Fastwax waterless wash

[dg_moore]

A while ago I encountered a guy demo-ing Fastwax at my local Sam's club. This is an aerosol waterless spray product that you spray on, towel off gently with terry cloth, then buff with microfiber. It looked interesting, and the price wasn't bad at all, so I bought a pack of 3 cans (each can good for 3 or 4 washes).

My car was filthy with road gunk from our latest snow, and my outdoor hose bibs have been turned off and winterized. I decided to give the Fastwax a try. Turns out it works pretty well. I sprayed it on, wiped off with terry being careful not to scrub the surface, let it stand a few minutes, and buffed with microfiber. The haze left by the product is slightly oily, probably due to the wax, and takes a bit of rubbing to remove completely. Anyway, I did the whole car in about 30 minutes, then pulled out of the garage to see how it looks in the sun. I spotted 3 areas where I hadn't buffed sufficiently, so I took a little spray detailer and took care of them.

I looked very closely and did not see any evidence of scratching or damage from the product.

I just received some Waterless Wash from Griot's. I'm going to try it on my wife's car and will post a comparison here later.

You can see Fastwax at www.fastwax.com. They advertise 3 cans plus towels for $50, but I didn't pay nearly that much at Sam's.

 

[yuhaze]

I bought some waterless wash by Ultima. It certainly helps.
There are two ways I've tried so far: one is diluting in a spray bottle, spraying it on the car, and then wiping it with a microfiber towel. I must admit this works rather well. I had some relatively dirty spots, but none that would compare to a drive in the snow.
The second method I tried is one that someone posted, and I just very slightly modified:
I took two clean microfiber towels and poured my diluted Ultima solution onto the cloths - only as much as the cloths can absorb with letting water when "squezzed", or grabbed. I took these two very moist cloths, one in each hand, and started to work my way around the car - worked great! I left out the windows, as this solution tends to streak a little on glass and requires a drying towel to go over (so I'm lazy). I used a more appropriate cloth and spray for the glass.

 

[dg_moore]

I bought some waterless wash by Ultima. It certainly helps.
There are two ways I've tried so far: one is diluting in a spray bottle, spraying it on the car, and then wiping it with a microfiber towel. I must admit this works rather well. I had some relatively dirty spots, but none that would compare to a drive in the snow.
The second method I tried is one that someone posted, and I just very slightly modified:
I took two clean microfiber towels and poured my diluted Ultima solution onto the cloths - only as much as the cloths can absorb with letting water when "squezzed", or grabbed. I took these two very moist cloths, one in each hand, and started to work my way around the car - worked great! I left out the windows, as this solution tends to streak a little on glass and requires a drying towel to go over (so I'm lazy). I used a more appropriate cloth and spray for the glass.

I was concerned about rubbing the lifted dirt back into the surface of the paint, causing micro scratches. From what I could tell in very bright light with a magnifying glass, there is no paint damage at all. I think this is a pretty good alternative when you can't - or don't want to - use a hose. The Fastwax is pretty good - I'll see how the Griot product works on my wife's car.

 

[waveman]

I was concerned about rubbing the lifted dirt back into the surface of the paint, causing micro scratches. From what I could tell in very bright light with a magnifying glass, there is no paint damage at all. I think this is a pretty good alternative when you can't - or don't want to - use a hose. The Fastwax is pretty good - I'll see how the Griot product works on my wife's car.

If you're not seeing scratches on a black car, that's a good sign. I think that it's all about the technique, especially on the first pass. This video from Griot shows how to do it. Looking forward to your comparison.

 

[dg_moore]

If you're not seeing scratches on a black car, that's a good sign. I think that it's all about the technique, especially on the first pass. This video from Griot shows how to do it. Looking forward to your comparison.

I did my wife's car with the Griot waterless. Her car (silver Infiniti G35 coupe) was a lot dirtier than mine - hers had not been washed after the previous snow so it was covered with road gunk from two snowstorms. Even so, the Griot's lived up to its advertisement - since it doesn't contain wax, unlike Fastwax, the comparison is not exactly apples to apples, but a) it did a good job cleaning, and b) it was a little easier to do the final polish with microfiber. There were a couple of areas where I let it sit too long, and it dried to a powder that was a little difficult to get off (had to buff a bit harder with the microfiber). Anyway, I did two cars - a big black sedan and the smaller G35 coupe - in a little more than an hour, and they both look great. I think the Fastwax and Griot's are both worth the money - you can do the work in the garage without getting out hose and bucket. In good weather I'll still wash by hand, but this is a good winter alternative.

 

[waveman]

Thanks for the write-up. My other (older) car is a silver G35. I liked the color because it had to get very dirty to look bad, unlike my cab red Genesis.

I think I'll give Fastwax or Griot's a try. Most winter days here it's technically warm enough to get out the hose and bucket (though not this week!). But it's still more work than cleaning in the garage and it's not fun if the temp. is in the 40's.

 

[ImInPA]

This is good information for those dismal winter months. I use the Griot's random orbital buffers with their machin polishes and have had wonderful results...especially with black vehicles. Good to know their waterless car wash is also excellent. I have not found a better paint sealent than Liquid Glass, although I am sure that others out there work just as well. I do whole heartedly recommend their random orbital for polishing and wax/sealant application.

 

[dg_moore]

This is good information for those dismal winter months. I use the Griot's random orbital buffers with their machin polishes and have had wonderful results...especially with black vehicles. Good to know their waterless car wash is also excellent. I have not found a better paint sealent than Liquid Glass, although I am sure that others out there work just as well. I do whole heartedly recommend their random orbital for polishing and wax/sealant application.

I have a Meguairs DA polisher - very good quality and also works well.