process.

I have in the past. All the vehicles are ceramic coated now.

quote:

Originally posted by grumpy1:
The rinseless wash option looks interesting. Supposedly the latest products do a really good job of breaking down the dirt and suspending it in the solution and also provide good lube to remove safely supposedly during the wash and also provide lubrication during drying. To remove really heavy grime it is recommended to do initial pre spray of rinseless solution mixed in warm water, rinse off with warm water in sprayer after a few minutes which will float off most the dirt/grime, and then spray rinseless solution again to do the contact wash part and then towel dry and maybe spray on some sealant and wipe off after that if needed.

I keep a quart of McKee's N945 on-hand. Previously, I went through 1 bottle of Optimum No Rinse (aka ONR) plus a free sample of AutoGeek's house brand. Rinseless washes generally fall in 2 categories:

polymer based (i.e. encapsulate and rinse away)

surfactant based (i.e. powerful cleaners) with good lubrication

I wouldn't do it in winter with salt, sand, etc. on the car. Personally, I consider it more of a it's too damn hot in July and August to drag out the pressure washer and all the gear. A pump or battery sprayer, a bucket, 3 specialty rinseless wash towels, and a drying towel and I'm around the car 3x faster than a regular wash.

We don't have real winter in Texas, but I've lived in Alaska, Canada, and Upper Midwest. I grew up with a father in autobody so I've been raised from a young age to be picky about paint.

I have seen a YouTuber combine a steamer (one on wheels not the little quart handheld) with a rinseless wash. He used to steamer to get the chunks of ice off wheelwheels and lower trim, then used it to blast off grime on the paint, and then used a rinseless wash. If memory serves correct he was in Chicago.

quote:

Originally posted by Prefontaine:
I have in the past. All the vehicles are ceramic coated now.

So is my truck and my motorcycle. It makes both rinseless wash and conventional wash much faster and less frequent.

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Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.

I use a consumer grade ceramic, and touchless washes. Cars usually look good.

I usually go with the washless wash.

We use a product our PPF / wrap guy recommends since all three wrapped cars are ceramic coated and can’t be run through an automatic wash.

It works really well and is super cost efficient. I think the bottle was $30 and it’s a cap full per spray bottle using distilled water. So
Maybe $1 a wash tops and takes 15-20 minutes. I got a second spray bottle and keep it in the SUV with a microfiber for quick detailer spray between washes

I used Optimum Rinseless often on my motorcycle when I didn't want to spend a lot of time drying after a regular wash. I had intended to use it on my truck in the winter but never did, I worried about scratches from the road salt.

During the winter I take my 4Runner through a car wash frequently. I don't mind sitting in line for a wash because I want to undercarriage sprayed to get as much salt off.

This rinseless wash looks interesting and I can see the benefits. However, my garage doesn't have a floor drain, so I'd have a problem with a wet floor that would freeze at night.

Thanks for the replies. All very helpful and interesting. Also encouraged by replies of members who have used rinseless wash making it a real possible option for me.

I have a quart of McKees N-914 Rinseless Wash - V2 (a proprietary, hyper-concentrated blend featuring advanced surfactant chemistry and high-lubricity cleaning agents) and one of their sponges on the way to try out and can practice on the old car. I am very impressed with the Jescar Ultralock Plus liquid sealant and as sealants go it is supposed to be very durable and chemical resistant and if apply another coat in Novemeber it should make it through the winter in good shape. A true ceramic coating may be a viable option too in the future.

I think there are a couple self serve car washes nearby too and it seems from reading online comments a lot like to go to them in the winter to remove the heavy stuff and then drive home to finish with a rinseless wash in the driveway or garage depending on how bad the weather is. Some even pre spray their vehicle with the rinseless wash solution just before driving to the self service wash or when they get there.

Thinking of getting a Dewalt 20V cordless pressure washer too. Been a while since I got a new power tool toy That could cut down the water I use significantly for car washing and water bills are outrageous in my area.

https://www.homedepot.com/pep/...-DCPW550P1/314265865

Got to say it is damn depressing talking about winter, winter driving, snow, and road salt already though.

Thanks again for the responses.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: grumpy1,

quote:

Originally posted by ptruck:

This rinseless wash looks interesting and I can see the benefits. However, my garage doesn't have a floor drain, so I'd have a problem with a wet floor that would freeze at night.

That's never an issue with the products we're discussing. You never use enough that it drips.

That said, it's not a replacement for a good old fashion touchless spray wash in winter to get the salt off everywhere

quote:

Originally posted by grumpy1:
Thanks for the replies. All very helpful and interesting. Also encouraged by replies of members who have used rinseless wash making it a real possible option for me.

Got to say it is damn depressing talking about winter, winter driving, snow, and road salt already though.

Thanks again for the responses.

Nice if you get the cordless pressure washer, a new toy is always good.

As I posted before, find a wash with a membership and sign up for the winter, many have first month half off membership drives.

Better than getting out in the cold and spraying down a car with icy floors in a bay.

Ive used a couple of gallons of opti no rinse & love it. Wash, drying aid, clay lube, washing house windows, lots of uses. There are other brands out there that are newer, but opti was the OG. I also use their touch less pre wash (ok) and their waterless wash (great on windows). I have black vehicles, so I can be picky, but I don't wash as much as I should.

They only gripe I have is it will streak if you over mix it as a drying aid. I did that on my truck last time & didn't notice until it was set. It will wear off, but I can see it.
A 32oz bottle will last a while with 1-2 cars & 1 wash a month.

quote:

Originally posted by grumpy1:
I think there are a couple self serve car washes nearby too and it seems from reading online comments a lot like to go to them in the winter to remove the heavy stuff and then drive home to finish with a rinseless wash in the driveway or garage depending on how bad the weather is. Some even pre spray their vehicle with the rinseless wash solution just before driving to the self service wash or when they get there.

The car wash first in winter would be much better. I think of my Alaska days driving home from work with snow/ice all over my truck, using nearest touchless carwash to my house, and driving home the 1 mile. Looking at it in the garage there would be a film that in hindsight would have been perfect to get off with rinseless.

As far as using as a prewash, N914 works very well in this role. For example, I want to minimize my time in the sun in the summer when the heat index is 108, but I think my truck is too dirty for regular rinseless wash technique. I spray on the N914 while still in the garage (i.e. this is replacing the foam cannon step usually done in hot sun), back out into the driveway, use pressure washer to rinse off, and then hand wash with regular car shampoo.