# What's best apc to use



## Danny_Leeds (Dec 28, 2011)

Have been looking for a good apc what's the best one ?


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## slim_boy_fat (Jun 23, 2006)

Look no further than AutoSmart G101.

[But if you do a forum search, you'll find many different recommendations.  ]


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## 888-Dave (Jul 30, 2010)

Yup, Another here for G101. Never had any need to look elsewhere :thumb:


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## [email protected] (Apr 28, 2011)

G101 all the way


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## nickka (Jun 2, 2008)

Stardrops does it for me:thumb:


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## Ultra (Feb 25, 2006)

Going against the here, autoglym's clean all does just as the name suggest


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## markito (May 19, 2010)

GTechniq W2! 
Awesome!


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## 1984clg (Sep 13, 2010)

Sainsbury's own brand, works a treat.


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

G101 is brill, there isn't a best though


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## BSxc (Dec 16, 2011)

I have a question:

Is there much difference between Meguiars APC or APC + ?
I know that APC + better is for leather, vinyl etc, but how much better compared with the normal APC.


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## daniellll.bee (Nov 20, 2011)

Complete noob question... What's apc? 

I'm guessing it's all perpose cleaner? 
But what do you actually do with it?


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## Ernesto_182 (May 3, 2011)

Can G101 be used on seats and interior???


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## DMH-01 (Mar 29, 2011)

Megs APC for me.


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## DMH-01 (Mar 29, 2011)

Ernesto_182 said:


> Can G101 be used on seats and interior???


Indeed it can mate :thumb:


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

APC - all purpose cleaner, does what it says


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## Rossk1009 (Nov 28, 2011)

What are the diluting ratios for the autosmart? 

Was going to get meguiars apc but might get this instead


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## Ernesto_182 (May 3, 2011)

DMH-01 said:


> Indeed it can mate :thumb:


Fast reply!

Thanks a lot


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## justina3 (Jan 11, 2008)

g101 for the outside for me also but insides i tend to favour autobrites fab cleaner as its got a much nicer smell


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## WP-UK (Apr 24, 2011)

I'm also gonna put in another vote for G101 - converted from supermarket own brand recently after good reviews on here and noticed a difference in effectiveness


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## nickfrog (Nov 29, 2010)

WP-UK said:


> I'm also gonna put in another vote for G101 - converted from supermarket own brand recently after good reviews on here and noticed a difference in effectiveness


Is stuff cleaner than clean now ?


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## daniellll.bee (Nov 20, 2011)

It's it good to use apc inside door and boot checks?


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## Spirit Detailing (Mar 29, 2007)

In my experience there are two types of APC out there. 

One type is strong, harsh and is designed to work on many types of dirt. It does the job fast and gets the car out the door and clean, regardless of long-term effects on the surface to which it has been applied. Budget car-dealers and production-line valets like this sort of product. 

The other type is designed with the surface in mind, is designed to clean many types of surface taking into consideration that some surfaces are far more sensitive than others to alkaline chemicals and surfactants. They can be a little more expensive, but a much better product in the long run. 

Knowing which is which....? well, each manufacturer is going to tell you how you good their APC is. Simply diluting it way down with water is not always the route to making an APC "milder" either.


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## toni (Oct 30, 2005)

1Z Blitz is also worth a shout. Very good dilution ratio and can be used practically anywhere (a true APC  )


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## Lupostef (Nov 20, 2011)

Only used megs and autosmart g101, both great


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## Chris-89 (May 7, 2011)

Lupostef said:


> Only used megs and autosmart g101, both great


Having used both do you have a preference or noticed any big differences between them?


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## mattsbmw (Jul 20, 2008)

autosmart g101 is what you need, i use this for the interior at 20:1.

for the really dirty engines/arches i tend to go for bilt hamber surfex hd.


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## -Raven- (Aug 26, 2010)

Simple Green for me. Better than anything else I've tried.


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## chillly (Jun 25, 2009)

Spirit Detailing said:


> In my experience there are two types of APC out there.
> 
> One type is strong, harsh and is designed to work on many types of dirt. It does the job fast and gets the car out the door and clean, regardless of long-term effects on the surface to which it has been applied. Budget car-dealers and production-line valets like this sort of product.
> 
> ...


Some examples would be very helpful please mate:thumb: ?


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## andy monty (Dec 29, 2007)

Surfex.......


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## bizzyfingers (Jul 30, 2009)

dennis said:


> Going against the here, autoglym's clean all does just as the name suggest


+1 on that


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## guy_92 (Oct 26, 2010)

Autosmart G101 is my favourite one, been using it for many years. There is no 'best', it's a matter of your personal preference.


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## Mean & clean (Aug 19, 2007)

I've used Stardrops on paintwork, wheels, carpets, upholstery, leather, glass, plastic, rubber, vinyl, stainless steel, chrome, tiles, skirting boards, you name it I've used Stardrops on it. 

It's easily obtainable, comes in a big bottle, it's very dilute able, very cheap, very gentle and very effective. :thumb:


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## Tips (Mar 27, 2011)

Flash APC with febreze (Cotton Fresh Fragrance) is my weapon of choice, usually diluted to 1 in 4 ratio for car prep.


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## shaunwistow (May 13, 2011)

Daisy from Tesco's, works a treat & great value for money


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## Lupostef (Nov 20, 2011)

Autosmart G101 or megs APC


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## moosh (May 8, 2011)

Lupostef said:


> Autosmart G101 or megs APC


I'm the same as stef :thumb:


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## Ronnie (Nov 15, 2006)

Ultimare Interior from Orchard Autocare is a PH neutral natural interior APC with an odour digestor works amazingly well and eliminates nasty odours... will be on sale Mid January.


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## Andy from Sandy (May 6, 2011)

Spirit Detailing, without any examples your post is pretty useless.

G101 and Surfex have the same smell so I am guessing they at least contain one chemical the same. What that chemical does apart from smell nasty I have no clue.


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## Spizz (Nov 16, 2011)

- Megs APC
or
- G101 

Whichever you can get cheaper


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## JC01 (Sep 6, 2009)

Megs APC


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## Guest (Jan 1, 2012)

G101 for me and also flash with febreze


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## Dangerroush (Nov 4, 2010)

So all this time I've been listening to people saying use daisy, and I've been shagging my top coat, great, who's a Lawyer so I can sue!


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## tonyy (Jul 26, 2008)

For me is Megs apc


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## Scrim-1- (Oct 8, 2008)

I find G101 Great for arches, But for bits like trim badges etc, Megs apc at 10:1 is fantastic.


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## Kobeone (Dec 14, 2011)

Does anyone know where i can get some Megs APC in a shop, as im such an impatient OCD :detailer: that i want it now and not wait for the post lols

Im based in Southampton....

Cheers

Rich


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## Andy from Sandy (May 6, 2011)

Have you tried Halfords? My local one has quite a large range of Meguiars products.


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## alex65 (Dec 31, 2011)

lidl W5 the blue one, great smell.

Or surfex when I need more power.


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## IanG (Nov 21, 2007)

Espuma G202 :thumb:


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## Edward101 (Jun 5, 2009)

Tesco Daisy does the job for me


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## Demetrios72 (Jun 27, 2011)

Autosmart G101 without a doubt :thumb:

Bilt Hamber Surfex HD is not bad either


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## Serious (Mar 19, 2008)

Spirit Detailing said:


> In my experience there are two types of APC out there.
> 
> One type is strong, harsh and is designed to work on many types of dirt


No dude there is only one type of APC. This is an ALL purpose cleaner designed to work on many types of dirt. Other types of cleaners are made for specific jobs. Carpets, leather, Traffic film etc.

G101 for me


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## Ronnie (Nov 15, 2006)

^^^ True but to make it interior safe you have to dilute it way down. I very rarely have seen people using the correct dilution rates. Hence why we have developed an interior APC. Its pH neutral and free from the harsh chemicals needed for removal of exterior grime.. It can be used outside as well but has been specifically developed for interiors and odour neutralisation. so technically there is now 2 types of APC.

What people have to be careful is htat a vast majority of these products are trade specific. they are designed to work quickly (read strong) therefore you have to treat them with caution. Household products can be used but you have to be careful as some of these contain bleach which is not good for fabrics correct me if Im wrong but is Daisy not a hard surface cleaner? will have to get some tomorrow for a wee look.


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## Danny_Leeds (Dec 28, 2011)

thanks guys for a lot of great advice on apc i was looking at auto glym clean all has anyone used it ? whats is it like compared to others


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## Patrickm (May 27, 2011)

Danny_Leeds said:


> thanks guys for a lot of great advice on apc i was looking at auto glym clean all has anyone used it ? whats is it like compared to others


Hi Danny, what is the particular job you are needing the APC for is it say heavy staining from seats, staining from roof lining or washing down interior door cards and trim?

Spirit detailing is right there are different kinds of APC many will do a certain job well but maybe too strong for a certain kind of job and in some cases dependant on manufacturer can be caustic, a little like there been many different types of say hair shampoo on the market all will clean your hair but dependant on the type/condition of the hair and what you are wanting to achieve will have different results :thumb:


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## Sparky160 (Aug 12, 2011)

Edward101 said:


> Tesco Daisy does the job for me


+1...hard to ignore the value for money


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## MAUI (Feb 1, 2008)

Optimum Power Clean. Cut it 3:1 for interior cleaning including leather seats.


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## Danny_Leeds (Dec 28, 2011)

Just wanting a all round cleaner for odd dirt on carpet cleaning door cards, door shuts, wheel arches, round badges one which I can dilute for different purposes external and internal


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## Lupostef (Nov 20, 2011)

Autosmart G101 for me mate


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## Danny_Leeds (Dec 28, 2011)

Just ordered g101  and spray bottles


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

Ben Gum said:


> I think it depends on what you want to do. I'd never use a strongly alkaline orange solvent product on sensitive interior but they are great for outside and on hard surfaces. Horses for courses and no one should be truly APC.


autosmart G101 is alkaline, fine on anything when watered down..


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## dreamtheater (Apr 12, 2010)

Autosmart G101. Used Tesco's Daisy in the past.

G101 I use it 4:1 on wheels and tyres.
10:1 on exterior bumper trims, plastics
5:1 on interiors


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## gm8 (Apr 25, 2011)

still on my same bottle of stardrops 1 year in lol , its pretty concentrated!


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## Mr Shoelaces (Dec 27, 2007)

quite a few of the Auto smart franchises buy the Espuma G202, and then they label it up as G101, the reason for this is it is cheaper for them to buy from Espuma and its a stronger formulation! Dont suspose Autosmart will be happy!


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## Tiptronic (May 9, 2006)

I've tried a sample of a new APC from Autojoy. Not as bad as G101 for smell, very effective for me, both interior and exterior.

I think he will have it in stock later this week :thumb:

Chris


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## mr mint (May 7, 2010)

G101 for me, a great safe all rounder and amazing value


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## CTR De (Feb 10, 2011)

surprised no one has mentioned wolfs apc , i use it and its a great cleaner , i have a couple of ltr bottles , could send you a wee sample if you like , just cover the postage

pm me if you want to try it as ill only lose this thread [lol]


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## Sue J (Jan 26, 2006)

Mr Shoelaces said:


> quite a few of the Auto smart franchises buy the Espuma G202, and then they label it up as G101, the reason for this is it is cheaper for them to buy from Espuma and its a stronger formulation! Dont suspose Autosmart will be happy!


Really? And what is the basis for this accusation?


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## trv8 (Dec 30, 2007)

Mr Shoelaces said:


> quite a few of the Auto smart franchises buy the Espuma G202, and then they label it up as G101, the reason for this is it is cheaper for them to buy from Espuma and its a stronger formulation! Dont suspose Autosmart will be happy!





Sue J said:


> Really? And what is the basis for this accusation?


Sue J. That's got my back up a bit to be honest. 
I've not used any Autosmart or Espuma products, but going by 'Mr Shoelaces' previous posts, he sounds like an Espuma 'fan-boy'.
Unless Mr Shoelaces can prove Autosmart Franchisees are doing this, I think that he's well-out-of-order and an apology should be forthcoming.

Me personaly....I think it's a load of boux.


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## BeeDubz (Mar 26, 2011)

trv8 said:


> Sue J. That's got my back up a bit to be honest.
> I've not used any Autosmart or Espuma products, but going by 'Mr Shoelaces' previous posts, he sounds like an Espuma 'fan-boy'.
> Unless Mr Shoelaces can prove Autosmart Franchisees are doing this, I think that he's well-out-of-order and an apology should be forthcoming.
> 
> Me personaly....I think it's a load of boux.


+1 for above


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## ITHAQVA (Feb 20, 2011)

FLASH aaaaaaaaaaaaaa he cleaned everyone one of us!!! :thumb:


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## Mr Shoelaces (Dec 27, 2007)

if using G101, you should consider Espuma G202, Ive seen it for sale on some of the Auto Smart vans, think some of them buy it from Espuma. its cheaper from espuma, better and i use it around 50:1 on really dirty stuff.


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

Ben Gum said:


> Alkaline is not fine on anything when diluted. There is a whole sector of the cleaning industry which is built around that fact. So I repeat that I would not use a strongly alkaline product on sensitive interiors (and I am not being G101 specific), I would use a specialised interior cleaner with a dedicated and milder formulation. This is not a big revelation on here... everyone avoids acid based wheel cleaners because they cause damage. In fact they will do practically no damage if used occasionally. Same for cleaning fabrics... you will do practically no harm using a non-dedicated product occasionally but do it regularly and the same should not be said. The only difference is that the forum accepts it true for wheels but not really thought about it for interiors...


well, i've used G101 and various other APC's on interiors with no problems so won't be changing any time soon.


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## guy_92 (Oct 26, 2010)

-Kev- said:


> well, i've used G101 and various other APC's on interiors with no problems so won't be changing any time soon.


I concur!

Just dilute to suit


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## Hardsworth (Apr 12, 2012)

Daisy from Tesco's budget range works a treat, so far I aint been converted :thumb:


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## trv8 (Dec 30, 2007)

Mr Shoelaces said:


> quite a few of the Auto smart franchises buy the Espuma G202, and then they label it up as G101, the reason for this is it is cheaper for them to buy from Espuma and its a stronger formulation! Dont suspose Autosmart will be happy!





Mr Shoelaces said:


> if using G101, you should consider Espuma G202, Ive seen it for sale on some of the Auto Smart vans, think some of them buy it from Espuma. its cheaper from espuma, better and i use it around 50:1 on really dirty stuff.


Now hang on a minute.......

YOU stated that Autosmart Franchisee's were buying a cheaper product from 'Espuma' and then re-labeling it as their own product 'Autosmart G101'.

NOW your saying that you have seen the 'Espuma' product 'FOR SALE' on the Autosmart vans.

Which is it to be......one is very different to the other.


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## Sue J (Jan 26, 2006)

Mr Shoelaces said:


> quite a few of the Auto smart franchises buy the Espuma G202, and then they label it up as G101, the reason for this is it is cheaper for them to buy from Espuma and its a stronger formulation! Dont suspose Autosmart will be happy!


Still waiting to hear the facts behind this statement. What you're accusing franchisees of would amount to a serious breach of contract.


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## Sue J (Jan 26, 2006)

Mr Shoelaces said:


> if using G101, you should consider Espuma G202, Ive seen it for sale on some of the Auto Smart vans, think some of them buy it from Espuma. its cheaper from espuma, better and i use it around 50:1 on really dirty stuff.


As above. We would be very interested in the facts behind this accusation. Thank you


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## borse2008 (Mar 5, 2012)

For engine bay use g101??


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## The Doctor (Sep 11, 2007)

Sue J said:


> As above. We would be very interested in the facts behind this accusation. Thank you


There are no facts, obviously trying to stir up a bit of interest in 'his' attempted G101 copy.


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

borse2008 said:


> For engine bay use g101??


yes, or any other apc..


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## Corsasxi_Dan (May 13, 2011)

i like Daisy from tesco and only £0.98 per litre :lol:


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## GJH0702 (Oct 21, 2011)

Any advice re dilute for Stardrops?
Looking to clean engine area, door shuts and similar
Cheers


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

about 200ml in a spray bottle, rest water. i'm not one for being precise with ratios - can't see the point lol. it's a 'technique' thats served me well though


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## Brazo (Oct 27, 2005)

Mr Shoelace can we have some hard facts please or otherwise refrain from potentially libellous comments.

ta


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## craigeh123 (Dec 26, 2011)

I've used stardrops and daisy to good effect , I've used stardrops neat on insides of wheels 
And it worked pretty well


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