Product/s review

[GaVeN]

There's not a whole lot of reviews done on products available.
And, there's definitely a boat load of them on the market with each claiming to be the newest & best.

I will keep updating this thread as I get hold of some products, and write my reviews on them to help clear up some of the guess work for the beginners & someone looking for a product.

Carchem APC - Citrus:

The good:
I got some from Jason at Diamond worx detailing upon his recommendation.
Smells awesome & turns a funky greenish colour when applied to dirty surfaces

The not so good:
As an APC to help remove medium soiling & grease, it works great. As a method of "stripping" paint in preparation for a full detail it works great.
Where it lacks is on heavy caked on grease & dirt.

Where it failed:
I used it on an engine that hasn't seen a wash in 19 years & 240 000km. Did not remove more caked on grease than Prepsol water based degreaser removed.
I used it on a set of wheels I bought, agitated, left to dwell, sprayed on again & still did not remove the dirt as well as I would've hoped.
This was undiluted I might add.

Closing:
If you use it to maintain a lightly soiled area, or to prep for a full detail, it is the product to use.
I give it a 7/10

[LostEnigma]

Finally some one else giving me feedback.. Will see what can be done to make it attack more troublesome dirt!

Thank you oom!

[GaVeN]

Auto finesse iron out

The good:
I got some from Jason at Diamond worx detailing upon his recommendation.
Smells vile (Like it should)

The not so good:
I used some on 3 sets of wheels so far, and the results were great. These are on wheels that are washed weekly & have little soiling on them.

Where it failed:
I 1st used Gyeon Iron & this stuff kicks butt. Turns purple almost instantly and attacks the iron particles, then turns copper colour when the reaction is done. THis process takes 1-2 minutes & smell is awful.
I used Auto finesse after, and somehow it is not as potent as I had expected. It takes about 4-5 minutes to turn a nice purple where you can see it dissolve the iron particles, and I've only once seen it turn copper after about 10 minutes of surface contact time & a fair amount of agitation.


Closing:
If you are a cautious person wanting to get a product that works slow & want to agitate the surface to yield results, or you have the time to do a 2nd pass on your surface, this is your product.
If you have heavily soiled wheels with high mileage of baked in contaminents, this will be frustrating for you to work with. Opt for Gyeon Iron instead
I give it a 7/10

[LostEnigma]

Auto finesse iron out

The good:
I got some from Jason at Diamond worx detailing upon his recommendation.
Smells vile (Like it should)

The not so good:
I used some on 3 sets of wheels so far, and the results were great. These are on wheels that are washed weekly & have little soiling on them.

Where it failed:
I 1st used Gyeon Iron & this stuff kicks butt. Turns purple almost instantly and attacks the iron particles, then turns copper colour when the reaction is done. THis process takes 1-2 minutes & smell is awful.
I used Auto finesse after, and somehow it is not as potent as I had expected. It takes about 4-5 minutes to turn a nice purple where you can see it dissolve the iron particles, and I've only once seen it turn copper after about 10 minutes of surface contact time & a fair amount of agitation.


Closing:
If you are a cautious person wanting to get a product that works slow & want to agitate the surface to yield results, or you have the time to do a 2nd pass on your surface, this is your product.
If you have heavily soiled wheels with high mileage of baked in contaminents, this will be frustrating for you to work with. Opt for Gyeon Iron instead
I give it a 7/10

First time I have had someone say anything has beaten iron out..

Time to get you some CarChem Revolt... I use the 2 from time to time and they both hit dirt that the other wasn't picking up..

Appreciate your reviews as always!

[GaVeN]

Sonax wheel cleaner

The good:
Readily available at Builders warehouse & most Spares shops.
Price is on par with other de-ironising products
Smells great in comparison with other de-ironising cleaners available
When applied, it is has a gel like formulation that doesn't run off as quick as other de-ironising cleaners, which gives it very decent dwelling time

The not so good:
The performance is actually disgustingly poor. On wheel faces it barely desolves anything, although it turns purple upon impact on discs where the brake dust is present

Where it failed:
Used a full bottle on one wheel of a car as a test. I am still left with stubborn brake dust embedded in the paint that it simply can't get off.


Closing:
I would recommend this as a weekly regimen cleaner for your wheels to maintain.
I will go buy a bottle of this & dilute with Auto finesse iron out, or Gyeon Iron to give those 2 products a thicker viscosity to have longer surface contact time
Price of this, versus the price of Gyeon or Auto finesse is ridiculous when comparing the effectiveness.
I would've needed 4 bottles @R120 each to clean 4 wheels. I can do 4-5 sets of wheels with Gyeon or Auto finesse iron for the same price as one of these Sonax bottles
I give it a 3/10

[GaVeN]

Turtle wax - Bug & tar remover

The good:
Readily available at Builders warehouse & most Spares shops.
Smells delicious, and viscosity is awesome. It hardly runs off of even a completely vertical panel such as wheel arches

The not so good:
Used it on some heavily soiled arches. Softens up microns of the top layer, but is a bit lacking

Where it failed:
I had to use a full bar of clay & a full bottle of the product to remove 4 wheel arches of hardened tar.


Closing:
For bugs on the front-end, it works very well without being too aggressive
On dried out tar on arches & wheels, it lacks quite a bit
I've seen other products where you can see those products soften up & almost dislodge tar spots from wheels, whereas this needs agitation or even a clay bar to pick the surface tar & bug remains up
I give it a 5/10

[PoLonY]

10/10 would read again

[GaVeN]

Gyeon Bathe +

The good:
Smells awesome
Presentation of the Gyeon products are very classy
Works very well and good value for money

The not so good:
I can't fault the product

Where it failed:
I can see no fault in it


Closing:
Suds on this is unbelievable
I use one cap of concentrate to 5litres of water & the lubrication & cleaning ability is fantastic
I have done about 20 washes and there's still 1/3 of a bottle left
Have not compared to other PH neutral shampoo's on the market

I give it a 9/10

[Saiendra]

Gyeon Bathe +

The good:
Smells awesome
Presentation of the Gyeon products are very classy
Works very well and good value for money

The not so good:
I can't fault the product

Where it failed:
I can see no fault in it


Closing:
Suds on this is unbelievable
I use one cap of concentrate to 5litres of water & the lubrication & cleaning ability is fantastic
I have done about 20 washes and there's still 1/3 of a bottle left
Have not compared to other PH neutral shampoo's on the market

I give it a 9/10

fan boy

jk, Does Jason stock this?

[GaVeN]

Nope, not a Gyeon fan boy at all.
If a product works, it works.

Just trying to give a fair review on products available that I have personally used.

Jason can get these products for you if you request it

[LostEnigma]

SAI.. Can make a plan for you... Seen plenty people on this forum saying the CarChem luxury shampoo doesn't work when used to recommended dosage... But I don't use any products to recommended dosage..

I mix and match products to make my detailing as easy and enjoyable as possible. I'd try the luxury shampoo before using Gyeon.. But I am a CarChem fanboy!

[Saiendra]

Nope, not a Gyeon fan boy at all.
If a product works, it works.

Just trying to give a fair review on products available that I have personally used.

Jason can get these products for you if you request it

was kidding.

SAI.. Can make a plan for you... Seen plenty people on this forum saying the CarChem luxury shampoo doesn't work when used to recommended dosage... But I don't use any products to recommended dosage..

I mix and match products to make my detailing as easy and enjoyable as possible. I'd try the luxury shampoo before using Gyeon.. But I am a CarChem fanboy!

it's not that I'm unhappy with the carchem stuff, just wanna try something different since gav says its awesome.

[GaVeN]

Sai, I know you were kidding.

I can decant some Gyeon for you to try and you can decided for yourself.
Maybe bring me some Carchem shampoo to try as a comparison?

[lawrence]

First off, nice post and thanks for putting together all the feedback Gaven

First time I have had someone say anything has beaten iron out..

I have stated many times on this forum that I prefer Valet Pro Dragon's Breath, Carpro Iron-x and Carchem Revolt to Autofinesse Iron Out.... the iron out doesn't cling well enough and dries out too quickly...

Sonax wheel cleaner

I would recommend this as a weekly regimen cleaner for your wheels to maintain.

I wouldn't.... in fact I would not recommend ANY wheel cleaner to be used weekly...unless it was completely PH neutral. The idea is to NOT keep hitting the wheel surface with harsh chemicals... instead what you should try and aim for is to use a PH neutral car shampoo or dedicated PH Neutral wheel cleaner for your cleaning, and ONLY when that doesn't cut it, use a wheel cleaner...

An example may be:

Weekly washes - ph neutral
Once a month clean - dedicated wheel cleaner + re-seal
Once a quarter or once every 2nd quarter - dedicated wheel cleaner + de-iron + re-seal

Turtle wax - Bug & tar remover
I had to use a full bar of clay & a full bottle of the product to remove 4 wheel arches of hardened tar.

Just a small tip.... if you have to tackle large volumes of tar like in wheel arches, you can always use mineral spirits which will work out way more economical... essentially mineral spirits is the 'base' used in many hydrocarbon tar removers. It is basically kerosene with the nasty stuff removed.

It will be more difficult to remove because it is totally water insoluble and also it has a relatively high flash point so it can take hours to evaporate away (and you cannot afford to apply something until it is all gone) so you will need to give the area a decent wash afterwards (not simply just wipe away like a dedicated tar remover which flashes away on its own).

It is 'paint safe' should you chose to use it on the paint itself, but typically the volume of tar in these areas is significantly less, and therefore the 'ease of use' of a dedicated tar remover outweighs the cost savings, IMO.

[LostEnigma]

First off, nice post and thanks for putting together all the feedback Gaven

First time I have had someone say anything has beaten iron out..

I have stated many times on this forum that I prefer Valet Pro Dragon's Breath, Carpro Iron-x and Carchem Revolt to Autofinesse Iron Out.... the iron out doesn't cling well enough and dries out too quickly...

Sonax wheel cleaner

I would recommend this as a weekly regimen cleaner for your wheels to maintain.

I wouldn't.... in fact I would not recommend ANY wheel cleaner to be used weekly...unless it was completely PH neutral. The idea is to NOT keep hitting the wheel surface with harsh chemicals... instead what you should try and aim for is to use a PH neutral car shampoo or dedicated PH Neutral wheel cleaner for your cleaning, and ONLY when that doesn't cut it, use a wheel cleaner...

An example may be:

Weekly washes - ph neutral
Once a month clean - dedicated wheel cleaner + re-seal
Once a quarter or once every 2nd quarter - dedicated wheel cleaner + de-iron + re-seal

Turtle wax - Bug & tar remover
I had to use a full bar of clay & a full bottle of the product to remove 4 wheel arches of hardened tar.

Just a small tip.... if you have to tackle large volumes of tar like in wheel arches, you can always use mineral spirits which will work out way more economical... essentially mineral spirits is the 'base' used in many hydrocarbon tar removers. It is basically kerosene with the nasty stuff removed.

It will be more difficult to remove because it is totally water insoluble and also it has a relatively high flash point so it can take hours to evaporate away (and you cannot afford to apply something until it is all gone) so you will need to give the area a decent wash afterwards (not simply just wipe away like a dedicated tar remover which flashes away on its own).

It is 'paint safe' should you chose to use it on the paint itself, but typically the volume of tar in these areas is significantly less, and therefore the 'ease of use' of a dedicated tar remover outweighs the cost savings, IMO.

Agree with everything lawrence has said besides VP Dragon's Breath..

I can't say it's better than AF Iron Out... Nevermind Revolt..

I have found De-Ironizerresersersersersers... have pulled greater results when used with sudz still running on the car.

I do know that Iron Out does say it should be left for 10-15 minutes!

[lawrence]

De-Ironizerresersersersersers...

[LostEnigma]

De-Ironizerresersersersersers...

You laugh... tongue twister of note.. Okay back on topic

[GaVeN]

Lawrence you biscuit.
Thanks for the input as always.

Sonax is so weak, I have no issue using it on my wheels once a week and giving my wheels a quick wipe with quick detailer, or even washing it with a wash & wax. It really does so little to iron deposits on the wheel face (read hardly anything) that I am comfortable using it weekly. My opinion of course.

As far as other Iron products go, I'd love to try a few out.
Maybe Jason has some in stock, and we can try 4 different products on a set of wheels and compare apples with apples?

[mikhail117]

I like this!


Lawrence, Zubair and I we're just the other day talking about unbiased reviews and how much money you'd save if you could differentiate between all the greats and the no not-so-greats. I appreciate the feedback on the products and agree with your views on the few products mentioned here that I have used.

Awesome idea with great feedback, looking forward to future reviews

[GaVeN]

I like this!


Lawrence, Zubair and I we're just the other day talking about unbiased reviews and how much money you'd save if you could differentiate between all the greats and the no not-so-greats. I appreciate the feedback on the products and agree with your views on the few products mentioned here that I have used.

Awesome idea with great feedback, looking forward to future reviews

Thanks guy

You guys also use a boatload of different products, so please also join in & give your reviews.
I most certainly would appreciate the feedback

[lawrence]

There are some pics in this thread showing the effectiveness of Valet Pro Advanced Neutral Snowfoam, should anyone wish to see.

http://www.vwclub.co.za/forum/viewtopic ... 0&t=197451

My thoughts...

I like the smell - citrus (obviaas)
IT WORKS
It's not the most clingy, but it isn't the most runny either
I typically use around 300ml of (mixed) solution to foam a car, so the cost per application is around R8.33 @ 1:10

[ace_the_house_cat]

Great reviews, keep them coming Even a noob like me understands this (most of it at least )

Slightly off topic; what would you recommend the best "all-round" rim cleaner is (value for money, availability, product strength. etc?)

[lawrence]

Slightly off topic; what would you recommend the best "all-round" rim cleaner is (value for money, availability, product strength. etc?)

Something you can dilute to suit your purpose.

My personal favorites - Angel Wax's Billberry closely followed by Valet Pro's Billberry.

[ace_the_house_cat]

Slightly off topic; what would you recommend the best "all-round" rim cleaner is (value for money, availability, product strength. etc?)

Something you can dilute to suit your purpose.

My personal favorites - Angel Wax's Billberry closely followed by Valet Pro's Billberry.

Thanks! Will check it out!

[Djin]

Nice thread!

Great way to get actual user opinions on the products that are used by most of us.