Waterless Car Washes (any good?)

After many years abroad, i finally made the move back to LA. Great to finally be back after nearly 8 years.

 

Got online yesterday to search for car washes nearby (Wilshire corridor) and noticed a lot of mobile companies that come out to your house and wash the car in your garage. Only, they don't use water. Just curious about how risky that is for the paint? I imagine that spraying something on a cloth and rubbing it on a dirty car couldnt be great for the clear coat.

 

Any advice/experience?

I remember a few threads a couple of years ago on the "other" lambo forum where a few guys swore by the stuff. I dont have any personal experience, I use Zaino on all our cars (and the owner is a forum member/all around great guy)

I would have to know more, but any waterless stuff I know about is not good at all for your paint. Only way I would even cosider it, is to have the car nano ceramic coated first, then I might do it.

I remember a few threads a couple of years ago on the "other" lambo forum where a few guys swore by the stuff. I dont have any personal experience, I use Zaino on all our cars (and the owner is a forum member/all around great guy)

 

Just looked it up online. Their products look excellent. Problem in my building is that i can't wash my car as they don't provide the tenants with a hose/water outlet. I would need to either get someone mobile who has their own water tank, or one of those waterless mobile companies.

 

I seem to have more luck finding the waterless options. Common sense says that it would be bad for the paint, although i must admit I've never tried anything like it before, so i don't know.

 

 

I would have to know more, but any waterless stuff I know about is not good at all for your paint. Only way I would even cosider it, is to have the car nano ceramic coated first, then I might do it.

 

I honestly have no idea what product the companies I've found use. I did a quick search on yelp and just went straight to the 5 star reviews. I did notice some pretty high end cars in their galleries. Some Super, some Hyper. But would still rather hear from someone about waterless wash options, or even better...get a recommendation/referral for a good one.

I know a famous painter that says there in no need to wash cars with water and soap, and swears by the waterless wash products. He recommended aquanil-x, and I have tried it and it is great. However I mostly use Smart Detail (blue stuff), and I like that even better & has carnauba wax in it. I dilute it 50% with warer, just spray a bit on a microfiber and then mist all over the car and then wipe the car down. I don't rub it in, but just wipe lightly first pass, and use the other side of the microfiber to have a little more pressure to dry. I have three dark color Panteras which sit under florescent lights (that lighting tends to bring out imperfections), and using these things for years my cars are still perfect paint. I would say just try some and see what you think. But I must say, if I ever had my cars out in bad weather with mud & such, then I may consider washing. But here in CA the worse my cars see is some heavy dust when we have bad winds, or maybe running over some sprinkler water, or some occasional bird crap, etc. But even then, I just use heavier detailer spray (in a way, almost like washing). Just wipe it on lightly like you are dusting, and then you can wipe a bit harder after that if desired to dry the wax component of the product. I love the stuff (Smart Detail works perfect for me). Maybe Smart Detail isn't considered a true "waterless wash" but it is my choice with 50% water mix.

It's safe with correct technique and little to no contaminants on the paint. Bad technique will swirl and scratch. I use it on my exotics that are stored or lightly used.

I did start to look into a product called Chadwick's Triple Play some while ago, I never did try it but checked a lot of the other forums and most gave good reviews.

My nagging question was will all the little nooks and crannies around things like the headlight ect just get full of dusty goop?

Wheels and brake calipers would take a long time also.

Thanks for the info guys. Love this place. Gonna try one of the mobile waterless detailers i found online. Not gonna risk learning to use these products myself at the expense of my paint. Ill see what products they use and how they apply.

 

If you guys have any recommendations for anybody you had a good experience with, i would gladly try.

Chadwick's is great, but given that it works like a detail spray, you want to limit it to cars with a relatively small amount of dust/dirt on them. For somewhat dirtier cars I'd use Optimum No Rinse (ONR), which you use by putting a small amount in a bucket of water and then using microfiber towels that you soak in it and wring out, and then gently go over a panel at a time. So you're using more liquid on the surface than you get with a spray on product like Chadwick's, which will loosen larger amounts of surface dirt better. But if you have a really dirty car you're probably better off to stick with a hose and the traditional method. I use Chadwick's a lot on our cars that are only driven in nice weather.

Does the nano coating really work? Amazon has a few products but I dont know which to get??

The coating has to be professionally applied.

 

The spray or bucket wash works well if the car is not too dirty. It is really used for dust, smudge and cars that are cleaned every couple of drives. It is easy to do yourself after a drive. Takes about 10 min to wipe the car down. Spray generously and wipe using a clean towel surface. If you don't wash for a couple of month and drive every weekend, I would go to a car wash place.

Does the nano coating really work? Amazon has a few products but I dont know which to get??

 

They are amazing. A product like CQuartz UK will last 2 years and you can buy that online and do it yourself. The prep work is key as the paint has to be better than clean for the coating to stick. I did both our daily drivers last fall and they both still bead water better than any wax or sealant I've ever used and we live in a fairly rugged high elevation climate. CQuartz UK is the only ceramic coating I'm aware of that you can buy, for the more high end stuff you have to have take it to a detailer. I recently had my 997TT done with Opticoat Pro Plus which is guaranteed to last 7 years. The detailer had the car for 3 weeks, did a full paint correction and sealed everything, calipers, wheels, door jams etc...

 

 

http://www.carpro-us.com/coatings/

 

^These guys carry all the good stuff and they have a bunch of good how to vids on youtube.

 

 

I use the various "quick detailer" sprays, but the rule I always follow is : Make sure youve got a good coat of wax on it before you use it, and only use it a few times before you re-wax.

I remember a few threads a couple of years ago on the "other" lambo forum where a few guys swore by the stuff. I dont have any personal experience, I use Zaino on all our cars (and the owner is a forum member/all around great guy)

 

There is no other lambo forum.

You can put opticoat your self. I did. I would never even consider waterless cleaning, such are vondtions where I live.

So after some research, i managed to find a mobile company that has a water tank in their truck. Looks like they have a pretty good rep. Testimonials and pics of their clients cars look pretty good. Saw quite a few high end supercars and sedans. Will probably try them out before resorting to any waterless solutions.

 

In case they end up blowing it, i wouldn't mind taking the car to a hand wash somewhere close by. Any suggestions near the 405 and Wilshire? Wouldn't mind driving a bit to get to a good quality spot.

So after some research, i managed to find a mobile company that has a water tank in their truck. Looks like they have a pretty good rep. Testimonials and pics of their clients cars look pretty good. Saw quite a few high end supercars and sedans. Will probably try them out before resorting to any waterless solutions.

 

In case they end up blowing it, i wouldn't mind taking the car to a hand wash somewhere close by. Any suggestions near the 405 and Wilshire? Wouldn't mind driving a bit to get to a good quality spot.

 

I used to use a place on Melrose near Fairfax... I think Allan uses the same place?

I always "wash" my aston with Chemical Guys Eco Wash. its a spray and wipe system and it works really well. I have had the car coated with opticoat for added protection. Just make sure if you use it you just wipe away the dirt and grime while not applying any weight to the towel. Then spray another coat wipe away again and then buff out the residue. The car looks new every time and since I have used it for just over a year now there are no marks or scratches. Give it a try.

I used to use a place on Melrose near Fairfax... I think Allan uses the same place?

 

Are they supercar friendly? I would be grateful if you can remember the name.

All you'll ever need to know about waterless wash can be found here. It's a great forum and place for supplies

http://www.autogeek.net/

Are they supercar friendly? I would be grateful if you can remember the name.

I think it's Melrose strip detailing.

 

And they were ten years ago.

I think it's Melrose strip detailing.

 

And they were ten years ago.

 

 

Thanks Roman. Just found it online. Looks like they are still there. Will drive by sometime this week when its time for another wash.

 

Not to sound snobby, but i didn't see a single high end vehicle/supercar in any of the pics. Then again, it was on yelp, so not the best indication. Did you ever take your supercars there?