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Waterless cleaners?

My turn folks...

I FINALLY got my '64.5 back from the shop. She looks great although I still have minor interior work to do... My question is: are the waterless cleaners any good? I'll spend 1.5 hours washing the car (sometimes before AND after) to take her out for a drive. I don't have any experience with them and don't want to damage the paint!

It wouldn't be that big of a problem but I couldn't find anyone locally that was competent enough to install windshield & backlight without a small amount of leakage. I use a California Duster on her for the minor stuff. Problem is that we have a l-o-n-g gravel driveway and I'm probably 4 - 6 months away from having a garage. The car is kept covered under the carport but dust still infiltrates the cover. For you "city slickers" gravel dust is VERY fine and I believe it gets under the car cover from the gaps on all 4 sides. The car cover is one of those "ultimate" covers, been wondering if a nice soft flannel cover underneath would help any...

Anyway, if anybody has experience with waterless cleaners or any other advice for keeping a car clean I'd love to hear it. TIA

bill

64.5: 260, 3 sp, a/c, SVO cam, Performer, Holley 390, Pertronix, Hi-Po exhaust, 1.5" front & 1" rear drop, Jacobs wires, Torq D's

66: '93 5.0, C4, a/c, ps, Performer RPM, Holley 600, Pertronix, bench seat

Colt SP1,Sig P220, Moss. 590A1, Marlin 70P

Reply to
bill
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I always wondered about those myself. ? I can't honesltly see them working that well, but who knows ?

by "waterless" I don't think they mean that they are completley liquid free though. I could be wrong. ??

at any rate, you should take the car back and make them fix the windows. It's not really rocket science to get a window in leak free these days!

If you can't take it back to them, maybe a little strategically placed CLEAR RTV will do the trick ? But you don't want to get caught out in the rain and have it dripping on your dashboard or something do ya ?

Anyway, congrats on the restore ... sounds sweet!

Reply to
Chief Wiggum

But they came out, and again and again... you get the picture. I gave up trying before the guy ruined my paint. It can be difficult to seal the glass on '64.5 - 66's, don't know about the other years.

I don't drive it in the rain (too paranoid some moron will smack me) and I'd rather not use water on it any more than I have too.

The waterless cleaners I've seen have been a spray, some kind of emulsifier that doesn't need much liquid I guess.

bill

64.5: 260, 3 sp, a/c, SVO cam, Performer, Holley 390, Pertronix, Hi-Po exhaust, 1.5" front & 1" rear drop, Jacobs wires, Torq D's

66: '93 5.0, C4, a/c, ps, Performer RPM, Holley 600, Pertronix, bench seat

Colt SP1,Sig P220, Moss. 590A1, Marlin 70P

Reply to
bill

I've used the Dri Wash n' Guard, the company that originally started the waterless concept during the early 90s. Their product claims to clean, polish and protect in one step and contains no silicones or teflons, which I'm sure body/paint shops liked hearing. Never had scratching issues and the paint shine looked great. At any rate, they're the only company I would trust with that type of product. Like Zaino Brothers, it's not sold in retail outlets. They have a website.

If you just got the car back from the shop, get their recommendation on what to use. Or better yet, what do *they* use. Ask other reputable paints shops as well. Companys like 3M have great products. Go to a few car shows and observe what owners are using. There's a bunch of cleaning products out there. You're going to have to experiment with a few and see what works best for you. I personnelly like polishing glazes. I don't use waxes...

-- Mike

93 Cobra
Reply to
Mike R

Thanks for the info Mike. Will look up Dri wash n' guard. The body shop doesn't use anything like waterless cleaners they just suggested them. Have thought about Zaino but I'm not sure I love the car that much! lol Seems like a lot of work for a not very durable finish. FWIW The body shop uses and recommends Zymol, I'm sure they wouldn't go through the trouble to use Zaino Bros. but I might.

bill

64.5: 260, 3 sp, a/c, SVO cam, Performer, Holley 390, Pertronix, Hi-Po exhaust, 1.5" front & 1" rear drop, Jacobs wires, Torq D's

66: '93 5.0, C4, a/c, ps, Performer RPM, Holley 600, Pertronix, bench seat

Colt SP1,Sig P220, Moss. 590A1, Marlin 70P

Reply to
bill

Bill,

I've used a waterless cleaner on all three of my cars for a couple of years now. One is a '64.5 Mustang conv. another is a '55 MG TF-1500 and another is a '65 MGB and finally my BMW. Its easy to use and does a remarkably good job. The one that I use comes from a friend who mixes his own. It has a lanolin base with a bit of Carnuba. One of the things that I like about it is that I can use it after I've parked the car at an event and get it really cleaned up. In addition, I've noticed that bugs don't seem to stick to the front end. Meguiar's and some of the other manufacturers products are very similar. The more I use mine, the better I like it. Might be a good idea to follow some of the other advise posted here, esp. check with your paint shop. Hope this helps.

Cheers - Dennis

Reply to
Dennis L. Rainey

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