Discman2

This afternoon I decided to give my 8 a much needed shower and wax, and I decided to try out the new armor all products "Power Wash" Gel and "Wax it Dry" gel.





The Wash:

Instructions say to use only about an 1/8th of a bottle to clean the entire car after it's been wet. Seems like very little, but in reality it isn't. I just quirted some gel onto my sponge and washed away. I thought it was much beter than haveing to dip the sponge into a bucket. With the gel, it didn't take long at all to wash the car completely. The gel got the car very soapy and suddy. I used 1 modest squirt on the front(hood, bumper up to doors), 1 modest squirt for the roof, winshield, and back window. 1 squirt for each side, and 1 for the back. All in all it cleaned the car very well. easily removed the bug guts and dried up bird droppings. And of course all the dirt.

I really enjoyed the gel method of cleaning the car. Much faster than bucket and sponge method.

The Wax:

I was a bit skeptical about the waxing part of the car wash. Call me old fashioned, but I'll do it the old way using the wax on, wax off and towel dry method. :p That is, until I tried the "Wax-as-you-dry" gel... The instructions call for a modest quirt to cover a large area. Again, it surprised me how much the gel could cover. Same rations to the car as the gel. 1 squirt for the front, back, etc... To me it semed like the gel left streaks, but after I buffed it out with a terry cloth I got nearly the same results with conventional waxes. It was really convienient to skip to drying part and go straight to waxing AND drying. The shine on the car was great. Not the best, but still great. After it's applied it leaves the car smooth, like a noraml wax job.

I think I'm gonna stick to this gel stuff for a while. Atleast the wash part of the combo. The wax will be used inbetween application of zymol. Since zymol is a bitch to apply(for me atleast) i'll use this when I feel "lazy"

Wash-A
Shine-B+
Protection-A
Ease-A

Time saver-yes


better than a conventional wash? IMO yes.

unpocoloco

Well, I just followed your recommendation. I had been holding out to buy some Zaino (nothing but the best!), but a $600 dental bill changed my mind. This stuff cost $5.99 for both at Target :D

I live in an apt. complex, so I don't have access to a hose. This is frustrating. However, we DO have a "do-it-yourself carwash" at the apts. I don't really trust that foam brush.

I think this product did a pretty good job, and I was able to just rinse the car (75 cents, arg), apply the soap, rinse again (75 cents, arg), and then dry with the wax. I found that the drying actually was easier with the wax...it seemed like it dried quicker somehow. Maybe just my imagination.

Thanks for bringing this product to my attention!

Discman2

yeah it did seem to dry faster now that i think about it.

Glad I could help :D

Umbra

I would think you would want to be dipping your sponge in a bucket to get all the crap off of it, otherwise your scrubing your car with that stuff(the dirt, tar, etc.) and potentially scratching the clear coat.

Discman2

I thought about that too, but it says it's safe for clear coats.

I saw no problems with collecting dirt on the sponge I used.. And my car was DIRTY.
The sponge was pretty "clean" when I looked at it.

truemagellen

sorry to ruin the fun but washing a car without cleaning off the sponge (shouldn't use a sponge anyway) or chenelle wash pad (recommened) will just lead to u dragging dirt and particles across the clear coat scratching it...again and again and again

usse a bucket with a lot of water (I personally use 2 buckets, one to clean the chenelle pad and one to soap up...I use two different pads, one for the paint and one for the rims/exhaust) or use a hose and clean the pad after several wipes

always use lots of soap as it is a lubricant...and always remove all of the soap

if you want to save money but HIGH quality...go with Meguirs, Gold Class or NXT

The fact Armor All sells a product with these instructions just further confirms that they sell absolute crap that may get the job done at first and fast but at the cost of your car

Sorry for the Rant, I hate Armor All...damaged the interior of my last car...and meanwjhile I had to live with the aweful smell...so I go online and find out not a damn person trusts the product and many curse them to hell...ok good day :D

Discman2

hmmmm.


Looks like that was the last time I'm using that.



time to go back to the ole bucket and sponge.

truemagellen

u won't regret switching discma2...plus Meguiars is a great deal at kmart/target/walmar

your car will thank you for it :D

Morgan

wait...so i shouldn't be using armorall on my interior? time to find something new...

quack_p

No, you most definitely don't want to use Armor All Protectant on the interior. In fact, the owner's manual says not to apply any glazing agents (Armor All) to the dashboard. Your best bet is 303 Aerospace Protectant. It gives a nice factory finish to the interior and protects it from UV damage.

Morgan

*sigh* ok...i guses i need to order this **** and take the armor all off tomrrow. so sad...what about the mcguires stuff?? thats not so good either?

Discman2

where do you get the aeospace 303?

Morgan

go to their website....around here Ace Hardware sells it...

truemagellen

Meguirs isn't bad at all...I'm very happy with it...professional stuff but...

Aerospace 303 is rated the best in many instances and is a great product but there is even something better...can't remember the name but it costs $150 for half a gallon...so not worth it :D

Go with 303 or Meguirs...you'll be happy

quack_p

Are you thinking Klasse VLRP Protectant? I never thought about the cost of these products in terms of gallons, but it comes out to about $91 per half gallon (compared to 303 Aerospace Protectant at $64 per half gallon). You know, thinking about the cost of these things on a per gallon basis is depressing.

truemagellen

yes it is Klass and yes I meant for a gallon

thanks for finding that for me I completely forgot the name

ethernetgeek

I second truemagellen on the NXT. That stuff is awesome. Easy to apply and take off. After a little buffing your paint is nearly a mirror. :D

-Gary

bmcc49er

I used NXT again the other day. I gave it huge thumbs up a while back. I left the wax on there for a good hour with one side in the sun just to experiment. The wax came off with ease even after that and the color is so rich and deep. I think its a great wax and I would use it if I were to show my car. Plenty of trust that the shine is close to the high dollar ones. Value for dollar better imo...

markd

Morgan, I think the problem with most vinyl protectants is that they leave such a glossy finish. If you think about how much plastic is actually on your front and back dashes, you can imagine the glare that you'll see on your windshields. Not a safe situation when you're driving in direct sunlight.

The other problem people seem to have with ArmorAll is that there is the urban legend that it contains products that actually cause your interior to become MORE dry. I e-mailed their customer service a while back, though, and, naturally, they debunked the rumor. I posted their letter here several months ago. Too lazy to do a search, but their response is in a thread here somewhere.

Finally, be mindful and use a little common sense when trying to understand the marketing statements of these various products. "Safe for clear coats," for instance, most likely means that the ingredients of the soap itself will not damage your clear coat but probably doesn't speak to the method of application. So the soap and wax combo are probably find. I'd just change-up your application process if I were you. Just a little food for though

Been gone for about a week. Did I miss anything around the Club?