One of the most put-off jobs around our funny farm is vehicle washing. As a kid, the male side of the writership used to work in a detail shop, and it wasn't too bad then, but age has caught up. Running back and forth with a bucket of soapy water and a garden hose, trying to beat hard water spots at their own game just doesn't have any appeal these days.
When we heard about Prolong Products "Waterless Wash and Shine" car wash product, the spray-it-on-wipe-it-off come on sounded a bit too good to be true. Prolong sent us some of their stuff, and here our our preliminary observations:
The promo sheet says you simply spray the stuff on a 2 by 2 foot area, then use a terry cloth to wipe up the liquid and the dirt, then hit it again to wipe it (not buff it) to a shine. "Best for use on light or moderate dirt. Do not use on heavily soiled vehicles." In the female mind, "heavily soiled" would define the pickup after not having been washed in a few months. In the male mind, "heavily soiled" means you've been out "stump jumpin'" and the dirt needs to be knocked off with a pick axe. For our first test, we went with the "not been washed in a few months," idea.
For those of you with a
definite and loving appreciation of a fine, never been scratched paint surface, you may shudder at the thought of rubbing your paint with any sort of dirt present. Prolong says their product works by encapsulating the dirt, thus protecting the paint. A few squirts of the stuff on the recommended area, a wipe down, and a stand back. It really did take the dirt off, and there was no tough buffing to get a nice shine.
While the company says you can use Waterless Wash and Shine in direct sun, our 80 test temperature says we'd prefer to start earlier in the morning. Spray on, sure, but if the vehicle body is hot, the stuff begins to evaporate too fast for our taste. But working on the shady side of the truck, the stuff is great. It's springtime in the southwest, and a bug's heart turns to thoughts of flying down the freeway and SPLATTERING on passing trucks. A quick spray of the product, then a half minute wait before hitting it with the clean side of the towel removed the bugs with relative ease. While Prolong says it's great on tree sap, we didn't find it to be so. Perhaps our tree sap is just extra sticky, but we found bug and tar remover to be in order for ours.
Another issue for RVers, particularly those in hard water country is this: Hard water sloshing down the paint job is best removed quickly. Our truck camper water inlet port is directly above the street-side fender--and driving around a corner right after filling the tank is just asking for a big slosh down the side of the pickup. This product didn't even TOUCH the hard water residue. We broke down and rubbed like mad using vinegar as a cutting medium--it helped--but the damage is tougher than a group of Marines at boot camp.
What about fiberglass RV bodies? If you have a weather damaged veteran like ours, look to see this Prolong product take the dirt off, but don't expect any miraculous transformation in terms of added shine. Yeah, it looks better, but you'll still be dealing with the realities of dull siding.
Coverage? Prolong says up to five vehicles per bottle. OK, maybe five econo-boxes; of course you'll use more of the liquid for heavier deposits of dirt. It's too early for us to make a call on how many full sized pickup washes we'll get out of the standard 17-ounce bottle. My guess would be in the neighborhood of three, b
ut time will tell. Time will also be needed to see just how long the shine lasts in various weather conditions. We'll get back to you on that one.
Into "green" products? The material data safety sheet (MDSS) seems to indicate the active ingredient in this cleaner is D-Limonene, a citrus byproduct. The smell, while we wouldn't describe it as "pleasant" is certainly not repulsive like a heavy petroleum distillate. Wash your hands after using the stuff.
A 17-ounce bottle of Prolong Waterless Wash & Shine does a suggested retail price of $9.95. You'll find it at Pep Boys and Autozone; or check out the prolong.com web site for a store finder, or you can buy it directly from their online store.
towel, said to fully expand to 12 x 24." You've left the RV behind in the park, and you're hiking through the vast expanse of the Sonora Desert. Suddenly, a freak windstorm blows up out of nowhere, carrying tons of dust, ready to choke off your breathing. Quick! Reach into your shirt pocket, pull out a Light Load towel, unwrap it, and clamp it around your face. Instant dusk mask!
