Car Soap Shootout with DFB

[DevilDog]

Oh boy, don't get me started on that.

When I got home from Vietnam I bought a new '69 Plymouth Roadrunner. I used Joy dish soap to wash it. It's amazing how car care products have evolved over the years. Thank you for taking the time to share your expertise. Great information.

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[Zig]

When I got home from Vietnam I bought a new '69 Plymouth Roadrunner. I used Joy dish soap to wash it. It's amazing how car care products have evolved over the years. Thank you for taking the time to share your expertise. Great information.

Back when only ‘Joy’ or ‘Dawn’ and sometimes their/her friend ‘Ivory’ were allowed, but never cascade nor pine-sol.

 

[DFB5.0]

Three additional soaps to add to the shoot-out -

Armour Detail Supply Shampoo+ - Having just gone on sale in Australia, Armour Detail Supply has hit the ground running with a range of products that have garnered plenty of praise. With that in mind, I was keen to try Shampoo+. The focus here was for a pure, pH neutral maintenance wash that can be used in both a foam cannon or bucket. While expensive, its relatively concentrated, with does rates for a foam cannon in the 30 – 90ml range depending on foam preferences.

The first thing you notice with this soap is how easily it pours, similar to NV Snow or Carpro Reset. The scent, like the rest of the ADS lineup, is extremely pleasant and is refreshingly different to the usual berry/bubble gum/cherry scents that are common to wash soaps. Foam quality will range from thin and watery, right out to shaving cream foam. Slickness and cleaning ability and great. In many ways, Shampoo+ is on par with Reset in being a top level soap. But for whatever reason, I still prefer Reset.

Lubrication – 9/10
Cleaning Ability – 9/10
Scent – Subtle, pleasant
PH Level – 7.5 (claimed)
Consistency – Runny
Overall Rating – 9/10

3D Ultimate Wash – This is another relatively new soap on the market that sits above the regular 3D line as a premium offering. Ultimate Wash is pH neutral and produces much thicker foam compared to the thin/watery foam of 3D Pink. Strangely, the 473ml bottles are both priced the same at $29.99 (AUD), however no gallon size is offered. They do offer a 1.9-litre size sitting at $49.99 (AUD), which compares to the $45.99 (AUD) asking price for a gallon of 3D Pink.

The first thing you notice with Ultimate Wash is the thicker consistency combined with the stupid pop-top cap that makes it hard to dose out. Foaming ability is excellent, producing a thick blanket over the vehicle. Slickness is ok, the mandarin-orange scent ok. Apart from the foamability, the best aspect of this soap is the easy rinse off. Other than being hard to pour, Ultimate Wash doesn’t do anything wrong but doesn’t excel at anything either. Overall, a workhorse soap at a premium price point.

Lubrication – 7/10
Cleaning Ability – 8/10
Scent – Orange-mandarin scent, faint
PH Level – 7.5 (claimed)
Consistency – Thick
Overall Rating – 6/10

Armour Detail Supply Decon Soap – As the name suggests, this is soap designed for decontamination purposes. With a pH of 12.0, this alkaline soap can be used to strip older waxes and sealants prior to a new application. It can also help revive an existing ceramic coating or be used as a heavier duty maintenance soap to assist in the removal of bugs and baked on grime. ADS also make mention of the surfactants being safe for semi-regular use on all surfaces, including paint, plastic, and metal.

Producing ultra thick foam, Decon Soap has a high cling rate that allows for an extended dwell period. It’s very easy to pour, just like their Shampoo+, and does well as a bucket soap. The scent is a faint hint of citrus, but is mostly like the other high-alkaline soaps on the market.

Lubrication – 8/10
Cleaning Ability – 9/10
Scent – Slight citrus aroma
PH Level – 12.0 (claimed)
Consistency – Runny
Overall Rating – 8/10

Next? Well, I'm not sure really. I have a handful of soaps that have been in the cabinet for a while now that I haven't even touched. Both Bilt Hamber Auto-Foam and Auto-Wash were sent to me to sample, but without a scent or colour, they just don't have a wow factor. I also have a bottle of Bathe+ that was supposed to go in the wash-n-wax series, but its convoluted application process seems more of an inconvenience than the suggested time saving concept.

At some point, I would love to compare a range of soaps sold through the big-box chain stores. The goal would be to find the best freely available soap on the market, but I suspect I already know the result of that before I've even begun. I'm also still waiting for Koch Chemie to release Reactivation Shampoo and S0.03 Hydro Foam, and the smaller 1-liter size of Active Foam, but it seems KCx Australia are lost at sea.

So, if you have a soap you want me to compare, shout out.

 

[DFB5.0]

Auto-Store Soaps

In the past, the availability of car washing soaps was somewhat limited. You would either go your local automotive store, grab something from the supermarket, or raided the kitchen for some dish-washing liquid. Believe it or not, I have done all three in the past.

These days, we are spoilt for choice. Not only in the actual product itself, but also on where to buy from, be that a traditional bricks and mortar retailer, or via specialty online stores. For someone like me, I’m more than happy to make my detailing purchases online, but I also understand that not everybody wants or feels comfortable shopping that way.

The following is a combination of soaps freely available in automotive bricks and mortar stores. Some of them I have previously reviewed but have added them here to fit the theme. Some are soaps I have used a very long time ago, testing them again to discover how they stack against high-end products. And some are new-to-me products.

ArmorAll Car Wash – Probably one of the cheapest car wash soaps on the market, this is the very first car wash soap I ever used back in the early 2000’s washing my Mum and Dad’s car. A lot has changed since then, but remarkably, this soap is exactly the same. The question is, does this soap offer something for the detailing obsessed, and how does it compare to modern soaps sold at considerably higher prices?

Using this soap for the first time in 20 years, it takes me way back to my teens washing cars on summer weekend evenings. The scent is the same, the colour is the same, the bottle is the same, the label is the same. Back then, foam cannons were not a thing, so I was surprised to see it foam so well. Now, they could have added foaming agents since then, but I do remember it being nice and sudsy. However, the suggested dose rates are extremely rich, ArmorAll recommending 200ml into 800ml of water for a foam cannon. Carpro Reset only requires 80ml, NV Snow 100ml. And while the cleaning power is very good, there is virtually no lubrication to be had, it has that “squeaky clean” feel under the wash pad.

Overall, an enthusiast detailer is not going to enjoy this soap. It does what is says on the bottle, but nothing more. As such, I’m not going to tear it to shreds because at the price point and the target customer, this stuff is more than up to the task. If only it had a more lubricated feel, it would be a surprise wildcard.

Lubrication – 2/10
Cleaning Ability – 8/10
Scent – Subdued, very old fashioned
PH Level – 7.5 (claimed)
Consistency – Thick
Overall Rating – 5/10

Autoglym Bodywork Shampoo Conditioner – The single worst soap I have ever used, and one of the worst detailing products I have had the displeasure of spending money on. No suds, no lubrication, no cleaning ability. This stuff is utter garbage, run, don’t walk from this pathetic product.

Lubrication – 2/10
Cleaning Ability 1/10
Scent – Can’t remember LOL
PH Level – 7.5
Consistency - Thin
Overall Rating – 1/10

Autoglym Foaming Car Wash – After the past experience with the above soap, I was somewhat hesitant to try this stuff. However, being considerably newer on the market, surely they would have created a soap that lives up to modern day cleaning techniques. Going off the name and promise of “rich foam”, you would naturally expect this stuff to foam.

After a quick sniff of this soap, I was reminded of the cherry scented Gtechniq G-Wash. However, where G-Wash is a thoroughly competent soap, this stuff is so thoroughly disappointing! I'm sorry, but if you are going to label a product as a "foaming car wash", it bloody well better do just that! I was as generous with my dose rate as I normally am, as in more is better, I even added more after using it to clean the wheels to no improvement. I think its obvious in below the images that is soapy water and not "foam". Sure, its decently slick but I just can't get past it not foaming despite the claim on the bottle.

This soap joins a line of thoroughly average to downright horrible Autoglym products that I have used. Autoglym would be best off starting from scratch and putting their resources into making two great soaps rather than five thoroughly average ones. I scored this soap lower than the above because of the false claims of it foaming.

Lubrication – 7/10
Cleaning Ability – 5/10
Scent – Cherry
PH Level – 7.5 (claimed)
Consistency – Runny
Overall Rating – 0/10

Bowden’s Own Snow Job – The original formulation of Snow Job was junk! Sure, it foamed well but it offered little to no cleaning ability. The new version is said to be a all-new formulation, addressing a few key problems with the original, including cleaning ability and the consistency of the liquid.

Snow Job v2 is much runnier, making it easier to measure out. Like the original, Snow Job foams like a champ, producing thick and clingy foam. It also cleans better than the original, although still not to the level of the leaders. I also don’t really like the scent, almost like a commercial men’s room cleaner. Overall, an improvement on the original but not a leading contender.

Lubrication – 6/10
Cleaning Ability 6/10
Scent – Said to be “refreshing”
PH Level – 7.5
Consistency – Runny
Overall Rating – 6/10

Bowdens Nanolicious – Bowden’s now offer a range of soaps, Nanolicious has been part of their lineup from very early on is aimed at bucket washing. Being pH neutral, this soap also contains UV inhibitors and adds “polymer based protection”. Bowden’s also make mention of “hydrophilic ingredients” which helps with water sheeting for faster rinsing and no streaky residues common similar soaps. In the past, I had dismissed this soap because of those conditioning polymers, however Bowdens insist that Nanolicious is safe for ceramic coatings, so I was keen to see how that would pan out.

Due to its bucket wash intentions, I was expecting Nanolicious to be a low foaming product. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how well it did in producing decently thick foam. Under the wash pad, Nanolicious is acceptably slick, cleans well and rinses freely. I actually noticed the promised sheeting effect during the rinse off. The scent? It's pleasant but forgettable. I was using this soap after the transcendent Carpro Reset, and overall, Nanolicious didn't disappoint, but didn't impress either.

Lubrication – 7/10
Cleaning Ability – 8/10
Scent – Subdued
PH Level – 7.5 (claimed)
Consistency – Thick
Overall Rating – 7/10

Chemical Guys Honeydew Snow Foam – One of the brands best products, this is a pH neutral soap that boasts impressive foamability and suitability for use on waxes and sealants. I note that it has gloss enhancers, which could work against you on a ceramic coating.

In use, Honeydew is easy to dispense due to its runny consistency. The foaming ability is exceptional, the slickness middle of the road. The scent is pleasantly fresh, although not a standout like GSF or Reset. The soap also rinses freely. I used this soap on vehicles with Gyeon Pure EVO ceramic coating and didn’t seem to have compatibility issues from the glossing agents.

This is a very competent middle of the road soap. At the asking price in Australia, it competes with some much nicer products, making it a hard sell for me. The overall score reflects this.

Lubrication – 7/10
Cleaning Ability – 7/10
Scent – Subdued honeydew aroma
PH Level – 7.5 (claimed)
Consistency – Runny
Overall Rating – 5/10

Gyeon Q2M Foam - Gyeon seem to be a bit cagey with this product by not quoting a pH level. As a pre-wash soap designed to soften and lift dirt prior to the contact wash, I suspected a higher pH is what delivers that. Tested with my pH meter, that theory played out with a reading of about 12.0. As such, I would only be using this as an occasional wash on dirtier vehicles or as a restorative decon for ceramic coatings. There is a hint of a lemon fragrance and the foam quality is extremely thick. Think of Q2M Foam as Gyeon's version of Carpro Lift.

Lubrication – 8/10
Cleaning Ability 10/10
Scent – Mild Lemon
PH Level – 11.95
Consistency – Thin
Overall Rating – 8/10

Gyeon Bathe – Gyeon offer a number of soaps, I think this is the one to go for. This is a slightly acidic maintenance soap that is highly concentrated, Gyeon suggesting Bathe will wash at least 35 cars from a single 400ml bottle. Hmmmm, not around here it won't!

Offers a runny consistency for easy pouring, Bathe produces ultra thick foam that clings to the paint very well. The scent is pleasant, but not to Reset levels. Something to note, the blue colouring presented in the product description seems to settle to the bottom of the bottle and doesn't re-mix, even with vigorous agitation. So, if Bathe you are looking at is clear, that is normal.

A very, very good soap, probably the best soap you can buy at a regular automotive store (Repco). However, for some reason, it has never spoken to me.

Lubrication – 9/10
Cleaning Ability 8/10
Scent – “Pleasant”
PH Level – 6.0
Consistency - Thin
Overall Rating – 8/10

Meguiars Soft Wash Gel – This is Meguiar's entry level soap in Australia and is often found on sale. Soft Wash Gel is pH neutral and contains "conditioners with optical brighteners to enhance the brilliance and gloss of your paint finish." This is a soap that pre-dates the foam cannon era, so how does it stack up in the modern age?

The first thing you notice is the strong cherry scent and the ultra-thick gel-like consistency. That thick consistency is common to every Meguiar's soap I have ever used, but then, their soaps have been left unchanged for decades. The gloopy consistency makes it harder to mix in the foam cannon cannister, but then it's not alone in that regard. Foam quality is not it’s strong suit, it produces quite runny and thin foam. However, Soft Wash Gel is an excellent bucket soap, it produces plenty of suds that hold on throughout the wash. Under the wash mitt, its nowhere near as slick as my current benchmark, Carpro Reset. Cleaning ability is fair and the rinse off easy enough.

For me, the biggest problem with Soft Wash Gel is that a 500ml bottle of Carpro Reset is only $5.00 more expensive when comparing RRP's. Reset is easier to pour, is considerably slicker, produces lovely thick foam, and is more concentrated so the extra $5.00 cancels itself out. Soft Wash Gel serves a purpose but is not for the detailing enthusiast.

Lubrication – 4/10
Cleaning Ability – 7/10
Scent – Heavy cherry scent
PH Level – 7.5 (claimed)
Consistency – Ultra thick, gel like
Overall Rating – 5/10

Meguiar’s Ultimate Wash & Wax – Another thick, gloopy soap from Meguiar’s that will also leave behind a small amount of protection. I stopped using this due to poor cleaning ability and the fact it was leaving behind a residue on glass. Smelt lovely though.

Lubrication – 7/10
Cleaning Ability 5/10
Scent – Bubble gum
PH Level – 7.5
Consistency - Thick
Overall Rating – 4/10

Meguiars Gold Class - This is basically Meguiar's flagship consumer soap that is pH neutral and has been on sale for decades. Rather than design a new label, Meguiar's in recent years has been putting a "Great For Foam Cannons" stickers on the bottle. For a brand as big and powerful as Meguiar's, you would think a fresh label would be an easy task, Gyeon have no trouble doing fresh labels every few years. Lazy is the word that comes to mind.

I used Gold Class for quite a while. At the time, I wasn't always foaming, but when I did, measuring out the gloopy Gold Class was difficult. That thick consistency remains, but now that we have wide-mouth foam cannon bottles, that really isn't the problem it once was.

Foam quality from Gold Class is medium to thick and with good holding power. The best thing about Gold Class is how sudsy it is, and those suds hang around right up until you start rinsing. I really like how it stays active and doesn't run off the panel after cleaning a section, in turn helping prevent it drying too quickly as you work around the vehicle. The flipside to that is it requires longer to rinse clear, a contrast to NXT which is extremely free rinsing. The scent is quite dated but takes me back to my younger days. Lubrication was ok but not a standout, I feel NXT is better in that regard too.

One other point on Gold Class, many have noted it can leave a residue behind and cause a streaky/hazy appearance. From what I can tell, this is from the conditioning agents and gloss enhancers not playing well with certain ceramic coatings. Personally, I have never witnessed this.

Lubrication – 7/10
Cleaning Ability – 8/10
Scent – Mild, dated
PH Level – 7.5 (Claimed)
Consistency – Ultra thick
Overall Rating – 7/10

Meguiars NXT - I remember when the NXT line of products were the latest and greatest from Meguiar's. The NXT soap was designed to work with the new NXT liquid and paste sealants, said to offer superior lubrication and an "extreme sudsing formula". A pH neutral maintenance soap, I used this stuff extensively for many years, mainly on my FG XR6. Thinking back, I remember NXT being a champion of suds, so I wondered how it would foam.

First of all, the grape scent of NXT took me back to my early 20's, much the same as the ArmorAll and Gold Class did. Mixed into the foam cannon, NXT produces medium to thick foam and felt very nice under the wash pad. At this point I was impressed, but it wasn't until I started to rinse the soap off the car did it finally click, this is Meguiar's BEST SOAP! Up until the rinse, I was thinking NXT was very similar to Hyper Wash, if not quite as foamy. But the way it instantly rinsed from the vehicle set it apart, Hyper Wash in comparison requires significantly more effort to fully rinse off the car.

The only drawback to NXT is the ultra-thick consistency, the key reason I chose to move away from it. However, like Gold Class, now that we have wide-mouth foam cannons, this aspect is less relevant as you don't have to dribble a thick soap into a narrow foam cannon bottle. But still, I think this is a killer soap!

Lubrication – 8/10
Cleaning Ability – 8/10
Scent – 8/10
PH Level – 7.5 (Claimed)
Consistency – Ultra Thick
Overall Rating – 9/10

Meguiar's Hyper Wash D110 – A highly concentrated soap with a 400:1 dilution ratio that is aimed at professional or bulk usage. In the US market, Hyper Wash is exceptionally affordable, priced below something like Adam's Car Shampoo or Mega Foam. In Australia, the $95 RRP puts it above the excellent 4-litre NV Snow or 3.8-litre Optimum Car Wash.

Meguiar's doesn't provide a pH number in their marketing information for Hyper Wash, but according to the SDS, it has pH value of about 9.0 to 9.8. In in theory, this delivers increased cleaning ability and improved wash efficiency. The formula is biodegradable and can be used in a professional metering system.

Meguiar's claim of "rich, stable foam" certainly rings true, Hyper Wash blanketing the car with shaving cream thick foam. The scent is pleasant but somewhat muted, so it won't "out scent" a soap from the likes of KCx, Carpro or Gyeon. While not class leading, slickness is agreeable and cleaning ability impressive. The thicker consistency of the concentrate does require more diligence when mixing up foam cannon and bucket solutions. Due to that thickness, this is a soap I would highly suggest fitting a dispensing spout/tap, especially if you have a narrow foam cannon opening.

Overall, an impressive workhorse soap that I have enjoyed using far more than I expected. If you are looking for something different as bulk soap, Hyper Wash is an attractive proposition. Just wait until it’s on sale though.

Lubrication – 9/10
Cleaning Ability 10/10
Scent – Mild, Pleasant.
PH Level – 9.0 to 9.8 (Note – I recorded 7.89)
Consistency - Thick
Foam Quality - Thick
Overall Rating – 9/10

Final Notes -

From the outset, I went into this experiment with low expectations but came away with some valuable insight. At the bottom end of the market, you kinda get what you pay for, as in a product that does the job but nothing more. To be fair, those products are not really for "us". However, once you breach a certain price point, the difference between the segment leaders and these auto-store products is narrower. The differences are there but are more subtle.

For me, the value proposition is not there when you consider some of these contenders are not much cheaper than the industry leaders. In which case, you are waiting on the inevitable sales, which is what I did for many years buying NXT and Gold Class.

Moving away from price and focusing on the topic of this post, what soap is the go-to when purchasing from a bricks and mortar store? For me, that's easy!

- In smaller pack sizes, Meguiar's NXT is superbly capable, especially that easy rinse off. It smells nice, foams great, washes great. I was surprised at how well this stuff compared to the latest and greatest.

- If you like to buy in bulk, then Meguiar's Hyper Wash is a fantastic choice. It's ultra concentrated, foams brilliantly, and cleaning ability on par or beyond Carpro Reset.

- If you want to try something new and more upmarket, then Gyeon Bathe would be a clear winner. It's easier to pour than the two above, foams like a champ and is nicely slick.

So, I went into this thinking I already knew the answer to each soap. Some impressed, some were about what I expected, some were downright deceptive. Now, I just have to get through all of this extra soap! Some has already been given away, some fill follow in footsteps of Snow Job....................

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