roblim

I don't take my black RX350 into regular car washes, but i have on occasion used the Chevron touchless car washes at three different locations in SoCal. Each one seemed to have different equipment. . Seems to be safe. There are some light swirls on my car, but you really have to bend around to see them and i may have caused them on a hasty bucket wash. Anyone have thoughts on those touchless car washes? I have opti-coat on the RX.

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

Touchless washes are OK. Their downfall is that they rely on some pretty serious chemicals to help do the cleaning, and they still do not remove all of the dirt from the surface, but if you don't have the time to hand wash your vehicle, a touchless can be a convenient solution in my opinion.

As far as swirl marks - maintaining a 100% swirl free finish, especially on a jet black vehicle, is a nearly impossible task. Don't beat yourself up over very minor swirls, especially if it has been a while since the paint was corrected. I typically recommend owners have their vehicle lightly polished ever 2-3 years to remove light swirls and marring in order to keep an exceptional looking finish.

charley95

Make sure you don't dry the car off after the touchless wash or you'll really have scratches!

MustangSal

There is an Exxon touchless automatic wash (jut a twirling pressure washer wand really) that I take my GS through when I can find time to hand wash it. It has the blowers at the end for drying but does a pretty ****ty job. I end up spending half an hour afterwards to QD the car when I get a chance. They're good in the winter when salt and sand is rampant.

jfelbab

When I lived in Wisconsin, the snow and salt capital of the US, I used a Laser Touchless car wash regularly in the winter months to remove the heavy grime and salt deposits on my daily driver. I also appreciated the high pressure underbody flush. While the Laser Touchless wash didn't leave any marring, it would leave behind a very thin film of grime. To deal with this, I would take my vehicle home and do a quick waterless wash to remove the film followed by UQW (D156) to restore the original sealant protection that may have been compromised. I've used this approach for over a decade of winter seasons with no issue.

As mentioned, the these Touchless washes may use strong detergents that could shorten the life of a wax or sealant so unless your paint has been coated, I'd suggest a similar approach to restore the paint protection.

aznkorboi

It's been raining in so-cal. During my regular washes I'll use my carpro reload on my ceramic coat.

On occasion if I am lazy and need a quick wash, I'll take it to the chevron touchless. It still washes it but it leaves lots of water spots and I'm not going to touch it with my towel so it's still not the cleanest. I have begun to use Optimum no rinse car wash and I'd spray it on bird poop or any hard water spots before it gets worse. It's been working out well so far.

davyjordi

i use chevron touchless carwashes all the time. my paint is still flawless. that said, it's coated in cquartz finest and touched up every so often with reload. i use optimum's waterless wash here and again as well, although chevron touchless carwashes are my staple, strong detergents and all.

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

You may consider CarPro's new waterless wash - CarPro ECH2O. It has been made specifically for use with ceramic coated vehicles, and I've been quite pleased with it.

97-SC300

iTrader: (17)

Zach, what do you think of this product vs. ONR?

We still have so many gallons of ONR to go through, have used it as a "staple" product for years. Can't see ever needing anything else. Curious on your thoughts about ech20?

davyjordi

thanks for the tip -- will definitely check it out!

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

I don't think they're really comparable... we use rinseless washing and waterless washing are in different situations. ECH2O can be used as a RW, though to date I have only used it as a WW and I have been loving it.

ONR has been our go-to RW for years, though I have recently been told that I need to try Uber Rinseless Wash.

FastFord

I just picked up some Ech20. Mixed the ratio 2 ounces Ech20 to 18 ounces of water. A little better than 1:10 as suggested on the bottle. Ratio depends on what you are using it for.

The RX had some rain marks but other wise was sort of clean. There was no heavy mud or sand...at least that I could see. It was at the border of what someone would rather just washed it.

Car was cool, (in the garage) weather nice 65F, sunny and dry. Car has a very good base of sealants and wax.

I started on the roof as I wasn't sure if I wanted to apply with the car as dirty as it was. I used a proper micro towel for the purpose of a water less wash. Fairly thick, 530 70/30. I also applied some to the towel and started the "wash"

At first it seemed OK, sort of smudging the product along the roof. I could still see the water marks from the rain being dried out. Flipped the towel, applied a bit more product and it was much better. Took her outside to check it out. Looked good, no smudges, no marks and good reflection. Don't be afraid to apply it to various plastic trim pieces, no residue and actually brings out a deeper black.

Back into the garage and finished it up. 30 minutes later and 6 micro's later, it looked pretty good. Ech20 seems a little thicker and more oily than other detail and water less products I have tried. If the car was not so dirty I would thin out the mixture, 15-20 to 1

I have lots of time to wash, polish/wax etc. But for those that don't, I would recommend you try Ech20. One bottle makes a lot of product, making it an affordable choice. No comment on durability as I don't know and didn't buy it for that reason.

Just an update, took the car out of the garage today to do a detailed look at the results from yesterdays "wash"
Good reflection, no residue, slick surface, some what of a wet look, very happy with the results.

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

Thanks for the review. I almost bought Ech2o to replace ONR for my rinseless wash but I couldn't justify the cost. Plus I didn't want anything that would top my car's coating. I went with McKee 37 Rinseless wash since it leaves nothing behind and the price was more or less the same as ONR.

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

Here's a quick review I did of ECH2O....


... I still use it regularly for Waterless Washes and I am still enjoying it.

FastFord

Update on ECH20...Well I've used it four times after various rainfalls. Car was rainy dirty each time but no mud etc.

Today I spent the day doing minor correction to get rid of things I didn't like, very fine lines etc. None of them deep and barely noticeable. But I knew they were there. Had to use a light or get the right angle to see them.

I am pretty sure I used the product properly (probably not, as there were marks) but I was extremely careful and used 8 micros each time. I just wouldn't use it again on a vehicle that basically needs a wash.

Just a caution for the extreme amateur detailer. I still believe that the product is good and will continue to use it. I was prepared for this and wanted to find the limits of ECH20. All good now, marks were removed easily.