# Detailingworld™ Review - Autoglym Polar Blast Snow Foam



## Cookies

*Introduction*

Hi guys,
Thanks to Mark at Autoglym for sending me the Autoglym Polar Blast for this review. See https://www.autoglym.com/








I'd imagine, most of you, like me, have been using Autoglym products for more years than I care to remember. I can't think of a moment in time where I haven't had a bottle of one of their products in my garage. 
Autoglym has been around since 1965, when they introduced a range of 8 car-care products from their then base at Welwyn Garden City. They expanded their market to Europe and Scandnavia in the late 70s, and then, in 1991 achieved Royal warrants from the Queen mother and the Prince of Wales, with the Queen's Royal warrant being awarded in 2004. There's also an 'Excellent' Trustpilot rating too. That's s story worth telling! Have a look at the 'About Us' section of the website for more detail and a great read - https://www.autoglym.com/about-us 
As we all know, Autoglym has a huge selection of products for the domestic and professional users, split into Bodywork, Wheels and Interior. Their on-line blog section has some fabulous photos of shiny metal!

*The Product*
The 2.5 litre container of Polar Blast arrived last week, in a branded Autoglym box, so I had a fair idea what it was!!!










The branding is simple and stylish, and unmistakably autoglym. I love the coloured square which is specific to the product. Polar Blast is a thin, clear liquid, with a chemical scent, something akin to an APC smell. The container is a miniature version of a 5l container, with a handle on top for ease of use. 
The rear label has comprehensive detail regarding the product, application instructions, and health and safety data.










The bottle says:-

Polar Blast is a snow foam that can be applied using a pressure washer or foam gun. Covering the entire vehicle exterior with a magnificent blanket of foam ensures none of the surfaces are missed in the cleaning process. The foam clings to paintwork longer than regular shampoos to gently loosen and lift dirt. This reduces the risk of scratches and swirl marks that can be caused by a sponge or wash mitt when agitating heavy contamination on your paintwork. Its pH neutral formulation will not remove any existing layers of polish or wax.

*The Manufacturer says:*

From - https://www.autoglym.com/catalog/product/view/id/191/s/polar-blast/category/168/

_ Polar Blast is a snow foam available in a 2.5 litre which can be applied using a pressure washer or foam gun as a pre-wash stage. It covers the vehicle in a rich blanket of foam that clings to paintwork to gently loosen dirt and heavy soiling prior to shampooing.

This reduces the risk of scratches and swirl marks caused by a sponge or wash mitt moving over heavy contamination. Polar Blast can be used instead of a shampoo as long as the vehicle isn't heavily soiled, just be sure to rinse the vehicle with water first to remove the top layer of dirt.

Its pH neutral formulation will not remove any existing layers of polish or wax.

*How to use this product*
Before you start, check that the bodywork and wheels are cool to the touch and out of direct sunlight.
Polar Blast can be used at various dilutions depending on the density of foam desired. A good starting point is 100ml product to 500ml water in your foaming bottle. Adjust foam gun settings as required to increase or reduce foam.
Spray Polar Blast onto the vehicle, starting at the bottom, ensuring all exterior surfaces are covered, including glass and wheels.
Leave Polar Blast time to dwell and loosen dirt for up to 10 minutes, although do not allow it dry on.
Finally, rinse thoroughly from the bottom up. _

*The Method*

I think all of us have a fair idea how to use a snow foam, but to be sure I followed instructions, dilution rates in particular, I had a good read of the bottle and website to be sure!!!
So, I took the advice on the bottle and used their recommended starting point of 100ml product to 500ml water in my foam lance bottle (600ml in total).



















The starting point, a very dirty DS3….









Thick layer of foam applied. 









At 11.50…. leave for 10 minutes.









So, nothing else for it!!!









Foam moving nicely down the panels, but also clinging nicely to soften the dirt.
This was immediately before I rinsed, at the 10 minute mark.









Rinsed









And the panel after rinsing









Now, here's a little swipe test I did before and after foaming.








The pic really doesn't show the difference between the before and after. So, I thought I'd run the test again, this time on my very dirty work Focus.









Swipe taken from front nearside lower door.









Car foamed, and left to dwell for 10 minutes exactly.









After rinsing









And the swipe 'after-foam.'









Much clearer in that image how well it has worked.

*Price*

Autoglym Polar Blast is available to purchase directly from the Autoglym website at https://www.autoglym.com/catalog/product/view/id/191/s/polar-blast/category/168/. It's also widely available at a number of UK retailers in store and on-line.

Polar Blast is available in 2.5 litre containers only, and the price is £16.99. There's a £4.99 fixed rate delivery charge, but for all orders over £50, delivery is free.

*Would I use it again?*

I absolutely would. On my wife's DS3, it was very effective at softening the grime attached to the paintwork. It created a nice thick foam at the suggested dilution rate, and remained on the panel throughout the 10 minute dwell time. As a part of a pre-wash routine, it has been very effective.

*Conclusion*

There are a number of other Snow Foam comparisons and tests on DW, which test the various snow foam dilutions, pre-rinses etc etc. For this review, I followed the instructions to the leter to see if it worked well as intended.
For me, it's a really good, effective product. As a bonus, it's pH neutral, and Autoglym states that it won't diminish any existing protection on your vehicle. 
I liked it and would happily use it again. 
As always, thanks for taking the time to read.
Cooks

"Detailingworld™ reviewer has followed the Manufacturer's Instructions and accepts no responsibility to any circumstances arising from any member using these products or following this test "


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## brooklandsracer

Nice review and love the amount of foam you get.

1 question, I do not have a pressure washer, so can it be used in a hozelock pump sprayer?


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## Rob D 88

Great write up!

I didn't mind it but the only thing that annoyed me with this was how thick it actually was and what a pain it was rinsing it away.

One day I rinsed it wash the car and finished everything. The next day the foam was still on the floor!

That's the downside for me but other than that a good product!

Rob


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## WHIZZER

As Always good insight to this snowfoam - seems to work well


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## dchapman88

Very nice
I'm not a foam kinda guy but this seemed to do the trick nicely


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## Bristle Hound

Great write up Cooks :thumb:


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## Cookies

brooklandsracer said:


> Nice review and love the amount of foam you get.
> 
> 1 question, I do not have a pressure washer, so can it be used in a hozelock pump sprayer?


I'll give that a try at the weekend and let you know.

Cooks

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


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## Cookies

Rob D 88 said:


> Great write up!
> 
> I didn't mind it but the only thing that annoyed me with this was how thick it actually was and what a pain it was rinsing it away.
> 
> One day I rinsed it wash the car and finished everything. The next day the foam was still on the floor!
> 
> That's the downside for me but other than that a good product!
> 
> Rob


Funny you should mention that, Rob. My son was getting into the car later that night, and mentioned that there was still some foam on the ground. Still, it worked well.

Cooks

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


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## Andyblue

Great review mate, I really like using it - I dropped the quantity down slightly to about 75ml, didn't seem to effect the cleaning power, but wasn't quite as thick and didn't stay around quite as long...


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## AudiPhil

Andyblue said:


> Great review mate, I really like using it - I dropped the quantity down slightly to about 75ml, didn't seem to effect the cleaning power, but wasn't quite as thick and didn't stay around quite as long...


I might give reducing the quantity a try, I've only tried it once as the residual foam on the driveway was such a pain to get rid off. Thanks for the tip.


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## brooklandsracer

Cookies said:


> I'll give that a try at the weekend and let you know.
> 
> Cooks
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


Great that would be most kind of you to do that and much appreciated.
I do not use a snow foam at present after not liking the Bilt Hamber foam as it was much to thin and non foamy although it did perform well.
I want to use a foam that is like in your test but also have a well known brand name with proper extensive testing.
My hozelock is a 3L capacity if that helps with your little experiment.
Many thanks:thumb:
Mark


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## Andyblue

brooklandsracer said:


> Great that would be most kind of you to do that and much appreciated.
> I do not use a snow foam at present after not liking the Bilt Hamber foam as it was much to thin and non foamy although it did perform well.
> I want to use a foam that is like in your test but also have a well known brand name with proper extensive testing.
> My hozelock is a 3L capacity if that helps with your little experiment.
> Many thanks:thumb:
> Mark


If we don't get the snow forecast, I'll have a try as well as I've still a little left :thumb:


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## brooklandsracer

Andyblue said:


> If we don't get the snow forecast, I'll have a try as well as I've still a little left :thumb:


Bit off post but if this one is not compatible with 3l pump sprayer then would the Detiled Online foam be compatible ? 
If so then this could be my next product to go with.


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## Cookies

brooklandsracer said:


> Great that would be most kind of you to do that and much appreciated.
> 
> I do not use a snow foam at present after not liking the Bilt Hamber foam as it was much to thin and non foamy although it did perform well.
> 
> I want to use a foam that is like in your test but also have a well known brand name with proper extensive testing.
> 
> My hozelock is a 3L capacity if that helps with your little experiment.
> 
> Many thanks:thumb:
> 
> Mark


No bother. I have a pump sprayer that's around 2.5 - 3 litres, so will see how the foam comes out. I'll take a few pics too.

Cheers

Cooks

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


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## brooklandsracer

Cookies said:


> No bother. I have a pump sprayer that's around 2.5 - 3 litres, so will see how the foam comes out. I'll take a few pics too.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Cooks
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


Good stuff Cooks
Many thanks for follow up. :thumb:


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## iCraig

It’s really good stuff, but I echo the comments about the foam hanging around on the ground for ages after. The wife moaned about that! I’m going to try 100ml to 900ml of water next time though.


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## Polished Adam

Thanks for the review I'll consider this when my Bilt Hamber runs out. Do you know if they plan to stock it at Halfrauds? Will be handy not having to pay the postage although i'm sure they'll mark it up


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## Cookies

Polished Adam said:


> Thanks for the review I'll consider this when my Bilt Hamber runs out. Do you know if they plan to stock it at Halfrauds? Will be handy not having to pay the postage although i'm sure they'll mark it up


I had a look on the Halfords website when doing the review and it's for sale on there at the minute. I'm also nearly 100% sure I saw it on the shelf at my local Halfords store too.

Perhaps see if you can do a click-and-collect.

Cooks

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## great gonzo

Great write up mate. 
This sort of thing takes ages to do and put together, I raise my hat to you cooks. 


Gonz.


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## pxr5

Polished Adam said:


> Thanks for the review I'll consider this when my Bilt Hamber runs out. Do you know if they plan to stock it at Halfrauds? Will be handy not having to pay the postage although i'm sure they'll mark it up


I bought some from a Halfords store a few months ago.


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## Andy1972

Good write up and a foam I use often but im not sure how the swipe test really helps. ie is this not more down to the pressure washer than the product?

I think the foam probably helps but id be interested to see a comparison between foam/rinse and just rinse

Also agree on the hanging around afterwards. Of all my foams this one is still on the drive 3 weeks after (joking but it does stay around 24hrs before degrading)


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## Brian1612

Andy1972 said:


> Good write up and a foam I use often but im not sure how the swipe test really helps. ie is this not more down to the pressure washer than the product?
> 
> I think the foam probably helps but id be interested to see a comparison between foam/rinse and just rinse
> 
> Also agree on the hanging around afterwards. Of all my foams this one is still on the drive 3 weeks after (joking but it does stay around 24hrs before degrading)


If you rinse the car first prior to swiping it gives you an indication of how much more dirt the foam can remove compared to just a rinse alone. Very good test I think and gives a visual representation of cleaning power.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


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## Andyblue

Andy1972 said:


> Good write up and a foam I use often but im not sure how the swipe test really helps. ie is this not more down to the pressure washer than the product?
> 
> I think the foam probably helps but id be interested to see a comparison between foam/rinse and just rinse
> 
> Also agree on the hanging around afterwards. Of all my foams this one is still on the drive 3 weeks after (joking but it does stay around 24hrs before degrading)


I did a review on another manufactures snow foam on here - they were releasing a new version on here and had 2 options - I did a 50 / 50 snow foam on the car (half the car covered with 1 and the other half with the other), left to dwell, pressure washed off and did the swipe test on the rear bumper and got a difference between the 2 snow foams I used - can pop a link up if required, but am conscious this is about AG snow foam - so the swipe test, for me following my review, does have a place / can be useful :thumb:


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## Cookies

Andy1972 said:


> Good write up and a foam I use often but im not sure how the swipe test really helps. ie is this not more down to the pressure washer than the product?
> 
> I think the foam probably helps but id be interested to see a comparison between foam/rinse and just rinse
> 
> Also agree on the hanging around afterwards. Of all my foams this one is still on the drive 3 weeks after (joking but it does stay around 24hrs before degrading)


Andy,

You're absolutely correct. I did take a swipe of the panel after rinsing but before foaming, but when I took the picture of the results, I didn't think the post-rinse swipe pic showed very much. Now that the pads have dried, I think the results are very clear.

So:-
Left - pre-rinse swipe.
Middle - post-rinse swipe.
Right - post-foam swipe.

I've included the image from the review as a reference point.

Cheers

Cooks









Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


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## Andyblue

brooklandsracer said:


> Nice review and love the amount of foam you get.
> 
> 1 question, I do not have a pressure washer, so can it be used in a hozelock pump sprayer?


Managed to have a go for you today...

For my basic test / trial, I used approximately the recommended quantities in a pressure sprayer - so used 100ml of product and added 1L of water to a pressure sprayer.

Pumped up and sprayed - got bubbles on the car rather than a foam, which is normal for my pressure sprayer, left to dwell for about 5 minutes and rinsed off. As you've not got a pressure washer, I rinsed off with hose pipe and typical spray head.

Definitely worked to a degree, removed a lot of the surface contamination as my beading and water behaviour improved as I was rinsing it off. Didn't do any finger swipe testing as I know it had t removed ingrained dirt, but definitely did something.

I think as a Spring / Autumn option - possibly even Summertime if you just want to remove surface contamination, rather than winter ingrained muck, definitely a good option.

Hope this helps, sure Cookies (hope you don't mind me adding this to your review) will be along with a more in-depth test :thumb:


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## brooklandsracer

Andyblue said:


> Managed to have a go for you today...
> 
> For my basic test / trial, I used approximately the recommended quantities in a pressure sprayer - so used 100ml of product and added 1L of water to a pressure sprayer.
> 
> Pumped up and sprayed - got bubbles on the car rather than a foam, which is normal for my pressure sprayer, left to dwell for about 5 minutes and rinsed off. As you've not got a pressure washer, I rinsed off with hose pipe and typical spray head.
> 
> Definitely worked to a degree, removed a lot of the surface contamination as my beading and water behaviour improved as I was rinsing it off. Didn't do any finger swipe testing as I know it had t removed ingrained dirt, but definitely did something.
> 
> I think as a Spring / Autumn option - possibly even Summertime if you just want to remove surface contamination, rather than winter ingrained muck, definitely a good option.
> 
> Hope this helps, sure Cookies (hope you don't mind me adding this to your review) will be along with a more in-depth test :thumb:


Thanks Andy for taking time and effort doing this.

As you said it worked to some sort of degree but looks like a no go for me as wanted something that would leave a foam via the pump sprayer.
When I rinse off it would be via re filling the pump sprayer or washing off with clear water with wash mitt as no access to hosepipe.

Thanks again Mark


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## Cookies

brooklandsracer said:


> Thanks Andy for taking time and effort doing this.
> 
> As you said it worked to some sort of degree but looks like a no go for me as wanted something that would leave a foam via the pump sprayer.
> 
> When I rinse off it would be via re filling the pump sprayer or washing off with clear water with wash mitt as no access to hosepipe.
> 
> Thanks again Mark


Mark,

I haven't forgotten about this - was away from home all weekend and only back this evening. Will have a go in the morning, and I imagine I'll likely draw the same results and conclusions as Andy did.

Cheers,

Cooks

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


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## Cookies

brooklandsracer said:


> Thanks Andy for taking time and effort doing this.
> 
> As you said it worked to some sort of degree but looks like a no go for me as wanted something that would leave a foam via the pump sprayer.
> 
> When I rinse off it would be via re filling the pump sprayer or washing off with clear water with wash mitt as no access to hosepipe.
> 
> Thanks again Mark


Just went out to the car and tried Polar Blast through a pump sprayer. I got the same result as Andy, above. More suddy water than thick foam, but was still effective at removing the road salt from the front/rear bumpers and sides of my car.

I've asked Autoglym for the official line on using it through a pump sprayer, so they may have recommendations regarding dilution rates etc.

Cheers,

Niall

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


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## Autoglym

brooklandsracer said:


> Nice review and love the amount of foam you get.
> 
> 1 question, I do not have a pressure washer, so can it be used in a hozelock pump sprayer?


This product was designed to be used with a pressure washer and takes advantage of the way they work to generate the foam and deliver it onto the vehicle. Results using a pump up sprayer have not yielded the same level of foam or type of foam that you get from a pressure washer. It can be used this way, just don't expect the same results.



Rob D 88 said:


> Great write up!
> 
> I didn't mind it but the only thing that annoyed me with this was how thick it actually was and what a pain it was rinsing it away.
> 
> One day I rinsed it wash the car and finished everything. The next day the foam was still on the floor!
> 
> That's the downside for me but other than that a good product!
> 
> Rob


Hi Rob,

The 100ml to 500ml suggested dilution will guarantee foam, most people have adjusted this down as the foam does tend to hang about. Play with your dilutions and see what works best for you. Due to the vast array of pressure washers and flow rates they have, we have had to go for a middle of the road setting. But many people can reduce the amount of Polar Blast they use and still get a great result - win win for everyone.


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## Rob D 88

Autoglym said:


> This product was designed to be used with a pressure washer and takes advantage of the way they work to generate the foam and deliver it onto the vehicle. Results using a pump up sprayer have not yielded the same level of foam or type of foam that you get from a pressure washer. It can be used this way, just don't expect the same results.
> 
> Hi Rob,
> 
> The 100ml to 500ml suggested dilution will guarantee foam, most people have adjusted this down as the foam does tend to hang about. Play with your dilutions and see what works best for you. Due to the vast array of pressure washers and flow rates they have, we have had to go for a middle of the road setting. But many people can reduce the amount of Polar Blast they use and still get a great result - win win for everyone.


Yeah I did that thank you.

I ended up using around 50ml in 800ml of water. Still very foamy!

It's ok, I suppose it's meant to cause a lot of foam!

Thanks for the reply.
Rob

Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk


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## brooklandsracer

Cookies said:


> Just went out to the car and tried Polar Blast through a pump sprayer. I got the same result as Andy, above. More suddy water than thick foam, but was still effective at removing the road salt from the front/rear bumpers and sides of my car.
> 
> I've asked Autoglym for the official line on using it through a pump sprayer, so they may have recommendations regarding dilution rates etc.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Niall
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


Thanks Niall for confirming what Andy said about not getting foam with the pump sprayer.
I could buy it but don't think I will as it will not perform as well as it would with the pressure washer.
I have to go down Halfords shortly to get a car battery and may well treat myself to the HD Wax and HD shampoo kit instead of this. :devil:


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