I’m going off the whole ceramic wash/post wash spray thing and leaning towards a really top wax; I’m still getting good beading after 15 months of Fusso Coat wax and just using Carpro 1900:1 shampoo.
The detailing scene seems to have found a great snake oil… coat your car, top the coating, then add a ‘sacrificial layer’ on top of that and re-apply at every wash while babying the wash process, having to keep the car inside and unused and then claim 2-3 yrs is possible for the original base layer coating!? I am going back to basics, cut and polish, use Soft99 Fuso and a simple Bilt Hamber Touchless snow foam pre wash and then contact wash (the same snow foam) and a single bucket unless its full on winter and cow poop and winter salts mean a second bucket is best to get rid of the big chunks ( 💩), then use a ‘drying aid’ in the towel down stage. Will get 4 months of protection easily and it matches with the changes sessions to get either best protection or look (or both). Enjoyable, easy and cheap. Watching hi profile youtubers polish their cars add a multitude of layers of different products, garage their cars and not use them much if at all, only to see them do it all again after 12 months while babying the washes and reapplying layers as they go is meaningless… what are they testing, the last layer, the first or any in between. I get they enjoy it and get it pays a wage but come on, someone needs to call this out… its the same sales technique the fashion industry use to keep everyone buying endless recuts, pattern or colour changes. I love clean cars but have been caught up in all the latest and greatest new products every few months… the layering has always been questionable at best and now I am out of that one… its like on day one paint your car, week later do it again and repeat and then same at a time in the future, look no swirls, or look how glossy… madness.
I mean that isn't really true. The ones I've tried work great as toppers for the LSP & they really do boost hydrophobics. However do I like them? No I'd prefer a wet application sealant if speed is key.
I have made the decision to junk my ceramic wash’s. No advantage unless emptying your wallet is a priority. Bilt Hamber Touchless and a spray sealer/detail spray for my basic washes. Easier, cheaper and performs as I want.
I use BH touch on after washing with BH autowash. In the foam cannon as a topper. It works brilliantly. Excellent shine and hydryphobicity. Use it as a spray sealant. By using it as a shampoo you don't get enough product on the car.
Maybe it is the water quality here in Norway, but I get different results. I Use ceramic shampoo neat in the foam cannon and get as thick foam as I want (Like shaving foam) I prewash the car before covering it in ceramic foam and do a normal contact wash. To really boost the performance I cover the car once more in ceramic foam and feels the extreme slickness when washing. Rinsing afterwards reveals really satisfying water sheeting/ beading. Every time the car is beeing washed with ceramic shampoo the protection and water repellency gets even better.
Personally I don't see the need for adding protection at a stage when the car is still knowingly dirty? Id rather use a spray on rinse off sealant afterwards.
I've been using auto finesse lavish on my customers cars and i must say the reactions i get are amazing leaves the paint very glossy and really hydrophobic.
Glad to know I can stick with bog standard ONR or BH auto wash and then top up with something separate if necessary. Thanks for the huge amount of work gone into.
I got Valet Pro Ceramic shampoo as a free gift and I'm very impressed with it's performance on my two Gyeon ceramic coated cars. A notice improvement in gloss and it does reguvenate a coating which is looking a little tired with a drop off in beads. I intend to buy a large bottle when the 1 litre container runs out.
Also, like another person commented- using a decent shampoo like Carpro reset and then a quality ceramic detailing spray like Collinite beadcoat you reviewed recently (yet to buy since the UK has completely sold out its entire stock) is the way forward. Also, most people would use a drying aid or ceramic sealant which really makes a ceramic shampoo pointless. Lastly, in my mind a ceramic shampoo has to battle itself, because the ceramic element has to compete with the water and degreasing agents in its own chemistry, the chemistry must reach a certain point where the ceramic stops working or the cleaning ability diminishes surely?? What about streaking? When the sun and wind is impacting the paintwork and drying it out that's likely going to create steaks that maybe difficult to remove. Hence if the manufacturers dilution levels are purposely low?? I don't know the answers or these companies are charging high ££ for low amounts of chemicals ££- shrinkflation maybe?
The way I see shampoo, in a modern detailing world, is ..... Because of the popularity of citrus prewash, foam none contact washes, etc, the paint should be almost 95% clean already, before you shampoo with a contact wash. So the requirements of a shampoo now, are totally different to 30 years ago when most people just washed their car with a bucket of water and shampoo with a sponge, and dried it with a mucky wash leather cloth. A modern shampoo should basically be a good lubricant so that your microfibre mitt, or lambswool mitt (which is what I prefer), glides over the paint causing minimum swirling, and allow you to just remove that very last stubburn remains of bird poo, bugs, or thin grime layer. So to me, the slickness of a shampoo is the most important thing, so that it causes the least clearcoat damage. The actual cleaning power isn't a factor now, because the car should be clean already from the previous none contact stages. No shampoo should contain ceramic or any other protection layer, because that is a totally separate thing added after the car is dry.
I believe the armor all instructions on the bottle are wrong in the UK. The bottle in the US calls for 6-8 ounces in the foam cannon and it works great at that ratio. For the price you paid that's not economical, but if you're curious about the intended experience I sughest trying it.
Hi, just to comment on what someone said about Adams graphene shampoo. I am on my 2nd bottle, it's the best I've used. The bubbles last a ages, and it really does an excellent cleaning job. And you do not need much in the bucket, it is pretty special. Try it.
I met a man recently who is enjoying his retirement by caring for his collection of cars. He has collected some and he washes them annually when a couple of them come out of air conditioned bubble pods during the summer, for just a few days. He washes them with Johnson’s baby shampoo. My reaction during our conversation he felt the need to show me photographs to confirm this. I’m left wondering.
I watched your ceramic shampoo test 4 days ago, the best and fair test iv'e seen on these ceramic shampoo's. Must have taken weeks to complete. I have to completely agree with your findings. nearly all ceramic shampoo's are at best disappointing. I have tried a few but now go back to using my Merguiar's gold class. I prefer slickness in a shampoo, ceramic shampoo just seems to lack that feel. I use Merguiar's ceramic wax on a regular basis anyway and would still be compelled to do so if i used a ceramic shampoo because they under perform. Great test, thank you
I like the hybrid shampoo from carbon Collective. Add a little lusso shampoo for slightly better cleaning. Works perfectly with their ceramic coatings, boosting water repellency and gloss. Without a ceramic coating it doesn't work very well in my opinion.
BH touchless pre-wash, car-chem 1900-1 shampoo, ratios depending on time of year, gyeon wet coat then Gyeon wax before winter, done. I've used Gyeon Bathe+. I've found it needed a unique style to use. Needed probably twice the amount they say, then you need to literally throw loads of water/solution over the car as your're going to get any kind of hydrophobic behaviour.
I wonder if you added some foaming car shampoo what the outcome would be, probably detrimental to the ceramic shampoo but I might try it out of curiosity on a stripped panel.
John, have you ever been involved with wash slickness testing, are we just conditioned to loving suds and assuming it adds safety, as you say its whats in the solution that matters. Personally the user experience is a massive part of this hobby, so it's hard to see the market for these products particularly as they are rather expensive per wash.
there is no test that I know of to test how slick detergents are. I remember car chem saying to me there wasnt a sceintific test for it either. makes me chuckle when people say things like its the slickest shampoo they ever used. you cant tell.
I use BH Touch-On via a foam lance after a contact wash using a pH neutral shampoo. I rate it highly applied this way. I have just bought Infinity Wax Synergy Boost to try next.
I get where you are coming from Jon, If they upped the concentration to a effective level, but it was £3+ a wash would they sell any? I'm quite happy using a 'pure' shampoo and then just applying wax/sealant at the end, either as a spray wax or a drying aid. It just seams like very inefficient way of adding protection, when a drying aid is just as quick (if you are towel drying your car) and gives better results at a lower cost.
If you've only to say wash once a month with a ceramic shampoo at £3 a wash is it really that bad .... Obviously yes for someone running a detailing businesses but for your own car it's ok
I’ve been using the Turtle wax ceramic wash and it doesn’t foam at all. Odd experience. Does a good job but you need quite a lot. Not sure if these products are worth the money. My car is always kept clean and waxed. It’s like I’ve got a bucket of water. One cap per litre.
From a non pro detailer (home user who likes a nice clean car) i want a nice foamy shampoo that cleans the car of debris, road film, dust and dirt. if i want hydrphobic ill use my No100 ceramic sealant, Atoglym Ceramic or turtle wax flex wax to be honest.
I know they dont really affect the cleaning but a good deep bucket of bubles transfered to your paint surface makes you feel ss if it is cleaning the car
The only other ceramic shampoo that's renowned for foaming is Adam's shampoos. They have a Graphene shampoo 🤷♂️. Never tried it but it might have all the attributes you are after Jon 🤷♂️
I'd be interested to see EZ Car Cares Liquid against these. I really wanted to use a ceramic shampoo for maintenance washes but cut down wash time with my current method of wash and then spray on spray of sealant but not sure it's gonna do it for me. I've bought Touch On so will see how it goes.
If the product is low foaming then expectations have been met. Why be dissapointed? Obviously they are targeting a certain audience, perhaps those not wanting to a multi stage wash and protection. Even the wet application ceramic products are a step above. I've tried the Autoglym ceramic foam canon product and Meguiars ceramic spray and wax. First time user I like them. FYI your video's helped with the purchases, thanks.
Armor All products are all trash. Haven't you guys in the U.K. caught on to this yet ? Ceramic washes due to the chemistry are low foaming. The only one to impress me has been Koch Chemie Nano Magic Shampoo which beads like crazy. And that is at the dilution ratios on the bottle. The down side is that the shampoo is the most expensive i have ever seen.
Thank you guys as always for watching and commenting. Ive read them all. Just on the edit train tonight so cant reply to all the comments.
I’m going off the whole ceramic wash/post wash spray thing and leaning towards a really top wax; I’m still getting good beading after 15 months of Fusso Coat wax and just using Carpro 1900:1 shampoo.
The detailing scene seems to have found a great snake oil… coat your car, top the coating, then add a ‘sacrificial layer’ on top of that and re-apply at every wash while babying the wash process, having to keep the car inside and unused and then claim 2-3 yrs is possible for the original base layer coating!?
I am going back to basics, cut and polish, use Soft99 Fuso and a simple Bilt Hamber Touchless snow foam pre wash and then contact wash (the same snow foam) and a single bucket unless its full on winter and cow poop and winter salts mean a second bucket is best to get rid of the big chunks ( 💩), then use a ‘drying aid’ in the towel down stage. Will get 4 months of protection easily and it matches with the changes sessions to get either best protection or look (or both). Enjoyable, easy and cheap.
Watching hi profile youtubers polish their cars add a multitude of layers of different products, garage their cars and not use them much if at all, only to see them do it all again after 12 months while babying the washes and reapplying layers as they go is meaningless… what are they testing, the last layer, the first or any in between. I get they enjoy it and get it pays a wage but come on, someone needs to call this out… its the same sales technique the fashion industry use to keep everyone buying endless recuts, pattern or colour changes.
I love clean cars but have been caught up in all the latest and greatest new products every few months… the layering has always been questionable at best and now I am out of that one… its like on day one paint your car, week later do it again and repeat and then same at a time in the future, look no swirls, or look how glossy… madness.
They are a marketing gimmick….just put the word ceramic or graphene in it and people will buy it. We will have ceramic air fresheners soon.
😂😂😂 now I want one
I mean that isn't really true. The ones I've tried work great as toppers for the LSP & they really do boost hydrophobics. However do I like them? No I'd prefer a wet application sealant if speed is key.
I have made the decision to junk my ceramic wash’s. No advantage unless emptying your wallet is a priority. Bilt Hamber Touchless and a spray sealer/detail spray for my basic washes. Easier, cheaper and performs as I want.
I use BH touch on after washing with BH autowash. In the foam cannon as a topper. It works brilliantly. Excellent shine and hydryphobicity. Use it as a spray sealant. By using it as a shampoo you don't get enough product on the car.
Maybe it is the water quality here in Norway, but I get different results. I Use ceramic shampoo neat in the foam cannon and get as thick foam as I want (Like shaving foam) I prewash the car before covering it in ceramic foam and do a normal contact wash. To really boost the performance I cover the car once more in ceramic foam and feels the extreme slickness when washing. Rinsing afterwards reveals really satisfying water sheeting/ beading. Every time the car is beeing washed with ceramic shampoo the protection and water repellency gets even better.
Very tidy and organised garage👍
Personally I don't see the need for adding protection at a stage when the car is still knowingly dirty?
Id rather use a spray on rinse off sealant afterwards.
I've been using auto finesse lavish on my customers cars and i must say the reactions i get are amazing leaves the paint very glossy and really hydrophobic.
Glad to know I can stick with bog standard ONR or BH auto wash and then top up with something separate if necessary. Thanks for the huge amount of work gone into.
I got Valet Pro Ceramic shampoo as a free gift and I'm very impressed with it's performance on my two Gyeon ceramic coated cars. A notice improvement in gloss and it does reguvenate a coating which is looking a little tired with a drop off in beads. I intend to buy a large bottle when the 1 litre container runs out.
Also, like another person commented- using a decent shampoo like Carpro reset and then a quality ceramic detailing spray like Collinite beadcoat you reviewed recently (yet to buy since the UK has completely sold out its entire stock) is the way forward. Also, most people would use a drying aid or ceramic sealant which really makes a ceramic shampoo pointless. Lastly, in my mind a ceramic shampoo has to battle itself, because the ceramic element has to compete with the water and degreasing agents in its own chemistry, the chemistry must reach a certain point where the ceramic stops working or the cleaning ability diminishes surely?? What about streaking? When the sun and wind is impacting the paintwork and drying it out that's likely going to create steaks that maybe difficult to remove. Hence if the manufacturers dilution levels are purposely low?? I don't know the answers or these companies are charging high ££ for low amounts of chemicals ££- shrinkflation maybe?
Tac's Mystic Water Repellent is the most foaming ceramic shampoo I've used.
Try that next time!
The way I see shampoo, in a modern detailing world, is .....
Because of the popularity of citrus prewash, foam none contact washes, etc, the paint should be almost 95% clean already, before you shampoo with a contact wash.
So the requirements of a shampoo now, are totally different to 30 years ago when most people just washed their car with a bucket of water and shampoo with a sponge, and dried it with a mucky wash leather cloth.
A modern shampoo should basically be a good lubricant so that your microfibre mitt, or lambswool mitt (which is what I prefer), glides over the paint causing minimum swirling, and allow you to just remove that very last stubburn remains of bird poo, bugs, or thin grime layer.
So to me, the slickness of a shampoo is the most important thing, so that it causes the least clearcoat damage. The actual cleaning power isn't a factor now, because the car should be clean already from the previous none contact stages.
No shampoo should contain ceramic or any other protection layer, because that is a totally separate thing added after the car is dry.
I agree, and after using Bilt Hamber Touchless as the prewash, I use Yum Wash for the congtact wash, it's so slick it's amazing, and smells divine!
I believe the armor all instructions on the bottle are wrong in the UK. The bottle in the US calls for 6-8 ounces in the foam cannon and it works great at that ratio. For the price you paid that's not economical, but if you're curious about the intended experience I sughest trying it.
Usually my Shelby ceramic shampoo suds up great through my foam cannon and saves me on product 👍🏼
Hi, just to comment on what someone said about Adams graphene shampoo. I am on my 2nd bottle, it's the best I've used. The bubbles last a ages, and it really does an excellent cleaning job. And you do not need much in the bucket, it is pretty special. Try it.
I met a man recently who is enjoying his retirement by caring for his collection of cars. He has collected some and he washes them annually when a couple of them come out of air conditioned bubble pods during the summer, for just a few days. He washes them with Johnson’s baby shampoo. My reaction during our conversation he felt the need to show me photographs to confirm this. I’m left wondering.
I watched your ceramic shampoo test 4 days ago, the best and fair test iv'e seen on these ceramic shampoo's. Must have taken weeks to complete. I have to completely agree with your findings. nearly all ceramic shampoo's are at best disappointing. I have tried a few but now go back to using my Merguiar's gold class. I prefer slickness in a shampoo, ceramic shampoo just seems to lack that feel. I use Merguiar's ceramic wax on a regular basis anyway and would still be compelled to do so if i used a ceramic shampoo because they under perform. Great test, thank you
Have you tried Griots’ ceramic shampoo? It’s low foaming but not bad protection!
I like the hybrid shampoo from carbon Collective. Add a little lusso shampoo for slightly better cleaning. Works perfectly with their ceramic coatings, boosting water repellency and gloss. Without a ceramic coating it doesn't work very well in my opinion.
BH touchless pre-wash, car-chem 1900-1 shampoo, ratios depending on time of year, gyeon wet coat then Gyeon wax before winter, done. I've used Gyeon Bathe+. I've found it needed a unique style to use. Needed probably twice the amount they say, then you need to literally throw loads of water/solution over the car as your're going to get any kind of hydrophobic behaviour.
I commend you for even making content on these products, utterly dismal performance across the board.
Autoperfekt Ceramic foam is what I use all the time with their Ceramic shampoo to keep on top of it. Proper kit it is.
I wonder if you added some foaming car shampoo what the outcome would be, probably detrimental to the ceramic shampoo but I might try it out of curiosity on a stripped panel.
John, have you ever been involved with wash slickness testing, are we just conditioned to loving suds and assuming it adds safety, as you say its whats in the solution that matters. Personally the user experience is a massive part of this hobby, so it's hard to see the market for these products particularly as they are rather expensive per wash.
there is no test that I know of to test how slick detergents are. I remember car chem saying to me there wasnt a sceintific test for it either. makes me chuckle when people say things like its the slickest shampoo they ever used. you cant tell.
Why don’t you try Shelby ceramic coating and detailer , ceramic shampoo ! It’s been my favourite for the last year 😎
I use BH Touch-On via a foam lance after a contact wash using a pH neutral shampoo. I rate it highly applied this way. I have just bought Infinity Wax Synergy Boost to try next.
I get where you are coming from Jon, If they upped the concentration to a effective level, but it was £3+ a wash would they sell any? I'm quite happy using a 'pure' shampoo and then just applying wax/sealant at the end, either as a spray wax or a drying aid. It just seams like very inefficient way of adding protection, when a drying aid is just as quick (if you are towel drying your car) and gives better results at a lower cost.
If you've only to say wash once a month with a ceramic shampoo at £3 a wash is it really that bad .... Obviously yes for someone running a detailing businesses but for your own car it's ok
Great wee video, really informative 👍 don't think ceramic shampoos are for me now.
I’ve been using the Turtle wax ceramic wash and it doesn’t foam at all. Odd experience. Does a good job but you need quite a lot. Not sure if these products are worth the money. My car is always kept clean and waxed. It’s like I’ve got a bucket of water. One cap per litre.
Thanks for this, saved me wasting my money
From a non pro detailer (home user who likes a nice clean car) i want a nice foamy shampoo that cleans the car of debris, road film, dust and dirt. if i want hydrphobic ill use my No100 ceramic sealant, Atoglym Ceramic or turtle wax flex wax to be honest.
I know they dont really affect the cleaning but a good deep bucket of bubles transfered to your paint surface makes you feel ss if it is cleaning the car
The only other ceramic shampoo that's renowned for foaming is Adam's shampoos. They have a Graphene shampoo 🤷♂️. Never tried it but it might have all the attributes you are after Jon 🤷♂️
I'd be interested to see EZ Car Cares Liquid against these. I really wanted to use a ceramic shampoo for maintenance washes but cut down wash time with my current method of wash and then spray on spray of sealant but not sure it's gonna do it for me. I've bought Touch On so will see how it goes.
‘Disappointed consistently’ about says it all 🤔
If the product is low foaming then expectations have been met. Why be dissapointed?
Obviously they are targeting a certain audience, perhaps those not wanting to a multi stage wash and protection. Even the wet application ceramic products are a step above. I've tried the Autoglym ceramic foam canon product and Meguiars ceramic spray and wax. First time user I like them. FYI your video's helped with the purchases, thanks.
Once you dip wash mitt and wash a couple of panels, the foam is gone from the bucket.😑
We are not American's, we don't need stupid amounts of foam to wash a car!
I bought gyeon bathe essence concentrate,even worse foaming at indicated dosage.
Totally agree 👍🏼
@Forensic Unplgged, Where are your stainless steel shelving from?
A Skip 😉
@scoomfd displaypro…
Armor All products are all trash. Haven't you guys in the U.K. caught on to this yet ? Ceramic washes due to the chemistry are low foaming. The only one to impress me has been Koch Chemie Nano Magic Shampoo which beads like crazy. And that is at the dilution ratios on the bottle. The down side is that the shampoo is the most expensive i have ever seen.