Autoglym Car Shampoo not many suds?

J4MMYz

J4MMYz

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Hi guys, i'll start by apologising that this isn't in the Detailing thread but I know you guys will answer a lot faster :p


Picking my car up tomorrow, and I've been thinking about cleaning, I currently use Autoglym Car Shampoo and put in the normal amount shampoo it tells me to, into a normal bucket + two bucket method, currently I have no grit guards, and I'm not using snow foam, but I assure that when I get my Audi I will be doing those things.


The only thing that bothers me about that shampoo, is there are no suds, it's like i'm washing my car with water, I can smell the shampoo, and see it in the bucket (funny colour) but it runs over the car like water with no signs at all of shampoo, unless i mix the suds in that sit on the water in the bucket and it worries me that it's not doing anything to prevent swirls... I'm sure when I start with pre wash it'll get most of the nasty stuff off the car... currently at the moment I only use water to pre wash, just to soak all the crap on it so it doesn't rub in.

What do you guys think? I found a pic and the car definitely does not look like this: http://i.ytimg.com/vi/cwIiDJc0j9Q/maxresdefault.jpg

Also - when you pre wash, do you wet the car with water then snow foam, or just go straight in with snow foam? I've heard mixed opinions of what to do, as wetting the car before snow foam would just dilute it and make it less effective... i've also heard of people washing the car with the snow foam which I don't think is a good idea, my method will be to leave it for 5 mins then power wash off, then wash with 2 bucket method then dry.

Help needed! I'm not a massive detailing nut, at the end of the day it's a car that gets used and doesn't sit in a show room, it's going to get a lot worse than a few fine scratches in the paint.. it's inevitable :/
 
Try Meguiars Gold Class Shampoo plenty of nice rich foamy suds applied with a good quality wash mit (I use the Halfords one, as good a quality as the Megs one, but half the price, and as suggested by the guys on DW).


Good luck with the new wheels!
 
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Change your shampoo, autoglym shampoo isnt great. I use gold class as recommended above and love it.
Regarding the snow foam, some snow foams actually have instructions on it, and indeed the snow foam I use (Angelwax - nothing else comes close IMO) tells you to power wash the car first of all with plain water, and then snow foam it, leaving foam for about 10 mins. But sometimes I just go straight with the foam.

Oh, and do NOT start rubbing the snow foam into your car with your washmit like you do with shampoo....thats a no no.
 
Gold class or poor boys shampoo. I've found both to be really superb. I've also used Dodo juice carnuba shampoo but found it didn't last as long and the other 2. I don't use any autoglym products now.
 
I use Auto Glym shampoo. I hadn't noticed, but you're right - it doesn't lather up on the car, althougn it certainly does in the bucket. I washed my wife's car yesterday and it easily removed all the winter road muck that has accumulated over the last few weeks. I can't say I've tried any other quality shampoo as I'm perfectly satisfied with Auto Glym, but I might try the ones mentioned above on my A3.
 
I've used autoglym products for years and have always had excellent results. I have started to use other products since I got my new s3 in the summer but have continued to stick with autoglym shampoo as I find it produces a really good glossy finish. You do have to put more shampoo in the mixture than what it tells you to to get a good foam and you might need to really squeeze your wash mitt out quite a few times if your bucket has been left standing a while. Do this and you will be pleased with the product. If you are going to be polishing your car or applying a sealant AG shampoo and conditioner is a good product as it is PH neutral so won't strip any LSP's. I don't know if Halfords shampoo is ph neutral.

With regards to snow foam, I use valet pros advanced neutral snow foam and I always rinse first to try remove additional rubbish. I find it causes no issue with increased dilution rates, it still clings nicely.

When I was the cars again at the weekend I will get some pics of the shampoo.
 
Having tried 20-25 different shampoo's my all time fave is still Wolf's white satin
http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/wolfs-chemicals-auto-shampoo-cat3.html

Not only it is a ph neutral shampoo, but more importantly (to me anyway) its a 'pure' shampoo, meaning its got no gloss enhancers, polymers or any other ***** in it

Suds well at 20:1 dilute ratio too

& to top it all off at £10 delivered its an absolute bargain, as a litre should give you 50 washes at 20:1

Pre-wash? Valet Pro Citrus Pre Wash for me
http://www.valetpro.co.uk/prepare/citrus-pre-wash.html

Using a pump sprayer at 8:1 dilute with hot water, leave to dwell for 5 mins or so (or the time it takes to set up your PW) then PW off.

Been using this for the last 2 years or so after giving up on snow foaming. Easier, less mess and more effective than SF IMHO
 
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I use Zymol clear. I only use a small measured amount, the good thing about Clear is that it doesn't leave dense white streaks from any water that dribbles out although I do use a water filter in the final rinse stage and then a compressor to blow out water from nooks and crannies.
One tip for any shampoo is not to use a 'bit more' because your car is really dirty.

Use warm water too.

I have found that snow foam works better on a dry car than a wet car. The foam lasts longer and doesn't tend to slide off quickly as it does on a wet car. But as you rightly say it's a personal preference.
 
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steeve said:
I use Zymol clear. I only use a small amount, the good thing about Clear is that it doesn't leave dense white streaks from any water that dribbles out.
One tip for any shampoo is not to use a 'bit more' because your car is really dirty.

I have found that snow foam works better on a dry car than a wet car. The foam lasts longer and doesn't tend to slide off quickly as it does on a wet car. But as you rightly say it's a personal preference.
Click to expand...
I always measure my car shampoo with one of these, seriously -
Plastic_Syringe__4f9a98ee87315_120x120.jpg

The main reason being that using too much shampoo, even a ph neutral one, can strip your LSP (last step protection - be it a wax or sealant)
 
Bristle Hound said:
I always measure my car shampoo with one of these, seriously -
Plastic_Syringe__4f9a98ee87315_120x120.jpg

The main reason being that using too much shampoo, even a ph neutral one, can strip your LSP (last step protection - be it a wax or sealant)
Click to expand...
Oh & I always keep it here :laugh::laugh::laugh:
29094_Large_Image.jpg

:doctor:
 
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Until the last couple of months I'd been using a Simoniz wash and wax from poundland and to be honest it was really good (suds up ok and left the car nice and glossy with good beading ability) but since I've got into this detailing malarkey I've tried meguiars wash and wax and honestly the finish doesn't seem all that much better than the Simoniz but it doesn't get half as sudsy.
 
I quite like Mer products. Their shampoo is a nice product and I always get good results.
 
HawkeyeS3 said:
Try Meguiars Gold Class Shampoo plenty of nice rich foamy suds applied with a good quality wash mit (I use the Halfords one, as good a quality as the Megs one, but half the price, and as suggested by the guys on DW).


Good luck with the new wheels!
Click to expand...

+1 for gold class and Halfords washmit
-1 for s-line alloys, take longer to clean than the car
 
Palacemads3 said:
I've used autoglym products for years and have always had excellent results. I have started to use other products since I got my new s3 in the summer but have continued to stick with autoglym shampoo as I find it produces a really good glossy finish. You do have to put more shampoo in the mixture than what it tells you to to get a good foam and you might need to really squeeze your wash mitt out quite a few times if your bucket has been left standing a while. Do this and you will be pleased with the product. If you are going to be polishing your car or applying a sealant AG shampoo and conditioner is a good product as it is PH neutral so won't strip any LSP's. I don't know if Halfords shampoo is ph neutral.

With regards to snow foam, I use valet pros advanced neutral snow foam and I always rinse first to try remove additional rubbish. I find it causes no issue with increased dilution rates, it still clings nicely.

When I was the cars again at the weekend I will get some pics of the shampoo.
Click to expand...


When it says a capful, how many capfuls do you put in? I have a normal sized builders bucket (obviously NEVER used for building or anything else) so i'm not sure what kind of ratio to use. I'm just a little worried that no suds = swirls, which I wouldn't think is the case as surely the stuff is designed to lubricate the water more instead of making your car look like a bubble bath has been thrown on it? Not sure.


Thanks for the recommendations guys, i'll be sure to think about it if I fall out with the shampoo, but so far Autoglym has been in my top books, especially the interior shampoo which got my girlfriends Aygo headliner back to new. Before it had lots of horrible black dirt (we think cigarette smoke) which had orangey dots in places, the dots didn't come out but the black dirty headliner came straight back to cream, wonderful stuff.
 
Bear in mind the amount of suds you get also depends on the water you use. If you live in a hard water area then you're likely to get less suds. I find poorboys slick n suds excellent, and not too expensive.
 
I unfortunately don't have access to water at the front of my house, so I'll be giving her first real wash tomorrow with ONR with 2BM (no grit guards). It's a rinse-less wash so has no suds too, but I've been using it on my old car and it really lifts and suspends the dirt so helps to minimise any marring. You can see the dirt rolling off the car with the excess water/ONR solution.

I'll then decontaminate her with TRIX - Iron and Tar remover. Then wash her again with a clean ONR solution to remove the TRIX. I was going to glaze her with Poorboys Black Hole, but it hasn't arrived yet and I really want to wash her tomorrow before I go for a drive. So I'll just be waxing her with Poorboys Natty Blue paste.

I then plan to use SONAX Xtreme Quick detailer when required to keep her clean. I've been using it on my current car and it's really amazing stuff, the beading this alone gives is astonishing (the car has no wax - yet).

I plan on doing all of this before I drive her tomorrow, that way I'm hoping it will make life easier in the future keeping her clean. :)
 
I would give the bucket a good clean as well as there may be something in it that's stopping the suds forming. A quick rub around with a sponge fairy liquid inside the bucket to get any grease or chemicals off then a good rinse with the power washer to get all traces of that out too.

Snow foam is good fun and is quite satisfying when you see the foam pile up and brown drips running off into it. Then a good two bucket clean usually does me but I think I may have to up my game once the S3 arrives :)
 
The amount of suds produced isn't any reflection on how well it's cleaning because it's only a foaming agent. Hair shampoo is the same, you think it cleaning better if it foams up which is why people think the natural hair shampoos are pap.
Just follow the instructions and always use warm water.
Tip: don't run the hot tap onto your sponge directly, otherwise your hand feels like it going to melt the first time you squeeze the sponge ;)
Dave
 
If I find the suds aren't really that sudsy, I just give a quick blast with the pressure washer into the bucket. Soon sorts it out :)
 
I'll probably get shot down for this, but as we are not in the detailing section, I'll say it anyway.
I use Karcher Car & Bike shampoo, 5 litre bag of low ph, ready to fire through the lance. I apply the mix from the tank on the pressure washer on a low pressure setting, (after a high pressure rinse), leave it for a couple of minutes and use the sponge to rub down. It gets rinsed off on high pressure to shift the suds. It always does a good job, especially at this time of year with all the salt and s***e on the roads.
If the weather permits, I will give the car a chamois down and finish it with Poorboys Detailing Spray, applied with a nice thick microfibre cloth. (I don't bother with this if it's too cold).
When the summer season arrives, I probably will change the regime a bit.

Edit; Just noticed we are...oops.
:rolleyes:
 
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david7m said:
The amount of suds produced isn't any reflection on how well it's cleaning because it's only a foaming agent. Hair shampoo is the same, you think it cleaning better if it foams up which is why people think the natural hair shampoos are pap.
Just follow the instructions and always use warm water.
Tip: don't run the hot tap onto your sponge directly, otherwise your hand feels like it going to melt the first time you squeeze the sponge ;)
Dave
Click to expand...
ll

Bang on, The AG shampoo wasn't designed to foam up hence why everyone shy's away from it thinking its a bad shampoo, they add more thinking it will foam up but doesn't, if you look at it as you wash you will see the shampoo at work(using the correct amount) another worth a look out is Duragloss 901.
 
IMG 4858
Meguiars Gold class here.....
When the car is really bad I'll snow foam first, leave for 10-15mins then jet off and then wash.
 
Jake 61 said:
I'll probably get shot down for this, but as we are not in the detailing section, I'll say it anyway.
I use Karcher Car & Bike shampoo, 5 litre bag of low ph, ready to fire through the lance. I apply the mix from the tank on the pressure washer on a low pressure setting, (after a high pressure rinse), leave it for a couple of minutes and use the sponge to rub down. It gets rinsed off on high pressure to shift the suds. It always does a good job, especially at this time of year with all the salt and s***e on the roads.
If the weather permits, I will give the car a chamois down and finish it with Poorboys Detailing Spray, applied with a nice thick microfibre cloth. (I don't bother with this if it's too cold).
When the summer season arrives, I probably will change the regime a bit.

Edit; Just noticed we are...oops.
:rolleyes:
Click to expand...


Please don't touch your car with either a sponge or chamois!

I feel sorry for the paint
 
I hope it's PH neutral or you could be stripping off all your polish. These in pressure wash cleaners tend to be very aggressive .
 
I would seriously recommend Poorboys Slick & Suds shampoo.

Used it for years now and always find it works a treat.
 
Mainz Car Care Passion

One cap full and suds away.
Provides plenty of lubrication between Mitt and Paintwork.
 
Just a thought, with any high quality car shampoo added to a bucket filled 3/4 full, place the nozzle tip of a jet washer into your bucket and blast away, this is a very effective way to mix the shampoo and create lots of suds. Repeat procedure as required to create more suds
 
wxc said:
Just a thought, with any high quality car shampoo added to a bucket filled 3/4 full, place the nozzle tip of a jet washer into your bucket and blast away, this is a very effective way to mix the shampoo and create lots of suds. Repeat procedure as required to create more suds
Click to expand...

Good advice, been doing this for years, makes a big difference to the 'suds'.

Ultimately the performance and lubrication of the shampoo is more important, but there's just something nice about having lots of suds...
 
J4MMYz said:
The only thing that bothers me about that shampoo, is there are no suds, it's like i'm washing my car with water, I can smell the shampoo, and see it in the bucket (funny colour) but it runs over the car like water with no signs at all of shampoo.

Also - when you pre wash, do you wet the car with water then snow foam, or just go straight in with snow foam? I've heard mixed opinions of what to do, as wetting the car before snow foam would just dilute it and make it less effective... i've also heard of people washing the car with the snow foam which I don't think is a good idea, my method will be to leave it for 5 mins then power wash off, then wash with 2 bucket method then dry.
Click to expand...

sorry if this has already been mentioned, I haven't read all the replies... but I wouldn't worry about the lack of suds, that's isn't any indication of good shampoo.

I would concentrate more on getting your dilution ratios correct as mentioned on your shampoo.

cheaper shampoos actually have chemicals in them that 'sud' up so that it looks like it's doing something...

as for pre-wash.

I spray a APC cleaner over the lower panels - leave for a few minutes, then snow foam the car twice a few minutes apart, then hose off. this process gets the car almost fully clean for me - and this is what I use most of the time.

if I decide to hand wash it, I get my shampoo and give it a quick wipe over, hose down then dry with a quick detailer.
 
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