Worst car product you ever purchased.....& the best..
Discussion
Hi,
Years ago I bought a spark plug cleaner from Argos. a small, black affair which had 2 crocodile clips you put on the battery and was full of abrasive grit. You would then place your plug in it, press the button and hey presto, your previously dirty plug was now a dirty plug with abrasive grit coated around it, ready to go back into the engine and do untold damage.
After its first use I realised my mistake, and went back to using a wire brush and having sore fingertips. I ended up cutting the clips off and using them for something else, resigning the cleaner to the bin. then again, for £5 what was I thinking?.
The best purchase I ever made was a quality set of Jump leads from a local motorfactors, who made them to order from thick cable and used quality clips. Cost me a bit, about 40 ackers iirc, but over the 20 years I've had them they've yet to fall apart.
Years ago I bought a spark plug cleaner from Argos. a small, black affair which had 2 crocodile clips you put on the battery and was full of abrasive grit. You would then place your plug in it, press the button and hey presto, your previously dirty plug was now a dirty plug with abrasive grit coated around it, ready to go back into the engine and do untold damage.
After its first use I realised my mistake, and went back to using a wire brush and having sore fingertips. I ended up cutting the clips off and using them for something else, resigning the cleaner to the bin. then again, for £5 what was I thinking?.
The best purchase I ever made was a quality set of Jump leads from a local motorfactors, who made them to order from thick cable and used quality clips. Cost me a bit, about 40 ackers iirc, but over the 20 years I've had them they've yet to fall apart.
- Best Product
- Worst Product
Worst:
A Tom's (JDM yo!) carbon fiber aerial. Cost £65 and couldn't pick up a single f
king radio station. It looked cool tho :/
Best:
Autoglym Aqua Wax. Not for its 'waxing' properties, but for the fact that even in the blistering hot sun of an english summer (lol) you can still get a perfect streak-free finish on a black car.
A Tom's (JDM yo!) carbon fiber aerial. Cost £65 and couldn't pick up a single f
king radio station. It looked cool tho :/Best:
Autoglym Aqua Wax. Not for its 'waxing' properties, but for the fact that even in the blistering hot sun of an english summer (lol) you can still get a perfect streak-free finish on a black car.
Worst:
Halfords chip and scratch repair kit. Stay clear, utter rubbish, but I suppose anything short of a full bonnet respray is going to leave a sub par finish.
Best:
Autogymn HD wax, cost £45 but was amazed how little you use, how easy to apply and how easy it is to remove, and the finish is amazing, it's going to last me years!
Halfords chip and scratch repair kit. Stay clear, utter rubbish, but I suppose anything short of a full bonnet respray is going to leave a sub par finish.
Best:
Autogymn HD wax, cost £45 but was amazed how little you use, how easy to apply and how easy it is to remove, and the finish is amazing, it's going to last me years!
Worst: a cheap ice scraper with a convex curve edge, so it'd only scrape a few mm at a time regardless of how you held it. I suppose if I'd excusively used it on the rear screed of Citroen CXs it would have been slightly useful. Also maybe the Elise wiper "upgrade" that didn't fit my car.
Ooh, no, the winner for worse product is the set of upgraded "race" HT leads which fell to bits during installation. I've used cheaper OEM HT leads ever since, because the only thing aftermarket ones offer is less durability for more money, and pretty colours.
Best: Dunno. Maybe my long reach thin wall wheel sockets. Or the Greddy turbo kit. Or the Girling hydraulic handbrake. Anything that works so well I can't remember it is probably good. Also cable ties - some of my MX5 has been cable tied together for 5 years with no problems. Bumpers, wings, body repairs all no problem.
Ooh, no, the winner for worse product is the set of upgraded "race" HT leads which fell to bits during installation. I've used cheaper OEM HT leads ever since, because the only thing aftermarket ones offer is less durability for more money, and pretty colours.
Best: Dunno. Maybe my long reach thin wall wheel sockets. Or the Greddy turbo kit. Or the Girling hydraulic handbrake. Anything that works so well I can't remember it is probably good. Also cable ties - some of my MX5 has been cable tied together for 5 years with no problems. Bumpers, wings, body repairs all no problem.
SuperchargedVR6 said:
Worst: Halfords Torque wrench.
That bad? I was considering getting one with some Love2Shop vouchers that are burning a hole in my wallet.I wouldn't spend 'real' money on it, but since it's vouchers and effectively 'free', is it worth a punt or should I stay clear?
nosittap said:
SuperchargedVR6 said:
Worst: Halfords Torque wrench.
That bad? I was considering getting one with some Love2Shop vouchers that are burning a hole in my wallet.I wouldn't spend 'real' money on it, but since it's vouchers and effectively 'free', is it worth a punt or should I stay clear?
This may not trouble some people, but for me, torquing the front strut nuts was a pain in the rump because the wrench handle would bang on the wing or the brake disc without tightening the nut!
Interestingly enough, PPC magazine gave it a low rating (after I bought mine, typical!) for the same reason and it also scored below average for calibration accuracy.
I just use it for jobs that have far greater access now (e.g. wheel bolts), but I'm on the look out for a wrench with a much finer ratchet for the limited access jobs!
Edited by SuperchargedVR6 on Tuesday 18th December 15:20
BeirutTaxi said:
Captain Muppet said:
"race" HT leads
Elise parts don't sell OEM HT leads, and as someone else was paying I thought it'd be worth trying. But it wasn't.
Not that I was expecting any actually improvement, obviously, I just wanted some that weren't 8 years old.
Best is a telescopic magnet with an LED in the end, about £3 from halfrauds. Absolute godsend for retrieving errant nuts/bolts/washers/tools thats disappear into various crevices every single time I do anything under the bonnet!
Also pretty good is my flexi-head head rachet spanner set, that gets where a socket won't!
Also pretty good is my flexi-head head rachet spanner set, that gets where a socket won't!
Edited by RP1 on Tuesday 18th December 16:22
Worst: Unbranded aero blade wipers which after being practically forced to buy by a friend were dangerously useless.
Best: Peanut Butter. I st you not. When I had my big bumper GTi it had acres of black plastic. After spending loads on various products to keep them black (up to £10 a bottle!) The best thing I tried was 90p smooth peanut butter. A revelation!
Best: Peanut Butter. I s
t you not. When I had my big bumper GTi it had acres of black plastic. After spending loads on various products to keep them black (up to £10 a bottle!) The best thing I tried was 90p smooth peanut butter. A revelation!BelperJim said:
Best: Peanut Butter. I st you not. When I had my big bumper GTi it had acres of black plastic. After spending loads on various products to keep them black (up to £10 a bottle!) The best thing I tried was 90p smooth peanut butter. A revelation!
Yeah I've read about that on other forums. Not good for nut allergies though I would imagine t you not. When I had my big bumper GTi it had acres of black plastic. After spending loads on various products to keep them black (up to £10 a bottle!) The best thing I tried was 90p smooth peanut butter. A revelation!
BelperJim said:
Worst: Unbranded aero blade wipers which after being practically forced to buy by a friend were dangerously useless.
Best: Peanut Butter. I st you not. When I had my big bumper GTi it had acres of black plastic. After spending loads on various products to keep them black (up to £10 a bottle!) The best thing I tried was 90p smooth peanut butter. A revelation!
These are the best synthetic products for black plastics:Best: Peanut Butter. I s
t you not. When I had my big bumper GTi it had acres of black plastic. After spending loads on various products to keep them black (up to £10 a bottle!) The best thing I tried was 90p smooth peanut butter. A revelation!303 Aerospace Protectant 16oz
http://www.amazon.co.uk/303-Aerospace-Protectant-1...
GTechniq C6 Matte Dash
http://gtechniq.com/shop/3s-for-cars/interior-coat...
GTechniq C4 Permanent Trim Restorer
http://gtechniq.com/shop/3s-for-cars/exterior-coat...
GTechniq T1Tyre and Trim
http://gtechniq.com/shop/3s-for-cars/exterior-coat...
Ren Esis said:
*Best Product
A little dipstick cleaner that attached to the inside of the engine bay. It was a round metal cylinder with removable/washable foam inside. Kept it for the duration I owned the car and then had to bin it when I took it off and the adhesive tore.
Oh, one of those is getting bought.A little dipstick cleaner that attached to the inside of the engine bay. It was a round metal cylinder with removable/washable foam inside. Kept it for the duration I owned the car and then had to bin it when I took it off and the adhesive tore.
SuperchargedVR6 said:
BelperJim said:
Best: Peanut Butter. I st you not. When I had my big bumper GTi it had acres of black plastic. After spending loads on various products to keep them black (up to £10 a bottle!) The best thing I tried was 90p smooth peanut butter. A revelation!
Yeah I've read about that on other forums. Not good for nut allergies though I would imagine t you not. When I had my big bumper GTi it had acres of black plastic. After spending loads on various products to keep them black (up to £10 a bottle!) The best thing I tried was 90p smooth peanut butter. A revelation!
A few years back, I came in from a night out slightly worse for wear. I popped the telly on & it was one of those infomercial things. They were selling some sort of car polish system which meant you could pour petrol on your bonnet, light it and the polish would protect your paint. Sounds good Davo, how much must this wondrous thing cost? Wait dear reader, you could also rub this stuff into your paint, park your car in the sea & it would not rust. Oh my god, I have to have it so how do I order? Don't be too hasty - did I mention you can now shoot your car with a laser & it will not burn the paint? Well if you wanted to, now you can. Tell me Davo please before I explode with excitement - HOW MUCH IS THE EFFING THING?
£59.95 to you sir plus £9.95 postage for this wonder bottle of
That's amazing, I'll have one. The missus will be delighted, maybe delighted enough to get over the 20 odd "Carry On" films I bought on VHS last time I went near a shopping channel....
Best thing was probably an in-car DVD player for my son. Keeps him amused in the back of the car on long journeys & cost about £50.
BeirutTaxi said:
BelperJim said:
Worst: Unbranded aero blade wipers which after being practically forced to buy by a friend were dangerously useless.
Best: Peanut Butter. I st you not. When I had my big bumper GTi it had acres of black plastic. After spending loads on various products to keep them black (up to £10 a bottle!) The best thing I tried was 90p smooth peanut butter. A revelation!
These are the best synthetic products for black plastics:Best: Peanut Butter. I s
t you not. When I had my big bumper GTi it had acres of black plastic. After spending loads on various products to keep them black (up to £10 a bottle!) The best thing I tried was 90p smooth peanut butter. A revelation!303 Aerospace Protectant 16oz
http://www.amazon.co.uk/303-Aerospace-Protectant-1...
GTechniq C6 Matte Dash
http://gtechniq.com/shop/3s-for-cars/interior-coat...
GTechniq C4 Permanent Trim Restorer
http://gtechniq.com/shop/3s-for-cars/exterior-coat...
GTechniq T1Tyre and Trim
http://gtechniq.com/shop/3s-for-cars/exterior-coat...
Worst:
- Tesco glass cleaner spray. You would get less smearing if you cleaned your windows with a handful of grease.
- some wooden 'figurine' air fresheners from Aldi. Even with your nose touching them you couldn't smell any fragrance.
- in a similar vein, magic tree air fresheners - they are just ste and only give off a fragrance for 24 hours before giving up.
- bought a set of Falken FK452s based on the raving from members on certain BMW forums. Biggest waste of motoring money I've ever made. First 1000 miles they work reasonably well although nothing exceptional, but after that it's like driving on slicks despite there still being 6-7mm of tread remaining.
- similarly (and again based on so-call know-it-alls on motoring forums), bought a set of Toyo T1Rs. Fantastic tyre in the dry, but they're like driving with slicks in the wet and then there's the issue of them being bald after 5k with normal driving. Another monumental waste of money.
- a diesel tuning box from a Diesel Tuning company in the UK specialising in such things. Great if you like harsh and unrefined acceleration and a metric tonne of thick black smoke out the back when you floor it.. which I don't.
Best buys :
- going back a decade now, but Halfrauds Pure Brilliance All Weather headlights with a very slight blue tint to them. Put them in my Nova GTe
at the time and well, move aside HIDs ! These things were like flood lights despite being the normal 55W and using the full beam literally turned night into day. They were only a tenner for the pair as well. 
- Hammerite Underbody seal. Lopped it in the arches on my GTE at 60k miles. 180k miles later my arches were still mint and completely rust free.
- Ed Hardy air fresheners (the flat magic tree style ones). Cheap as chips and you can still smell them when you open your car door up to 9 months later. I recommend the lemon ones and you can get 3 for £1.50 delivered from Ebay if you keep your eyes peeled.
- Uniroyal RainSport 2 tyres. It's all been said on these forums in the past - they just work and they're reasonably cheap.
- Custom remap for my turbo diesel motors. Best thing you can ever do to a turbocharged engine. Instant transformation and removes all that "strangled" feeling they come out of the factory with. The driving pleasure alone is well worth the cost and the increased mpg soon pays for itself.
- Tesco glass cleaner spray. You would get less smearing if you cleaned your windows with a handful of grease.
- some wooden 'figurine' air fresheners from Aldi. Even with your nose touching them you couldn't smell any fragrance.
- in a similar vein, magic tree air fresheners - they are just s
te and only give off a fragrance for 24 hours before giving up.- bought a set of Falken FK452s based on the raving from members on certain BMW forums. Biggest waste of motoring money I've ever made. First 1000 miles they work reasonably well although nothing exceptional, but after that it's like driving on slicks despite there still being 6-7mm of tread remaining.
- similarly (and again based on so-call know-it-alls on motoring forums), bought a set of Toyo T1Rs. Fantastic tyre in the dry, but they're like driving with slicks in the wet and then there's the issue of them being bald after 5k with normal driving. Another monumental waste of money.
- a diesel tuning box from a Diesel Tuning company in the UK specialising in such things. Great if you like harsh and unrefined acceleration and a metric tonne of thick black smoke out the back when you floor it.. which I don't.
Best buys :
- going back a decade now, but Halfrauds Pure Brilliance All Weather headlights with a very slight blue tint to them. Put them in my Nova GTe
at the time and well, move aside HIDs ! These things were like flood lights despite being the normal 55W and using the full beam literally turned night into day. They were only a tenner for the pair as well. - Hammerite Underbody seal. Lopped it in the arches on my GTE at 60k miles. 180k miles later my arches were still mint and completely rust free.
- Ed Hardy air fresheners (the flat magic tree style ones). Cheap as chips and you can still smell them when you open your car door up to 9 months later. I recommend the lemon ones and you can get 3 for £1.50 delivered from Ebay if you keep your eyes peeled.
- Uniroyal RainSport 2 tyres. It's all been said on these forums in the past - they just work and they're reasonably cheap.
- Custom remap for my turbo diesel motors. Best thing you can ever do to a turbocharged engine. Instant transformation and removes all that "strangled" feeling they come out of the factory with. The driving pleasure alone is well worth the cost and the increased mpg soon pays for itself.
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