# Koch chemie green star review



## Benr7310

Hi all

First things first, I bought this product with my own money and have received nothing free from any retailer or manufacturer (unfortunately!).

I've recently been trying to find a pre wash which really works and takes off the crud as I keep finding that snowfoam just doesn't take that much off. It's great to see a decent clingy foam but if you rinse and let it dry it's just as dirty.

So that's why I decided to try Koch Chemie Green Star.

First things first.. getting hold of it. OH MY DAYS. The biggest pain in my a... everywhere was out of stock. I messaged the KC Facebook page and they said there should be some coming soon. I eventually found some after seeing the KC Facebook post about it being in stock and got myself 3 bottles from a different retailer as I needed to buy some extra bits too.

So I got it through in a few days £5.15 per litre bottle. Pretty cheap really, but when adding postage it can be a bit of a pain.

Anyway! My car was sealed with fusso soft 99 about 5 months ago and hadn't been washed in over 2 months. Over 2 months of grimey crud being baked on, mud from country lanes and all the usual you find. As you can see, it was really caked on!





































I diluted 250ml of green star with 2l of water and applied it with a cheap pressure sprayer. I rinsed with a nilfisk titan 120 pressure washer. And these were the results:




























Those were the best pictures out of the ones I took due to reflection etc. I tried to let it dry naturally before taking these as it always looks cleaner when wet. As you can see it still has some crud on it, but it is massively reduced and better than any snowfoam I've tried (Valet pro, magifoam and avalanche)!

I was actually really surprised how well it worked and I'm glad I got the 3 bottles!

I finished by washing with megs gold class and it was still beading & sheeting so the fusso soft 99 has been unharmed at that dilution ratio.

Bit of a write up for you there but hopefully someone finds it useful and if you see it being sold next time you're restocking I seriously recommend getting some to try it.


----------



## wanner69

Excellent buddy, I done a review a few months ago on here :thumb:


----------



## nbray67

Is it my PC or are these the biggest pics I've ever seen on DW?

I was looking forward to the review but it's spoilt by the huuuuuge pics embedded onto the thread.

Any chance you can make the pics smaller Ben?


----------



## Radish293

Just ordered more snow foam looks like I should have ordered this instead


----------



## steelghost

Worth noting that the OP has used a powerful APC at a 12.5% dilution - nothing wrong with that, but it should be expected to clean very well! It won't strip LSPs off in one hit, but I'd be astonished if it didn't knock it back faster than a "normal" snowfoam. Not that this is a problem per se, LSPs can always be reapplied, but worth bearing in mind if you're thinking of doing this. 

Thanks to the OP for showing us one way to deal with a properly manky vehicle  :thumb:


----------



## Benr7310

nbray67 said:


> Is it my PC or are these the biggest pics I've ever seen on DW?
> 
> I was looking forward to the review but it's spoilt by the huuuuuge pics embedded onto the thread.
> 
> Any chance you can make the pics smaller Ben?


Done. Samsung s7 has no resize function which was a PITA and I couldn't be bothered to download separate tool


----------



## nbray67

Benr7310 said:


> Done. Samsung s7 has no resize function which was a PITA and I couldn't be bothered to download separate tool


Ha ha, cheers pal.

Looks like you weren't disappointed with the KC then.

It's come up a whole lot cleaner for sure.


----------



## Benr7310

steelghost said:


> Worth noting that the OP has used a powerful APC at a 12.5% dilution - nothing wrong with that, but it should be expected to clean very well! It won't strip LSPs off in one hit, but I'd be astonished if it didn't knock it back faster than a "normal" snowfoam. Not that this is a problem per se, LSPs can always be reapplied, but worth bearing in mind if you're thinking of doing this.
> 
> Thanks to the OP for showing us one way to deal with a properly manky vehicle  :thumb:


I wouldn't usually use that strong, but as it hadn't been washed in a long time I decided to give it a wack. Next time will be more like 5%.

Worth noting that neat snowfoam has never cleaned like this stuff.

I always tend to find snowfoam only takes off the loose stuff which the pressure washer would take off anyway. I've never found one that really wowed me.. but this stuff has.


----------



## Benr7310

nbray67 said:


> Ha ha, cheers pal.
> 
> Looks like you weren't disappointed with the KC then.
> 
> It's come up a whole lot cleaner for sure.


Definitely worth it for the price. Probably my best buy in a while. Other than my DA haha


----------



## Benr7310

wanner69 said:


> Excellent buddy, I done a review a few months ago on here :thumb:


I actually bought it because I saw your review as I'm a bit fed up of using a load of foam and getting nowhere.

Then when I tried it I thought it was good enough to make me want to write something up to support your review.


----------



## ollienoclue

I have a bottle of Green star but I have been relying on BH foam for now. I have no intention of ever doing purely touchless washing but this looks very impressive.


----------



## Benr7310

I now have 4l of avalanche sat around doing nothing!

I might still use it when the car is only lightly soiled but I can't get out to was it as often as I'd like anymore so if it's gross like mine was GS I'd the way forward 

Never heard of clean and shiny before but that's who had it in stock. There was a DW discount and they even sent me some Maoam in the package Hahas!


----------



## Stokie

Love the results that green star gives, after using it once I went and bought 10litres of the stuff.


----------



## ollienoclue

Is the Greenstar an actual detergent as such, I know it does an apparently miraculous job but does it leave the car clean enough to hand wash afterwards?

Are you guys applying it to wet or dry cars?


----------



## neilmcl

It's an APC so yes, it cleans. No pre-wash will replace a decent full hand-wash.


----------



## Benr7310

It leaves the car cleaner than snowfoam so yes easily hand-washable afterwards. You won't get a fully touchess wash unless you use it in real high concentration, but a touches wash isn't what I want. I just want less crud left on the car which can cause swirls or scratches when hand washing as it's a black car so minor marks show up like a f*#[email protected]*#$#*@#$*$*#*@.

I applied it to a dry car to give it a fairer test against snow foam I have tried in the past.


----------



## Taxboy

Be interesting to see if anyone has compared this to Surfex HD


----------



## Benr7310

Taxboy said:


> Be interesting to see if anyone has compared this to Surfex HD


If someone wants to send me some to test then please feel free. But I wont be restocking for a while now.. and I need to get the car dirty again haha!


----------



## steelghost

In the other GS thread one of the guys foamed his unprotected (!) fast Audi (RS4?) with Surfex, hut then rinsed it off with a beast of a Nilfisk hot water pressure washer, so probably not directly comparable to "ordinary" use.

That said from what I've read, as APCs Green Star and Surfex are fairly comparable, so I would expect Surfex to behave similarly if used in this way.


----------



## wanner69

Benr7310 said:


> I actually bought it because I saw your review as I'm a bit fed up of using a load of foam and getting nowhere.
> 
> Then when I tried it I thought it was good enough to make me want to write something up to support your review.


Thanks buddy, it blown me away too when it was recommended :thumb:


----------



## Nidge76

I haven't done a comparison but as greenstar was sold out everywhere I ended up buying BH Surfex instead. Used it as a pre wash in a spray bottle at 10:1 ratio and I was really impressed.


----------



## steelghost

Nidge76 said:


> I haven't done a comparison but as greenstar was sold out everywhere I ended up buying BH Surfex instead. Used it as a pre wash in a spray bottle at 10:1 ratio and I was really impressed.


This is exactly the point I've been making - using an aggressive APC at ~10% strength will clean very well, whether it's Green Star, Surfex HD, Auto Smart G101, or whatever else. There is a trade-off with LSP life span but most people on here aren't short of supplies of LSP to top up with


----------



## Radish293

I've only used surfex HD once and I wasn't impressed didn't think it did munch in the way of degreasing and tar removal. But due to the number of positive reviews and comments I will give it another go looking to get some green star. I live in an area surrounded by farms in the winter the cars were minging. It might be the answer 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## neilmcl

Personally I prefer stick with BH Autofoam as a pre-wash (using a pump sprayer) rather than an APC.


----------



## steelghost

Radish293 said:


> I've only used surfex HD once and I wasn't impressed didn't think it did munch in the way of degreasing and tar removal. But due to the number of positive reviews and comments I will give it another go looking to get some green star. I live in an area surrounded by farms in the winter the cars were minging. It might be the answer
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Nothing water based will really touch tar (short of a 60°C high pressure TFR truck wash) - it simply doesn't dissolve in water. Just as well really, otherwise the roads would wash away


----------



## Benr7310

steelghost said:


> This is exactly the point I've been making - using an aggressive APC at ~10% strength will clean very well, whether it's Green Star, Surfex HD, Auto Smart G101, or whatever else. There is a trade-off with LSP life span but most people on here aren't short of supplies of LSP to top up with


Tell you what.. next time I wash the car I'll reseal it with fusso soft 99. I will then use green star once a month and find out what month it finally gives up 

I imagine this will be a very long term test and there will be no top ups for the sealant (I never bother anyway).

I will confirm all prep work and cleaning gear to be used tonight


----------



## Radish293

Green star is so much better than I expected. Ive just done a touch-less wash on the car after it being covered in mud. 1-15 mix sprayed on and left to dwell for 5 minutes. Pressure washed off them blown dry. Its not perfect, but not much residue left easy maintenance wash.


----------



## ollienoclue

neilmcl said:


> Personally I prefer stick with BH Autofoam as a pre-wash (using a pump sprayer) rather than an APC.


I do both.

GreenStar on first, basically the dirty lower half of the car, gets attacking the worst of the grime. Then BH autofoam over the whole car.

I'm still in two minds about wetting the car body first before applying GreenStar. I think dry grime is harder to remove.


----------



## OvEr_KiLL

OP get rid of your af avalanche its rubbish. bh auto foam is much better  i havnt used green star or surfex on my car as a pre wash but as said it will probably de grade the wax thats on the car more than a specific pre wash say auto foam will
obviously depending on dilution ratios


----------



## Radish293

I was also impressed how much brake dust it removed. I would say it outperformed a dedicated wheel cleaner without agitation. It massively out performs BH auto foam which I’ve been using for a couple of years. I’ve yet to try it though a snow foam lance. It works out at less than 40p a wash which I’m happy with. As fir degrading wax time will tell but having just bought some Bilt Hamber double speed wax I’m happy to reapply it. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## Blueberry

I haven't found Green Star to degrade my wax. I use Green Star diluted 1:20, sometimes but rarely 1:15. I've been using Green Star for nearly a year now. Wouldn't use anything else. It cleans brilliantly.


----------



## steelghost

Benr7310 said:


> Tell you what.. next time I wash the car I'll reseal it with fusso soft 99. I will then use green star once a month and find out what month it finally gives up
> 
> I imagine this will be a very long term test and there will be no top ups for the sealant (I never bother anyway).
> 
> I will confirm all prep work and cleaning gear to be used tonight


So, how's the Fusso holding up?


----------



## sean ryan

Blueberry said:


> I haven't found Green Star to degrade my wax. I use Green Star diluted 1:20, sometimes but rarely 1:15. I've been using Green Star for nearly a year now. Wouldn't use anything else. It cleans brilliantly.


Im the same i've been using green star for about a year also and haven't found it to degrade my wax i use it once a week when i wash my car diluted at 10:1 :thumb:


----------



## Radish293

Been using Green Star up to twice a week since the DSW went on 6 weeks ago still no noticeable degrading of the wax. I’m really impressed with Green Star really easy to use, almost touch less, and cost effective. I’m using 75ml in 1500ml of water enough to drench the car.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## mb1

great review does it come in 5 liter.


----------



## deadmoo5e

It does mb1
https://www.elitecarcare.co.uk/product/koch-chemie-gs-green-star-universal-cleaner-1-litre-copy/


----------



## Radish293

mb1 said:


> great review does it come in 5 liter.


No just 1 or 10. Buy 10 you won't regret it it's ace.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## Raptor_F22

OP - how long was the dwell time?

I've been using Green Star for over a year (not many washes unfortunately) and always apply it before rinsing with a pressure washer and doing a hand wash.

Personally I wouldn't compare this with BH Surfex. I didn't like Surfex because of the white residue it leaves behind - this is fairly well know about. It's not an "issue" per se but can catch you off guard and leave you with more work to do. 

I found green star much easier to work with.


----------



## petebak

Benr7310 said:


> I wouldn't usually use that strong, but as it hadn't been washed in a long time I decided to give it a wack. Next time will be more like 5%.
> 
> Worth noting that neat snowfoam has never cleaned like this stuff.
> 
> I always tend to find snowfoam only takes off the loose stuff which the pressure washer would take off anyway. I've never found one that really wowed me.. but this stuff has.


You need to use BH foam, its the nuts.

I am a lover of all thing KC but its BH all the way for me, just make sure dilution is correct.


----------



## Radish293

Found another use for GS. it makes an awesome BBQ Cleaner. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## huxley309

Radish293 said:


> Found another use for GS. it makes an awesome BBQ Cleaner.
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


Likewise, used it to clean up a stainless oven.
Really did a great job on breaking down the burned on mess.
Green Star, not just for cars.


----------



## hopmonkey

Another vote for it working as an awesome bbq cleaner!
Cleaned my smoker of it’s winter mound and crud and gleams like new.


----------



## GC#65

I know people love Green Star but I wasn't particularly impressed.
Used 200ml in 2l of water in pump sprayer.
It was a nice warm day and maybe it was the sunshine, maybe it was me.
Will use it in a foam lance next time and see if it works better for me.


----------



## voon

GC#65 said:


> I know people love Green Star but I wasn't particularly impressed.


Compared to what? Or what was the expectation?


----------



## GC#65

voon said:


> Compared to what? Or what was the expectation?


Compared to most of the snow foams I have used over the years. No need to list those, as they are the usual suspects that everybody tends to use.

Based on the rave reviews, my expectation was that it would remove more crud, I still had a lot of work to do with the PW after.

TBH, I don't much like a pump spray pre-wash anyway, whatever the product but thought I would give it a go.


----------



## garage_dweller

> I know people love Green Star but I wasn't particularly impressed.


The first time I used Green Star I was amazed how how much dirt it removed. Very little dirt was left after leaving the green star to dwell then pressure washing it off.


----------



## voon

GC#65 said:


> Compared to most of the snow foams I have used over the years. No need to list those, as they are the usual suspects that everybody tends to use.
> 
> Based on the rave reviews, my expectation was that it would remove more crud, I still had a lot of work to do with the PW after.
> 
> TBH, I don't much like a pump spray pre-wash anyway, whatever the product but thought I would give it a go.


Hm, I assume you know Green Star is not a foam, it's an APC. Also I'm not sure it's designed to soften up hard crud .. that's probably better done with long sitting foam to introduce the humidity. But in terms of being a pretty strong APC, it should be doing a good job picking up traffic film etc. I don't use it as a general spray thingy .. more as soemthing I spray onto a towel to clean up specific areas, i.e. a soapy/cleaning agend together with mechanical work. I don't even add such APCs to foams, to not harm the foaming ability of the latter.

If it's about destroying waxes etc, I'd rather go with Koch Chemie Fw (Fleckenwasser), which is basically IPA and other agents.


----------



## Radish293

I’ve been playing with dilution ratings for GS and have found It’s even more versatile. 100ml to a litre of water is great for cleaning tyres. It is also excellent as an insect remover. 50ml a litre for a prewash which pretty much removes the caked on mud from all the farms near where I live. 25ml per lite as an APC great around the car, the house and BBQ. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## garycha

hopmonkey said:


> Another vote for it working as an awesome bbq cleaner!
> Cleaned my smoker of it's winter mound and crud and gleams like new.


Sounds powerful stuff. Like BH Surfect.

General observation that ` for one group of users it can remove baked on crud (i assume heavy grease etc) from ovens and BBQ - yet for another, it does not impact LSP and waxes.

Anyone tried on ceramics?


----------



## Peter_222

Anyone think getting an alkaline pump sprayer for this would be worthwhile or would ordinary seals do the trick??


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Blueberry

garycha said:


> Sounds powerful stuff. Like BH Surfect.
> 
> General observation that ` for one group of users it can remove baked on crud (i assume heavy grease etc) from ovens and BBQ - yet for another, it does not impact LSP and waxes.
> 
> Anyone tried on ceramics?


Depends on which dilution you use it at. 1:10 will remove LSP or lessen its effect. It cleans really well at 1:15 - 1:30.

Nothing beats it in my eyes


----------



## Wayno

To re-open an old thread, I have just purchased my first bottle of Green Star. Have a few KC products, so was eager to try this after a review on YT. 

However, in peoples opinions, which is best/preferred method? Wet first then spray, or spray onto dry panel and leave to dwell? 

Never been a fan of snowfoams. Think they're a gimmick product, to get the neighbours comments. Used quite a few now, and still keep heading for Valet Pro's citrus pre wash instead, until I found the GS.


----------



## jonnyw59

Wayno said:


> To re-open an old thread, I have just purchased my first bottle of Green Star. Have a few KC products, so was eager to try this after a review on YT.
> 
> However, in peoples opinions, which is best/preferred method? Wet first then spray, or spray onto dry panel and leave to dwell?
> 
> Never been a fan of snowfoams. Think they're a gimmick product, to get the neighbours comments. Used quite a few now, and still keep heading for Valet Pro's citrus pre wash instead, until I found the GS.


Personally I like to give the car a rinse first then apply. That's just my way of doing it and never had any issues. Some will say that dilutes it down even further which I guess is true.

Try both and see what you think works for you.


----------



## Radish293

Green Star is the single best product I have ever used. I have tried input in a snow-foam lance and a pump spray which I think works best on a dry panel. I quite often when I don’t have time for a full wash just spray green star, pressure wash off then rinse with DI filter. Car looks great for a few more days. I use 50ml to 1l of water. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## blurb

Used it just now at 5% to clean up the grouting in the bathroom


----------



## sm81

Is it more harsh than BH Autofoam?


----------



## blurb

sm81 said:


> Is it more harsh than BH Autofoam?


I use both at 5% as a pre-wash with very similar results.

Here's a little bedtime reading:

http://www.bilthamber.com/media/downloads/auto-foam.pdf

http://www.koch-chemie.de/kcuProduktinfo/Green_Star_en.pdf

Obviously, you can try at different dilutions as per the PDFs.

Hope that helps.


----------



## sm81

It contains corrosion inhibitors. Does Autofoam contains those?


----------



## blurb

sm81 said:


> It contains corrosion inhibitors. Does Autofoam contains those?


I don't think there's any claim of corrosion inhibitors for Auto-Foam, but there is for Auto-Wash, which is what I follow the pre-wash with, so for me it's not an issue really. YMMV.


----------



## robinh112

Great I got a bottle in the bf sale can't wait to give it a go


----------



## Radish293

sm81 said:


> Is it more harsh than BH Autofoam?


I'm a big fan of Bilt Hamber products, but Green star out performs Auto foam imho. I don't think is harsher it just works better.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## greymda

hey guys, should this bottle be sealed? got a bottle online and it came with a press-on cap but underneath no seal.

can someone check/remember?

cheers


----------



## Slim's

They all come like this mate.


----------



## greymda

thank you for prompt reply!


----------



## greymda

washed my daily driver with 1:15 GS via a sprayer. amazed by results. there was no shampoo/foam used afterwards, only QD dried the car. 
my goto product from now on, on my cars.


----------



## adrivlsn

Green star is a very versatile product. To be honest there are not so much review on youtube about it but I noticed you are gently directed to the products they are paid to have better results let's say. One guy has the channel where Bilt hamber has better result than competitors. On another one is Car pro better then the others... Lately youtube is not reliable anymore and best thing you do is, to test your self and see what fits for you. I have tried all and for me the best one is Green star when comes to APC/degreaser.


----------



## AndyN01

I've just finished an 11kg bottle of GS. 

Very happy & impressed.

But, as is our way, I thought I'd have a look at a different product to give me a comparison.

So, I bought 5 litres of Wax Planet's Uni-Clean APC.

Price wise the KC is a bit cheaper but nothing to put it into a different league of cost/volume ratio.

I've only just done a first wash off with the Uni-Clean and it's very good and can be diluted a long way.

I'll get a better overall idea/opinion as I've used it more.

Obviously with Wax Planet it's got a really solid pedigree from one of our very supportive suppliers.

Hope that adds to the discussion.

Andy.


----------



## Rene

I might have to give Koch Chemie GS a go as pre-wash, since BH Autofoam absolutely eats away Turtlewax Dry & Shine. Even at 2% PiR, the hydrophobicity is nearly gone.
The protections goes from crazy beading to slow sheeting.

I cannot wrap my head around it, as all tests show TW Dry & Shine as extremely resistant.


----------



## RS3

Rene said:


> I might have to give Koch Chemie GS a go as pre-wash, since BH Autofoam absolutely eats away Turtlewax Dry & Shine. Even at 2% PiR, the hydrophobicity is nearly gone.
> The protections goes from crazy beading to slow sheeting.
> 
> I cannot wrap my head around it, as all tests show TW Dry & Shine as extremely resistant.


I'm generally at 4% and iv'e not noticed it degrading dry and shine but then the dry and shine is sat on top of wax so hard to say but that wax was put on back in March.
Winter detail is now overdue:doublesho


----------



## Rene

RS3 said:


> I'm generally at 4% and iv'e not noticed it degrading dry and shine but then the dry and shine is sat on top of wax so hard to say but that wax was put on back in March.
> Winter detail is now overdue:doublesho


I might have to panel wipe, and try reapplying wax + sealant and see how it lasts.

I've had the issue since I went from Waxplanet Seven below to using BH Autofoam.

it's a shame since I love the Autofoam.


----------

