Hey, I want to try out this oneish step approach to washing my car where I use ONR, then a clay towel with optimum spray wax as the lube and then opti seal as the drying aid however am wondering if there is a way to modify this for dirtier cars where you can combie the use of some bug/tar spray first and maybe soap it down before this whole process or is an ONR pre soak and rinse for several minutes enough to break it all down? Also, how long should I break in a clay towel on glass before using it? Should I have the clay towel soaking in ONR or just spray it with spray wax and the surface? Trying to keep a simple process here but am feeling a bit like I need bucket wash before this even though I want to bit do bucket wash because I wanted simple. Advise.
ONR, Clay Towel w/ Spray Wax, Opti Seal Drying Aid question
- Thread starter wyclef
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Texchappy
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- Mar 13, 2015
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Haven’t done The whole process as you describe but I can answer one question. An onr dilution pre-spray can handle a surprising amount of soiling. If there’s caked mud, a high pressure rinse is probably in order. Otherwise, I’ve not had an issue with a prespray and rinseless wash — even when parked outside 24/7 in Kansas winters.
A combination of a power clean prespray and the clay towel should take care of most insect hits.
A combination of a power clean prespray and the clay towel should take care of most insect hits.
Bruno Soares
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- Mar 30, 2017
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When I used ONR as clay lube I found it wasn't very good and paint got marred in a bunch of places, especially when using synthetic clay. I switched to Glide and that works better IMO but it's not made to clean the car, it's to be used on a car you already washed. Having said that, I still won't clay a car if I have no intention to polish it due to potential marring.
psnt1ol
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- Aug 8, 2012
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Question.... do you have a pressure washer?
If you are not going to polish the car after then your goal is to minimize the amount of touches during the entire process.
If you do have a pressure washer then use that to knock off all the loose dirt first. Spray on your pre wash product (APC, Degreaser) then use a bug and tar soap and foam the car. let it dwell a bit then rinse off. Use your chemical decon products ( iron remover, tar remover) then rinse off. I had never use a rinseless wash to wipe down an iron remover or a tar remover but I heard others had. At this juncture, the vehicle should be 80 to 90 percent clean of debris and grime. Dry or blow dry the vehicle to prevent spotting if you dont have a water deionizer hooked up to your water source.
Keep in mind that claying the car with any clay medias could potentially mar the paint. The clay towel should be broken in by the time you are done with the windows. Clay the rest of your car with ONR one panel at a time. It is ideal to have a bucket of clean solution near by to rinse off the clay towel. Before moving on to next panel do another spray down with ONR then wipe. Spray 2 squirts of the sealant in a new towel and wipe down the panel then use another clean towel & "buff to perfection". To minimize any potential issues... I recommend doing this indoor.
To be honest... I simply dont like to use waterless wash on a dirty car. If you are using a power washer then you could skip the ONR claying process and just foam down the car with a good Lubricity car soap that has no gloss agent. Go to town with your clay towel then rinse down the car. Use your drying aid (Opti seal) and towels to dry as well as to seal your car.
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is it dumb to clay towel a car if I am not planning on polishing it afterwards? I wanted to get the paint decontaminated and clean so I can try to go around and do some rock chip touchup and a small scratch or two in spots before having the car professionally detailed and polished. But i have never used a clay towel before but can tell the car could use a clay and figured i would give it a whirl. Maybe I should try it out on the bottom front fender first to see what I think before I go clay toweling the hood.
psnt1ol
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What type of clay towel are you using???? Not all clay towels are equal.
I have clay mitts from Nanoskin, chemical guys, Griot's, and clay towels from Rag Co as well as Nanoskin. The only media that didnt marred soft white subaru paint was the Rag Co clay towel. I did 2 other light color subaru(s) since and none were marred. I used CarPro Immulube (2 part Immulube to one part water) as clay lube. its the slickest clay lube I ever used.
I have clay mitts from Nanoskin, chemical guys, Griot's, and clay towels from Rag Co as well as Nanoskin. The only media that didnt marred soft white subaru paint was the Rag Co clay towel. I did 2 other light color subaru(s) since and none were marred. I used CarPro Immulube (2 part Immulube to one part water) as clay lube. its the slickest clay lube I ever used.