sportruck00

Hopefully this one doesn't streak on smooth plastics?  If so, I can't wait to try the new one.

True story! For example, this vehicle has a handful of finishes.. (Interior vinyl, gloss black, carbon fiber, matte, etc) It would be nice to find a product to easily tackle them all streak free!

Not sure I have had microfiber quality issues. I do have a set of towels about 3yrs old in which today I noticed a slight trace of microfiber being left behind. I couldn't get a good picture physically off paint, but was able to duplicate what I am seeing from stainless. Is this the end of this towel? Thanks for your input!

Haha fair enough!

The new current version waterless wash towels are awesome. Always soft and clean up nice.

 

The latest towels are interesting. I look forward to trying them. There is no doubt these are very very soft! Nice that they come bag packaged as well. I was a bit caught off guard initially with the weave pattern, more specifically the some-what loose weave loops in the square portion of the towel pattern. 

Is one better than the other? And why?

 

In reading posts here, I get the sense that rinse-less is considered 'safer'....?? Am I reading that correctly?

 

If yes, why? It's pretty much the same concept. Except one way you spray the product onto the car...vs...the product being on the towel.

 

My understanding is that rinseless is an ultra-concentrate, method specific formula with polymers and wax. With that being said, if you want to clean your car by this method, there literally is no safer product that can be used.

 

Rinseless: My most recent mystery box purchase included rinseless and a double soft towel. I gave the process a shot for the first time and have no complaints. It is a very legitimate process. I feel it is safe and sound.

 

Waterless: I have owned waterless for years and have used it for quick touch ups with a waterless waffle weave towel. More recently I use waterless primarily for door jambs in which have the exact type of dirt and build up these products are made for.

Are these the original waterless towels? Literally my favorite, not necessarily for waterless use. I've pretty much always used these as utility towels for jambs, etc. These towels probably are the single best longest lasting towels around. Still very soft and always clean up nice!

 

What do you all think of the most recent version of waterless wash towels? I just got the waterless two pack combo but haven't put them to use yet..

Not a big deal - glass towels.. But yes my original Adams Glass towels appear similar. They have been used for exterior house windows for quite some time.

I wasn't on board at first either. I felt like a towel was being pressed directly on dirty paint followed by running that towel now compressed against dirt along the entire panel. An easy way to look at it in my opinion is just like wash shampoo and a wash pad. Same idea, lubricity first (the shampoo). You would never put a dry wash pad straight to the paint without first wetting it.

A set of nice work lights can be bought, including a stand, from most hardware stores for $40... about double to 3x that if you want LED. The cheapest I've ever seen was a set of craftsman 500w halogens on a tripod for $29.99.

 

Having a handheld to do spot inspection is also important. I have a Brinkman dual xenon that has served me well for years. Both Flex and Rupes have a penlight style LED thats crazy bright for inspections as well. Doesn't have to be anything specific, just something with a nice intense beam.

 

Unrelated and not the same type of lighting needed, but have you seen these? 

 

http://www.bigasslight.com/homes-shops/

 

I saw somewhere your garage was a work-in-process. These are great! You probably recognize BigAss from their commercial fans line.. 

 

Adding an intense spotlight to your collection will be a big help as well.

 

What are a few lights in which you would recommend one to look into purchasing for these purposes?

I've actually had a much closer look recently at the products used in touchless washes as 'sealants' or 'wax' - interesting stuff. Its a fast crashing foam that leaves an oily film behind more than anything else. So the car looks nice for the day or 2 after, but it wears quickly. On the business side of things, tunnel washes aren't going to provide you lasting protection, its against their best interest as they want you back as frequently as possible.

 

 

 

I talked to a car wash owner at one point, picking his brain about their products. Didn't seem the guy I was talking to cared a bit about what was being used. In return as you have, I looked into tunnel wash products. Interesting to see that most all of the chemicals are offered dilution based, also each all very high in pH. Some products offered in low pH also..

Current OOS, but will be back later today. Should actually be making its way into bottles around lunchtime today.

 

Thanks for the update.. After an evening of learning and reading LPS reviews I was ready to pull the trigger on a bottle and couldn't find it.. Thank you

Lots of great tips in here already!

 

Keep the application thin. 2 thin coats is better than 1 thick coat.

 

The temps may make removal a little more work, but a shot of DS should help if you find yourself struggling.

 

Have fun and be sure to post your after pics!

 

Is LPS out of stock or am I straight missing it here somewhere on the site?

I checked around under exterior in each the "polishing" and "waxing & glazing" categories..

WHY SHOULD I STRIP WASH?  

When it comes time to do a full detail on your ride, whether its one you've been maintaining for a number of years, or a fresh off the lot car, there will be some layer of buildup on all the exterior surfaces. Waxes, sealants, glazes, dressings, and things like tree sap will have accumulated.

 

Without strip washing these layers are then pulled up by your clay bar and/or your polishing pads. This clogs them up prematurely and, in the case of polishing pads, can lead to reduced performance. 

A clay bar clogged up with wax will be messy to work with and deteriorate quickly. A polishing pad clogged up with wax will be less effective and require frequent cleanings to finish a detail. 

 

Nice write up. Is there any indication one can get from their finish to definitely determine a strip would be worth while? I know not many here go through automatic car washes (I have in the past) and can only imagine the mixture of chemicals and additives that have been thrown over the vehicle from time to time. Automatic car washes are always advertising their latest and greatest additives of colored soap, spot free rinse, "Rain-X", etc..

 

It is interesting to think automatic car washes resort to extremely aggressive chemicals on the front side followed by nice conditioners and polishes finishing up for good measure with rinse agents and sealants. Doesn't get any better than that.. Haha, is that possible?

Yes, they are indeed different.  If you set them down on a flat surface, side by side, you'll notice the length of the fibers on the orange pad are slightly longer.

 

This seemingly small difference, when combined throughout every single fiber, creates substantially more surface area to "cut" with, which is why the orange is a cutting pad and the white is the finishing pad.

 

If you test and determine to start with an orange microfiber pad, does that ultimately lead to using a “white” microfiber finish pad as well? Would there be an instance where you would start with a microfiber and finish with a standard foam finishing pad?

 

Adam made it clear in his instructional video that the Bentley was thrashed as a result he basically completed (4) steps. He ran through each correcting pad (MF and foam), followed by both finishing pads. He mentioned there were lingering scratches so he took the steps he did. Could there be a scnario where you correct using both correcting pads and if the results are achived you finish straight out with the foam finishing pad?

 

It seems with the intial step using a MF correcting pad you are almost required to finish down through the stages to achevie a smooth flat and fine finish.. Is that the case based on the original agressive cut using the MF?

Sure does. Even on a 2 bucket wash you could pre soak the dirty areas before touching a wash pad to it. Thus why many of us use foam guns and cannons to pre soak when traditional washing.

 

"It's all about lubrication people"

 

Now you are talking. The cannon.. Its all coming together now!

At that 6:1 or 8:1 dilution Dylan posted, just saturate the bug-splattered area, give a few mins dwell time, and it will come off VERY easily once you hit it with your wash pad and soap, you shouldn't need a bug scrubber or aggressive scrubbing in my experience when the product is given some time to do its magic.  The polymers in the Rinseless break up extra heavy dirt and grime thats on the surface of the clear coat, so as a pre-soak its wise to use that when talking about the most dirty areas of the car we clean in a rinseless wash: namely the front bumper, lower belt line, wheels, and rear trunk/bumper/hatch area.

 

I always pre-soak every panel/area before hitting with the wash media and my rinseless solution from the bucket, but using a strong pre-soak and giving the product some time to work before working effectively will make your wash more pleasurable and easier.

 

WOW, thanks Jason. Great info that makes sense! Really happy I received rinseless with my mystery box!

 

Any chance you can get us a picture so I have an idea of what exactly the condition and type of panels are that you're working on?

 

Dylan - in discussing panels, I have a question. What is your go to cleaner for basic new model GM door panels and trim (textured hard plastic)? Audi also has similar panels. To be honest, detail spray works perfectly for a quick wipe down in most instances, same with waterless wash. Leather and Interior cleaner is awesome for a tougher cleaning task. As mentioned above some people go for the APC. I unfortunately have not used your interior quick detailer, so I assume that may be your answer especially as it contains the protective piece (UV) in which the other options don't have. Anyway, just want to get an opinion and your thoughts on the various products in which all can handle interior trim, but mostly your opinion on the best overall clean and finish for average maintenance wipe downs.

 

Pre-soak could be used for a number of things really... I use it on the front end, and lower rockers of almost everything thats dirty enough to justify it (breaks up bugs and road grime) and I do it before both rinseless and traditional washes.

 

So basically there are some great properties in rinseless for loosening up and safely removing items from the paint? I am envisioning the lubricity freeing up bugs and grime from the paint to be safely removed. Given that, more times than not rinseless is your go to for that purpose? Otherwise, one would be working the grime extra hard with a regular wash pad and shampoo or attempting to literally scratch at the grime any other way.. (I've seen people using their finger nail - just quickly though) haha.

 

I wasn't seeing the effective cleaning power of the product, but see where it works as a freeing agent followed by a source for safe removal of the grime. Just trying to get on board with the idea here. Thanks

^{Thanks for the replies all!}

^{The PC is a bit more bulky, and to be honest, I didn't even think about using the 4" backing pad on it.}

^{Thanks for the info and guidance Dylan.  I will probably be using the mini more than others, the Harley isn't big enough for the PC and the mini seems like it will be a great choice for it.  Then all the smaller spots on the TBSS and the Corvette, I'll definitely put her to the test!} 

Dave - please share your motorcycle detail experience especially with the Rupes. I have been toying with the idea of getting the mini as well to tackle Harley fatbob tanks as well as tight front and rear fender situations!

Thanks for the follow-up! Just received my mystery box in which came with rinseless. Look forward to trying it out!

 

At 16:1 I wouldn't recommend more than just dust removal, if you're doing a pre soak you are likely dealing with some more serious dirt grime and 'chunks' of stuff. More product = more lubrication, more cleaning, and better cling to the surfaces being pre-soaked.

 

To clear a few things up (for myself), I believe I read else ware on the forum that waterless is actually rinseless just diluted out to 16:1? When you speak of a rinseless pre-soak that would refer to hitting like bird droppings before proceeding with a rinseless wash? I guess I figured that would be a given to clear up any large amounts of gunk before proceeding with a delicate rinseless process. Thanks

We can certainly look into that. We did something similar when we went from the flip tops to the self cleaners, I don't see any reason we couldn't do that here as well.

 

 

Red as pictured.

 

 

We've been testing these for some time now, we placed on on each product, pumped thru, and then let them sit until the product dried. You may see a small 'booger' of dried material at the start of a fresh pump, but its minimal, a very tiny little glob. On products like LCC it wasn't present at all, on the polishes it was no more than you would see from the older flip tops when you opened them up.

 

 

Included. No price increase.

 

 

Yes. If you press down and turn they lock. They will arrive to you in the locked position to prevent leaks/spills in transit.

 

Way to knock it out, all questions answered!

Complementary over the previous cap? I would anticipate and support a slight price increase to the products in which the pump is provided.. After all, for an improvement who wouldn't mind paying a bit extra? Looking forward to the pump. Nice find guys!

I am interested in getting into machine polishing myself. I am curious to why the microfiber pad is most aggressive whereas microfiber is generally our go to choice for delicate care. I understand there are different types and finishes of microfiber but thought I would ask..