OOC vs ONR Waterless

[RBIndy]

I hesitate to ask this question, since it seems it may be too subjective; e.g., what is the definition of waterless dirty?  I have seen that although OOC is best designed for waterless, ONR can be used at 10 oz. to 1 gallon.  OOC is recommended at 1:3 which would be 32 oz. to 1 gallon (if my math is correct).  Obviously ONR would be a cheaper method.  BTW, my detailer recommended ONR for waterless.  

 

Discussions I read about using ONR as waterless on this forum discussed only using when there is a fairly light amount of dust vs. several days of dust requiring OOC as the preferred product.  This raises three points of confusion on my part:

 

1.     When do you use waterless?  This is purely subjective.  I have used waterless in what I refer to as a light dirty car. This goes beyond just dusty.  Now that I think about it, my approach has been using waterless on dirt that I believe can be totally removed via a spray and very light pressure from a MF towel. 

2.     I have yet to use OOC for waterless. Should I be able to use OOC on a slightly dirtier car given OOC’s more powerful cleaning characteristics?

3.     Can ONR at 10:128 be used, if the car has light dirt (not just several days of dust)?  ONR is such a great product, that I assume it might be successful with light dirt. But if that is true, what would be the conditions to use OOC instead of ONR?

 

I apologize for this seemingly impossible nit-picking question, but I find myself confused.

[Ron@Optimum]

I'll try to answer your subjective question from personal experience.  You can use either product (OOC or ONR at waterless ratio) on any level of dirt short of mud.  OOC is IMO the stronger cleaner, but both excel with light dirt/pollen and leave the paint with some shine.  With medium to heavy dirt, additional passes may be necessary.  Because of it's cleaning power, I use OOC mostly as a pre-spray.  Honestly I use OOC and waterless ration ONR interchangeably. 

As to when to use them instead of traditional ONR, that depends on effort.  If I can spray and wipe without extra effort, that's a winner.  When more time/effort is required, then I use traditional ONR because the extra water acts as a lubricant, allowing me to slosh product onto the paint for safer cleaning. 

[RBIndy]

Ron, I didn't think it was possible to give an answer that makes sense to my nebulous question.  I especially appreciated your comment about using them interchangeably.  That made a lightbulb go off.  So when it is time to do the wash, what determines whether you use OOC or ONR?  Flip a coin? I assume an OOC waterless wash will give better performance, since it is a better cleaner. 

Would you say that if the car wash is manageable via waterless, then by your thought process, any level or dirty can be handled by either?  I hope that makes sense.  I was thinking that OOC might still be able to provide a waterless wash under a broader range of dirt (requiring more cleaning power).  Are you saying that is false and that ONR can also give the same results?  

Actually I am looking forward to using both waterless methods.  

[Ron@Optimum]

Opti-Clean was formulated to be waterless and ONR rinseless so it stands to reason they are both better at their assigned tasks.  ONR can be used that way and is part of it's flexibility but not it's strength.  My thought process is if the car's dirty, do the ONR wash because it's more efficient (won't have to go over to remove all dirt).  If only dusty or light dirt, waterless is faster.  You're over thinking this - if the car is dirty (and that's subjective on your part), OOC will require either more effort per panel or repeat washing because it doesn't have the amount of solution needed to safely remove the dirt.  In my case, I have a garage queen that usually gets the waterless wash because it isn't dirty.  The only time my other cars (regular drivers) get a waterless wash is if I've driven through heavy rain and I take advantage of the extra lubrication...otherwise they get the full ONR treatment.

[RBIndy]

That makes good sense to me, Ron.  Thank you for the insight. I did an OOC waterless yesterday and noticed some light mud streaks that were a surprise.  I sprayed my OOC and wiped and voila they were gone.  That experience and your answers will help dial me in on OOC vs ONR. 

[Mr.Outback]

Am curious if any forum users have had experience with Rain'X's waterless wash.  It seems similar intent to OOC but I'm dubious Rain-X's "water repellency" coating will stay on Pro + for any appreciable time.   FYI I used Rain-X with some success before car was Pro+'ed but found its water repellency somewhat unpredictable (only Youtuber I know of who praised the stuff was Scotty Kilmer).

[Deepak]

On 6/24/2021 at 7:40 AM, Ron@Optimum said:

Opti-Clean was formulated to be waterless and ONR rinseless so it stands to reason they are both better at their assigned tasks.  ONR can be used that way and is part of it's flexibility but not it's strength.  My thought process is if the car's dirty, do the ONR wash because it's more efficient (won't have to go over to remove all dirt).  If only dusty or light dirt, waterless is faster.  You're over thinking this - if the car is dirty (and that's subjective on your part), OOC will require either more effort per panel or repeat washing because it doesn't have the amount of solution needed to safely remove the dirt.  In my case, I have a garage queen that usually gets the waterless wash because it isn't dirty.  The only time my other cars (regular drivers) get a waterless wash is if I've driven through heavy rain and I take advantage of the extra lubrication...otherwise they get the full ONR treatment.

Hey Ron, just got my hands on a gallon of ONR. Did my maths and found it will take me too long to finish it off if I follow weekend rinseless wash routine on my daily driver 

Given the versatility of ONR, I was wondering if I can use it midweek as well for a quick waterless wash. If yes, What dilution you would recommend for this (mildly dusty car)?

[A&J]

ofcourse you can...ONR dilutions from the top of my brain are :

- 1:256 for rinseless wash

- 1:128 or 1:256 for pre spray

- 1:64 for clay lube and QD

you could also use 1:32 for clay lube and QD but honestly 1:64 is enough and safe to use.

You can also use that pre spray mix or QD mix to spray the hard interior parts and do a wipe up every week or every 2nd week to keep the interiour clean free from dust.

 

[Mr.Outback]

Along these lines, would it be safe to waterless wash a light to moderately dirty vehicle (no thick/heavy mud) the following way:

1.  Spray ONR at  2.5 oz/quart of distilled water (in small IK sprayer) onto the vehicle,

2.  Allow to dwell for 1 - 2 minutes

3. gently drag eagle or other 500-series thick microfiber towels over the surface to pick up solution and encapsulated dirt?

Is there a better ONR ratio I might use?

Or does one really have to use the "rinseless" approach (bucket/micropore sponge/grit guard/thick microfiber towels) to do the job properly?

[A&J]

Not that you HAVE to do a rinseless but its SAFER to do a rinseless wash on a car.

2.5 oz. is enough, maybe even a tad too much but it will get the job done. 

One tip...also wet the towel with onr before you introduce it to the paint. Dont wipe with a dry towel!

[Mr.Outback]

Here's a Youtuber's comments about ONR dilution ratios (he recommends 16:1 for detail spraying).