# ONR - smeared finish



## Bazsm (May 6, 2011)

OK - I've been waiting to try ONR but wanted to give the car a fresh polish & wax beforehand.

So last week I did my normal water wash, hose & dry - followed by SRP & AG HD wax so it was in pretty good shape today. The paintwork had water spots from the week but not too dirty as its not used every day during the week.

I used a pre-spray mix of 1:32 and used a zymol sponge in 3l of water (mix of a lid full of ONR in the water). After waiting 30secs and then washing with the sponge I followed up with a damp MF and finished with a MF towel. I was conscious I didn't want to use too much pressure but the finish was pretty smeared, I've seen people show great results on here so where am I going wrong?

I'd really like to crack this as it seems such a big improvement on the traditional method, all suggestions greatly appreciated!


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## Ross (Apr 25, 2007)

It could be the HD wax "gassing" try washing it again and then re buff it with am MF towel and QD.


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## Dannbodge (Sep 26, 2010)

The only time I have experienced it smearing was when the mix was too strong


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## Bazsm (May 6, 2011)

Thanks guys - because the car had been prepared properly the week before with a polish & wax (I forgot to mention I'd clayed as well) I initially tried Lowiepete's method of just a damp MF and spray of ONR QD mix thinking a drag over with a clean MF would do the trick.

That left smearing so I then tried the more conventional sponge method thinking I wasn't experienced enough to go straight in with a damp MF, does my solution look too strong


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## CraigQQ (Jan 20, 2011)

sounds like too strong a mix mate.

I used to use 1 capful of ONR to about 8-9L of water in Scotland (but our water is softer than England)


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## Lowiepete (Mar 29, 2009)

I think that the response from Ross was probably the closest. Unless you 
applied the AG wax in a heated man-cave, with ambient outside temps of
about 6 degC or lower and air temps much, much lower, it's probable that 
the wax needed to plate out. That could take several days in the cold. In
reality you need ambient temps of around 15degC / 60degF and surface
temps probably a little warmer still to come close to ideal temperatures for
paste waxes to cure fully. If the protection doesn't last, don't be too surprised.
It won't be the wax!

You can get smearing if the mix is too strong; that judgement is based entirely
on how hard, or soft, your water is locally. 1 capful to 5 litres would probably
be a better starting point in the wash bucket. During the washing, and drying,
process avoid _dry_ MF towels / cloths at all costs! In colder temps the drag 
from a dry cloth could really compromise the surface protection. The effects 
of that drag shouldn't be understimated. The ONR QD should be allowed to 
evaporate all by itself; it won't leave water-spots.

Regards,
Steve


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## Bazsm (May 6, 2011)

Appreciate the comments Steve.

I applied the wax last weekend so thought it would be useful to try the ONR treatment for a quick wash this weekend. I had another go today with a slightly weaker solution and after spraying the paintwork I used a damp MF. The temp is still low down here even though quite sunny and I did need to buff with a MF afterwards to remove lighter smears.

I wonder if maybe I didn't clean the car enough yesterday as our second car which is silver so shows dirt much easier still showed dirt this afternoon after I tried another ONR wash using a 5l bucket of water?


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## Lowiepete (Mar 29, 2009)

Bazsm said:


> I wonder if maybe I didn't clean the car enough yesterday as our second car which is silver so shows dirt much easier still showed dirt this afternoon after I tried another ONR wash using a 5l bucket of water?


It could be the dirt itself. Here in E.Anglia we've had really dirty rain with the
stuff drying almost white. Come to clean it and it seems to go fairly gummy
and has been a nightmare to get properly clean. It seemed to readily dissolve
in the ONR but refused to get encapsulated by it.

I did an ONR wash today and had to immediately follow that up with a coating 
of SP Show Detailer to stop and rid myself of all the white trails left behind. 
Even now there are small patches where it seems "I missed a bit" - thoroughly
annoying! It'll be interesting to see what lands on the surface overnight...

Regards,
Steve


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## Bazsm (May 6, 2011)

Very interesting, I'll try again next weekend as my car did seem particularly dirty given it had hardly moved all week (mainly on the roof, bonnet & boot).

I'd go along with dirty rain so maybe it was just bad timing on my part, will update after my next attempt.


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## Scotty B (Jul 1, 2009)

I use 1 cap in 8 litres with great results. Your mix appears to strong.


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## waqasr (Oct 22, 2011)

Does anybody know the exact capacity of the cap? Are the caps for the 32oz bottle the same size as the 8oz bottle?


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## Scotty B (Jul 1, 2009)

I would say yes, although 8oz has the easy pour spout.


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## great gonzo (Nov 4, 2010)

This thread is confusing me!

I have been using ONR for a few weeks now and I'm loving it. Why do you guys keep stating that the op has too much of a strong mix???

I have converted the us gallons into uk litres, which is 7.5 litres, and the ONR which is 1 oz to just under 30ml. 

I then measured the lid size 7.5ml. 

So you should be adding FOUR caps full of ONR to 7.5 litres of water. 
I can understand if you have a small car you might be able to wash it with just 3.75 litres but this would still need TWO caps full. 

The only other scenario I can think of is that the 16oz bottle has a cap which is twice the size of the 8oz. 

A confused Gonz.


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## Bazsm (May 6, 2011)

Well I'll be trying again this weekend and trying a weaker mix as I like the idea of my bottle lasting even longer 

I also got some of the Sonax Brilliant Shine so hoping to end up with a nice clean well protected car.....


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## lowejackson (Feb 23, 2006)

I use two capfuls in a cheap B&Q bucket (no idea how much water it holds) and not had any problems. Admittedly, the water in sunny Cumbria is very soft so that might be a factor


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## great gonzo (Nov 4, 2010)

lowejackson said:


> I use two capfuls in a cheap B&Q bucket (no idea how much water it holds) and not had any problems. Admittedly, the water in sunny Cumbria is very soft so that might be a factor


Years ago I did a survival course in Cumbria and remember drinking straight from the top of natural springs, it was heavenly. Lol
Gonz.


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## Bazsm (May 6, 2011)

Well, a lovely day but the car's looking very similar to when I first tried ONR - I've attached a couple of pics.

I assume I should be following BigPikle's water method rather than trying the waterless method which Steve recommends given the state of the paintwork?


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## Lowiepete (Mar 29, 2009)

Bazsm said:


> Well, a lovely day but the car's looking very similar to when I first tried ONR - I've attached a couple of pics.
> 
> I assume I should be following BigPikle's water method rather than trying the waterless method which Steve recommends given the state of the paintwork?


That dirt is like a kind of clay that turns the water milky. Using my bucketless 
method when it fell on my motor was a complete nightmare because there 
wasn't ever any clear residue. I'd definitely do a bucket wash to get the worst
off. Then follow up with a QD. I used Serious Performance Show Detailer and
that solved the problem.

Usually, ONR will stay clear, but that stuff just turns any liquid milky. On this
occasion I'd probably be tempted to do a properly rinsed wash if the QD follow-
up doesn't work.

Regards,
Steve


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