Using ONR in the winter on a very salty car


neonglh

Recommended Posts

I have been doing this for around a year, and have had no scratches yet, so that is a good start. I find that the first swipe with my dreadlock microfiber mitt soaked in ONR and water still makes a "gritty" sound as it goes across the salt and road grime. I use little-to-no pressure, and it cleans, and then the second and any further passes are smooth and silent. Is there any way to avoid this, or should I not worry about it?

 

I would assume that sound is an indicator of less lubricity, meaning it could scratch the paint. Do you recommend a presoak with ONR and water from a spray bottle when dealing with salt, or is it just how it is with a winter ORN wash.

 

Please advise!

 

It was nice washing my car in my garage last night, with hot water in a bucket, since it was 34 degrees outside :)

 

Mark

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A lot of people presoak with a strong ONR mixture, when I presoak I use the regular mixture, and it doesn't seem to help much.

 

The best way to apply the presoak is a pump up sprayer (like used for pesticide application), or one of those battery or electric powered sprayers that's used for waterless wash application.

 

As far as the sound, if the sound is made by your wash media scraping across the salt stuck to the paint, that's ok...if the sound is from the salt scraping across the paint...that's bad.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

All we use in my shops is ONR, year round in Quebec. For a car that has calcium build up, we pre-rinse with the pressure washer to get off the heavy loose dirt, then away we go with the ONR. An alternative is to go to a coin-op car wash and pre-rinse off the heavy stuff, and tehn drive home and complete the job.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Been using ONR for years and have never experienced what you are describing. When really covered with salt I've always pre-soaked with standard mix ONR in a small pump sprayer so by the time I get to that area the salt cake has softened. I've also always used these long nap MF mitts http://neatitems.com/Deep-Pile-Microfiber-Mitts.html I carefully remove the threads that create the finger pockets so there is just one larger pocket in the mitt -- I insert a grout spounge into the mitt--offers better control for light pressure and allows allot of solution to be used for really dirty areas.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 years later...

sorry for the thread revival!

I just did my first ONR winter wash and i'm kicking myself. I bought a ton of Creature Edgeless towels from TRC but completely forgot them and was using a brand new MF sponge instead.

 

I pre-rinsed with a hose, used the standard wash dilution, 2 bucket wash/rinse method, and pre-sprayed quick detailer solution on the heavier encrusted panels. The MF sponge became harder to wipe as the road salt became heavier. I too was making the scraping "gritty" sound as it dragged across. I had to wash each panel 3-4 times before the sound and the dirt went away. overall there are no visible swirls or scratches added to the surface, but I am weary of its condition now (there are other issues I have to address--maybe in another thread).

 

so next wash I am going to adjust my method:

  • actually use the dang MF towels this time (that's why I bought them!!). "Garry Dean method" seems sound and I should have attacked it this way to begin with.
  • coin-op car wash w/ pressure spray first
  • change ONR pre-soak dilution? i used 1:16 QD ratio. should I go stronger or weaker?
  • how dirty is too dirty to clean with ONR? Maybe I should use a traditional car wash soap for heavier soils?

any other suggestions?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That sounds like an excellent plan - pre spraying either at a tunnel wash or with hose/power washer should remove the heaviest salt/sand build up. I haven't lived in a Northern state since being introduced to ONR, but I've used the Quick Detailer mixture to pre spray some very dirty cars and have never had a marring issue.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The salt is easy to remove (water is enough!) but the contaminents in road salt solution is the problem in my opinion? ONR is not enough to get rid of the heavier dirt in the winter, I prespray these parts of the car with Bilt Hamber Surfex HD (APC), Power Clean is probably the Optimum way to go? Let it dwell for a moment and rinse it somehow/wash it away. I use ONR at clay-level when I pre-spray ONR (1:64) because I think there is enough cleaners even at that ratio.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

thanks for that pic. its a good visual guide!

 

the condition of my car was at the gas cap ahead of the rear wheel, so not too dirty for a rinseless. plus it sat on my paint for about a week. Sounds like Power Clean might be on my shopping list soon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Power Clean is a great all purpose and you can change the ratio depending on the project. Don't let your wife find it because it will disappear into the kitchen/bathroom. It works great on tile, but don't use on wood floors (leaves a film that's hard to remove.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

That really is a great presentation guide.

 

Unless there is mud or heavy dirt&grime present rinseless will clean perfectly fine.

 

If in doubt PW rinse the car first or spray on APC mixed 1:15 or 1:20, wait a few min and PW rinse it off. After that wash normally with ONR.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...