# Bilt Hamber Auto Wash *Review*



## Gleammachine (Sep 8, 2007)

Firstly I'd like to thank Phil (PJS) for the sample of Bilt Hamber Auto Wash that I received yesterday.

Tested today on some of my regular customers that I hadn't visited since before Xmas.









Mixed 1 capful which equated to about 5ml and topped up to 3/4's full in a meg's gritguard bucket with warm water.

A scale guide using a two pence










Was sceptical at first when reading the dilution rates as I thought it would have little effect but was pleasantly surprised.










Rinsed the vehicle with citrus pre-rinse before mixing 1 capful of B H with 1 capful of my citrus pre wash and topped with warm water in a standard foam lance 1 litre bottle,










This was enough to give me foam for 2 vehicles and was amazed at the foam results from such a little amount of solution,



















The wash solution seemed to have softeners in it and glided over the paint with ease considering the water here is very hard and gave what felt a mild to use but effective wash.

The Peugeot 107 had been treated to 2 coats of Jetseal back in the summer and the paintwork was in excellent condition so it was hard to tell what effect it gave when rinsing but the water seperated well nevertheless,










Drying the vehicle with plush MF's was effortless and there was no staining or the usual water streaks left from the runs in the sun which is a bonus.

Finished result.

No gloss enhancers used or Q/Detailer just dried.










A couple more pics from some other reg's today using Bilt hamber auto wash,

Foamed










Washed










Rinsed










Dried










Only the finished results on the RR as the paintwork is long overdue a Polish and wax was pleased with the results as the auto wash seemed to have an effect in livening up the finish,



















Summary

For such a little amount of product (5 ml) it produces excellent amounts and from a professionals perspective this is hugely cost effective and I have yet to use a wash product that can match this.
Gives a nice soft wash which appears to be very effective and leaves a very nice finish from a shampoo alone which definately felt like it was softening the hard water, even the parts of the vehicle in the sun left no chalky residue on the runs strange despite the water it was being rinsed with was unfiltered.
Will definately be placing an order for this product and look forward to trying out other products from the Bilt Hamber line.


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## PJS (Aug 18, 2007)

Nice write-up Rob - now you're beginning to appreciate why every time someone asks for a shampoo recommendation, this one gets first shout.
And as you all know by now, with my replies in certain threads, I don't fall for any marketing embellishments (to put it politely) manufacturers make.
So, like the Ronseal advert, it does what it says on the tin - and as long as they stick with that ethos, and works as well as it does, I'll keep mentioning them where appropriate.


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## Epoch (Jul 30, 2006)

Nice write up i also really thought it offered good a value especially throught the foam lance


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## Gleammachine (Sep 8, 2007)

Do you hold the other BH products in the same regard as the Auto wash Phil?

Was amazed at how little a product can produce the foam most of my other shampoo's take 3-4 times as much to create.


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## Glossmax (May 9, 2007)

Looks very good, thanks for doing the review and write up.
That RR looks great.


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## mark1319 (Sep 9, 2007)

Sounds like a very good product can't wait to try mine out now. Good write up.


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## PJS (Aug 18, 2007)

Gleammachine said:


> Do you hold the other BH products in the same regard as the Auto wash Phil?
> 
> Was amazed at how little a product can produce the foam most of my other shampoo's take 3-4 times as much to create.


Yep, as you'll have seen from the times I've mentioned/suggested the Clay.
I think the Clay is highly overlooked for whatever reason, and the Balm too.
Of course, with the Balm being a sealant really, if doesn't have the characteristics associated with Carnauba, Beeswax, Montan oil, etc.
Nick from Pro-Detailing says he likens the finish to that of Zaino - which is pretty high praise if you consider the rep Zaino has.
Others have said it has excellent hiding abilities - surpassing that of AG SRP. I've not noticed myself to be honest, but then I've not 'studied' it as much as I perhaps should've. I'm happy with it - that's good enough for me.
The Clay is IMHO, *the* one product of theirs that everyone should have - no ifs, ands, or buts - it is that good.


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## Gleammachine (Sep 8, 2007)

Without searching through previous threads would you say the clay is Mild?


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## PJS (Aug 18, 2007)

Not in the sense you're probably referring to.
It's aggressive insofar as it'll pull more crud out of/off the paint than your conventional milds will, but it's not like the aggressive versions from what I understand.
It's a bit like saying you can have your cake and eat it, rather than one or the other.
It's the only bar I've used, and whilst I'd love to get one of each of the alternatives, since I'm more than happy with the AC's performance, I've no desire to spend money on researching for the sake of it.
If I wasn't happy or felt it lacked something, then I would obviously, but I'm fairly confident that the results would prove the case as it is, and I'd be out of pocket for what?

If various companies want to provide me with product to "review", I'll more than oblige and without favouritism to BH - which is hard given how much I like the product and it's design for water lubrication.
Whether that's a marketing ploy, I can't say, but it just makes more sense to me, rather than having to fork out (over time) on more bottles of this, that, and the other to do the same function.
I like straight forward and uncomplicated - means I can save the headache for something more purposeful.


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## bilt-hamber kid (Dec 4, 2007)

Nick and Norm at Pro Detailing have just reordered Auto-Wash if thats any help.










The reason we sell it in an aluminium flask is because it lasts so long, so there's no point in using a plakky bottle which can drop and fracture.

With regard to the clay, its important to remember the difference between the physical hardness of the bar, and the mineral hardness. Auto-clay is quite a hard bar, but by referring to the Mohs scale, its a lot milder than many other clays. We have done trials with a more malleable compound though, and that should be available in the future. Some people of course, soak the bar in hot water prior to use. I fielded a phone call from one chap the other week who complained that the bar was too big (200g). He said it was unwieldy, so I suggested that he cut pices off and use those (you can easily get 3-4 normal size pieces out of it). Are you allowed to do that, he said.

No law against it! :lol:










Finally, thanks Gleamers - its always good to get pro feedback as well considered as that, and to PJ again. :thumb:


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## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

Surfex HD is their cleaner and also works well diluted at a 1% solution. I used it as a pre-rinse with good results at a 2% mix and it apparently foams very well but I havent had a chance to try it yet.


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## Jace (Oct 26, 2005)

I received a nice package from Bilt Hammer as my prize in the 12 Day Of Xmas comp :thumb: 

I used a cap full of the shampoo & I must say its very very good stuff, & a product which I will certanly buy out of my own cash when it run out.:thumb:


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## 51Sneyd (Nov 6, 2007)

Hi guys ... just a quick report on the sample sent by PJS (Phil).....

Just stopped raining long enough to try it out ...

One cap full (gob-smacked) :speechles 









Thought it felt excellent and lasted for washing the whole car, rinsed off well.
Compare to 1 cap full of my usual shampoo ...










Had to use 4 cap fulls to get any where near the Bilt Hamber suds (and it didn't last as long - used for washing the wifes car) - still didn't seem to have as much suds....









Excellent :thumb: 
Paul


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## IanG (Nov 21, 2007)

I also used my some of my sample to wash the car today and cant believe how little you need.

Gives a lovely glossy sheen to the paintwork 

Thanks again for the chance to try this :thumb:


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## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

great stuff isnt it :thumb:

used 5ml in 500ml of water in my AB lance and got a cracking foam as well - not quite a shaving foam lather like using lots of SSF, but I think a better and more liquid foam that ran off the car nicely taking lots of crud with it.

I honestly think BH AW could be a 1 stop wash solution - foam, bucket wash etc. I'm going to mix a strong solution in a spray bottle for spot treatment of bugs etc for the warmer weather


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## simontaxi (Mar 20, 2007)

Hi where can we buy this from


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## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

Elite, Pro-Detailing or direct from Bilt Hamber....


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## Jace (Oct 26, 2005)

Used mine today washin both cars, 1 capful is amazing, pics to follow.

I also used 1 cap in the gilmore, again, awesome for the amount used .....


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## andyb (Jun 4, 2006)

Tried mine today. Excellent results...how you can wash a car with so little product is astonishing.

Will be getting more.

Andrew


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## gerry connelly (Nov 16, 2006)

Tried the sample today and was very pleased with the amount of suds produced by so little product.....will be buying soon


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## Jace (Oct 26, 2005)

1 capful + hot water in the gilmour



















Again 1 cap's worth


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## bilt-hamber kid (Dec 4, 2007)

:thumb:

Glad you like it, Pete spent _months _trying to get it right.

Thanks for the good feedback. Negative stuff too is useful if it helps us to improve it.


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## malinmip (Sep 26, 2007)

Auto-Clay and Auto-Balm are also very excellent products also, test them.. you won't regret! :thumb:


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## cytefx (Dec 27, 2007)

Tried mine out today, it does make a good bucket wash, but i found it lacking in the foam department when I used it my power washer / foam lance, CGCW does seam to give a lot more foam on the lance and about the same on the bucket. 

I used half of my sample on the foam lance, maybe that was not enough but it was measured to be about the same dilution as the CGCW


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## [email protected] (May 30, 2006)

agree with cytefx - PJS gave me a sample of it to try - i found bucket wise it foeamed greatly, but my shmitt didn't seem to glide as easily as it does with my own wash.

through my PW foamer though it was reasonably good, but the big improvement over my own shampoo is that after 5 mins, there was still evidence of the B-H still present.

i'd say it's good for use though a foaming system - for bucket use i'll be sticking to my own product


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## cheezemonkhai (Jan 29, 2007)

Thanks for the sample PJS :thumb:

I like it, but will say that the Sonax stuff I has foams thicker, but then that does claim 200:1 dilution.

It was very effective at taking the dirt off though, so I think I'll probably buy some of this if I can get a 1L bottle by the time I'm out of my current assortment of shampoos.


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## Sav (Jan 9, 2007)

so is this safe over Wax and LSP? or will it strip.....

Sorry just cought on to this!

Sounds great stuff at shifting drit and road film.....


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## PJS (Aug 18, 2007)

Yes, perfectly safe.


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## cheezemonkhai (Jan 29, 2007)

Didn't even touch the wax on mine IMHO. :thumb:

What I will say is this stuff is great at removing really heavy dirt on uncared for cars too


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## Sav (Jan 9, 2007)

Thats on the list then, looks to remove more than the snow and very little used too.....Should last ofr ages.


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## PJS (Aug 18, 2007)

Snowfoam is good, especially the price of it, but the BH AW does do a better job.
Costs slightly more in the long run by comparison - but hey ho, such is life!


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## Sav (Jan 9, 2007)

if its just a capful it would last me years....i'm only doing at most two cars but for my new one I want somthing that does a better job. If i was doing lots of cars then fair enough with the foam.

Anyone else got a view on BH AW?


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## nsanity (May 7, 2007)

I put one capful in my bucket, and it didn't seem to foam as well as in those pictures, though it is a pretty big bucket... what are the dilution instructions on the auto wash? Saying that, it didnt give much foam but cleaned very well and leaves my paint looking lovely!


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## PJS (Aug 18, 2007)

Not sure about dilution ratios, but you will need to tinker a bit depending on your water hardness, and as you've seen, the size of bucket being used (if filled to the brim, as it were).
If I can get my hands on a PW and lance, I'll do a few different amounts to show what the optimum is, but bear in mind there'll still be a variance due to water hardness, so don't be using it as the gospel.


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## Sav (Jan 9, 2007)

Live in Scotland mate! Water is soft as can be....does it effect the washing down south then, I know I don’t drink the stuff from the tap when I’m south and I know it kills the kettles etc.


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## PhillipM (Jun 7, 2007)

bilt-hamber kid said:


> Negative stuff too is useful if it helps us to improve it.


It didn't do the washing for me. :detailer:


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## Sav (Jan 9, 2007)

Dam now I feel I'm back to square one, so your not impressed Phil with it?


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## PJS (Aug 18, 2007)

:lol:
What Phil meant was, that it didn't wash the car for him, so he could sit with his feet up, supping his beer.
His next complaint will be that the wax/sealant does likewise. Similarly the machine polisher and compounds, and probably that the MF's don't put themselves on to wash and dry.


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## Fritz Blitz (Jun 18, 2007)

Hi guys,

thanks to Ben @ Rubbish Boy´s I got my hands on some Bilt Hamber stuff. Already using their snow foam for two month now and tempted by some reviews of Bigpikle and PJS I couldn´t resist and ordered BH Auto Wash, Surfex HD and Auto Balm.

Fortunately a good friend of mine came along today cause her Polo 9N needed a little bit of TLC. Haven´d been washed since may the paintwork was quite a mess.:doublesho For the wash stage I decided to use the recently arrived weapons of choice. So I set up a 16 litre bucket with warm water and grapped the BH Auto Wash Bottle. On the bottle it says that 5ml added to a bucket would be enough. Reading some threads regarding the Auto Wash I found out, that BH is referring to a 10 litre bucket. 5ml to 10 litre = 1:2000 :doublesho

I have to admit, when it comes to diluting degreaser, shampoo etc. I´m kind of fussy. So out came the trusty syringe to measure the amount. Using a 16 litre bucket I measured 8ml AW, dropped it into the bucket and thought: "How the hell should that work?"

Anyways, I pre-foamed the car using BH Auto Foam and then started washing. I just couldn´t believe it, but it foamed up quite nicely. Admittedly it´s not foaming like a good shot of Maxi Suds II, but reasonable foamy anyway. But what really impressed me was the fact that the solution apparently didn´t ran of that fast on perpendicular panels like doors etc and therefor gave me enough time to finish washing the car without taking too much care of conditioning streaks. Very impressive:thumb:
I also got the impression that AW is quite neutral, making it a good choice for waxed paint but it also has enough cleaning power to get rid of some very stubborn soiling.


Overall I´m quite impressed so far. Foamy, slick and with a dilution ratio of 1:2000 the bottle should last me ages. The only thing I miss is a decent scent. Besides, top notch stuff.:thumb:


Hope that helps someone
Fritz :wave:


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## Ross (Apr 25, 2007)

I really didnt like autowash at all


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## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

Fritz Blitz said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> thanks to Ben @ Rubbish Boy´s I got my hands on some Bilt Hamber stuff. Already using their snow foam for two month now and tempted by some reviews of Bigpikle and PJS I couldn´t resist and ordered BH Auto Wash, Surfex HD and Auto Balm.
> 
> ...


glad you got it and like it - I have to admit to having several 'top' shampoos, but still reach for the AW on a regular basis, and it does make a very good value for money argument


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