Ultima Waterless Wash Plus

[AndrewBall]

First off, wanted to thank AutoGeek and Meghan. I won this product in the giveaway a few weeks ago.

I decided to try this product in a few different ways.

My methods of application were. Spray on vehicle, let sit for a few moments (20 seconds) and then wipe clean with a microfiber. I didnt even need to dry the surface until my towel became saturated. Although in most cases you wouldn't continue using the same towel (i only had one on me so i was limited at the time) All i did was buff the surface dry and it left behind a smooth shiny surface.

Vehicle 1. Lexus LX430 - it is in by no means good shape. its a work vehicle. it gets beat up, and is dirty a majority of the year. This car has had no correction work done to it in the past, it has no wax or anything like that. it gets occasionally washed with Meguiars Gold Class.

I decided to put this stuff to the test. this car is dirty, normally you probably would not use a product like this to clean up this type of grime but since it doesn't matter if i scratch it i decided to just see the cleaning power.

So i selected some areas that seemed to have some easily visible dirt and grime.

here are some before and after pictures.

Test Area 1:

Test Area 2:

Test Area 3:

here is an overal shot of the side of the vehicle after i did it. Obviously i need to go back and clean wheel wells and such with an APC. but this give you an idea.

Vehicle 2. 23' Bentley 3 Liter Sport - This isnt really a show car, its a touring car. The owner uses this car in tours across the globe. It has been to italy, germany, england, colorado, california, arizona, canada, ect. Basically this car gets used, but it gets cared for. It is due to have a full correction later this week, so i decided to try the ultima on it and see how it takes care of what little road grime is on the car. This car has the potential to look great.

Since this car was basically just dusty I wanted to see how well it did on just giving a clean car a quick wipe down. a job i typically reserved for a quick detail. I must say, I would likely use this over the quick detail i compared it to in this test. which was Meguiars Final Inspection (M34 i think?)

I decided for this test to try it on something you wouldn't use this type of product for. I tried to see how it would clean up tarnished dirty metal. I dont think i need to explain the results.

Conclusion:

Great product. VERY VERY easy to use. I typically use DP Rinseless Wash and Gloss for this type of job and although i feel the results are a little better (nicer shine, feels more protected) this was far easier and faster to use. Plus it cuts through bugs and grime faster then the DP RWG. I was shocked how easily it cut through some bug splatters on the front of the lexus.

I have not tried other Waterless washes but i was very impressed by this product. Not only did i have to use very little product, but it did an excellent job cleaning up even heavy dirt. I inspected the surface before and after and I did not notice any new scratches or anything.

I would highly recommend this product to anyone living in cold climates. In the winter you can clean your car rather effectively without having to turn your hands into icicles.

This is a very easy and quick product to use. It offers great results and I cannot see any reason to not use it for mild cleaning.

I only used the sprayers spray function. I imagine for heavier grime the stream function would be good to blast away heavier dirt. Also perhaps a blotting action on heavy dirt or salt would aid in avoiding any scratches inflicted by using a wiping action over something abrasive.


All images Property of Andrew Ball

 

[Meghan]

Great review thank you, I really enjoyed the photos of the Bentley. Since this is your first waterless wash you have tried was interesting to hear your thoughts on it.

 

[AndrewBall]

Great review thank you, I really enjoyed the photos of the Bentley. Since this is your first waterless wash you have tried was interesting to hear your thoughts on it.

I must say, reading about them i was kind of skeptical. I still have a difficult time grasping how I am not scratching the surface, but The results speak for themselves.

That said, since i have only used quick details prior and that is my only experience with a product similar to this. I would likely use this again.

From what I understand this product is designed to encapsulate the surface contaminates inside the product and lift them away from the surface without damaging it. I would say for those looking to clean their car and maintain some shine and protection follow it up with a quick detail of your choice.

I really like the DP rinseless wash and gloss which I also got courtesy of AG! (You guys ROCK!). The finish it leaves behind is phenomenal and soon as I get my personal car back i will do a follow up with using the Ultima on my car following with a quick detail versus not following with a quick detail.

 

[BobbyG]

Andrew,

Thanks for posting the tests and results!

AND for confirming my decision for ordering some! rops:

 

[CEE DOG]

Thanks for the writeup Andrew. Great work:xyxthumbs:

I think you will find more protection from the UWW then you will from a QD. I did post a partial quote from my review regarding this issue. See below

.......... I would say for those looking to clean their car and maintain some shine and protection follow it up with a quick detail of your choice.

This was from a conversation with Ultima's Sam Lankford.

Q2: Does Ultima Waterless Wash contain any UV protection?

A2: Yes, it does. UWW is by no means a sealant but it does contain about 12%-15% of the same UV protection solution that you find in UPGP. Some of the reasoning behind it not containing more than that is as follows: Maintaining a neutral PH in UWW was important in its deveolpment and using more then this amount of the UV protection solution could affect the ease of application/removal.

 

[AndrewBall]

Thanks for the writeup Andrew. Great work:xyxthumbs:

I think you will find more protection from the UWW then you will from a QD. I did post a partial quote from my review regarding this issue. See below



This was from a conversation with Ultima's Sam Lankford.

Q2: Does Ultima Waterless Wash contain any UV protection?

A2: Yes, it does. UWW is by no means a sealant but it does contain about 12%-15% of the same UV protection solution that you find in UPGP. Some of the reasoning behind it not containing more than that is as follows: Maintaining a neutral PH in UWW was important in its deveolpment and using more then this amount of the UV protection solution could affect the ease of application/removal.

Awesome! even more reason to use it. Thanks for that info!

my mentioning a quick detail was because of their wax content. it leaves a slicker shinier surface behind. But knowing that it offers some UV protection is awesome

 

[CEE DOG]

Awesome! even more reason to use it. Thanks for that info!

my mentioning a quick detail was because of their wax content. it leaves a slicker shinier surface behind. But knowing that it offers some UV protection is awesome

Excellent to get some more opinions out hererops:

I did some testing of slickness and gloss. On 2 seperate occasions I got 2 different results. One time the FK-425 seemed to be slicker (as I had expected) In the other test I tried about 5 other products including 4 other QD's and one other waterless wash and the Ultima waterless wash was as slick or slicker then all of them (picture below). As far as gloss goes in my last test I didn't find that any of the other products I tried it against added gloss beyond the UWW or OOC. This probably varies depending on the sealant or wax you're using, and/or the level to which the paint is corrected and refined... But I don't think theres a noticeable difference on properly finished paint.