workshop photos to

come

we test eight spray-on formulations designed to tackle slime and grime

How we tested these productsexpert judgesVicki and Geoff Edge are multi-award winning concours competitors with their MG-only collection that includes an MGA, MGB, MGF, MG ZR and an MGB GT.

testingAll the product containers were taped up to disguise their identities. Only the instructions were left on display, and any mention of the product name within the instructions was removed. The products were tested on a single panel with an even layer of dirt on it. The panel was divided into eight equal sections. New microfibre towels were used with each product.

ease of useClarity of instructions, how long the process took, ease of spray application and container ergonomics (grip, weight) were all be taken into account here.

dirt removalVicki and Geoff Edge’s MG ZR test vehicle had an even layer of sticky, prickly dust all over it. Following the instructions to the letter, they judged the products on their effectiveness at removing this layer.

shineEach product was judged on the quality of the shine it created.

feelThe smoother the paintwork is left after washing, the harder it is for dirt to stick to it. Our expert judges will be feeling their way over our cleaned test panel to find the smoothest finish.

pricingOur product tests take a common-sense approach to pricing: If two tie for either of the top awards (Best Buy and We Also Like) the lower-priced unit will claim it. However, low price alone will not secure any product the Best Budget Buy award. For a product to win this category it must also perform to a very high standard according to the test’s criteria. We did not award one for this test. Here, we’re listing the pack price and the price per 100ml (including VAT) so you can make direct comparisons between products.

c leaning car bodywork can be a pain. First there’s all the gear required – buckets, sponges,

brushes, shampoo and leathers. Next, you need water – invariably it’s a bucket from the kitchen (woe betide you if you slop the contents over the floor). But If you find car washing as much as a chore

as we do, or your want to spruce up your classic’s paintwork inside a garage or at a show, the answer could be found in waterless washing products. The manufacturers claim that all you need for gleaming paintwork is their product and a microfibre towel or two. We’re putting that claim to the test here.

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WORDS: BEN FIELD pHOtOS: tom critchell & ben field

Eco Touch is designed to be sprayed onto a microfibre

towel and the bodywork before wiping and lifting the towel to remove the dirt. Dirt removal is no problem for this product, but the process of spraying both the towel and bodywork means towels get wet quickly – a whole car will need a lot of towels.

The second supplied microfibre towel was used to buff up the paintwork. After that, there was still a film left on the surface that blunted the shine, and that film was tacky, so Eco Touch fell down on the feel test, too.

made by: eco touch price from: eco touch – uk.ecotouch.euvolume: 500mlprice per 100ml: £1.79towels: two, microfibreprice: £8.99

Eco Touch WaTErlEss Wash KiT

waterless car washers With its compact container

and easy-to-see purple spray, Go Waterless should be simple to use. But the liquid is very runny and no matter how careful you are to mist it onto the surface, it runs off rapidly.

Good job the test panel was a bonnet, not a vertical surface…

Once you’ve caught the stuff and wiped it off, its dirt-removal properties are excellent, however. Shine was reasonable, but didn’t live up to the ‘Carnauba Gloss’ promised on the label. Considering what the paint was like before cleaning, the finish was reasonably smooth, but still only average in this test sample.

made by: Go Waterless price from: Go Waterless – 01256 889001, www.go-waterless.co.ukvolume: 500mlprice per 100ml: £2.09towels: two, microfibreprice: £10.45

Go WaTErlEss carnauba Gloss KiT

ease of use nnnnn

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overall 13/20

each product had its identity masked before expert judges vicki and Geoff edge carried out the tests.

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overall 13/20

panel dirt removal check in progress.

Product test

www.practicalclassics.co.ukoctober 2012 // PrActIcAL cLASSIcS PrActIcAL cLASSIcS // october 2012to subscribe to PC go to www.greatmagazines.co.uk

Waterless car washers

Let’s be clear on one thing: none of these products is designed to remove caked-on mud or heavy deposits of winter road film. For that you will have to resort to the good old bucket and sponge. But if you just want to clean a regular grubby classic without water, any of the products in the test will do that job well (and clean windows, wheels and remove spattered bugs, we discovered).

What makes some stand out and others fade into the background is the quality of the finish. Our Best Buy led the way here with a finish that surprised our concours-hardened judges. The fact that Auto-QD was designed as a quick detailer rather than a dedicated waterless washer makes its win here even more impressive. We’d like Bilt-Hamber to do something about that plunger, though.

The instructions for this product fill the back label

of the big, 768ml container with reams of detail in tiny white-on-black print. On the upside, this waterless wash can be used in direct sunlight if necessary and the excellent spray head makes the required misting of the product very simple. These last two points restore the Meguiar’s ease-of-use tally a little. Our sticky panel was no match for the cleaning qualities of this product and buffing the paint to a shine was easy with a second microfibre cloth. Final shine was fair, but the feel of the paint post-polishing was among the best in this test.

made by: meguiar’s price from: meguiar’s – 0870 2416696, www.meguiars.co.ukvolume: 768mlprice per 100ml: £1.95 towels: not includedprice: £14.99

made by: Autoglym price from: halfords – 08450 579 000, www.halfords.comvolume: 500mlprice per 100ml: £1.60 towels: not includedprice: £7.99

auToGlym raPid dETailEr

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Overall 15/20

mEGuiar’s ulTimaTE Wash & Wax anyWhErE

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overall 14/20

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overall 15/20

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Overall 15/20

L ike Eco Touch, Turtle Wax Waterless Wash needs to

be sprayed onto a towel and the paintwork, so the same problems with soaked towels, additional time taken and plain hassle apply here.

The spray pattern is very large so working in the ‘small area’ as the instructions dictate isn’t all that easy. Dirt removal was on a par with every other product in this test and buffing to a shine took little effort.

The Turtle Wax product left a fair shine on the paintwork, and the finish was relatively smooth to the touch after use.

Simple instructions and a useful directional spray

pattern make AquaZero easy to use. No sooner was the product on the surface and it was absorbing and lifting the dirt from the panel.

One wipe from a microfibre towel had the surface clean, and a buff with a clean towel quickly built up an impressive shine on the paintwork.

Given the quality of that shine, it was disappointing to feel a significant drag on the surface of the paint.

Moving the car outside the garage to look at the finish in the light created a light dust and this settled on the paint and stayed there.

made by: turtle Wax – www.turtlewax.comprice from: halfords – 08450 579 000, www.halfords.comvolume: 500mlprice per 100ml: £1.99 towels: one, microfibreprice: £9.99

made by: drymotive price from: drymotive – 08458 540057, www.drymotive.comvolume: 500mlprice per 100ml: £1.99towels: two, microfibreprice: £9.98

aquaZEroTurTlE Wax WaTErlEss Wash

Most of the products in this test need to be shaken

before use, but as the only aerosol on test, Dry Shine takes a lot of shaking before it is ready to be sprayed on.

Simple instructions and a spray pattern that comes out in a vertical line (excellent for getting it where you want it), compensate for all the shaking.

The product is thick, like a household polish, but it ate into, and then removed the dirt from the test panel easily after the 20-second wait suggested by the instructions.

The resulting shine and feel was very good and took little effort with a second microfibre towel to achieve.

made by: dry Shine price from: dry Shine – 01773 528977, www.dryshine.co.ukvolume: 487mlprice per 100ml: £1.99towels: not includedprice: £9.95

dry shinE

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Overall 17/20

made by: bilt-hamber Price from: bilt-hamber – 01277 658899, www.bilthamber.comvolume: 500mlprice per 100ml: £2.59towels: one, microfibreprice: £12.95

bilT-hambEr auTo-qd

Previous Product test winnerssePtember 2012 ElEctric mEtal shEarsFein bLs 1.6X price: £421.25 price from: tool-net – 01732 361 618, www.tool-net.co.uk we said: ‘the fein has a workshop-friendly 5m-long lead, it weighs just 1.6kg (the lightest in test by 100g). cuts are guillotine-quality, with no distortion and leaving no sharp edges on the test panel.’score: 15/15

August 2012 DEgrEasErsHALFords engine cLeAner 500mL price: £3.99price from: halfords – 08450 579 000, www.halfords.comwe said: ‘the upper engine section was degreased in moments. the caked-on oily deposits on the land rover seat box we jused were no match for this degreaser.’

score: 18/20

JuLy 2012 BoDy fillErsPLAstic PAdding uLtimA 930gprice: £9.49price from: halfords – 08450 579 000, www.halfords.comwe said: ‘this filler was one of the easiest to sand down. After two minutes the surface of the filler was smooth with no marks or pinholes visible.’score: 12/15

June 2012 aDjustaBlEspannErsteng 4003iQ price: £19.71price from: tool orders – 0844 8488 148, www.toolorders.co.ukwe said: ‘the teng’s handle is well balanced and features comfortable, grippy inserts. Adjustment of the jaw is precision itself and the 30mm jaw opening gives the teng that extra bit of versatility.’score: 19/15

Auto-QD began lifting the dirt on the test panel the

moment it was applied. The clear three-point instructions called for the product to be spread over the surface and buffed off with a clean microfibre towel. Simple. Less simple was applying the product in the required mist. To do this, the plunger has to be depressed fully and quickly.

Keeping a firm grip on the bottle at the same time is no easy task and quickly leads to finger fatigue. Coming back to the positives, Auto-QD produced the deepest shine and the smoothest feel from the test sample, our experts likened it to a traditional washed and waxed finish.

best buy

Autoglym does make a full waterless wash but it is a

trade product available only in vast drums and definitely not to the general public. We gave Autoglym a rundown on the planned test and were sent a sample of the Rapid Detailer to include instead.

Considering this product is designed for restoring paintwork with only the lightest covering of grime, our test panel presented a real challenge. So we were impressed with the dirt removal properties of the Rapid Detailer that lifted the entrenched, sticky dust off the surface with one wipe.

The paintwork shone well afterwards, but there was a tackiness to the feel, despite significant amounts of buffing.

we alsolike...

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Overall 18/20

mot waterless washes are spray on, then wipe off.mot waterless washes are spray on, then wipe off.

www.practicalclassics.co.ukoctober 2012 // PrActIcAL cLASSIcS

Product Test

conclusion

Waterless car washers

PrActIcAL cLASSIcS // october 2012to subscribe to PC go to www.greatmagazines.co.uk