# Waterless Techniques



## Concho (Jan 11, 2011)

I was just wondering about the best way to get a great finish using waterless techniques.

The waterless cleaner I have chosen to use is Spray'n'Shine, simply because I tried it, liked it and applied to them to become a reseller of their products, which they accepted. I also had the same offer from Pearl products (which are made locally to me), and I've tried UK Valet waterless and a couple more, but I'm happy with Spray'n'Shine. I also have an unopened bottle of ONR which I am going to try over the weekend.

But I was wondering what techniques and products can combine to make a great wash without using water. (I don't mind diluted products, but I am not using a jet wash, water supply or 2bm)

What I am doing so far is (in order):

Exterior wash with Spray'n'Shine
Alloys with Wonder Wheels spray
Tyres dressed with AG Instant Tyre Dressing
Glass cleaned inside & out with a professional glass cleaner I use through my main work
Interior hoovered
Interior seats shampooed with a spray shampoo which works well
Interior plastics & dash cleaned with AG Super Interior Cleaner
Fabric spray on air freshener from Spray'n'Shine

The car in my opinion looks ok, obviously not to the detailing standard but for a clean, and a valet I think the results are good. 

However, I would like a bit of an extra 'gloss' shine. As I said I have some ONR to try, I also have a bottle of CarPlan Demon Shine to try (reckon I could use that in a spray bottle, spray on and dry with a microfibre?), but what other products could I use to complement the finish?

Also how would I fit claying into that sequence?

Anything else you would add?

Thanks


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## james_death (Aug 9, 2010)

Right im not clear on the spray and shine but most waterless laydown a wax.
So that then can mean issues for what to add, i would say optimum optiseal and it seams mixed opinions on as to does the solvents strip the wax to then laydown the sealant or not.
Since you will have a wax from the waterless i would say possibly the optimum spray wax may well add to it.
Again as the wash method is waterless there will be some wax there but you can still clay and would do that after the waterless wash, simply spray the panel with just water if you use the bilt hamber clay which i personally use.
Clay that section and wipe off any residue with a micro fibre.
No getting away from using water or other lube with clay im afraid.
Then follow with optiseal or the spray wax....:thumb:

All your process sound fine to me...:thumb:


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## DIESEL DAVE (Jul 26, 2007)

Opti Seal or neat C2 over your Spray`n`Shine wash will give the added `compliment to the finish` you want.


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## Concho (Jan 11, 2011)

Thanks to both of, so Demon Shine no good then?

Dave, both those products look good. If I were to be able to only try one which do you think would be best?


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## james_death (Aug 9, 2010)

Demon shine is great as a rinse aid, but your doing waterless and i dont rate demon as QD no longevity at all for me i only see demon as a rinse aid.
The Optiseal is wipe on and walk away, the C1 must be on cool paint in the shade applied and removed again.
If its allowed to dwell and crystalise then you need to apply again to remove that residue otherwise you will damage the paint.


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## DIESEL DAVE (Jul 26, 2007)

Concho said:


> Dave, both those products look good. If I were to be able to only try one which do you think would be best?


Opti Seal and C2 are both sealants which will last a long time but C2 has the added bonus of its ability to be also used as a QD in its dilute form.
Demon Shine adds very little to the finish and next to nothing to the durability and is really only for adding a little gloss to a newly washed vehicle.


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## james_death (Aug 9, 2010)

DIESEL DAVE said:


> Opti Seal and C2 are both sealants which will last a long time but C2 has the added bonus of its ability to be also used as a QD in its dilute form.
> Demon Shine adds very little to the finish and next to nothing to the durability and is really only for adding a little gloss to a newly washed vehicle.


Dave is there a time limit on using a c2 made up as QD???:thumb:


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## Concho (Jan 11, 2011)

At risk of sounding stupid, can I ask what QD is??


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## DIESEL DAVE (Jul 26, 2007)

james_death said:


> Dave is there a time limit on using a c2 made up as QD???:thumb:


Without a doubt, 3-6wks :thumb:
I`ve still used it after a couple of months but its definately not 100%


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## DIESEL DAVE (Jul 26, 2007)

Concho said:


> At risk of sounding stupid, can I ask what QD is??


Quick Detailer


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## Concho (Jan 11, 2011)

Cheers, sory for the continued stupidness, but I'm still new at this game. Why would I want a QD over a sealant, what does it do that is different?


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## DIESEL DAVE (Jul 26, 2007)

Concho said:


> Cheers, sory for the continued stupidness, but I'm still new at this game. Why would I want a QD over a sealant, what does it do that is different?


In the case of C2 it helps refresh and prolong the protection and finish.


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## Concho (Jan 11, 2011)

Thanks for all the replies. I've got a few quid now and I'm perfecting my routine more every day, this is where I'm at:

My routine:

1 - wash the exterior with Spray'n'Shine, or ONR
2 - wheels with Wonder Wheels (will get something different once it's used up)
3 - Tyres with AutoGlym Tyre Dressing? (just ran out and need recommendations)
4 - Windows with Turtle Wax glass cleaner or EnduroClean (a glass cleaner I get from my other business interest of glass coatings)
5 - Interior glass cleaned
6 - Vaccuumed with my trusty Karcher vaccuum
7 - Dash and plastics cleaned with AG Super Interior Cleaner
8 - Leather cleaned with Autoglym Super Interior Cleaner
or
8 - Seats shampooed with Fabriclean
9 - Fabric spray on air freshener applied

So I want a final stage of a glossy finish as I said, I will try Optiseal or C2 next. Which one would be best for the widest range of cars and colours? If I could only buy one? Also I read on the C2 website to prepare the surface with a wax free cleaner, my Spray'n'Shine contains two waxes, Carnuabe and Montan, will C2 still work?

I've read a lot around the forums about other products. I'm going to ditch the Wonder Wheels once I've finished this tub, look at new tyre dressings, and I want a better way to shampoo the seats.

Does anybody else who does waterless / eco valeting have any different methods from that above?

Is there anything else you would like to see added as a customer? I charge 50 quid for all the above but do discount for the first valet to build confidence, and also dicount regular bookings etc. 

Thanks for your continued wisdom :thumb:


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## MirfieldMat (Mar 13, 2011)

I clean interior plastics etc with APC then dress with carplan flashdash (but im going to get wolf chemicals interior dressing silk milk when it runs out).

I also feed the leather with AG leather balm.

Do you do door shuts etc with the exterior clean?

tyre dressing - I have been given some greased lightning tyre and trim dressing and its great when applied with a megs tyre dressing applicator or foam pad.


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## Concho (Jan 11, 2011)

Thanks Mat.

I do the door shuts with the exterior clean, yes. Or if there's pastics or chrome I use the AG Super Interior Cleaner.

Will look at the plastic & leather things you mentioned, thanks.

I went to Halfords to try some new things on the 3 for 2 deal they have, wanted some Megs stuff but they didn't have stock of their tyre stuff so I bought some more AG tyre dressing. I think this is great stuff if you spray it on the tyres first before doing anything else to the car and let it dry naturally (ie don't buff or wipe). Looks great when done this way.

Tried some turtle wax stuff too, a spray on wax (ok but not great) and some wheel wax (seems good).

Quite happy with the products I've got now. Perhaps could improve that final shine but getting really good comments, here's the car I did yesterday, took about 2 and a quarter hours for full valet, was quite dirty when I started especially inside, owner was delighted:


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## Lowiepete (Mar 29, 2009)

Concho said:


> wheels with Wonder Wheels (will get something different once it's used up)


Cleaning wheels in a waterless fashion (assuming alloys here) is something that
really vexes me. With waterless wheel cleaning you then need to do something 
with the MF cloths to get them clean once more.

Certainly, it's a good rinse or three in a bucket first. The idea of MF cloths 
caked in brake dust going into my washing machine does not find favour. All in 
all, it's far from what I'd call eco-friendly and it's a load of hard work to boot!

My solution has been to use CG Hose-Free Eco Wash (HFE) and noodle mitt.
One capful of HFE in a half-bucket of water per 2 wheels. OK, so there's some
water in a bucket involved; what is the MF cleaning alternative for wheels?



Concho said:


> So I want a final stage of a glossy finish as I said, I will try Optiseal or C2 next.


I do wonder whether a sealant like Optiseal (OOS) would be good in this situation.
There is one thing to remember with OOS, its solvents will eat through anything
to get bonding with the actual paint. Is it possible that this could cause curing
problems? If you're looking for a bit of bling or a slick finish, how about something
like FK#425 or even Optimum Instant Detailer? Like the OOS, both of these are
just wipe-on, walk-away.

Regards,
Steve


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## Concho (Jan 11, 2011)

Thanks for those words Steve. 

As for the wheels I do use micro fibres. I'm happy with the finish of Wonder Wheels but since I bought I've read more on here and will not use it again once it's used up. As for cleaning the cloths, first I soak them to get the worst of the dirt out them wash them in the machine with Fairy Non-Bio

I'm not totally against water, I just don't want to carry a water tank and pressure washer, I do use water to dilute things so I'm not totally waterless anyway.

Will look at those last two things you mentioned too, they sound like what I'm after. The think I worry about in regard to the bonding is the Spray'n'Shine I use has two waxes in so I can see how it could have bonding issues.


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## Lowiepete (Mar 29, 2009)

Concho said:


> I'm happy with the finish of Wonder Wheels but since I bought I've read more on here and will not use it again once it's used up.


So, what will you use next?



Concho said:


> I soak MFs to get the worst of the dirt out them wash them in the machine with Fairy Non-Bio


Hmmm, brake dust in a washing machine...


Concho said:


> Will look at those last two things you mentioned too, they sound like what I'm after.


With the OID you buy a 32oz bottle and dilute it 3:1, so it makes a US gallon.
Be aware that it always needs a very good shake before use! It's also superb 
on doing the interiors, especially dashboard tops, where you want clean but 
little reflection. Also, it's a "less is more" product, so by the time you have 
spread it with a plush MF cloth around half the car, you'll have enough on the 
cloth to do the windows inside and out without needing to spray any more on.

One more thought, OOS on the wheels makes future cleaning a breeze, so it
may be worth thinking about for any regular clients.

Regards,
Steve


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