Autoglym Polar system
Discussion
Having received a Polar blast Wash and Seal kit for Christmas along with an Autoglym snow cannon, I've had a couple of goes at using the blast and wash and Ive just tried the seal. Here's my thoughts:
I usually pressure wash the vehicle prior to any product just to get the loosest of dirt off.
Blast - the recommended dosage does well to create a thick foam which sticks well. For that reason it also takes a good spray to remove but I don't necessarily find it removes all of the dirt.
Wash - I tried this a couple of times contactless but found the worst of the dirt stays on. It creates a good enough soapyness to use a wet washmitt over the car to aid its effectiveness.
Seal - really impressed with the initial beading from this. Be interesting to see how it lasts in the thick of winter as the roads are really filthy. Hoping that it means the dirt will come off easier with future washes.
I think once the blast is finished I'll not bother buying more. It looks good on but I don't think it's much good at shifting the grime. The cannon is decent but I'll test out other products to see if I can get it to penetrate and remove dirt in winter without a mitt.
Anyone else had any success from a contactless wash?
I usually pressure wash the vehicle prior to any product just to get the loosest of dirt off.
Blast - the recommended dosage does well to create a thick foam which sticks well. For that reason it also takes a good spray to remove but I don't necessarily find it removes all of the dirt.
Wash - I tried this a couple of times contactless but found the worst of the dirt stays on. It creates a good enough soapyness to use a wet washmitt over the car to aid its effectiveness.
Seal - really impressed with the initial beading from this. Be interesting to see how it lasts in the thick of winter as the roads are really filthy. Hoping that it means the dirt will come off easier with future washes.
I think once the blast is finished I'll not bother buying more. It looks good on but I don't think it's much good at shifting the grime. The cannon is decent but I'll test out other products to see if I can get it to penetrate and remove dirt in winter without a mitt.
Anyone else had any success from a contactless wash?
You probably need something with a bit more cleaning power, Bilt Hamber touchless is very good for this.
Surfex HD is another great product that can be watered down and sprayed on to cut through grime pre wash but can affect your protection.
I’m not a Bilt Hamber fanboy but these 2 are probably some of the best products available.
Probably won’t shift everything but contactless never does, it will remove the worst of it though.
Surfex HD is another great product that can be watered down and sprayed on to cut through grime pre wash but can affect your protection.
I’m not a Bilt Hamber fanboy but these 2 are probably some of the best products available.
Probably won’t shift everything but contactless never does, it will remove the worst of it though.
You can never fully clean a car with a contactless wash especially in winter. Only can get away with it when it’s just dusty from the hot weather
I have used the polar kit before and the only thing I still use is the seal. Other manufacturers now do something similar but it is still a decent product. I find the protection only lasts a few weeks in high traffic areas but stuff like the side windows still bead months later.
My routine is:
-Soak filthy areas in high strength citrus APC (car dry)
-Lay bilt hamber touchless on top and leave to dwell
-Jetwash off (using a stubby gun - game changer) which takes a good 70-80% of the dirt with it
-Contact wash with a good quality shampoo and 2 buckets (wash and rinse)
I have used the polar kit before and the only thing I still use is the seal. Other manufacturers now do something similar but it is still a decent product. I find the protection only lasts a few weeks in high traffic areas but stuff like the side windows still bead months later.
My routine is:
-Soak filthy areas in high strength citrus APC (car dry)
-Lay bilt hamber touchless on top and leave to dwell
-Jetwash off (using a stubby gun - game changer) which takes a good 70-80% of the dirt with it
-Contact wash with a good quality shampoo and 2 buckets (wash and rinse)
Belle427 said:
You probably need something with a bit more cleaning power, Bilt Hamber touchless is very good for this.
Surfex HD is another great product that can be watered down and sprayed on to cut through grime pre wash but can affect your protection.
I’m not a Bilt Hamber fanboy but these 2 are probably some of the best products available.
Probably won’t shift everything but contactless never does, it will remove the worst of it though.
+1 for the Surfex HD. I tried the Autoglym products and it didnt work as well as the BH stuff.Surfex HD is another great product that can be watered down and sprayed on to cut through grime pre wash but can affect your protection.
I’m not a Bilt Hamber fanboy but these 2 are probably some of the best products available.
Probably won’t shift everything but contactless never does, it will remove the worst of it though.
You could try a stronger mix of the Autoglym products to see if does a better job
Agree about the Polar Blast, it foams and clings well but it seems like some others e.g. Bilt Hamber AutoFoam are stronger cleaners.
Nonetheless as it clings so well it still does a pretty good job 'softening' the dirt prior to a contact wash.
I keep meaning to try it with the mix a bit wetter, to see if it runs of the car more readily and takes more dirt off with it.
Nonetheless as it clings so well it still does a pretty good job 'softening' the dirt prior to a contact wash.
I keep meaning to try it with the mix a bit wetter, to see if it runs of the car more readily and takes more dirt off with it.
For me, the biggest issue with AG Polar Blast is that it doesn't easily wash away once it has been rinsed off. It sits there for hours and even overnight.
It sounds like a very trivial matter, but its actually massively annoying and means I no longer use the stuff (despite having a nearly full bottle of it sat on the shelf. Depending on the nature of your driveway / parking arrangements, you end up walking through it and bringing it into the car or house.
It takes me a solid 10 mins after the car has been washed to then run the hose over the remaining soapy mixture on the floor in order to rinse it away - I've never experienced that with a snow foam before....?
It sounds like a very trivial matter, but its actually massively annoying and means I no longer use the stuff (despite having a nearly full bottle of it sat on the shelf. Depending on the nature of your driveway / parking arrangements, you end up walking through it and bringing it into the car or house.
It takes me a solid 10 mins after the car has been washed to then run the hose over the remaining soapy mixture on the floor in order to rinse it away - I've never experienced that with a snow foam before....?
MattyD803 said:
For me, the biggest issue with AG Polar Blast is that it doesn't easily wash away once it has been rinsed off. It sits there for hours and even overnight.
I have the same issue and it really annoys me too. I find the polar lance and the blast to be reasonable products, I do often add a little citrus to the snow foam product also. Never used their seal though, I prefer other products.
I've recently bought 5L of Bilt Hamber touchless and an MJJC stubby gun but not getting much chance to try it out at the moment. Ive previously used Bilt Hamber Auto Foam and while its probably the best snow foam ive just, It never works as well as some of the Youtuber's would have you believe.
I also spray the snow foam straight onto a dry car with no pre jet wash beforehand. This gets debated all the time but Jon of Forensic Detailing Fame argues that spraying the foam onto an already wet car will dilute the snow foam down further. This is important if using the Bilt Hamber products as the instructions specify working out the correct dilution ratio's beforehand so the product is the correct strength when it comes out of the cannon.
I also spray the snow foam straight onto a dry car with no pre jet wash beforehand. This gets debated all the time but Jon of Forensic Detailing Fame argues that spraying the foam onto an already wet car will dilute the snow foam down further. This is important if using the Bilt Hamber products as the instructions specify working out the correct dilution ratio's beforehand so the product is the correct strength when it comes out of the cannon.
MattyD803 said:
For me, the biggest issue with AG Polar Blast is that it doesn't easily wash away once it has been rinsed off. It sits there for hours and even overnight.
It sounds like a very trivial matter, but its actually massively annoying and means I no longer use the stuff (despite having a nearly full bottle of it sat on the shelf. Depending on the nature of your driveway / parking arrangements, you end up walking through it and bringing it into the car or house.
It takes me a solid 10 mins after the car has been washed to then run the hose over the remaining soapy mixture on the floor in order to rinse it away - I've never experienced that with a snow foam before....?
Yeah my wife thought it was amusing that I had a sea of foam all over the driveway that just hadn't moved overnight. It did seem to do a reasonable job of washing the drive as a by product so an extra point for that. It sounds like a very trivial matter, but its actually massively annoying and means I no longer use the stuff (despite having a nearly full bottle of it sat on the shelf. Depending on the nature of your driveway / parking arrangements, you end up walking through it and bringing it into the car or house.
It takes me a solid 10 mins after the car has been washed to then run the hose over the remaining soapy mixture on the floor in order to rinse it away - I've never experienced that with a snow foam before....?
I'll try it on dry next time so see if it makes a difference.
The Seal is getting a thumbs up from me at the moment. One of the vehicles is a dark metallic and it has done a good job bringing out the shine for an easily applied product.
During winter months I just give my car a going over with Surfex HD and Autofoam (probably don’t really need the Autofoam but can’t do any harm?!). As it’s usually dirty the next day there’s no point following it up with a contact wash. These are the results from this approach, it’s hard to see exactly how well it works as the car is dirt coloured to start with! I gave the car a treatment of BH Double Speed wax early October/ November ish and water is still beading. I think the key to help the product work is keeping the paintwork topped up with a wax/detail spray.
Image below should be a video!
Image below should be a video!
Edited by _Hoppers on Monday 23 January 16:48
I like the Polar seal, with a Halford trade card its good vfm
Its lasting about 6weeks for me at the moment although my windscreen doesnt agree with it, its left a film that wont budge & will need to be polished off
It also smells great imho, I feel like a spotty teenager with my first tin of Lymx Africa again!
Its lasting about 6weeks for me at the moment although my windscreen doesnt agree with it, its left a film that wont budge & will need to be polished off
It also smells great imho, I feel like a spotty teenager with my first tin of Lymx Africa again!
zsdom said:
I like the Polar seal, with a Halford trade card its good vfm
Its lasting about 6weeks for me at the moment although my windscreen doesnt agree with it, its left a film that wont budge & will need to be polished off
It also smells great imho, I feel like a spotty teenager with my first tin of Lymx Africa again!
Yes the scent is quite good, if not odd for a product you put on externally. I could still smell it when it was dry. Its lasting about 6weeks for me at the moment although my windscreen doesnt agree with it, its left a film that wont budge & will need to be polished off
It also smells great imho, I feel like a spotty teenager with my first tin of Lymx Africa again!
I used Fast Glass on the windscreen after it said to avoid spraying onto it.
zsdom said:
I like the Polar seal, with a Halford trade card its good vfm
Its lasting about 6weeks for me at the moment although my windscreen doesnt agree with it, its left a film that wont budge & will need to be polished off
It also smells great imho, I feel like a spotty teenager with my first tin of Lymx Africa again!
It causes smearing because it lays on top of the really stuck on traffic film on the screen.Its lasting about 6weeks for me at the moment although my windscreen doesnt agree with it, its left a film that wont budge & will need to be polished off
It also smells great imho, I feel like a spotty teenager with my first tin of Lymx Africa again!
When I use the polar seal (2-3 times a year) I dry the screen, polish it with AG glass polish to ensure its completely clean then rinse and apply the Polar seal.
Generally this is fine and any minor smearing clears up after a few days once the wipers have worn the product off a little.
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