Bilt Hamber and Autoglym
Discussion
For those with any interest...
I bought some BH Auto Clay and Auto Balm a while back. I opted for the clay as it uses water as a lubricant and, having used it a few times, seemed to be quite effective at removing small impurities in the paint. As in, all the little gritty bits that normal washing leaves behind. To clarify, it does nothing for swirl marks and can create minute scratches if you don't lubricate enough. That said, it performs about the same as the meguires (sp?) quick clay, no better, no worse.
I tried the autobalm and it seems to leave a nice deep finish (car is a cosmos black M3 so bugger of a colour to begin with) however it sometimes leaves a mottled finish (as though the car is actually wet, difficult to describe but its not an even finish like regular wax) and it is nigh on impossible to buff off. The polishing cloth clogs every 2 seconds and the level of elbow grease needed is high, especially if your arms are like pipe cleaners as mine are. Its like polishing concrete with a feather duster. Honestly. Others might disagree however just my 2c.
Bought me some autoglym super resin polish (SRP) and some Extra Gloss Protection (EGP) from Halfrauds. Also got some foam applicator pads and microfibre buffing cloths.
The SRP goes on very easily and buffs off easily too. It has some filler properties (apparently) which goes some way to masking swirl marks and minor imperfections. Paint had a lovely smooth deep finish after buffing and looked great. detailingworld has some great articles with pics in different products if you do a search.
Once done, I used the EGP (again, v v simple to apply) then let it set for an hour or so, after which you buff off. The EGP sets harder than my wifes jaw when I said a Ferrari might be a good financial move, and is a lot harder to buff than the SRP but again, not on the same scale as the autobalm. It leaves a little dust but the finish looks a little better but feels a lot harder and therefore longer lasting I suspect.
Am v happy with the autoglym products overall. Hope some of you find this useful.
I bought some BH Auto Clay and Auto Balm a while back. I opted for the clay as it uses water as a lubricant and, having used it a few times, seemed to be quite effective at removing small impurities in the paint. As in, all the little gritty bits that normal washing leaves behind. To clarify, it does nothing for swirl marks and can create minute scratches if you don't lubricate enough. That said, it performs about the same as the meguires (sp?) quick clay, no better, no worse.
I tried the autobalm and it seems to leave a nice deep finish (car is a cosmos black M3 so bugger of a colour to begin with) however it sometimes leaves a mottled finish (as though the car is actually wet, difficult to describe but its not an even finish like regular wax) and it is nigh on impossible to buff off. The polishing cloth clogs every 2 seconds and the level of elbow grease needed is high, especially if your arms are like pipe cleaners as mine are. Its like polishing concrete with a feather duster. Honestly. Others might disagree however just my 2c.
Bought me some autoglym super resin polish (SRP) and some Extra Gloss Protection (EGP) from Halfrauds. Also got some foam applicator pads and microfibre buffing cloths.
The SRP goes on very easily and buffs off easily too. It has some filler properties (apparently) which goes some way to masking swirl marks and minor imperfections. Paint had a lovely smooth deep finish after buffing and looked great. detailingworld has some great articles with pics in different products if you do a search.
Once done, I used the EGP (again, v v simple to apply) then let it set for an hour or so, after which you buff off. The EGP sets harder than my wifes jaw when I said a Ferrari might be a good financial move, and is a lot harder to buff than the SRP but again, not on the same scale as the autobalm. It leaves a little dust but the finish looks a little better but feels a lot harder and therefore longer lasting I suspect.
Am v happy with the autoglym products overall. Hope some of you find this useful.
Sounds like you've over-applied the Balm. Very thinly does it, and don't do more than a panel or two at a time, before buffing.
As for longevity - it'll leave AG sitting whistling "dixie" whilst it continues to protect the paintwork, and as it has more fillers than SRP, two layers will hide more and nearly all but the worst marks, without compromising the appearance.
You should be using a terry weave style microfibre for buffing, and if you want the ultimate shine, finish with a suede type microfibre.
Might be worth running the gauntlet with the wife's "steely look of death" by informing her a machine polisher is a good investment.
Oh, and if you have anything wooden, use the Balm on it/them too - table, cues, etc.
As for longevity - it'll leave AG sitting whistling "dixie" whilst it continues to protect the paintwork, and as it has more fillers than SRP, two layers will hide more and nearly all but the worst marks, without compromising the appearance.
You should be using a terry weave style microfibre for buffing, and if you want the ultimate shine, finish with a suede type microfibre.
Might be worth running the gauntlet with the wife's "steely look of death" by informing her a machine polisher is a good investment.
Oh, and if you have anything wooden, use the Balm on it/them too - table, cues, etc.
You're probably right on the balm, however I was sparing and used the supplied applicator pad. It is just a bit of a shag to do I find. On the EGP, the dust was minimal and the effort not really that intense, so think I am going to stick with the Autoglym products for a while...
Will try and post some photos..
Will try and post some photos..
I've been using the Bilt Hamber stuff for about 18 months now, and use it with the Auto Glym SRP too.
I find the SRP is good for removing small marks and scratches (T-Cut for bigger ones), to be used after the BH Clay. But I always apply the Auto Balm on top of the SRP.
I had a similar problem with the Auto Balm not being 100% even. The solution was to apply it with the applicator pad damp (as per the instructions), and to only do a small area at once. If you let the Auto Balm dry then it sets like concrete - apply it and polish it off while it is still wet.
A good microfibre cloth is much better to polish it off with than the stockinette stuff they supply you with ...
Oli.
I find the SRP is good for removing small marks and scratches (T-Cut for bigger ones), to be used after the BH Clay. But I always apply the Auto Balm on top of the SRP.
I had a similar problem with the Auto Balm not being 100% even. The solution was to apply it with the applicator pad damp (as per the instructions), and to only do a small area at once. If you let the Auto Balm dry then it sets like concrete - apply it and polish it off while it is still wet.
A good microfibre cloth is much better to polish it off with than the stockinette stuff they supply you with ...
Oli.
Ah, I have been letting the BH dry, then finding it nigh on impossible to remove. Maybe I need to remove while still tacky and see how that goes. I was using the applicator damp and going on was fine. I was also happy with the finish but the buffing was killing me!
One thing I will say is that the SRP and the Balm both leave a soft smooth finish which I like. The EGP leaves a very hard finish, still very smooth but not as nice to the touch I don't think. Not sure that makes any sense?
Might try the balm one last time and see hot it goes over the SRP...
One thing I will say is that the SRP and the Balm both leave a soft smooth finish which I like. The EGP leaves a very hard finish, still very smooth but not as nice to the touch I don't think. Not sure that makes any sense?
Might try the balm one last time and see hot it goes over the SRP...
So, FINALLY got round to trying the bilt hamber again. This time, I wiped it on really thinly then buffed off almost immediately with a microfibre cloth and it seems to give reasonable results. Still a pain to buff though so undecided against that and the Autoglym products in terms of finish.
Have to wait and see WRT longevity...
Have to wait and see WRT longevity...
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