# Detailingworld™ Review Airtune clean / fresh system



## WHIZZER (Oct 25, 2005)

DW Review Airtune clean / fresh system ( done by Hufty)

*Introduction:*

I was fortunate enough to attend the Airtune UK demonstration yesterday at The wheel specialist in Ellesmere Port. To be honest I was not 100% sure what to expect but according to the Airtune UK website www.airtune.eu I was anticipating some kind of prurifyication or cleansing process of the environment inside my vehicle.

Airtune are a fairly new sponsor to the forum, the Airtune system is the first in a line of products that will assist in cleaning and enhancing our vehicles. The manufacturer and designers are of German origin and the products live up to the widely held view of quality german engineering.



*
The Product:*

The product is actually a system and involves a number of different components, well two actually. Firstly the delivery unit which is a small aluminium box, about the size of a loaf of bread. The unit operates from standard 240v electricity and has a simple on /off switch it requires no specific or additional support other than running a cleaning cycle at the end of use with 100ml of DI water. The unit can be used constantly throughout the day and run any number of its 30 min processes.



The second element is the specialist fluids which come in two varieties. 'Clean' is specifically designed to clean and kill bacteria in the vehicles air conditioning system and 'fresh' which is designed to deodorise the vehicles interior. Fluids are available in 500ml bottles, it takes 100mls per application or alternatively 3l wine box style containers.



So what is so special about Airtune system then ?

Without going into scientific speak about microns particles and the life of bacteria it is quite simple. The vapour produced by any cleansing system can only be effective if it can physical reach any part of the environment, as we know modern cars have many filters which clean and purify the air in our vehicles. Airtune is unique in that the vapour produced is significantly finer than other systems thus allowing it to penetrate through filters and access areas other systems can not reach. So if parts of your aircon system are shielded by filters then Airtune can reach those parts more effectively than other airbourne systems. Equally it is necessary to stand mats to allow the vapour access to the carpet below. 
*
The Method:*

So out of the two vehicles available for me to test, I felt Bluebottle my 13 year old beetle would present the best challenege. I regularly clean the interior of Bluebottle but until recently he was my chosen mode of transport for my 400 mile round trip commute from Manchester to Luton and back. A regular part of this commute involves me eating sausage and egg mcmuffin sandwiches, spilling my milk as I try to decant it from plastic packet it my cup whilst steering with my knees at 90mph on M1 (obviously don't try this at home, I am a trained professional and it is exceedingly dangerous and easy to spill milk on your trousers):doublesho. So it is fair to say that Eau de bluebottle is an acquired taste.

No surprises I went for the fresh option, so Julian loaded the machine with 100ml of 'fresh' solution





The unit is then placed in the passenger footwell and switched on, the vehicles air conditioning is switched to medium (18 deg) heat and the fan placed on medium speed, the door closed and that's it simples



The process takes around 30 mins to complete and an audible beep and flashing light signifies completion.

This pic shows the vapour produced



This pic is of opening the door after the cycle had completed there is a very feint vapour in the air but it is not like the smoke grenade effect you get from some products.



Upon completion there is a very pleasant citrus scent in the vehicle, both fresh and clean liquids create the same fragrance, not unlike the hot towels one receives at the end of an indian or Chinese meal. You can maximise the process by allowing the vehicle to continue to run for a further 30 minutes as obviously the vapour is still present. However if time is not permitting you can simply jump in drive off, not waiting for surfaces to dry or clear perfectly safe straight away.

You will see from the photo above I had a packet of smoky bacon crisps ready to test in the new environment. Bluebottle felt very clean and fresh, in fact it was a windy day and quite chilly so after standing around for 90 minutes it felt particularly warm and comforting to climb inside the warm car with a nice smell and drive home.

*Price:*

Ok so price wise the units cost £355 each but can be used 8 hours a day every day without any special maintenance, just a final cycle with DI water. Unless you are particularly obsessive about your car interior you probably will not need to complete a cycle more than 2/3 times a year, but you could do it every week iff you wanted.

The liquids work out at £5 per cycle.

I think the product is really aimed at the professional market where garages or detaiers could offer the service as an added extra to their offer, so you can imagine charge the customer £20-30 for the service with liquid costs at £5 you would soon recoup the cost of purchasing the machine.

*Would I use it again?:*

Most definitely a YES

*Conclusion:*

So you might struggle to justify spending north of £300 to make your car a nicer place to be but if you are looking to get the interior of your vehicle smelling better, then once Airtune get the machines out there it's worth paying someone £20-£30 twice a year to keep it smelling great.

Julian also kindly supplied those that attended the demo with a bottle of Airtune Xpres which is a spray on product to tackle specific spots of odour. I will review this once I have used it, I am thinking the dog cage in the back of the Mrs's car.



"DW has followed the Manufacturers Instructions and accepts no responsibility to any circumstances arising from any member using these products or following this test "


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