DriWash Questions

[Bob Buchanan]

DriWash is about all we've used on our rig for 9+ years and you know what our paint looks like.? Oh, we did have the bottom dark green repainted about 5 years ago, but the rest is original.

NOTE: A similar topic was closed as I was writing this -- before I could ask some questions I have about DriWash. So hope it OK that I begin my own. My topic is not a comparison of products topic.

Hi Ned:

Bill (or was it Gene?) Scott that was once very active on this forum introduced me to DW a long time ago. However, I didn't start using it until I bought some from Ron several years ago. Scott was a great salesman -- in that he dry washed about everything in site that evening to demo what it would do -- he even cleaned my toad windows, my glasses and my watch.?

Anyway, I can't vouch for how good a job it does vs. other products because of the trouble I have "doing my whole rig". You write (as does Ron) that he does the whole coach several times a year. It would take "me" a year to do the whole coach one time.? ? I "can" vouch for the ease of application.

So how long does it take you? Are you up and down a ladder to get to the upper quadrants? Does Lorna help you? DWing a coach just seems like an insurmountable task for one person. And now I am looking at 34 foot sides to my rig versus the much shorter sides of my Class C. And I am also wanting to do a much better job of keeping up with the finish on this rig - so am following this thread pretty closely.

Another question -- what is this about a newer DW? I bought a bottle in AZ from a dealer and tho it read DriWash on the label, it was a different color and came with a different kind of applicator bottle than the one I bought from Ron. Plus was much more inexpensive than the last bottle I purchased.

Ron -- was going to ask that last question of you but was too lazy to do another post . . .

 

[Ned]

I'll let Lorna give you the details, as she does the cleaning.  She doesn't do the whole RV at one time, and just uses water in between DWG applications.  When she does the whole RV, it takes a couple of day of intermittent work and, yes, she does use a ladder.

 

[Shayne]

For those of you that do use it, how does it work over highly waxed finishes?? Ive waxed mine perhaps 4 times since last Sept and thinking about doing it again next week.? Perhaps I should try it, as Ron recommends.The waxing of a unit doesn't bother me, It's great exercise and it's something to do.? At this age I'm always looking for something to do.

 

[Lorna]

Hi ?Bob

I rarely do the whole coach in one day, usually just one or two sides at a time and yes I do use a ladder for the upper parts. ?I used to bucket wash it in between but find that it is easier to just use DW all the time about three times a year. ?On our trip to Alaska I will probably wash it with water when it gets real muddy. ?I do the windshield more often because it makes it much easier to get the bugs off. ?Don't know anything about the new product but will ask Ron before we all leave VIP in Salt Lake.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I do ours a couple times a year and do it over two days.  It's more boring than difficult. 

I do the front cap alone a few more times, mostly because of bugs.  I wash off the front end after almost every travel day and I suspect I actually wear off the protection by frequent scrubbing with a nylon scrubbing pad to remove the bug goop.

And yes, you need a ladder.

 

[Tom]

I do the windshield more often because it makes it much easier to get the bugs off.

Lorna, that's something I missed in all prior DW discussions, both online and talking in person with folks. Presumably, it doesn't affect visibility (?) It sure would be nice to have an easy way of removing bugs from the windshield.

 

[Ron]

I do the whole coach about once or twice a year and sometimes I find it necessary to do the lower portion after traveling on wet roads more often. ?I do not wash any part of the coach before using Driwash. ?I do sometimes just wipe down the lower areas with a wet microfibre cloth and polish with a dry microfibre cloth when dust and dirt have accumulated. ?If I stay with it I can do the whole coach in about 3 - ?4 hours. ?I usually start on the upper half that requires a ladder applying and polishing before moving to the next position. ?When doing the lower portion that does not require a ladder I usually appy Driwash all the way around the coach then polish all the way around. ?There have been times when something important like going fishing or off road trips have come up while I was Driwashing the coach and I didn't get back to it for a day or two. ?Unlike some products Driwash does not become hard to polish if left for a day or so. ?It normally take approximately 8 to 12 oz of Driwash to do the whole Eagle.  I use Driwash on the windows and mirrors too.

The new ION Technology product is more expensive. ?The ION Tech product is applied exactly as the original Driwash. ?Both products are ?available. ?The Ion product is purplish in color. ?Is the new product better? ?I think so and I have been using it. ?However others still prefer the original product. ?I carry both so it is a customers choice. ?I feel the Ion Driwash gives a better shine and does seem to repel the dust better.

As for cleaning a very dirty vehicle before applying Driwash, Well I don't. ?The Eagle and the Grand Cherokee have never been washed before using Driwash. ?Driwash is the only product that has been used to clean either vehicle since new.

 

[Bob Buchanan]

The new ION Technology product is more expensive. ?The ION Tech product is applied exactly as the original Driwash. ?Both products are ?available. ?The Ion product is purplish in color.

Thanks, Ron. Before I get on to figuring out the best way to clean my coach w/DriWash -- looks like I have find out how to spell the product name.? ???

The stuff I bought in QZ is DryWash -- not DriWash.

Here is the Website I found for DriWash:

http://www.dwgint.com/index2.shtml?distributorId=

It took awhile to find out who makes this stuff -- as there are so many RVers selling it and doing their own webpages. For example, don't be fooled by driwash.com. Clever sellers there.

And here is the website for what I am now using:

http://www.allbriteUSA.com

The later product is also purple in color -- and sells for about 1/2 the price of DriWash. Having used about a pint of it so far on the Tioga and beginning on the Adventurer, it looks and acts like the same stuff. And the ingredients seem to be the same as far as I can tell. They both, e.g., push the Polymer resin/Carnauba buzz words in their advertising. Took awhile to find the Drywash name on their website -- but finally found it in the pdf version of the product catalog. So with them, it's DryWash -N- Shine vs. DriWash & Guard.

My price was $20.00 for a quart of DRYwash (vs. $41.00 for driWash) and that included a full pint bottle of the same stuff in an applicator bottle -- plus a polishing cloth. The applicator bottle has one of those sqeeze handles vs. the pump thingy by DWG.

So -- whatsgoingonhere.? ???

 

[Tom]

Bob,

If it's truly DriWash, it's applied using a pump and it comes out as a fine mist, which really helps in the "don't use too much" department. I don't know how the other products are applied. The pre-Ionic version I have is a kinda funny pastel green color, but Chris often says I'm color blind.

 

[Bob Buchanan]

Bob,

If it's truly DriWash, it's applied using a pump and it comes out as a fine mist, which really helps in the "don't use too much" department. I don't know how the other products are applied. The pre-Ionic version I have is a kinda funny pastel green color, but Chris often says I'm color blind.

It's  becoming increasingly evident that what we have here is a completely different company marketing a similar product -- at a more competitive price. Yes, I have pumped a full quart of the pastel green DriWash through their spray thingy. The fine spray is nice -- but also gets clogged very easily if not cleaned well after each use.

You know those empty plastic applicator bottles you can buy most anywhere with the squeeze handles -- that's the kind of applicator bottle dryWash uses. It's not a fine mist, but volume is easily controlled. I can also put this stuff in the DriWash pump and use it that way.

So far, I can see no difference whatsoever in the two products. They both go on the same way, are both equally easy to polish off, and will do glass and chrome really well. Even the vendor I purchased from, insisted on demoing it on my QZ dirty Jeep hood -- in much the same way that Bill Scott demoed DriWash to me years ago. Of course, at that point in time, I thought I was buying DriWash in purple form. Now -- how long it will last and how well it will protect my surfaces, I don't have a clue as yet.

Another thought. It appears AllBrite, Inc. has been around for a long time. And it appears to me that they decided to TM the dryWash label and add that label to an already existing product to target RVers using DriWash. This stuff was being sold all over QZ this year by the tent vendors -- and no one was selling DriWash that I could find (other than individuals).

 

[Tom]

The fine spray is nice -- but also gets clogged very easily if not cleaned well after each use.

Oh my gosh, I didn't think about cleaning the nozzle after I sprayed one side and the rear of the coach the other day  :-[