# Grit Guard Alternative



## ddave05 (May 23, 2010)

This may have been covered in the past but a search has not yielded a result for me.

One of the methods I first introduced to my routine was the 2BM. However being a 'cost concious' (or scrooge) individual, I never saw the grit guard as being good value. I understand the benefits of the product, especially in the winter where sand and salt sticks to the paintwork. From looking at various sites, this product is being sold for £19.99 - for a piece of plastic!

I am wanting the opinion of the fellow detailers on this forum of the suitability of using a cooling rack in place of a grit guard. The ones in question can be found on the link below:
http://www.google.co.uk/products?q=round+cooling+rack&hl=en&aq=f

As the ones seen here are stainless steel, rusting would not be an issue. I understand cooling racks don't have fins on the bottom to stop the vortex forces swirling grit around, however for the price it could be a good addition to the budget detailers armoury.


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## HornetSting (May 26, 2010)

Seems a very interesting idea, and for the money, you cant really go wrong. I keep meaning to get 2 buckets with the grit guards, but I just dont buy them, just seems a lot of money for buckets. I will probably end up buying them in the end, just so I know Im doing the right thing, but this idea seems good.


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## bobssignum (Apr 12, 2008)

What i have seen being done is cutting up length,s of conduit and then superglueing the bits together to the shape of your bucket base .
The lrength,s only have to be 3" long so one length of conduit from a diy for £3-4 quid is far cheaper than buying grit guards .


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## Adnoh (May 26, 2008)

sounds good, i think you should do a test :thumb:


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## Lump (Nov 6, 2008)

get a wire coat hanger and cut it to lengths so it holds it about 4/5" under the water line. not at the bottom of the bucket where all the dirt is


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## ddave05 (May 23, 2010)

Lump said:


> get a wire coat hanger and cut it to lengths so it holds it about 4/5" under the water line. not at the bottom of the bucket where all the dirt is


That's actually a good idea. My only concern is how easy it would be to remove the wire from the bucket when you want to clean out the bucket after use. I suppose the cooling rack idea could be good for that too - you can buy a larger diameter rack that sits 3/4 -1/2 of the way down.

I will deffo give this a try when I'm back from holiday. Just want to find a reasonably good alternative for those who hold detailing as a hobby and not a professionalism.


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## Lump (Nov 6, 2008)

just cut the wire into S shapes and just hang them over the edge


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## wylie coyote (Jul 15, 2007)

Unfortunately this is not much cheaper than some grit guards for sale, but it looks like it would work:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Panasonic-Mic..._Microwaves&hash=item2c55074608#ht_500wt_1154

Think I've got one shoved in the cupboard that came with the microwave when it was new years ago. I'll see what it's like if I can find it


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## supercharged (Feb 1, 2008)

Dude, grit guard will last you a life time as long as you don't step on it...20 quid is not that big of a deal...I've been using same grit guards for over years and they work like new...now going through all the trouble, driving the hell knows where (petrol is not cheap) isn't really worth over something this inexpensive...
2 dolly grit guard wash bucket system is kinda pricey, I'll give you that...now wheather it's worth it? Well, that's up to you...


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## budd (Jul 4, 2007)

another simple idea is to buy 4 buckets drill lots of 10mm (ish) holes in the base of 2 buckets, (so the base is completely covered in holes) then place the drilled buckets in the non drilled buckets and you have a 2 bucket wash system with built in grit guard, as the buckets slide into each other a gap will remain between the bases the holes allow grit to fall into than gap, to clean simply pull them apart and rince out.


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## GMToyota (Mar 14, 2010)

I think you really need the fins to stop water moving around. Those fins prevent the dirt coming back up again, so try to find a solution for that. Otherwise you'd loosen up the dirt with the rack, but pick it back up again since it sometimes comes up again.


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## Spuj (Apr 19, 2010)

Surely though you can get away with having just the one grit guard in the rinse bucket?


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## wanna veccy (May 7, 2009)

you would hope so wouldn't u. if not it makes me wander what is the point in the first place. i use 1 guard in my rinse bucket and that seems the keep my wash bucket grit free,so not really sure of the use of the second guard.


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## Spuj (Apr 19, 2010)

wanna veccy said:


> you would hope so wouldn't u. if not it makes me wander what is the point in the first place. i use 1 guard in my rinse bucket and that seems the keep my wash bucket grit free,so not really sure of the use of the second guard.


Yeh that was my thinking as well, glad im not the only one who thinks like that :thumb:


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## Alan W (May 11, 2006)

GMToyota said:


> I think you really need the fins to stop water moving around. Those fins prevent the dirt coming back up again, so try to find a solution for that.


Definitely agree with that - the fins and vertical cruciform shape on which the Grit Guard stands are necessary for the product to work as intended. :thumb:

Alan W


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## Jai (Mar 16, 2010)

Personally, I'll be buying proper grit guards with buckets. Worth the money and it means the gf won't pinch them to mop the floor!


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## 80skid (Nov 9, 2009)

budd said:


> another simple idea is to buy 4 buckets drill lots of 10mm (ish) holes in the base of 2 buckets, (so the base is completely covered in holes) then place the drilled buckets in the non drilled buckets and you have a 2 bucket wash system with built in grit guard, as the buckets slide into each other a gap will remain between the bases the holes allow grit to fall into than gap, to clean simply pull them apart and rince out.


I was thinking along the same lines as this, I reckon you could also make an 'X' shaped bit of plastic to drop in first, before the drilled bucket, to stop the swirling effect.


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## GolfFanBoy (May 23, 2010)

You could drill holes in a bucket but you'd want to make sure not to leave any rough edges as rubbing your mitt across that could damage it otherwise. I've gone for 2 meg's buckets with grit guards as I can't see me ever needing to replace them and for the amount of washes I go through it's no brainer. Still I'd be interested to see any DIY versions so get some pictures on if you come up with something.


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## lew007 (Jun 20, 2010)

i use a mitt and buckets filled to the brim, by the end of the wash i have almost half a bucket left and the mitt never goes closer then an inch to the bottom of the bucket. a bit of care taken and shouldnt be a problem,. i never leave a mitt in the bucket unless its a clean water bucket

lew


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## Juicy Jen (May 4, 2010)

wanna veccy said:


> you would hope so wouldn't u. if not it makes me wander what is the point in the first place. i use 1 guard in my rinse bucket and that seems the keep my wash bucket grit free,so not really sure of the use of the second guard.


To ensure that if there is any grit that may be remaining in your wash mitt goes to the bottom on the bucket and stays there, otherwise it will be back on the car being rubbed in and cause scratches/swirls etc


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## aron147 (Sep 5, 2009)

tried a lot of things myself..including microwave rack's / drilled 2nd bucket IN a whole bucket..
even tried to make one of foam myself..

and in the end, i just bought the original gritguard.
i know it's a lot of money for 2 stupid buckets with an insert 

i payed about 70 euro's (about 55 pounds) for 2 buckets with gritguard's

but ... its a once in a lifetime product..

as we all spend's several hundred (or in some cases thousand's) of euro's/pound's on equipment to let our car look the best as possible.

and then you take the risk of scratching and swirling the car, because you don't want to buy an expensive (but usefull) bucket??

i don't understand


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## alan_mcc (Oct 28, 2008)

£19.99 for a grit guard?

You can get a Megs bucket and grit guard for £17 from Vertar.


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## BurnyC (Jun 8, 2010)

Agreed with Alan, I spent 17 quid on a Megs bucket and grit guard, as I couldn't really find any alternatives that would do the job! Have to admit it really is worth the purchase - the Megs bucket is really high quality, and is probably the first bucket I've had that feels like it'll last, and no break 6 months/a year down the line! Also the proper grit guard really works too, couldn't believe some of the stuff trapped under it when I first tried it out.


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## shaqs77 (Jun 10, 2008)

do you know who is selling the cheapest grit guards.


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## BurnyC (Jun 8, 2010)

When I was browsing I went on eBay to see, and ended up finding a guy who sells detailing stuff locally, and picked up a bucket and grit guard for 17 quid, so I'd say browse eBay, or type 'grit guard' into Google and click the 'shopping' tab. No idea if this has been mentioned/already aware, but you need to have a certain size bucket (American size) for it to fit properly.


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## GolfFanBoy (May 23, 2010)

I'm sure I read somewhere the grit guard prices were pretty much fixed because of the guy who has the patent on them. You'll likely be paying more for the grit guard than the bucket it fits in. I've got 2 of the Meguiar's buckets with guards and they are good quality.


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