Waterless Wash - My First Time! Not impressed :(

[Kristian87uk]

Don't get me wrong - I think it is a good product. Thought about trying it many times, and finally did. Let me set the scene;

 

Car was washed 12 days beforehand. Normal 2 bucket wash, with foam spray. Detail spray on to wet paintwork & dried. Virtually no rain since then, so all I had was a good layer of dust - when I say "good layer", i'm talking more than light dust but not what I would call heavy, or as soiled as it would be in other conditions. Seemed like a good time to try WW, even it it was a tad dirtier than I would have liked. Also bear in mind I had a light machine polish done professionally about 9/10 weeks ago, after which the paintwork was flawless.

 

I ended up using 2/3 of the bottle! as I wanted to be sure I had enough product to get the best results possible. Was a pleasant product to use and the WW towels picked up a decent amount or crap from the paint. Results looked good initially but bear in mind this was nearing sunset & I was working in the shade.

 

Skip to this morning - nice sunny day, and I could have a good look at the results. This is where it gets disappointing. Although I can't say for sure that before my WW adventure there was ANY scratches, there now is - admittedly its minor, but in particular on the hood - it's noticeable to my eyes. I wiped up & down in straight lines and the scratches match that pattern. Roof seems ok, or should I say, not as bad as the hood. I must say that I'm no expert when it comes to paint correction/polishing/observing minor defects so a lot of this may just be bad timing and I'm looking more than I normally would. That said, I like to think I have a pretty good technique when it comes to washing/detailing. So the feeling at the moment is that I did some damage

 

So...is it fair to say this product is not great for those who have a flawless finish? Or was I simply impatient and my car was simply too dirty?

 

Must admit, I'm feeling a bit sorry for myself right now...

 

Nothing that I light polish won't fix, but still.

[2012srt8]

1 hour ago, Kristian87uk said:

Don't get me wrong - I think it is a good product. Thought about trying it many times, and finally did. Let me set the scene;

 

Car was washed 12 days beforehand. Normal 2 bucket wash, with foam spray. Detail spray on to wet paintwork & dried. Virtually no rain since then, so all I had was a good layer of dust - when I say "good layer", i'm talking more than light dust but not what I would call heavy, or as soiled as it would be in other conditions. Seemed like a good time to try WW, even it it was a tad dirtier than I would have liked. Also bear in mind I had a light machine polish done professionally about 9/10 weeks ago, after which the paintwork was flawless.

 

I ended up using 2/3 of the bottle! as I wanted to be sure I had enough product to get the best results possible. Was a pleasant product to use and the WW towels picked up a decent amount or crap from the paint. Results looked good initially but bear in mind this was nearing sunset & I was working in the shade.

 

Skip to this morning - nice sunny day, and I could have a good look at the results. This is where it gets disappointing. Although I can't say for sure that before my WW adventure there was ANY scratches, there now is - admittedly its minor, but in particular on the hood - it's noticeable to my eyes. I wiped up & down in straight lines and the scratches match that pattern. Roof seems ok, or should I say, not as bad as the hood. I must say that I'm no expert when it comes to paint correction/polishing/observing minor defects so a lot of this may just be bad timing and I'm looking more than I normally would. That said, I like to think I have a pretty good technique when it comes to washing/detailing. So the feeling at the moment is that I did some damage

 

So...is it fair to say this product is not great for those who have a flawless finish? Or was I simply impatient and my car was simply too dirty?

 

Must admit, I'm feeling a bit sorry for myself right now...

 

Nothing that I light polish won't fix, but still.

honestly,I think it's the waterless wash towels that did it.there crap. first time I used a d same issue.my paint was just polished and tried waterless wash and I had light scratches. I tried using double softs and that worked way better or try using and ultra plush. 

[pirahnah3]

2 hours ago, Kristian87uk said:

Don't get me wrong - I think it is a good product. Thought about trying it many times, and finally did. Let me set the scene;

 

Car was washed 12 days beforehand. Normal 2 bucket wash, with foam spray. Detail spray on to wet paintwork & dried. Virtually no rain since then, so all I had was a good layer of dust - when I say "good layer", i'm talking more than light dust but not what I would call heavy, or as soiled as it would be in other conditions. Seemed like a good time to try WW, even it it was a tad dirtier than I would have liked. Also bear in mind I had a light machine polish done professionally about 9/10 weeks ago, after which the paintwork was flawless.

 

I ended up using 2/3 of the bottle! as I wanted to be sure I had enough product to get the best results possible. Was a pleasant product to use and the WW towels picked up a decent amount or crap from the paint. Results looked good initially but bear in mind this was nearing sunset & I was working in the shade.

 

Skip to this morning - nice sunny day, and I could have a good look at the results. This is where it gets disappointing. Although I can't say for sure that before my WW adventure there was ANY scratches, there now is - admittedly its minor, but in particular on the hood - it's noticeable to my eyes. I wiped up & down in straight lines and the scratches match that pattern. Roof seems ok, or should I say, not as bad as the hood. I must say that I'm no expert when it comes to paint correction/polishing/observing minor defects so a lot of this may just be bad timing and I'm looking more than I normally would. That said, I like to think I have a pretty good technique when it comes to washing/detailing. So the feeling at the moment is that I did some damage

 

So...is it fair to say this product is not great for those who have a flawless finish? Or was I simply impatient and my car was simply too dirty?

 

Must admit, I'm feeling a bit sorry for myself right now...

 

Nothing that I light polish won't fix, but still.

Sorry to hear of the troubles, there are a couple of things that could have led to it happening. 

 

1. Too much dust and dirt on the paint, waterless is great for light dust removal but there could have been more than it could take.

2. And this goes right with #1 is how often did you flip the towel? I have cleaned some fairly dirty cars but end up using two or more towels due to having to flip to a clean side often. 

 

Not that these would be the only issue, there could have been something on the towel already or something stuck in the towel during the process. Thankfully as you said they are light scratches and will polish out quickly and easily. Also, you do go thru a fair bit of waterless but sounds like you overused it a touch for a normal use of an average sized car. I can usually get 2-3 cars out of a 16oz bottle for just doing light cleanings. I like waterless for its ease of use but it does have its limitations. Another option is if you like the thought process of waterless is to dilute rinse less wash about 16:1 which makes something about like waterless and can be used the same way. 

[Kristian87uk]

13 minutes ago, pirahnah3 said:

1. Too much dust and dirt on the paint, waterless is great for light dust removal but there could have been more than it could take.

2. And this goes right with #1 is how often did you flip the towel? I have cleaned some fairly dirty cars but end up using two or more towels due to having to flip to a clean side often. 

 

I folded the WW towels in a way that gave me 16 surfaces - about hand sized. Did the hood (Mustang) with 4 clean surfaces. Watched plenty of videos haha. I used both towels and even broke out a separate mf towel for the glass.

 

Pretty sure it was just a case of the paint being a little too dirty for WW to handle. If you think of light dust on the paint, or pollen, then you can't really feel it when running your finger through it. Mine had enough build up "stuck" to the paint to the point where you can feel it when dragging your finger on it.

 

Looked again with a colleague from work and he struggled to find one light scratch - he did in the end though. Again, good product, but not one for me - I'm far too precious about my paint and would rather spend the time with the best methods

[Nickfire20]

Sounds like maybe too much dirt,  did you lift or pull the towel upward as you wiped?  Also flip the towel on every swipe?

 

this is a good video,  but he wasn’t pulling  the towel in the upward motion,  waterless wash is great and I do it often, with no issues on a Black Tahoe.

 

 

Edited July 12, 2018 by Nickfire20

[Kristian87uk]

13 hours ago, Nickfire20 said:

Sounds like maybe too much dirt,  did you lift or pull the towel upward as you wiped?  Also flip the towel on every swipe?

 

Perhaps I used poor technique thinking back about it now...I did my best to make sure each swipe was using a clean part of the towel, but I'm sure I slipped up in places!

 

Don't think I'll use again, but I reckon it will do a good job of cleaning all the matte plastics under the hood! Is it safe to use there? Or should I be using APC?

[07stanggt]

Personally I use concentrated Adams Rinseless Wash. I go through about 25 oz or so in a 32 oz bottle when I use it per wash. I find that really soaking the panels and then wiping it gets much better results. The more you apply, the more dirt  it will pull off without scratching. 2 ounces in a 32 ounce bottle using distilled water works awesome. Get a spray bottle with a sprayer that dispenses a lot of product. The concentrate is a much better value

[Velvethelmet]

 I agree with the rinseless wash being a great product that won't scratch if used properly. I dilute at 3oz per 32oz bottle and it works better than the waterless wash imo. 

[falcaineer]

8 hours ago, Kristian87uk said:

 

Perhaps I used poor technique thinking back about it now...I did my best to make sure each swipe was using a clean part of the towel, but I'm sure I slipped up in places!

 

Don't think I'll use again, but I reckon it will do a good job of cleaning all the matte plastics under the hood! Is it safe to use there? Or should I be using APC?

 

It should be fine under the hood, but the Eco APC will be a much better degreaser. If you haven't seen the videos, here are a couple and a forum article...

 

 

 

 

Also note if you really aren't happy with the product, Adam's will gladly honor their 110% guarantee. Just give them a call.

 

3 hours ago, 07stanggt said:

Personally I use concentrated Adams Rinseless Wash. I go through about 25 oz or so in a 32 oz bottle when I use it per wash. I find that really soaking the panels and then wiping it gets much better results. The more you apply, the more dirt  it will pull off without scratching. 2 ounces in a 32 ounce bottle using distilled water works awesome. Get a spray bottle with a sprayer that dispenses a lot of product. The concentrate is a much better value

 

1 hour ago, Velvethelmet said:

 I agree with the rinseless wash being a great product that won't scratch if used properly. I dilute at 3oz per 32oz bottle and it works better than the waterless wash imo. 

 

I tend to use diluted RW, as well, for much the same reasons. But I throw in WW every once in while just for the smell alone. 

[Kristian87uk]

7 minutes ago, falcaineer said:

Also note if you really aren't happy with the product, Adam's will gladly honor their 110% guarantee. Just give them a call.

 

Thanks for the info...

 

I'm planning on doing my normal wash this weekend as the weather is looking pretty damn good and will no doubt clay & wax, I'll assess the paintwork a bit more then. I don't think the 110% guarantee will carry over to sunny old England? If I really feel unhappy, I sure ask the re-seller the question!

[falcaineer]

6 hours ago, Kristian87uk said:

 

Thanks for the info...

 

I'm planning on doing my normal wash this weekend as the weather is looking pretty damn good and will no doubt clay & wax, I'll assess the paintwork a bit more then. I don't think the 110% guarantee will carry over to sunny old England? If I really feel unhappy, I sure ask the re-seller the question!

 

I bet it would! 

 

Oh, and if you're gonna assess the paint presumably for what the WW may have done, do it before you clay as that could add some marring to the mix. 

[zw470]

The only place I've ever used WW is on doorjambs and under-hood. I especially love the look it leaves behind under-hood.