Waterless car wash experiences

[oldpsulefty]

Hello all,

As someone who lives in the Phoenix area, and has a desert landscape rather than grass since we are very short of water (plus being in a drought), it's been suggested to me that I try a waterless car wash instead of pouring water all over my car. I get those looks from the people walking by when I'm doing it, but I figure my Cayman deserves it. They don't think so (All the while they have pools with significant water evaporation, but I digress.)

I was tempted to try a waterless wash liquid such as Meguiar's and was wondering if any have had experiences with it or others? It scares me a little, but some research says it's actually better than a microfiber+soap wash. I always finish the detailing with "Beadmaker" and have been satisfied, but there may be others better in that category as well.

Counsel would be greatly appreciated -- 2015 racing yellow base Cayman!

Dave

[wem]

I have used the Meguiar's waterless car wash with very good results. I used to live in Denver in an apartment building. In the winter time, my daily driver at the time (Maserati Quattroporte) would get filthy. I do not use automated car washes, so with the cold temps, I used the Meguiar's product. If you use several microfiber towels folded into quarters and flipped over after each panel, the dirt lifts off easily from the car. Do not apply pressure when wiping. As crazy as it seems, I did not see any visible scratches (you won't get swirl marks because you are not using a circular motion). I feel more comfortable using the waterless car wash solution than the exterior detail sprays. I wouldn't hesitate to use it again.

[blueline]

I have used the Meguiar's waterless car wash with very good results. I used to live in Denver in an apartment building. In the winter time, my daily driver at the time (Maserati Quattroporte) would get filthy. I do not use automated car washes, so with the cold temps, I used the Meguiar's product. If you use several microfiber towels folded into quarters and flipped over after each panel, the dirt lifts off easily from the car. Do not apply pressure when wiping. As crazy as it seems, I did not see any visible scratches (you won't get swirl marks because you are not using a circular motion). I feel more comfortable using the waterless car wash solution than the exterior detail sprays. I wouldn't hesitate to use it again.

Yep. I think any quality product used properly with care as you outlined is fine. I've had great luck w/Griot products but the key is the micro-fiber quality and the cloth's cleanliness along with how dirty the vehicle is plus how carefully one uses whatever product they choose.

I don't use waterless often but I've never had any issues when I did.

[Tom]

I use the Mother's waterless wash on my 992 and love it. My car has PPF wrap though, so swirl marks and micro scratches are not a concern. Without the PPF, I'd be inclined to pre-cleaN areas with solid debris, and then use the waterless stuff liberally to keep a cushion between the towel and the paint. When I worked in downtown SF, many of the downtown parking garages had car wash/detailing services and just about all of them use some form of waterless wash solution. It's possible they were putting swirl marks all over cars, but I had them do my daily driver a few times (white BMW at the time) and I never noticed any marks (and I did look)....

[ram_g]

I've used the Optimum No Rinse Wash and Wax for years. I just checked my Amazon account and I've bought it 6 times since 2014. So evidently I like it and think it gives good results!

Most of the time I use a 2-bucket method, rinsing out the applicator microfiber in a bucket of clean water before dipping it back in the Optimum solution. I usually empty and refill that bucket a couple of times. Without this step the Optimum solution bucket gets quite dirty and I worry about the suspended dirt particles.

If for some reason the car I'm washing is exceptionally dirty (like muddy) then I stay away from this method and run it through a traditional full service wash. Otherwise it's pretty much what I do for both my 911s as well as my other toys.