# Bilt Hamber Auto Balm - anyone used?



## MrHooky (Apr 9, 2010)

Just looking for next tub of wax for when I run out of collinite 476.

I'm intrigued by this Autobalm product by Bilt Hamber - http://www.bilthamber.com/autobalm.html

Has anyone used it and what are the results like?

Longevity is a key one for me. Ideally want a few months out of each wax. This stuff seems to be able to deal with minor swirls too.

Thoughts appreciated.


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## Ultimate (Feb 18, 2007)

yes apparently lasts well and is good at hiding swirls, gives a nice deep shine too. A few don't get on with the application side of it, i found this fine, main down side of it is no beading nor much in the way of sheeting of water.
This makes drying the car a pain in the neck compared to other LSP's where the car is almost dry after a rinse from an open hose


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## andy monty (Dec 29, 2007)

I like it its good in summer for the "negative" reasons above you get less water spotting in summer after rain and the car stays wet long enough for you to be able to dry it..:thumb:


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## stangalang (Nov 27, 2009)

I dont know if i am allowed to say this, only time will tell i guess but i will be putting a 90% full tub in the sales section soon, with a 80% full auto foam to go with it. Keep your eyes peeled, could save yourself some dollars if you want to try it:thumb:


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## gatecrasher3 (Jul 21, 2006)

I have just got back in the house after applying a coat of Auto Balm. It can take some effort to buff of but makes reds so much more vibrant and seems to last for ages.


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## stangalang (Nov 27, 2009)

gatecrasher3 said:


> I have just got back in the house after applying a coat of Auto Balm. It can take some effort to buff of but makes reds so much more vibrant and seems to last for ages.


Damp applicator, thin thin thin. It can take a while but when you get it down your sorted. I found it didn't matter if the body was slightly damp in places either


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## MrHooky (Apr 9, 2010)

stangalang said:


> I dont know if i am allowed to say this, only time will tell i guess but i will be putting a 90% full tub in the sales section soon, with a 80% full auto foam to go with it. Keep your eyes peeled, could save yourself some dollars if you want to try it:thumb:


Stangalang - what was wrong with the auto foam? I was going to order me some tomorrow as I've just bought a lance for the pressure washer!


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## stangalang (Nov 27, 2009)

MrHooky said:


> Stangalang - what was wrong with the auto foam? I was going to order me some tomorrow as I've just bought a lance for the pressure washer!


Nothing wrong with it pal, i know a few have said they couldn't get it to foam but i never had such issues. I also used to mix it with tfr for a foam with a bit more bite. Its good mate, really:thumb:. Its actually in the swaps section now testing the water


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## PJS (Aug 18, 2007)

Hooky, try both products for yourself, safe in the knowledge that BH will refund you the product costs if you don't like them.
They stand over their products with this promise, even if you buy from a reseller - which they are not obligated to do.
So from a fairness point, I'd suggest buying directly in the event you decide either or both aren't for you.
I suspect though, you'll not be availing of the refund promise.

Now, here's a bit of cat among the pigeons - if you prefer you protection layer to bead real well, rather than pool, then you might hang fire for a couple of weeks!
I'm saying nothing more than that.


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## stangalang (Nov 27, 2009)

PJS said:


> Hooky, try both products for yourself, safe in the knowledge that BH will refund you the product costs if you don't like them.
> They stand over their products with this promise, even if you buy from a reseller - which they are not obligated to do.
> So from a fairness point, I'd suggest buying directly in the event you decide either or both aren't for you.
> I suspect though, you'll not be availing of the refund promise.
> ...


You have our attention


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## Alquimista (Aug 12, 2007)

Auto Balm is great also on dressing and protecting chroms, i use it a lot in my classics and just love it. Almost a must...


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## Belleair302 (May 9, 2007)

Never had a problem with it, just spread very thinly and keep the applicator damp.


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## Porta (Jan 3, 2007)

PJS said:


> Hooky, try both products for yourself, safe in the knowledge that BH will refund you the product costs if you don't like them.
> They stand over their products with this promise, even if you buy from a reseller - which they are not obligated to do.
> So from a fairness point, I'd suggest buying directly in the event you decide either or both aren't for you.
> I suspect though, you'll not be availing of the refund promise.
> ...


I hope you are right, I have been waiting for topper a long time, it it's the topper you are talking about.


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## Stew (Jul 9, 2007)

I gt on well with Autobalm. Used it a fair few times on cars and I actually coat most of the bike (bar painted fairings) in it a couple of times a year. This is my main use for it these days - protecting bits and bobs.

When my new bike comes on Wed it'll be getting the same treatment.

It's a very good product and does exactly what it says on the tin. It offers HUGE amounts of protection for very little money.


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## markc (Mar 4, 2009)

andy monty said:


> I like it its good in summer for the "negative" reasons above you get less water spotting in summer after rain and the car stays wet long enough for you to be able to dry it..:thumb:


I agree with you,i use it for the summer months


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## Guest (May 10, 2010)

Get a soray bottle with some water in it and dampen the panel. Apply autobalm in THIN circularmotions and buff straight off


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## MrHooky (Apr 9, 2010)

PJS said:


> Now, here's a bit of cat among the pigeons - if you prefer you protection layer to bead real well, rather than pool, then you might hang fire for a couple of weeks!
> I'm saying nothing more than that.


Got my attention too! Are you suggesting another Bilt Hamber product on its way?! I'm thinking the collinite will do me fine until I've run out which won't be for a while, although I actually prefer beading and am keen on products that last.

Will get me some of the auto foam though for now. Hope it works in the new Karcher lance I've just ordered!


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## PJS (Aug 18, 2007)

The Auto Foam isn't lance specific, so yes it'll work through your Karcher fit one just fine.
In regards to the product I'm referring to, I'll say a bit more later today once I've washed the car, and hopefully got my camera back.


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## Blazebro (May 18, 2007)

To the op-

I've never used Autobalm, when it was released there was alot of talk, but since then things have died down a little. That may not be such a bad thing. What I have read indicates that after a few weeks beading dies and some have had concerns over it's longevity. 

The appearance of longevity is largely user specific. The fact that beading has stopped dosen't necessarily mean the product has died. 

One of the reasons that AB works so well is that it's very filler heavy. Therefore it masks scratches and paint blemishes giving the appearance of near perfect paint.

Another option for you to look at is to polish and follow with a glaze type product. This will give a similar appearance. 

IMO, what ever route you choose keep a tub of Colli in your collection. The look, feel and longevity is what you used to, so if at all you become disappointed with your chosen product, you've still got it to fall back on.


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## PhillipM (Jun 7, 2007)

PJS said:


> In regards to the product I'm referring to, I'll say a bit more later today once I've washed the car, and hopefully got my camera back.


They haven't actually done some work have they? :doublesho


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## PhillipM (Jun 7, 2007)

Blazebro said:


> The appearance of longevity is largely user specific. The fact that beading has stopped dosen't necessarily mean the product has died.


I've got some on the bonnet of an old GT6 and the fillers from the autobalm are still there.
Over 2 years later.


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## Maggi200 (Aug 21, 2009)

I've got a tub, and I don't use it anymore. It's not a bad product, it does exactly what I expected it to and it did that very well. It looks great too due to it's filling properties I guess. If you want a sample I will happily sort you out as I simply don't use it anymore. The thing I found it best as was a trim dressing, where it performs very well indeed


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## MrHooky (Apr 9, 2010)

Blazebro said:


> One of the reasons that AB works so well is that it's very filler heavy. Therefore it masks scratches and paint blemishes giving the appearance of near perfect paint.
> 
> Another option for you to look at is to polish and follow with a glaze type product. This will give a similar appearance.
> 
> IMO, what ever route you choose keep a tub of Colli in your collection. The look, feel and longevity is what you used to, so if at all you become disappointed with your chosen product, you've still got it to fall back on.


In theory then could I use Auto Balm then top off with a layer of collinite? Previously I've always used Autoglym Super Resin Polish as a swirl filler then cover with collinite although if this stuff is supposed to be filler heavy, perhaps swap the SRP for it?

Will the collinite effectively sit on top of the Autobalm though?


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## PJS (Aug 18, 2007)

SRP is abrasive, so you may still benefit from using it to knock back the lighter swirls, and shallow the deeper ones, before using AB to give the added filling and paint depth it provides.
There's also the rust inhibitors it has, if you have bare metal stonechips.

You can top with Collinite, but the feeling is the film formed by AB is compromised by the chemical carriers used in Collinite, so durability suffers as a consequence.


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## Blazebro (May 18, 2007)

MrHooky said:


> In theory then could I use Auto Balm then top off with a layer of collinite? Previously I've always used Autoglym Super Resin Polish as a swirl filler then cover with collinite although if this stuff is supposed to be filler heavy, perhaps swap the SRP for it?
> 
> Will the collinite effectively sit on top of the Autobalm though?


The problem here is your getting into layering. I'm not one that will use multiple products of the same type. I don't think it's necessary and I don't think it adds anything.

There's nothing to say you can't do it, but there's nothing to say the 2 waxes will bond, it's just an assumption to say they will.

My take on it is my times better spent getting the paint in as flawless a position as I can by hand. I then follow that up with srp which I use as a glaze. Yes it might have a cut, but it's about as light as you can get, then I add a wax or sealent. Having used 476s once, my take on it is that it is a fabulous product and should have a place in everyones collection. I won't stop using it that's for sure.


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## esevm (Apr 23, 2010)

PJS said:


> In regards to the product I'm referring to, I'll say a bit more later today once I've washed the car, and hopefully got my camera back.


Ahem, i'm really interested in this bit of information


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## MrHooky (Apr 9, 2010)

Blazebro said:


> My take on it is my times better spent getting the paint in as flawless a position as I can by hand. I then follow that up with srp which I use as a glaze. Yes it might have a cut, but it's about as light as you can get, then I add a wax or sealent. Having used 476s once, my take on it is that it is a fabulous product and should have a place in everyones collection. I won't stop using it that's for sure.


I too like the collinite 476. Great for longevity and I've got two layers sat on my car after I'd put some hard work in with some SRP. I'm always keen to know if there is another product out there which could potentially sort minor swirls out any better than SRP, hence my question about the auto-balm. Seeing as there are some suggestions about incompatibility of layering I think I'll stick with what I'm doing.

I'm going to invest in a DA polisher at some point which should mean I can correct my paint fully, but I'll still be putting collinite on top. A very nice product, easy to apply, seems to last forever with a good depth of shine. Oh and it's cheap as chips too...


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## PJS (Aug 18, 2007)

I suspect the SRP fillers will be removed by the Collinite, so if you wanted the best of both worlds, then Auto balm will fill as well as the SRP, but create a film to lock them in, and if you must have the aesthetics of tight beading, then applying Collinite an hour or so later, will do just that, but may reduce the longevity of Auto balm.

If you want to kill two birds with only one stone, then the new BH product I've coyly mentioned, may be the one for you.


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## MrHooky (Apr 9, 2010)

PJS said:


> If you want to kill two birds with only one stone, then the new BH product I've coyly mentioned, may be the one for you.


Can you give us more please as I'm keen to know what you're referring to!

Interesting what you say about collinite affecting the SRP and removing the fillers. I can perhaps see your point in that I do still notice some light swirls despite the efforts I put in a few months back with the SRP then layering over with two applications of collinite.

Longevity keen for me though so if this new miracle product doesn't last a good few months I'm not interested!


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## Blazebro (May 18, 2007)

PJS said:


> I suspect the SRP fillers will be removed by the Collinite


I've used collinite and also optiseal on top of SRP and have not found what your suggesting.


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## GIZTO29 (May 8, 2009)

Heres my MiTo last year wearing AB. As long as you apply half a panel then buff you'll be ok. My car looked awesome that day imo.




































I might be wrong here but I think its often overlooked as maybe it looks and smells dodgy..... It works great though!
Phil


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## MrHooky (Apr 9, 2010)

Nice work there Phil - thanks for the pics. I do like those Mitos. 

How long did you find it lasted on the car? Nothing on top I presume, just the Auto Balm?

I think I'm going to give it a try. Very sunny day here and I can still see some light swirls on my car despite by SRP topped with collinite efforts.

If anything I'm intrigued by the AB filling properties and at £15 a tub it's pretty cheap.


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## PJS (Aug 18, 2007)

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?p=2170519#post2170519 - some Auto balm going cheap for you to take a punt on.


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## horned yo (Feb 10, 2009)

Finish Kare pink wax is brilliant stuff. Easy to buff on and very easy to buff off.


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## Ninja59 (Feb 17, 2009)

use for me on black  brings black up really nice after a wash and lasts alot longer than most dressings :lol: plus i find it cost effective although i have to admit i dont really enjoy applying it to much it smells bad  as for longevity i really like it works well on textured plastics well to


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## MrHooky (Apr 9, 2010)

PJS said:


> http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?p=2170519#post2170519 - some Auto balm going cheap for you to take a punt on.


Thanks PJS. Have contacted him for it! What was this product you mentioned you were trying on Tues which would be for beading on top of the Autobalm!?


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## PJS (Aug 18, 2007)

I'll reveal all tomorrow or Saturday - if I can get my bloody camera back!


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## Lacy (Feb 20, 2008)

I used to use AB on my black 320. Worked a treat. Just remember to keep the applicator/cloth quite damp and apply veeeeery sparingly....just when you think it's sparing enough......halve it! It is very economical in use and buffs up very easily (providing the damp/sparing bit is adhered to).

I no longer have my BM but now drive an old 1995 Landrover 90.....still had to give it a light cut/clay/AB treatment though!:lol:


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## sal329 (Jun 27, 2008)

What applicators do you guys find works best for applying AB? Can you use AB on platic trim? Even textured trim?


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## MrHooky (Apr 9, 2010)

sal329 said:


> What applicators do you guys find works best for applying AB? Can you use AB on platic trim? Even textured trim?


From what I gather the AB is best applied with a damp sponge. Bilt Hamber supply one when you purchase the stuff from them. I was going to try one these though - http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/accessories/blue-perl-microfibre-applicator-pads-pkg/2/prod_186.html

Figured I don't need the strict polishing abilities of a sponge for the product, plus the sponge inside the MF should help hold moisture for easy application.

Here's hoping!


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## Lacy (Feb 20, 2008)

I started off using the AB supplioed applicator but it soon got knackered. I now use cheap Aldi mf cloths. I dip and ring out the 'put on' cloth and then buff up with a dry one. Works much better.


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## GIZTO29 (May 8, 2009)

MrHooky said:


> Nice work there Phil - thanks for the pics. I do like those Mitos.
> 
> How long did you find it lasted on the car? Nothing on top I presume, just the Auto Balm?
> 
> ...


Thanks mate, i found that strangely i did get beading with it and it wasnt topped with anything and i think it went about 1 n a half months before i started noticing alot more swirls as if it was degrading. I dont leave products on much longer to be fair as i have that many :lol: Looking back at those pics i cant say its looked better, maybe when i applied FK1000p after DAing with Lime Prime but that was an all dayer. With the BH ABalm i cleansed first with Zymol HD Cleanse. I didnt like the fact that its said you cant top it.
Phil


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## stig (Feb 16, 2009)

PJS said:


> I'll reveal all tomorrow or Saturday - if I can get my bloody camera back!


Any news?


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## JJ_ (Oct 26, 2005)

Apart from the smell which is like pure solvents its fine.  lol


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## raj1vad (May 26, 2010)

i have used this and can fairly say it works as stated, with positive results, not something im ready to add to my kit, but defo a good product


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