Pinnacle Waterless Wash with Carnauba Review

ihaveacamaro

ihaveacamaro

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Pinnacle Liquid Crystal Waterless Wash with Carnauba Review


I've been using this waterless wash product since it was introduced about a month ago, and it has been great enough to warrant writing a review.



Product found here:

Pinnacle Liquid Crystal Waterless Wash Concentrate with Carnauba, waterless car wash, eco friendly car wash products

I bought the concentrate for it's value. I have a 128 oz Pinnacle WW concentrate that I got for $60. That 1 gallon makes 32 gallons of WW solution. I use about 1/4 a gallon a wash, twice a week. So that ends up to about 1/2 gallon a week, 2 gallons a month, 24 gallons a year.

With that math, me washing my car TWICE a week will cost $60 for 1 year and 3 months.

Pretty cost effective to me!



Product:

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Preparation:

Instructions say to dilute 1 part concentrate to 32 parts water. I dilute 1:31. The easiest way I have found to do this is get a gallon of distilled water. Pour out 4 oz in a measuring cup. Refill the gallon of water to top with Pinnacle WW concentrate. Presto, you have a gallon of the diluted mix!

I use a pump sprayer from Lowe's as it saves me having to work out my hand using spray triggers... "work smart, not hard" a la Nick

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Initial Conditions:

I'm doing this review on my spoiler, because it is flat, and easily gets dirty. It's the perfect test panel for this sort of product.

Dirty:

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The spoiler is dirty, but not overly so. In my opinion, if it were any dirtier I would have to pull out the 2 buckets or pressure wash it first.




Application:

Spray on, spread it out, wipe (buff) it off.

MF towel used was the Cobra Deluxe 600. This and the Cobra Supreme 530 are my favorite towels for waterless washes.

Deluxe 600 after one pass after application of waterless wash:

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Spoiler cleaned

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Some observations:

Ultima waterless wash plus concentrate was my favorite waterless wash... until now. Pinnacle has definitely taken over. I was afraid that the Pinnacle having carnauba would make it less potent as a cleaner, but that is not the case in my opinion.

The wax in there is definitely no slouch either. As you can see in the pictures, it produced some nice reflections.

And I have to say that the smell is AMAZING!!... anyone up for some pina coladas? :D

Like all waterless washes, not just this one, if your car is too dirty, you can not use this product. Weekly or biweekly application is strongly recommended with any waterless wash!



Pros:
  • Price
  • Cleaning/Waxing Ability is Good
  • Smell
  • Speed (normal 2 bucket wash takes me 1 to 2 hours, this takes me 30 minutes tops)
  • Convenience ie do it wherever you need to, just have product and MF towels and you can wash your car


Cons:
  • Sometimes requires buffing to fully remove the product, I assume because of the wax. This has never happened to me with UWW+
  • Wax lasts 1 week max
  • Getting very nitpicky here, but imo it has a gimmiky name, liquid crystals really? Um ok. Call it a pet peeve of mine.



Conclusion:

All in all, the best waterless wash I have used to date. Even though it is not listed as such, I use it as a quick detailer if I need to. Being a waterless wash, it does everything a quick detailer does and more.

At $60 for over a year's worth of washes, twice a week, I'm extremely happy. Give it a try and you will be too!
 
I have used this product with awesome results. The smell is quite nice...not overdone. Give it a try :dblthumb2:
 
Haha the gallon jug looks exactly like milk
 
How does Mothers Waterless Wash & Wax compare? I do not know the Pinnacle product but knows the new Mothers product which is outstanding in its lubricity, easy removal, shine and lack of streaking. Mothers is expensive for regular use as they do not sell a concentrate.
 
The excessive buffing required kills it for me

Do not attempt to use this product in the Sun

Probably fine on white cars. On my black SUV it was a bad experience.

D114 and Ultima both clean better and are easier to use. I have not tried D115 may be a good option, but I have not used it yet...after the bad experience with the Pinnacle w Carnauba, I am hesitant to try another RW/WW that contains an LSP
 
I agree it cleans well and leaves the paint slick and glossy! The only down fall is making sure it is buffed out and it does streak a bit if used in the sun. Definitely leaves that just waxed look.
 
So it looks like that the new Mothers Waterless product is better. Those who posted above and mentioned buffing and streaking should try Mothers to compare.
 
Roshan, great review and video. You mentioned in your video that a gallon of Pinnacle Waterless is good for about 120 washes. I did some math and it looks like a gallon will wash close to 500 cars?

32:1 dilution
One gallon makes 120 32oz bottles of waterless wash
Average of 4 cars per 32oz bottle
120 bottles x 4 cars each = 480 cars
 
AGOatemywallet said:
The excessive buffing required kills it for me

I have not tried D115 may be a good option,
but I have not used it yet...

after the bad experience with the
Pinnacle w Carnauba, I am hesitant to try
another RW/WW that contains an LSP
Click to expand...
^^^:iagree:^^^

I never have favored car-washing products that
contain "LSP-ish additives".

If I want the LSP, that I've applied to a vehicle,
to have a different look or other characteristic...
I have no qualms to: hasten to chasten that LSP.



Bob
 
AGOatemywallet said:
The excessive buffing required kills it for me

Do not attempt to use this product in the Sun

Probably fine on white cars. On my black SUV it was a bad experience.

D114 and Ultima both clean better and are easier to use. I have not tried D115 may be a good option, but I have not used it yet...after the bad experience with the Pinnacle w Carnauba, I am hesitant to try another RW/WW that contains an LSP
Click to expand...

I'm thinking it didn't play well with your LSP, which is why it required "excessive" buffing. A quick buff with a second clean, dry microfiber towel is normal, and that's because this product has a wax in it, A LOT of it as a matter of fact. :dblthumb2:

The entire Pinnacle line has been developed in Southern Florida, so heat has never been an issue for any of the products. If the panel is hot, then that can definitely pose a problem for any car care product.

Here's a common mistake I see a lot of people making with detail sprays, waterless washes and spray waxes: Not having enough towels handy! As your towel becomes saturated, switch to a new one; same thing goes with your buffing towel - as it becomes damp, switch to a new one!

I wrote this article in the middle of August. Take a look at the reflection of me in the door - I'm sweaty.

Pinnacle Liquid Crystal - The 10 Minute Waterless Wash AND Wax!

Nick@Autogeek said:
DSCN4911.JPG
Click to expand...

adias said:
So it looks like that the new Mothers Waterless product is better. Those who posted above and mentioned buffing and streaking should try Mothers to compare.
Click to expand...

I've used the Mothers and it's a great product. I would encourage you to try them both so you can decide which one you think is better. :props:
 
Nick@Autogeek said:
I've used the Mothers and it's a great product. I would encourage you to try them both so you can decide which one you think is better. :props:
Click to expand...

I agree! Just tried Pinnacle and I found that it wets superbly, grabs dirt and finishes ultra slick. The Mothers product really is a super QD.

I had no streaking issues.
 
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