Looking for opinions on my ONR tutorial

[Billy Jack]

I work in sales at a Chevrolet dealer just outside of Pittsburgh. We do a fair amount of business in stuff like used Corvettes, Camaros, SSR's and other assorted specialty vehicles. Very often, I get questions on appearance care, enough that I'm starting up a bit of a newsletter for my customers. One of the most common requests is "How do you keep your cars so clean in the winter?", so I've decided to make my newest topic ONR.

 

I'd welcome some feedback on my attached tutorial. Please keep in mind it was written at the most basic level, for those that have no prior experience.

 

OPTIMUM NO-RINSE- MY TECHNIQUE

I’ve been using ONR for a few years and consider it the most significant advance in automobile surface cleaning. Thanks to input from the detailing forums I frequent, I’ve developed my own technique that is safe, quick and efficient.

Add I ounce of product to two gallons of water in a clean bucket. I prefer to use a bucket that has not been previously contaminated with soap residue and equipped with a grit guard to help contaminants settle to the bottom. Soak two microfiber cloths in the solution, one as a “washer” and one as a “wiper”. Use light color cloths to easily show any debris or dirt. They don’t necessarily have to be your best and plushest ones that you normally reserve for wax removal, but the better the applicator, the better the results.

Remove mf #1 and give it a light squeeze. You want it dripping wet, but there’s no need to lose a lot of product when moving from the bucket to the car. Fold it into quarters, giving you eight working surfaces. Starting from the roof, wipe your pad in a straight line along the panel. After each pass or two, depending on the amount of dirt on the car, change to a clean side of your cloth. When you no longer have a clean side to use, or the cloth is no longer sufficiently wet with product, return it to the bucket, shaking aggressively in the solution to remove the accumulated dirt. Remove mf#2 from the solution, wring it as dry as you can and wipe the panel again, this time in different directions to assure complete coverage, wringing frequently to remove most of the moisture. Wipe the panel dry with a good drying towel and you’re done.

Depending on temperature and sunlight, you can do anywhere from a single panel to the entire car with each step of the process. Just don’t allow it to completely evaporate on its own before you dry. At the end of the job, mf#1 will probably have some residual dirt in the fibers, but mf#2 should still be clean if you’ve done a good job with the first pass. Done properly, your windows will be clean and streak-free also; no need for a separate glass-cleaning step.

On an extremely dirty car, an additional step may be necessary, as you certainly don’t want to be dragging any substantial dirt particles over your paint. Some possibilities are: 1) Make your first step at a local coin-op car wash to blow off the heavy stuff, or use a hose or pressure washer at home. 2) Pre-soak dirtier areas with ONR from a spray bottle or pump sprayer. I certainly wouldn’t use ONR to remove accumulations of mud or ice, but for the normal dirt you acquire on paved road driving, using proper technique, it’s as safe on your paint as a traditional soap and bucket wash, and a typical passenger car will only require less than a gallon of product. You can store the remaining solution in the bucket. If after a few days, the dirt has settled to the bottom and the solution is fairly clear, you can use it again. The color may be gone, but it’s still good. If the solution is cloudy from accumulated dirt, it’s time to clean your bucket and mix up a new batch. ONR is environmentally safe, so no precautions need to be followed with disposal.

As I stated in the beginning ONR and its siblings from other companies have virtually revolutionized the car wash process. You can use it down to near-freezing temperatures, or use it in the garage without making a sloppy mess. I hope my tutorial helps you to get the most out of your investment in time and material.

 

Thanks in advance for taking the time.

 

Bill

[Perfections Detail]

Very informative and easy to follow. Great job

[primo spaghetti]

looks like their might be a bird dog in it for ya from Chris!

[toddj]

Well done!