Waterless wash after rain

[zelmo]

I am figuring out the best products to use for various situations and have decided that for my purposes I will use the waterless wash if I am out in the rain and won't be able to do a bucket wash for a few days.

 

What I haven't found in threads on this topic is guidance on whether to do it with the car wet or dry.  Assuming you have a clean car and pull it into the garage from the rain, is it best to let the car dry first on its own or do you spray the waterless wash on the wet car and wipe it off? 

[Mariner]

The only issue I see with applying waterless when the car is wet is that your towel will be soaked really quickly. You could use one of the larger drying towels to remedy this however. 

 

There is also that maybe applying waterless to a wet car will dilute the waterless, but I don't see it being an issue. 

[falcaineer]

I'll also offer the answer is in the product name - WW really means no extra water needed. It's designed to work with a dry car...just spray and wipe off with a clean WW towel.

[Hupp2it]

Could probably use the rinseless method if you sprayed a fair amount on it. I have done rinseless after pulling into the garage after rain caught me. Of course I got laughed at by the rest of the folks in the house. But THEY DONT KNOW!!! They just don't know.

[Nathan]

Either are fine, the pro about it being wet is that you have extra lubricity, the con is that your towel gets soaked, and fast. When using WW when dry, your towel doesn’t get soaked, but you also don’t have the added lubrication that water has.

[ocdrifter]

if its raining i just fill a bucket with water and car shampoo and go to town!

[zelmo]

The only issue I see with applying waterless when the car is wet is that your towel will be soaked really quickly. You could use one of the larger drying towels to remedy this however. 

 

 

 

I had thought of that,  I guess another option would be to blow the car dry and then apply.

 

Edit:  After I typed that I had another thought - if the car is clean and it just gets wet from the rain maybe blowing it off would let me skip the waterless wash and just touch up with detail spray sometimes.

Edited August 31, 2017 by zelmo

[Rich]

Blow it off and then use the Waterless Wash followed by Detail Spray.  I've used that on my rides at shows and stuff for years. Makes the car looks great when you can't do a full wash.  But be sure to use plenty of WW when you do because not using enough can leave dirt on your car and when you wipe it off, the dirt can leave fine scratches. You want it to be wet enough to run.  

[chops1sc]

I find that I need a second towel when using WW anyway. Plus, I have plenty of waffle weaves to get the job done. However, If it were a wet vehicle I would probably go with Rinseless Wash.

[Nathan]

if its raining i just fill a bucket with water and car shampoo and go to town!

What about foam!!

 

Oh, wait, that’s right, you don’t know how to use a foam gun.....