Just tried Optimums No Rinse (ONR) for the first time. Review inside.

B

brig2221

New member
I have been washing cars for nearly 20 years now, and I just finally tried Optimum No Rinse. Bottom line, I am simply amazed. It was so easy to use, left the paint slick and clean, and cut my car washing time at least 50-60% with better results than I typically get with a traditional wash.



What an amazing product! I created this thread because I am guessing there are a lot of other forum lurkers out there like me that know about this product like I did, but hesitated using it because it just didn't sound right and was so different that what you are used to. If you are one of those people, you HAVE to give ONR a try! I promise you will love it.



I am in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, and my specific city has some very severe water restrictions at the moment, and they most likely won't be going away any time soon (years) due to very poor city planning, or lack thereof. This product is a godsend and I cannot wait to wash my car again from the comforts of my shady garage.



I am very surprised that local city governments that are trying to conserve water don't promote products like this.
 
Yes I agree, an excellent product. I didn't like it the first times I used it because I thought it was marring the paint, but I worked on my technique and I get virtually none. Plus it saves a ton of time.
 
Can you please post your technique? I used the stuff for the first time two nights ago with the schmitt and I felt like I was maring the paint.



Thank you.
 
The first time I used it I actually had fun. It was so easy but to be honest I still like the good ol' tried and true conventional method.
 
I recently picked up some ONR, and came to the same conclusion, GREAT PRODUCT! It is great for maintenance washes , however, it does not replace conventional washing. I can ONRWS in under a half hour with minimal if any marring. PLUS, its great to boost conventional wash slickness and stellar in the gilmore foam gun.
 
NSXTASY said:
It is great for maintenance washes , however, it does not replace conventional washing.
Click to expand...



I feel the same way about ONR. I think for the average Autopian's car, this is a really good product to have in your arsenal. It's a huge time saver. Being that the weather where I live is great most of the year, at the moment I still prefer conventional washing. I still haven't gotten used to the fact that washing with ONR doesn't feel much different than washing a car with water only.
 
I've only used ONR once, last weekend, and had no hazing at all. That said, even if I get some light hazing, I'm not really worried about it as I almost always follow up with some Pinnacle Crystal Mist QD afterwards.



Someone asked about my technique. Well, I learned from the master. I had Scottwax detail my car a few weeks back. I literally sat there for 20 minutes watching him wash my car with ONR and was simply amazed at how clean the car was, and how quickly he was able to do it.



I just use my same fairly large Microfiber sponge. Since it is larger and does "leak" water if you will, I start with the roof, then go to the front and rear windshild, and then the hood and trunk. I do this because any water that runs down the car is no biggie since I will be doing the side panels last. Oh yeah, I do the tires and wheels before everything. I use two Pakshak mircofiber waffle weaves. I use one to do an initial pass picking up most of the water, and the second towel to do a second pass to removing everything left. Two towels are enough for my Accord.



Barring the car being a complete disaster and full of actual mud, I believe my ONR wash actually gives a better look than a traditional wash, and the paint is slick to boot!



I hate to say it, but I can't wait to wash my car again this weekend with ONR!
 
I love ONR



I actually busted out the foam gun yesterday for the first time since last summer, it was a blast, until it was time to dry the car, such as hassle with all that water.



ONR is the way to go. I don't see why it cant replace conventional washing unless you just went 4x4ing.



For you ONR new guys, make sure you dry your car up properly, or you'll be left with a "film."
 
I am also sold on ONR, its a huge time-saver. I still use a hose, brushes and normal car soap for the wheel-wells/tires and then a bucket of ONR for the paint. :dance
 
I hate ONR because after my wife saw how easy it was to use never lets me get away with the excuse....."But honey, I'm tired and it takes to long to wash your car!"



She'll say, "It will only take you 15 minutes with that No Rinse stuff!!"



Stinking No Rinse has ruined my life:hairpull
 
brig2221 said:
Someone asked about my technique. Well, I learned from the master. I had Scottwax detail my car a few weeks back. I literally sat there for 20 minutes watching him wash my car with ONR and was simply amazed at how clean the car was, and how quickly he was able to do it.
Click to expand...



I think Eric will agree that the way I showed him is described exactly in this thread:



http://autopia.org/forum/car-detail...osting-how-i-wash-cars-threads-here-mine.html



Eric-glad to hear that watching me wash your car with ONR made your first experience using it so successful. :)
 
Yeah, I would completely agree with Scott's write up on how he washes cars. That thread really should be stickied.



To touch on what someone else said. I started off with a soft Chenille white pad, and it was black halfway through the car. I went back to my trusted Microfiber sponge. It worked great. The only thing I had to do was wring about 1/2-3/4 of the water out so it didn't get too messy, but not so much that you didn't have enough to clean the paint. It got real easy after a few minutes.



There really are SO MANY benefits to using this product. I mean, it cuts your time down at least in half from a traditional wash, leaves the paint slicker with more of a shine in my opinion, and probably the biggest for me is, you don't get any spotting. Here in North Texas, unless you are the Flash, it is pretty much impossible to dry off all of the water on your paint before sections dry on their own due to the heat and sun. With ONR, you don't have that problem as you are only cleaning small sections at a time, plus you can do it from the comforts of your shaded garage.



Again, I would reiterate to all of the forum lurker out there, give this product a try, you won't be disappointed!
 
One question about using ONR for wheen washing. Do you think that the polymers left behind using ONR on the wheels are sufficient facilitate easy brake dust removal at regular wash intervals? I'd love to not have to wax the wheels, and since my car is relatively new, the wash with ONR and an old sheepskin mitt followed by drying/buffing with MF left them loking very nice and shiny. I did my first ONR wash last weekend and was very impressed as well. I should've bought the larger size from the start:wall.



Cheers,

HeavyB
 
Heavy B, I will quote what Scottwax has said in the past regarding cleaning wheels, and I wholeheartedly agree with him. That is, if you wash your vehicle and wheels consistently, you should never have a problem removing brake dust from your wheels. Only when you let them sit for several weeks or months without washing do you really have a problem cleaning them with traditional car washing soap or ONR.



In my experience I believe that to absolutely be true. I consistently wash my car once a week, and the wheels will always have brake dust and dirt on them, but never enough to where I can't take a sponge with ONR and clean them quickly.



I tell you, this auto detailing stuff becomes addictive doesn't it?
 
:bigups Big ONR fan here to, been a "user" since Santa brought me a bottle. Now that bug season is upon us, what is the strategy there. Rely on Tarminator etc, after the wash? Use a separate MF sponge and lightly scrub during the wash?
 
I ordered some ONR after I saw some pictures Scottwax posted in another thread showing how wonderfully ONR works even on REALLY dirty cars. I just used it on my girlfriend's '98 Ford Contour Sport today and it *definitely* has some extra "zazz" after you wash with ONR compared to regular car wash (Meg. Gold Class wash or NXT wash) that I've been using.



Although I live in Wisconsin and am surrounded by lakes, rivers, an abundance of water, I wanted to try ONR after finding out about it 1) to be more "green" by not wasting tons of water using a conventional wash 2) because it's been so freakin' cold whenever I try to wash my car lately that I feel like my hands are about to freeze off and 3) when winter comes again **cries** I'll at least be able to wash my car in the garage and do a 1,000,000x better of a job than drive-thru touchless washes for waaaaaay cheaper. ONR has made me ashamed that all I did was go to drive-thru touchless washes with my car from October to March.



When I was done washing my gf's car today, I had a big smile on my face knowing I only used 4 gallons of water for the entire process! :-D



Many many thanks to Scottwax for posting the "in-process" ONR pictures that thoroughly convinced me to get it! ::thumbs up::
 
Does anyone have a link to that scottwax thread. I have read his "how i wash cars thread" but not the "in process" ONR thread.



Jim
 
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