My sister and brother-in-law showed me a product they use on their Harley and customized cars, a spray and wipe concoction called Purple Slice. My Jag was dirty from an overnight rain (remember - I was visiting) and I wanted to get the bucket, wash and sponge out. He called that 'old school' and showed me how a spray of Purple Slice followed by a wipe off with a micro-fiber towel would do the job. It was absolutely brilliant despite my cringing about moving dirt around on the car with the towel. The body and even the polished chrome wheels looked absolutely great. It didn't keep dust on either. Drove the car 500 miles and while I've got some bug splats, it still looks pretty good for that amount of driving.
My concern is that with any 'miracle' product, what's the catch? It's pretty expensive too. I remember the hulabaloo over Armor All after it was out for a while, saying that while it made your tires and vinyl look great, it actually dried out the surfaces and reduced the life.
Thoughts, comments, experiences?
Thanks,
beg3yrs

 

I'm guessing the catch with most of these waterless detailing products is that they can leave swirls, of course, this always matters on how much dirt/grime is on the car.

 

To be honest I have seen ONR and similar products out there for this and they kinda freak me out.
Ever since I can remember it was necessary to high pressure wash the car / soak to remove as much excess dirt as possible, then ( keeping it wet ) using a wash mitt or similar and soapy / hot water wash away the remainder.
Even using that its ultra dificult not to get swirls!!

The other thing is, seeing these in action I'd reckon it could soon get very expensive

just my 0.2c worth

 

Quick detail sprays like this can be great when used in between washes in order to remove light dust, finger prints, etc. But when used in place of a car wash they can be harmful. These "waterless car wash" systems may look good when they're first applied, but after they wear off your car could be covered in swirl marks. It's important to rinse your car before washing in order to remove dirt and debris.

I've never used this product personally, but have had experience with other similar products (we use Dr. Beasley's Final Finish here at our shop). So if it gives you a great shine that's wonderful, but just be sure you're using it cautiously. A two bucket (with grit guard) system is still the safest way to get you car clean.

 

Many thanks to all of you who have replied. Today in Tucson was kind of breezy and the air was full of dust. I can now see the swirls (after a week though). I think I'll stick with the two bucket system and save the spray-n-wipe for the quick tidy up. Besides, washing a car is great exercise and also lets you do a fairly close body inspection at the same time.

 

A huge +1 from me on that beg3yrs

 

Beg3yrs

I have never ever heard of this product before until this post. But as you know, being in the business I would have to say that there are three levels of car cleaning.

1) Conventional washing
2) Rinseless Washing
3) Mist and Wipe products

Its really up to the owner to know at what point the vehicle would be able to be cleaned using any of these methods for scratch free results. Done accordingly, all of the above will provide great results, you just have to know when to draw the line if the car is extremely dirty. Also it is very important to use soft and fluffy MF towels that are clean.

If you havent seen my Detailing Caddy in action (I designed and developed this system), this is how I would perform my rinseless service. Without using conventional washing methods, a vehicle can be properly cleaned using a product such as Polys for a scratch free finish.

Detailing Caddy