Optimum No Rinse Wash and Shine Review

Hello folks, apologies for the lack of updates recently. Having ended the constant bombardment by the 501st Assignment Division recently, finally have the chance to post this long overdue post.

Product to be reviewed today is Optimum No Rinse Wash and Shine, also known as ONR in auto detailing forums.



photo courtesy of Autogeek.net

VX55 was at my house during this review and he cleaned while I took photos.

Here's a general 'before' shot of the car, about two weeks worth of grime.



ONR is mixed in the bucket at the wash solution ratio where as the spray bottle contains ONR at quick detailer(QD) ratio.



Wash solution ratio: 1oz. to 2 gallons of water
QD ratio: 6oz. to 1 gallon of water



The panel is first sprayed with ONR at QD strength to 'soften'/'loosen' and grime on the surface.





The picture below is a drop of ONR at QD strength on the ground and if you look closely, you could actually see the heavy grit that is being encapsulated floats upward.



Same photo cropped.



Using the Detailogy sheepskin wash mitt, VX55 gave each panel two passes.



Meguiar's Water Magnet drying towel showing a clean surface after drying.



Same process on the rear door.









Before ONR,



After ONR,



The paint was not perfect to start with, but the before and after shows that no additonal scratches were inflicted during the wash.

The next wash tool used was VX55's own Cobra Bone microfiber wash pad.





Before ONR,



After ONR,



Next tool is the Lake Country Foam Car Wash Sponge, also known as Big Blue. It is a big block of soft foam with a cubed design for grit and dirt to get trapped into.

Ever since learning about the two bucket system and proper washing techniques, I have been wary of sponges and have always used a wash mitt (Cotton chenille mitt, sheepskin/lambswool mitt, microfiber mitt). So I was quite skeptical and was prepared to polish out any marring afterward.

Big Blue was used without spraying any ONR on the panel.



It cleaned well, showing no dirt during the drying pass.



One half washed with Big Blue and ONR without any pre-spray.



Before ONR and Big Blue,



After ONR and Big Blue,





Wow! No additional scratches inflicted by it, I was surprised to say the least. I was even surprised when I washed the other half with my year old Mothers lambswool wash mitt.



Light scratches were inflicted when using my old mitt that has lost its plushness.

Conclusion

Pros:
Cleans well (on a waxed/protected surface?)
Safe (does not introduce new scratches when used correctly)
Makes a cheap cleaning QD and clay bar lubricant
Saves a lot of water

Cons:
May be expensive for washing when compared with basic car shampoos.
May not protect from car wash abrasions if the washing tool does not carry enough wash solution and the panel is dry.

Would I buy it?
Yes on the basis that it makes a cheap QD and clay lubricant plus I can use it when the car is too dirty to use a QD with but not dirty enough to necessitate a full bucket and hose car wash.

p.s
Thanks VX55 for the help with this review!
Thanks to AE Detailers (http://aedetailers.com/ae2/) for the sample of ONR!

This review wouldn't be possible without you guys :)

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Paste wax/sealant test update

Three and a half weeks after the first day of application.

The test is not 100% valid anymore because at one point, my dad picked up the hood and left it vertically, so the results are skewed towards one side. One end of the hood is heavily contaminated and gradually lessens to the other end of the hood.

Here are the water repellency pictures. First with a no pressure flow from the hose.

















Then with a spray pattern from the hose.

















Ranking from the fastest water repelling to the slowest will be:

1) Collinite 476S
2) Meguiar's #16
3) FK 1000P
4) Collinite 915

Again, do take this with a pinch of salt until I can redo the test again.

Although the test may not be valid anymore, it taught me a few things.

Firstly, a contaminated panel would not sheet off water as cleanly. This is because as the water is being pushed away during sheeting, contaminants like mineral deposits from the water spot etching 'grabs' the water.



So the less contaminated the panel is, the more complete the sheeting action will be.

Next, the panel is sprayed with water from a spray bottle using a fine mist to check for beading.











All are lacking uniform beading except for Meguiar's #16. Here is where it gets invalid, the most left panel, Collinite 476S, suffered the most as the result of being placed vertically during a rain. Where as the right most panel, Meguiar's #16, suffered the least.

And towards the edge of the right side, I applied Jeffs Werkstatt Prime Acrylic, and it stll looked good.



which is why this test is invalid because it would be difficult to explain as to how an All-in-One (AIO), can outlast a tough paste wax.

Photos of watermark etchings, as mentioned earlier, here you can see the left most panel that suffered the most, gradually lessening as we move to the right.









And the second lesson learned from this test is that surface tension does not equal to protection.

Here we have Collinite 476S, the fastest water pusher but is contaminated with water spots and ingrained dirt.



Collinite 915, the beauty wax in Collinite's range, has the most ingrained dirt and heaviest watermark etching.



FK1000P has the 3rd least contamination.



And Meguiar's #16 the least contamination.



Again, this is invalid and skewed to one side. I will have to redo it again, although this time I will remove Collinite 915 as the test already indicate that it cannot put up a fight against it's sibling the 476S in a durability and protection battle.

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