Lonewolf Online

The website of an amateur photographer, astronomer and petrolhead.

Car Care Product Reviews

Over the years I have used a lot of car care products, here I have reviewed them and compared the manufacturers claim with my findings.

Shampoo

Meguiars Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo and Conditioner

Gold Class Shampoo

 

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Gold class car wash shampoo and conditioner safely removes dirt and contamination while conditioning the finish. This advanced formula gently rinses away contaminants without stripping wax, leaving our paint
radiant. New, high sudsing formula helps foam away dirt and grime. Perfect for all paints including clear coat.

Tim: The best car shampoo I have used. At first glance it is very expensive, but you only need to use a small amount each time. So far I have only used 1/3 of the bottle and that has lasted me over a year! Excellent finish each time, leaves the car shiny and looks as if it’s just been waxed. 

 

Tripplewax Shampoo

Shampoo

 

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Tim: Not to bad if on a budget, good cleaning and average shine.

 

Simoniz Wax Free Shampoo

Wax Free

 

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Tim: I use the wax free shampoo only if I intend to wax myself afterwards, good cleaning but leaves car looking dull.

 

CarClub Wax Shampoo

Wash&Wax

 

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Tim: I did not get on with this product. It would leave the glass streaky and the paintwork dull.

 

Polish and Wax

Meguiars Gold Class Clear Coat Liquid Car Wax

Gold Class Wax

 

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You are holding one of the finest car waxes Meguiars has ever made (and we’ve made some great formulations throughout this century). What makes this formula so special is its
incredible reflective qualities. No matter what paint surface, clear coat or non-clear coat, this formula will dramatically deepen the
colour, bring out the full richness of the paint
and create clear, sharp reflections unlike anything you’ve experienced. It glides on and off easy, adds feeder oils to nourish the paint, protects against UV ray damage, and adds
tough long-lasting polymer protection. It truly is in a class by itself.

Tim: 5/5 says it all. Excellent wax, easy to apply, easy to buff out, best shine.

 

TurtleWax Color Magic Plus+

ColourMagic

 

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Color Magic plus from TurtleWax is the total solution for swirl marks and scratches. Color
Magic wax polish is quick and easy to use, it gently removes ingrained dirt and grime,
masks minor scratches and swirl marks and enhances the colour of your vehicles paintwork. Color
Magic plus gives long lasting wax protection and outstanding shine.

Tim: Good at removing light scratches and marks, the chip stick however was a waste of time.

 

TrippleWax Metallic Easy Shine Car Wax

Polish

 

Star Rating

Tripplewax Metallic combines three of the worlds finest wax extracts with special polymers which are non-abrasive, providing an original Tripplewax protection and unsurpassed
shine without deteriorating the delicate top coat layer.

Tim: Disappointing. No noticeable difference between unpolished and polished areas.

 

Wheels and Tyres

Meguiars Hot Rims All Wheel Cleaner

Hot Wheels

 

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This is a highly effective formula that removes tough road grime and brake dust on ALL WHEEL SURFACES without damaging any portion of the wheel. This formula uses tough,
penetrating neutralizing agents that dissolve and list the dirt by breaking it down and washing it away. It also helps wash away road tar, water spots and mineral
build-up. Hot Rims is
safe on chrome, clear coat, polished and unpolished aluminium and factory painted wheels.

Tim: Incredible cleaning performance and no over spray, but the applicator could be improved.

 

ArmorAll Wheel Foam

Wheel Foam

 

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ArmorAll Wheel Foam is specially formulated to remove brake dust, road grime, tar and grease - safely and easily. Specially formulated deep cleaning agents penetrate into hard to
reach areas dislodging tough dirt and brake dust.

Tim: Good cleaning and the best applicator (foam), however there can be a lot of
over spray.

 

Meguiars Gold Class Endurance High Gloss Tyre Gel

Tyre Gel

 

Star Rating

Endurance is a significant advancement in tire protectant technology. Now you can have rich, dark, high gloss tires for weeks longer than with ordinary protectants. This
luxurious, concentrated gel also saves you time and money. Saves time by eliminating all the mess common with sprays and foams. Saves money by lasting longer, requiring fewer
applications. Tires stay black since our advanced formula contains water resistant
macro polymers copolymers and antioxidants that evenly coat the surface to help prevent normal tire
browning.

Tim: The gel goes on easily and yields good results and its not at all messy. Can be difficult and time consuming to apply, but it smells of cherry! :)

 

ArmorAll Tire Foam

Tyre Foam

 

Star Rating

A revolutionary way to clean, shine and protect your tyres in one easy step. No wiping, no rinsing, no dirty rags. Simply spray on and walk aray.

Tim: Messy, overspray of the foam gets everywhere and stains the driveway. Won’t use this again.

 

Meguiars Gold Class All Metal Restorer

Metal Restorer

 

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All Metal Restorer is an extra easy to use, highly effective treatment for all metal wheels and metal trim. In one step, this product safely and easily removes oxidation, dirt and
other contaminants, while creating a mirror like shine and adding tough, lasting protection. It even smells refreshing. Our advanced technology utilizes micro-abrasives specially
designed to remove surface contamination WITHOUT scratching. High quality, durable waxes and polymers provide lasting protection and reduce tarnishing. Also works well on silver,
gold, copper, brass and pewter.

Tim: Quite a strong abrasive, good at getting off most contaminants from stainless steel.

 

Interior

TurtleWax Fresh Shine

FrshShine

 

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Fresh Shine from TurtleWax combines a fast action cockpit shine with a long lasting air freshener. The cockpit shine spray instantly restores all interior plastic, rubber and
vinyl surfaces to original pristine condition. At the same time the slow release fragrance technology steadily adds a light refreshing fragrance that will keep the interior of your
car smelling great for up to eight days. Fresh shine lays down an anti-static silicone
shield, which repels dust and dirt, leaving dashboards with a long lasting lustre. The range
includes the following enticing fragrances; Vanilla, Outdoor Fresh, Strawberry or Citrus

Tim: Sweet smelling and gives good shine, only lasts a few days though, and the spray can cause havoc on windows!

 

Simoniz Upholstery Cleaner

Upholster

 

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Simoniz Upholstery Cleaner removes dirt and stains from fabric, vinyl, leather and velour upholstery. The automotive strength advanced cleaning surfactants float away grime
restoring a clean and bright appearance to seats, trim, vinyl upholstery and leather.

 

Simoniz Dri-Cleen

Dri-Cleen

 

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Simoniz Dri-Clean removes dirt and stains from fabric, vinyl, leather and velour upholstery. The foaming action actually floats away grime, restoring an ‘as new’ look to seats,
cloth trim, vinyl upholstery and carpets.

 

Decosol Glass Cleaner

Glass Cleaner

 

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Decosol Glass Cleaner is specially formulated, highly effective liquid glass cleaner.
It’s another top quality product from Decosol car care range, ideal for your car’s glass, both inside and out.

Tim: Smells strongly of ammonia, but cleans windows quite well.

 

Paint Cleaning

Meguiars Quick Clay

Quick Clay

 

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Whenever your car, bike, truck or airplane is outside, whether stationary or in use, it is continually exposed to a full spectrum of contaminants. Some will wash off easily,
others will not and those become bonded contaminants, which destroy slickness while gradually masking reflectivity and gloss… eventually etching into the finish.

Tim: Hard work, but the results are worth it!

 

CarPlan Black Trim Wax

Trim Polish

 

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CarPlan Black Trim Wax restores the original lusture of black trim, leaving the car with a showroom look. Black Trim Wax cleans all black bumpers, mouldings, radiator grills, door
mirrors, spoilers, rubber and plastic trim, etc.

Tim: Good at blackening trim etc but doesn’t last long before fades to grey again. 

 

CarPlan Tar Remover

Tar Remover

 

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Tar Remover quickly removes unsightly tar and oil from vehicle bodywork, wheels, plastic and chrome without damaging paintwork.

Tim: I think it took my paint off!

 

Miscellaneous

Genuine Honda Touchup Paint

Honda Touchup Paint

 

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Tim: 100% colour match, but expensive.

 

Gunk Ultra Degreaser

Gunk Ultra

 

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Gunk Ultra features the latest cleaning and degreasing technology. It is suitable for use on engines, engine parts, machine parts, automotive parts, boat engines, bicycles,
barbeques, garden furniture, household, and a wide variety of industrial applications. The world famous GUNK brand is the first choice of professionals.

Tim: If you have oily parts, soak in this for a few hours and the oil will be gone.

 

Rain-ex Anti Fog

Anti-Fog

 

Star Rating

Eliminates and prevents fogging and steaming. For use in automotive glass interiors and mirrors. Do not use on plastics, painted or treated coated surfaces.

 

 

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What Others Are Saying

Gravatars Lonewolf Posted on Wednesday 6th June 2007 at 2:59am Author

Subaro, I have never used mothers products, but I hear they are good. I now stick to Meguiars, but I have a lot more products to write about and up date this page soon. Thanks for the feedback.

subaro Posted on Tuesday 5th June 2007 at 9:57pm Comment

That is exactly how i detail my car and your advice on washing is good. But for up folks in canada where the winter is harsh and cold, we have to use wash bays or pay lot for care care facilities. What is your views of mothers three step detailer. step 1. cleaner 2. sealer and glaze 3. carabuna gold wax. thanks

 

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