# Sonax Xtreme Brilliant Shine Detailer



## Orca (Apr 16, 2007)

*What is it?*
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/detai...-brillant-shine-detailer-750ml/prod_1178.html

*No, what is it?*
It's a detailing spray ... more than a "quick detailer", it's a post-wash and dry _pick me up_ spray which has staggering water repellency and a _brilliant_ shine.



> SONAX Brilliant Shine Detailer will gentle remove any light contaminants from your paintwork to restore your vehicle to a just-waxed shine! The innovative and thick formula of SONAX Brilliant Shine Detailer will provide a deep gloss with paint protection and water repellency. You can use Sonax Brilliant Shine Detailer any time to improve the shine of your paintwork adding protective layers of luster and slickness.
> 
> Sonax Brilliant Shine Detailer has the consistency similar to a spray wax and will leave a very slick, reflective finish. Sonax Brilliant Shine Detailer offers performance, convenience, and a brilliant shine!
> 
> Sonax Brilliant Shine Detailer cleans lightly soiled paint without scratching. Because Sonax Brilliant Shine Detailer formula is thick by quick detailer standards, we do recommend that you make sure to spread Sonax Brilliant Shine Detailer evenly over the paint with a microfibre towel. We also recommend that during application, and buffing, you make sure to flip the towel often.


On the bottle, mine came with English and Spanish instruction. Given that the bottle of shampoo that came in the same order had ONLY German, your bottle may vary.

Two points of note:

First, although the instructions do say to wash and leather dry, that last part is not strictly necessary - you can sheet rinse and use this as a "wax it wet" product. This is how I used it today, with two approaches: first, using Sonax's wash and dry shampoo and second, using the same shampoo but rather than do the dry stage (as instructed), I sheet-rinsed.

Second, do not apply onto hot surfaces, in direct sunlight and don't allow the product to dry. Spray on, wipe immediately, flip and buff. Any discolouration should be wiped over again with fresh product.

*Get on with it, then ...*
Okay, straight to it and a bonus review: Sonax Xtreme Shampoo Wash & Dry

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/washi...reme-shampoo-wash-dry-1-litre-/prod_1184.html

You get a litre ... mine also came with only German instruction, but it's pretty simple to figure out.

1. 4 capfuls in 10L of warm water.
2. Lather over the car.
3. DO NOT dry it!
4. 1/2 capful in 10L of water.
5. Systematically pour over the car ... the thin film of water will drain off and dry. Do not do this on hot panels or in sunlight.

Okay ...

One capful is 30ml. Four capfuls is 120ml ... and a half, another 15ml = 135ml. That's seven washes from the bottle, so perhaps "value for money" is not that great but, you can omit the final stage (read on) and you could easily get away with three if not two capfuls only for already quite clean cars (again, read on).

Just before we look further at the wash stage, I made a test application of the detailer spray on the boot of my red car last night and today, gave it its first rinse ...









http://www.pjgh.co.uk/gallery_albums/sonax_xswd/DSC02471.jpg

Not too shabby, but not great. Compare with the roof, which has ArmorAll Shield on, applied many weeks ago and simply sprayed over with clean water (no washing yet) after a week of driving around ...









http://www.pjgh.co.uk/gallery_albums/sonax_xswd/DSC02472.jpg

Hmmm ... this has a lot to live up to and, at this point, I was thinking perhaps it's not going to be that good but ... read on ... I consider the preparation stage of washing with the Sonax shampoo to be the key.

So, the shampoo ... four capfuls in 10L of water ...









http://www.pjgh.co.uk/gallery_albums/sonax_xswd/DSC02474.jpg

... which lathers up nicely once you massage it into the paintwork ...









http://www.pjgh.co.uk/gallery_albums/sonax_xswd/DSC02475.jpg

... and wicks away nicely when rinsed.









http://www.pjgh.co.uk/gallery_albums/sonax_xswd/DSC02478.jpg

Re-beading on already treated surfaces is very nice ... here, ArmorAll Shield on the roof ...









http://www.pjgh.co.uk/gallery_albums/sonax_xswd/DSC02480.jpg

... the bonnet (above this picture) is less impressive and will certainly benefit from a spritz of something, if not re-application, but let's see what the detailer does.

Next, the drying stage ... 1/2 a capful in 10L of water and a jug to pour over ...









http://www.pjgh.co.uk/gallery_albums/sonax_xswd/DSC02481.jpg

... which wasn't quite as satisfactory as I hoped and I could have done with a second bucket on a big car like a SAAB 9-5 ... or BMW 5, Audi A6 kind of car.









http://www.pjgh.co.uk/gallery_albums/sonax_xswd/DSC02482.jpg

I can't help thinking that a simple sheet rinse would achieve the same thing, if not better.

Anyway, now we can spray the detailer on and have some fun ...









http://www.pjgh.co.uk/gallery_albums/sonax_xbsd/DSC02452.jpg









http://www.pjgh.co.uk/gallery_albums/sonax_xbsd/DSC02453.jpg

Today ...









http://www.pjgh.co.uk/gallery_albums/sonax_xswd/DSC02484.jpg

Spray on, wipe around, flip and buff ... easy, eh?

Does it bead up? Not 'arf!









http://www.pjgh.co.uk/gallery_albums/sonax_xswd/DSC02485.jpg

... but not a cracking job on plastics, whereas ArmorAll Shield does ...









http://www.pjgh.co.uk/gallery_albums/sonax_xswd/DSC02489.jpg

It can be forgiven. I mean, Sonax make a plastic gel for reviving plastics, a product I will try in due course.

The shine? Under better skies last night ...









http://www.pjgh.co.uk/gallery_albums/sonax_xbsd/DSC02454.jpg









http://www.pjgh.co.uk/gallery_albums/sonax_xbsd/DSC02455.jpg









http://www.pjgh.co.uk/gallery_albums/sonax_xbsd/DSC02458.jpg

... effortless dry-off ... and REALLY glassy!









http://www.pjgh.co.uk/gallery_albums/sonax_xbsd/DSC02466.jpg

Well, I had so much fun I did it again ... on the black convertible. Here, I did a few things differently.

I filled a bucket with 10L of water AFTER four capfuls, which gave a much more foamy mix ...









http://www.pjgh.co.uk/gallery_albums/sonax_xswd/DSC02500.jpg

So, after washing two cars (making up 20L of wash water and 10L of rinse water) you can see, the product is getting used up ...









http://www.pjgh.co.uk/gallery_albums/sonax_xswd/DSC02499.jpg

Sheet rinsing this time, I was left with a slightly wetter surface than when I rinsed with the product ...









http://www.pjgh.co.uk/gallery_albums/sonax_xswd/DSC02503.jpg

... but this shampoo is SOOOOOO lubricious and the detailing spray so easy to use, you can use it as a sort of "wax it wet" detailer giving a flawless finish ...









http://www.pjgh.co.uk/gallery_albums/sonax_xswd/DSC02504.jpg

... and some beading fun ...









http://www.pjgh.co.uk/gallery_albums/sonax_xswd/DSC02505.jpg

... and dry off again. See ... no drama.









http://www.pjgh.co.uk/gallery_albums/sonax_xswd/DSC02507.jpg

*Anything else?*
Yes, the bottle. You get 750ml (yes, 750ml) and it has a really good spray head which delivers a good amount ...









http://www.pjgh.co.uk/gallery_albums/sonax_xgcnp/DSC02440.sized.jpg

... but often too much and unless you hold the bottle about four or five feet from the surface, the spray pattern is not good. That might work out well on top panels, but side panels you're going to waste a lot of product. Solution? Spray onto a folded microfibre towel.

*Verdict?*
Between the two products, you have a perfect combination to maintain probably any finish. The shampoo did not affect the wheel sealant on the black car, nor the tyre dressing, re-beading existing product and providing its own on surfaces that were lacking.

The shampoo should get a special merit for being SOOOOO lubricious and the detail some special merit for delivering such astounding beading, but it is let down by the spray head which is perhaps more down to the viscosity of the product than the performance of the spray head which performs perfectly well with the glass cleaner. I can't tip a point off for that so it remains a top scoring product/combination.

10/10

... time will tell how the beading and cleaning up effects last.

Until then, enjoy this ...
https://picasaweb.google.com/107179...hkey=Gv1sRgCKeW9NqczNuAbg#5871886069181258290

Muhahhahahaaaaa!


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## Spoony (May 28, 2007)

Lovely, nice to see your thoughts.

Been using brilliant shine myself but not tried the shampoo. I think I'll have to now.


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

Good review. 

That's a few Sonax products getting rave reviews these days.


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## Orca (Apr 16, 2007)

Spoony said:


> ... Been using brilliant shine myself but not tried the shampoo. I think I'll have to now.


You might not feel it at first, but when you do ... you'll be part way through a car and you'll just go, "MY GOD! HOW SLICK IS THIS?" ... and then you'll love it.

I sincerely think the shampoo is part of the process. That, as a base, with the detailer spray on top is quite something. Yes, more than a QD ... more a spray sealant.

The "wax it wet" side of it is a bonus.

Have fun ...


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## GAVSY (Mar 19, 2013)

Great write up and pics with some stunning paintwork.
Many Thanks


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## sprocketser (Aug 4, 2012)

Thanx for sharing Orca , gave me some ideas !


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## Orca (Apr 16, 2007)

Thanks, guys.

Buy it ... try it ... you WILL love it!

Whether it will replace those fine routines you've built up is another matter ... for me, on that black car, I much prefer a wax finish and a lot of pampering, but ... it's my good lady's daily driver and some weeks, you just want to get it clean and get it looking good until the next time. This is that product.

On my red car ... it's new (well, 12 years old, but not a classic by any means) and not really that exciting when it comes to detailing. I just want it clean, bright and looking good ... cleaning up in the rain.

This product does that ... so does ArmorAll Shield. On balance, this is a lot easier.


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## e_king (Oct 11, 2012)

The schampo´s great. Haven´t used it for some time because I´ve tried a few others. The slickness is outstanding. I think the one I used is called Gloss Schampo.

Rgds /

Great review.


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## Steampunk (Aug 11, 2011)

Awesome to see your reviews, again... Keep up the good work! :thumb:

The Sonax range has been grabbing my attention of late, and this is one of the products I've been hankering to try...

Steampunk


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## Kokopelli (Sep 18, 2009)

You are a man with many talents Paul!!!

Checked Google+ and... yummy


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## Orca (Apr 16, 2007)

Thanks, guys.


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## Davemm (Mar 9, 2009)

I also didnt think the shampoo was all that great or economical, and i will only use on cars that i dont need to take quite as much car with.


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## CleanYourCar (Jan 23, 2006)

Awesome test, I've only just seen this! 

Agree with the shampoo it is lovely, very slick. But the Gloss shampoo is even slicker so might be worth giving that a go 

Glad you approve of the QD also, for us it's a really impressive and most refreshing product we've tried in a long while. For what you get and the amount you get it's untouchable.


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## Orca (Apr 16, 2007)

Thanks Tim.



CleanYourCar said:


> ... the Gloss shampoo is even slicker so might be worth giving that a go


I'll likely get the plastic gel, so maybe a bottle of the gloss will go in the order as well.


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## CleanYourCar (Jan 23, 2006)

Steampunk said:


> Awesome to see your reviews, again... Keep up the good work! :thumb:
> 
> The Sonax range has been grabbing my attention of late, and this is one of the products I've been hankering to try...
> 
> Steampunk


We are loving the range at the moment. Some we had to buy blind without testing based on the products we had previously tested. Some we haven't been able to bring over because of the quantities they want us to buy but every product we've tried so far we've really rated and are a bit different to whats available.

I had a quick go with the xtreme Carnauba paste wax at the weekend and again it massively impressed me. Probably the easiest wax I've ever used buttery on, cured quick then removed with consumate ease leaving an unusually slick finish for a wax.

If it gets anything near the 2-3 months Sonax claim, it's going to be big.


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## Bevvo (Feb 1, 2013)

I'm very sceptical of hyped-up products but after what I had read and seen on here I needed to find out for myself. Ordered at the back-end of last week, my QD arrived today (thanks Tim). I must say this is an impressive product. An absolute doddle to apply and the shine is outstanding. Unless I'm mistaken, the shine seems to increase after 20 or 30 minutes and it takes on a glass-like finish on my black paint.

I've yet to see the effects when it rains but in my opinion, just on ease of application and outstanding shine, it's a must-have product.


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## Orca (Apr 16, 2007)

Lancashire ... and you're yet to see the effects in rain? :lol:

Actually, we only got a piffling drizzle after I applied this at the weekend. Watching my wife drive off this morning, I loved how the beads turned into flowing snakes of water with scurried off as she drove past.

There's more surface area on my car, which dried off really nicely and kept a good shine. I'd love to see it in a good, strong rainstorm ... I have high hopes for a really good self-clean.

My previous benchmark is ArmorAll Shield, which cleans up well in rain and dries off with little by way of dust spots. This is a lot more hydrophobic.


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## Bevvo (Feb 1, 2013)

Orca said:


> Lancashire ... and you're yet to see the effects in rain? :


Haha, but its only been on the car for four hours. I was so tempted to spray water on it to find out but I'm sure it will see rain within a day or two.


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## CleanYourCar (Jan 23, 2006)

Bevvo said:


> Haha, but its only been on the car for four hours. I was so tempted to spray water on it to find out but I'm sure it will see rain within a day or two.


Lol, we did


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## Fatboy40 (Apr 15, 2013)

Considering the cheap price of the Sonax BSD should I assume that it uses silicon for the protection and shine ?.

My QD of choice has been Poorboys Spray and Gloss, does a good job and I've been happy with the price, but 5L of the Sonax BSD can be had for under £40 which is damned cheap !.


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## p1tse (Feb 4, 2007)

Seems good value

How does it compare to dodo spritz 250ml at similar price?


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