Thank you John, made my mind up to go for the Bilt Hamber as an all rounder & not overly aggressive. New to detailing & your videos have been a massive help & source of information. Keep it up buddy.
I hadn’t appreciated Cleanser-Fluid as a tar and glue remover, I’d been using it solely as a prep like you would Eraser or Gtech Panel Wipe and using KKD Tartastic as the dedicated tar remover.
To me it sounds like there's 2 tar removers for 2 different scenarios... The odd job/only need 1 litre - Koch Chemie Eulex (£7.25) Bulk order for multiple cars/ 5 litres - Autosmart Tardis (£20 from an Autosmart rep, or £30 on eBay) Personally I think the £20 per litre for Tardis you stated in the video is a little harsh when you can get 5 litres for under £30 (works out at £6 per litre on ebay, or £4 per litre from a rep, making it the cheapest).
It’s a solid video this Jon. I’ve had an awful intro into Tar remover going EU. I’ve ended up looking at alternatives. Common ones. Petrol. WD. White spirits. Maybe even weaken the EU with a white spirit mix. So don’t kill the rubber seals in spray bottles over night.
Brilliant, just what I was looking for was this video, been using Autoglym for years and thinking the 5L were getting expensive even though a great product and others telling me to try different products, so I've just ordered the Autosmart on your expert advice, thanks a lot, take care
Just thought I would post even though this is 3 years old, bought some BH today and they have it in 5L for £29.95 (14.95 for 500ml so no brainer the larger)
So glad I saw this video, I’ve just cancelled my Amazon order for Gtechniq W7 Tar and Glue Remove. Don’t want to risk damaging plastic surfaces on my rs3. Looks I’m back to wd40 and plenty of soap washing/wax..
I’ve used auto glum tar and glue remover everyday for the last 5-6 years always worked a treat never worried about it damaging paintwork even left it on over night if a car is full of tar
I have tried pretty much every tar remover out there, like you Jon, and have always gone back to AS Tardis. I love the idea of Valetpro with it being citrus, but it just doesn’t pack enough punch. I believe elite car care sell Tardis for around £30 for 5 litres 👍🏼
Have used Gaddis for years always could it good & no effort required to use never had any problems on paint or plastic washes off easily & is great on a cotton wool pad for spot removal rather than sprayed all over
I have to be honest Jon I’ve never used any other tar and glue remover other than tardis so can’t compare to the others. That said tardis is a mega product and I believe it was yourself who said it takes no prisoners and my god you weren’t wrong. I cleaned my uncles car recently and there was a sizeable piece of tar on the drivers wing. It took a couple of hits but tardis got the job done quite easily 👍🏻
superglue which are dried up on paintworks are the toughest to remove especially leftovers after sticking a loose car plastic logo...for a tar remover to remove the leftovers of glue that have dried up is truly a miracle...
It was important for me to find a tar remover sold in the states that can be used dry AND wet. Came across Pure:est T3 Tar Remover which specificlly states it can be used wet or dry! I ordered some to try.
I was expecting to see CarPro's offering on here, TarX. I have it, it's OK, pretty mild stuff, seems to be turpene based, and has that orange smell. Works well on tar, adhesives take a lot longer. Leaves an oily residue.
Kkd tartastic is my favourite for removing tar spots in particular. It's almost gel like consistency and long dwell times just pulls the tar spots straight off the bodywork.
Thanks for this video.. It's really helpful to see so many products being compared and also the biggest concern for me was the suitability if the tar and glue remover was to drip down onto the plastic trim and the risk of damage.
FYI: Tardis is almost completely made up of White spirit and Xylene. This means you can make your own mix if you live outside the UK. Find a distributor of "Xylene Paint Thinner" and "White spirit", then mix 50/50.
Great vid. I have used Tardis for ages and it is especially good at removing tar from rear fenders and number plates of motorcycles. I get mine direct from Autosmart and the 5l tin was under £30. In my experience it is the best product by far. I
I use kerosene on tar on car paint, works fine, is cheap and a bottle of it can last for months or years. Plenty of tar spray during our hot summers here in New Zealand :-).
I was trying to find out the answer to this question about 6 hours before this video was uploaded and had car chem in my mind as it's cheap for a 5l (in the sales..) but didn't know the eu existed. And as I've been looking to move onto koch products I now know what to go for. Thanks
I use Just The Tonic. It always works great at removing tar and that weight residue from the back of alloys. BUT, at one time, I used that same product on one refurbished Mercedes-Benz GLE AMG-Line alloy, and the clearcoat turned sticky, it rubberised and rubbed off onto the applicator pad. It was not Just The Tonic's fault, but the inferior quality of the 'After-Meerkat' clearcoat used on that one alloy. It always pays to communicate with the customer to ask if he's EVER had ANY paint done on ANY part of the car, to avoid this schoolboy error.
Very well produced and presented comparison Jon. Many thanks. You just cost me more money as I don't have any on my shelves. At least I can get the right one first time now, made down the road from me as well.
Autosmart Tardis is the 1 i constantly use as its just works best overall. I'm interested in putting it up against the infinity wax t and g to see how they compare.
I am glad you included the poly-carbonate test. I did mention the G&T damaging my headlights when you put up the video of your intention to run this test. And well done for pointing out that these products should always be used as directed. I will say though, the G&T directions on the bottle that I had suggested for exterior use only. No mention of plastics of other materials. Perhaps they have updated their packaging, however, last I checked, headlights were on the exterior of the vehicle. So I did use as directed. They just told me tough luck when I called for help / to complain... So not much good with the old customer service for me. I suppose to be expected when their £17/L product damaged the LED headlights on my brand new vehicle. That wasn't a cheap bill to swallow. I will say also though, previously to my attempt with the G&T, I had been using Tardis for years without issue, in the exact same way I had used the G&T. I know what I'll be using next time.
was that you Stu. I remember the comment its a great example of how comments infuence my thought process. So the G&T says its for user on exterior painted surfaces only, eg paintwork. You can argue they should put on there not for use on plastics or headlights as this would help. most do specifically state dont use on plastic. But I think this is also why the tardis is a worthy winner because it passed this test, so it reduces the risk.
@@ForensicDetailing Yeah, that was me. I actually screenshotted their webpage at the time, where the warning clearly stated exterior use only, but no mention of painted surfaces or materials, simply: "Warning: This product should only be used on your vehicles exterior. DO NOT use on any other surfaces." Just in case I needed it for future reference. So their own documentation was / is not specific enough. I have just checked there, and that is STILL what it states on their website. I would have expected them to have updated that by now. Here is the link for reference. www.car-chem.com/shop/glue-tar-remover So it is very good that YOU are providing the warning at least. And VERY good to see that you took on the comment, and ran a test yourself, and compared against other products. As I said above, I had been using Tardis for years prior, and I found it to be excellent, as you did too. So will be using that going forward now. A worthy winner indeed. I had high hopes for the Koch Chemie EU at that price, but I guess it wasn't to be, ha ha. Anyway, lesson learned now. Expensive, but learned. Their CS has certainly put me off ever considering their products again though. Thanks for all the great content you put up. Everytime I see the notification, I can't wait to watch another informative, well made video.
Good review Jon & great method of testing. To throw one in for consideration, strictly speaking it is a panel wipe, Upol Slow Panel Wipe. It works pretty well as a tar/glue remover & is extremely cheap for 5L as well 👍
@@diljithayre9379 not as effective as a dedicated T+G remover & needs a little agitation but works well while being more gentle. Being a panel wipe I have no worries it would damage clearcoat or plastics.
I’ve been using Tardis for years, been my “go-to” product as well 👍🏻 Good to see my gut instinct on this efficient tar remover wasn’t wrong 😏 Thanks for this Jon, as always, I enjoy the videos, keep’em coming, good work👍🏻
Really good test, enjoyed watching that 👍. Not a huge surprise Tardis came out on top, a lot of the pro's seem to use it and they have far more to consider than most amateurs. I think I'll switch once I've used up my AutoGlym 👍.
Pretty good test but I'd be interested in the results on different types of plastic. Car exterior trims use more than just polycarbonate - and I have definitely seen black trims (I believe to be ABS) bleached by Tardis and the likes. Similar for vinyl too, which can be damaged by strong hydrocarbon based tar removers. Poor respray jobs can even be completely removed by a hydrocarbon based tar remover, so I'd be wary of calling Tardis completely safe. However more mild limonene based ones are usually fine on the different plastics and aftermarket paint jobs.
on poly prop or acrylic yes me 2 but I think poly carb is the most sensitive. I think this is a fair point. Tardis is not a mild TandG you do need to be carefull with it. but its the worthy winner. I think you have to be carefull as a user with these products like you say. Its important to say anyone can do these tests and come up with a different winner as well.
Another great video. I suspect it is difficult to know where to strike value for money as a calculation but Tardis is less than £30 for 5 litres so actually does quite well on that front too. However my 5 litre can is over 5 years old and is probably more than I'll ever need so i get the logic of 1 litre equivalent.
This is a great review. Unfortunately not all of these products are as easily purchasable for me here in the US. I have a really tough test case, I have a wheel which is covered on the rough finished back side with I believe asphalt sealer that is very hard to budge, so I just slowly attack it when I'm ready to do a wheel-off cleaning, but the chemicals I have (a nearly empty can of solvent based remover that works well and will knock you out with fine, and Tar-X) don't allow me to remove to much at a single time without a lot of effort and product use.
Another great, well-researched video! As a hobby detailer, I have been using ValetPro Tar & Glue Remover for years, simply because it is mild and I don't mind going over an area twice (gives a bit more control I think), and because it is quite cheap (as you showed in the video). I have tested other brands as well, but I still come back for the ValetPro. I can imagine if you are a detailing company, you would opt for the AutoSmart or the Koch brand, because they are the most effective.
Would be very interested to see comparisons with my go to tar remover- Autoglanz spar tar! I've tried 4 of these products and I'd say it's very similar in performance with the Koch chemie
Brilliant review, Jon. Thank you for posting the video. I’ve had good results with AF Oblitarate, but will definitely try Autosmart Tardis as the trade seem to rate this, too.
Super helpful thank you !! Have you any experience with Tar-Dah by ProKleen? I see they have a 5 litre for £23 and it's being advertised as "Safe for your paintwork, wheels and plastics", hmm.. would love to see a test on this one - also wondering about Troll's Breath and Dragons Blood Iron Contamination Remover both at £24 for 5L, they are manufactured by different chemical companies and sold by ProKleen UK
Great testing and interesting results Jon. I'm a long time user of Tardis which has alway been great for me but I'm surprised so many people have issues with it. I've also had good results from AM Details Tar.
Dave after watching this review I went and bought TARDIS lot of bang for the buck but my question is will it remove and I hope it will remove when it comes to the end of the year or the start of the year to put a new wax or sealant down will it help me remove my old wax sealant base I'm going to be polishing afterwards IPA fluid all over it there are a lot of guys reckon this is a great aid in cleaning old wax and sealants I don't need to clay bar the car as it is only going to be a year old and has been actively kept
tardis is last product i would use on my coated car for maitance wash to remove tar... Thats where gyeon or carpro tar remover win every time since they they designed for it
its "spelt" Koch Chemie. How its pronounced Ive been told a million times already by others.. I will always call it "ko-t-ch". It gets people commenting to correct me and that helps me with the algorithms. ;) ((playing around, much love to you my friend and thanks for watching))
Hi, based on your video i clicked on the link to buy Koch Chemie EU Eulex from In2Detailing, once i got to the checkout basket i was hit with £4.95 delivery charge, i think it would be nice if you mention these charges in your videos, but apart from that it's a great video and thank you for time to make this content.
Hi I enjoy your content and channel and I’ve just subscribed. I have a detailing question for you. Why use expensive decontamination liquids when a clay bar or clay cloth does the same thing?
a Question "affects plastics" "not to use on plastics" etc, how does that translate to the Plastic Trim parts on cars, esp the Textured plastics you find on the lower areas of the car that usually get the worse of the tar / same with wheel arch liners ? *is off to find local autosmart rep for a 5l can ,, two cars and the local "road repairs" are all the "pour tar in the hole + add some chippings " !
poly propalyene you mean. Well in my head its a form of plastic so that means dont use on poly prop trim either. that would include wheel archers... great question. I think its REALLY important to have one that passes the poly carb test isnt it.
@@ForensicDetailing yes one of the ones that Do not mark polycarb is a "must" imho,, ruined headlights/sidelights due to over spray would get £££ on the wallet fast, i Was swinging towards Koch Eu as a replacement for the autoglym i use now But following your test results on Just the polycarb ,, as above im hunting my local autosmart rep :D having used autoglym on wheel arch liners and the textured plastic trims im counting myself Lucky it didn't react or cause damage ,,
price is correct my friend :) prices are based on smallest retail size offering available as stated. Otherwise retail offerings like autoglym which is only available in 330ml would be at huge disadvantage if I compared to 5l bulk price. autosmart.co.uk/shop/tardis-1l
John ... Bow your head ... Lord, thank you for my brother-in-Christ who has an amazing passion for detail forensics. John is bestowed with the gift of meticulousness, clear/thorough explanation, and attention to detail, to say the least. Lord, keep John, his family/friends/loved ones safe from all harm, danger and devilish schemes/entrapments ... Lord, I also want to thank you for allowing me to find my brother-in-Christ (originally, during my search for tar removal videos) ... He has reignited my past love for chemistry and just simply wanting to know ... Blessings, Amen.
I've found Autofinesse obliTARate to be as good as tardis. least effective I've used was meguiar's tar and glue remover, it really did nothing... that was a lot of years ago now though so it may have been updated. Great test as always =)
I love valet pro, I have been using it on exotic motorcycles for cleaning chain grease and never had a probkem. But I think it has solvents in it and strips the ceramic coating, as I have seen gyeon tar hasn't solvents in it and it is safe for ceramic coatings. Is it right?
Hi Jon, such a great video - thank you for carrying out these tests! I have heard that AutoSmart's Tardis is a great product and to see the results was really beneficial. I will definitely give this a try on my CLK 320 😉
You didn't test CarPro TarX! I'm very surprised and disappointed to be honest. Such a great idea to test these and I thoroughly appreciate the results.
I bought a bottle of GTechniq Tar and Glue in preparation for picking up my new car. The bloody thing leaks all over my hand when I use it. It literally smells just like turps and takes ages to get rid of the smell. And after 3 hits, following all instructions, it's STILL couldn't remove the adhesive left behind by the packing tape! Not impressed at all! I did consider Tardis, but what the hell do I need 5 litres of it for? Unless you're a detailer by trade, I think its a total waste. For that reason I probably wouldn't have included it in the regular test myself. That being said Jon, when you are doing shootouts like this in future, it would be nice if you included at least one product that can easily be picked up from the likes of Euro Car Parts, Halfords, motor parts stores etc.
Bilt Hamber don't seem to list anything to not apply their Cleanser Fluid on to, so I'm going to assume that was the one that specifically was expected to be ok on plastic. Seems like a no-brainer to me, use without too much worry. If it's a bit slower just take your time.
as always best video :) but... Koch Chemie has more Tar removers like. KochChemie Teerwäsche A (Tea), KochChemie Fleckenwasser (FW) or KochChemie Orange Power (OP). maybe they would be better?
you cant test like 4 from one manufacturer mate (well you can but it starts getting a bit silly and you will totally bias your test toward that one brand if you do)...theres prolly around 5000 products on sale in the UK alone. lots of brands have more than one product. I picked 8 from major brands and away we go.
Great video John, but really other than Koch there are no surprises are there... TARDIS was always going to win, as I'm sure you know, the price for TARDIS is so up and down depending where you get it but I'd be tempted to say it can be the cheapest
tardis price per litre is 20.50 from automsmarts main website. tardis was not going to win but the plastics test caused an upset on the last hurdle (rightley so though, its the worthy winner i think)
it really wasnt :) Koch was going to be the winner it was just as effective but much cheaper but it swung on the last test. I think not damaging plastics is an important box to tick for me.
Ty for this. Great video as usual. Ordered 1 litre of Autosmart to remove tar from girlfriend car. Will keep you posted how it goes once the weather changes. T
You never mentioned the smell. I can't machine wash a micro fibre when using a glue a tar remover as it makes the washing machine and subsequent washes stink. Any of these products passable on smell or should we just factor in the cost of ditching any cleaning cloths used.
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Seen it. Great video, very well put together Jon.
Thank you John, made my mind up to go for the Bilt Hamber as an all rounder & not overly aggressive. New to detailing & your videos have been a massive help & source of information. Keep it up buddy.
Another none bias video i know how much these chemicals cost and really appreciate the time, cost and effort you put in your videos john
Was hoping to see Tar X too! Oh well. It has worked great for me. Cheers!
I’m a big fan of that too.
I’ve started using Trix a bit too (combined fall out and tar remover). It works well on a car that you keep on top of.
Yep, big fan of TarX too. Tackles the heavier stuff, still easy to work with.
I continue to be impressed with the Koch Chemie line. Thanks for the time & effort put into this review.
I hadn’t appreciated Cleanser-Fluid as a tar and glue remover, I’d been using it solely as a prep like you would Eraser or Gtech Panel Wipe and using KKD Tartastic as the dedicated tar remover.
To me it sounds like there's 2 tar removers for 2 different scenarios...
The odd job/only need 1 litre - Koch Chemie Eulex (£7.25)
Bulk order for multiple cars/ 5 litres - Autosmart Tardis (£20 from an Autosmart rep, or £30 on eBay)
Personally I think the £20 per litre for Tardis you stated in the video is a little harsh when you can get 5 litres for under £30 (works out at £6 per litre on ebay, or £4 per litre from a rep, making it the cheapest).
It’s a solid video this Jon. I’ve had an awful intro into Tar remover going EU. I’ve ended up looking at alternatives. Common ones. Petrol. WD. White spirits. Maybe even weaken the EU with a white spirit mix. So don’t kill the rubber seals in spray bottles over night.
Brilliant, just what I was looking for was this video, been using Autoglym for years and thinking the 5L were getting expensive even though a great product and others telling me to try different products, so I've just ordered the Autosmart on your expert advice, thanks a lot, take care
Just thought I would post even though this is 3 years old, bought some BH today and they have it in 5L for £29.95 (14.95 for 500ml so no brainer the larger)
So glad I saw this video, I’ve just cancelled my Amazon order for Gtechniq W7 Tar and Glue Remove. Don’t want to risk damaging plastic surfaces on my rs3. Looks I’m back to wd40 and plenty of soap washing/wax..
I’ve used auto glum tar and glue remover everyday for the last 5-6 years always worked a treat never worried about it damaging paintwork even left it on over night if a car is full of tar
Can’t say that I’ve used a bunch of tar and glue removers, but I use Autobrite Just the tonic and always gets the job done for me
was about to say Autobrite just the tonic
I have tried pretty much every tar remover out there, like you Jon, and have always gone back to AS Tardis.
I love the idea of Valetpro with it being citrus, but it just doesn’t pack enough punch.
I believe elite car care sell Tardis for around £30 for 5 litres 👍🏼
Have used Gaddis for years always could it good & no effort required to use never had any problems on paint or plastic washes off easily & is great on a cotton wool pad for spot removal rather than sprayed all over
I have to be honest Jon I’ve never used any other tar and glue remover other than tardis so can’t compare to the others. That said tardis is a mega product and I believe it was yourself who said it takes no prisoners and my god you weren’t wrong. I cleaned my uncles car recently and there was a sizeable piece of tar on the drivers wing. It took a couple of hits but tardis got the job done quite easily 👍🏻
superglue which are dried up on paintworks are the toughest to remove especially leftovers after sticking a loose car plastic logo...for a tar remover to remove the leftovers of glue that have dried up is truly a miracle...
It was important for me to find a tar remover sold in the states that can be used dry AND wet. Came across Pure:est T3 Tar Remover which specificlly states it can be used wet or dry! I ordered some to try.
I was expecting to see CarPro's offering on here, TarX. I have it, it's OK, pretty mild stuff, seems to be turpene based, and has that orange smell. Works well on tar, adhesives take a lot longer. Leaves an oily residue.
gyeon tar maybe similiar :)
Kkd tartastic is my favourite for removing tar spots in particular. It's almost gel like consistency and long dwell times just pulls the tar spots straight off the bodywork.
I’ve used the Gyeon and it’s pretty good. I’m using the TacSystem now and I would say it’s good as the Gyeon but cheaper
Thanx for doing this review sir .
I've used tardis for years
When you buy it from a autosmart rep it is a very cheap product
Thanks for this video.. It's really helpful to see so many products being compared and also the biggest concern for me was the suitability if the tar and glue remover was to drip down onto the plastic trim and the risk of damage.
Gyeon Tar remover CAN damage plastic headligths lense. I found that the hard way.
It will also remove unlacquered paint too ... found out the hard way on unpainted wheel centre caps, and unlacquered badging!
FYI: Tardis is almost completely made up of White spirit and Xylene.
This means you can make your own mix if you live outside the UK.
Find a distributor of "Xylene Paint Thinner" and "White spirit", then mix 50/50.
Well done to you for mentioning white spirit. £4.00 for 2 litres.
Great vid. I have used Tardis for ages and it is especially good at removing tar from rear fenders and number plates of motorcycles. I get mine direct from Autosmart and the 5l tin was under £30. In my experience it is the best product by far. I
Vasco pre wash tar remover! Spray on, dwell for 20 minutes and rinse off. Excellent product!
Surprised Koch didn't win based on its very good value for money. Shows how good Tardis is 👌🏼
To be fair, I got 5L of TARDIS for £18 or so last time I bought it which would bring the price per litre down even further
@@ctreanor93 I've run out of Tardis now and Koch seems to be available at more places so gone with that for now
Great to see Autosmart products being reviewed. I use tardis for tar remover and removing vinyl glue residue. Can’t fault it!
I use kerosene on tar on car paint, works fine, is cheap and a bottle of it can last for months or years.
Plenty of tar spray during our hot summers here in New Zealand :-).
I've used tardis for 15 years now, great stuff
I was trying to find out the answer to this question about 6 hours before this video was uploaded and had car chem in my mind as it's cheap for a 5l (in the sales..) but didn't know the eu existed. And as I've been looking to move onto koch products I now know what to go for.
Thanks
De Solv It Sticky Stuff remover is brilliant for getting adhesive residue off the car paint, especially when taking badges off.
Great video. I wonder how long they have to sit on the polycarbonate before they damage.
I use Just The Tonic. It always works great at removing tar and that weight residue from the back of alloys. BUT, at one time, I used that same product on one refurbished Mercedes-Benz GLE AMG-Line alloy, and the clearcoat turned sticky, it rubberised and rubbed off onto the applicator pad. It was not Just The Tonic's fault, but the inferior quality of the 'After-Meerkat' clearcoat used on that one alloy. It always pays to communicate with the customer to ask if he's EVER had ANY paint done on ANY part of the car, to avoid this schoolboy error.
19 seconds since you’ve uploaded and I know it’s going to be a good video 😂
Very well produced and presented comparison Jon. Many thanks. You just cost me more money as I don't have any on my shelves. At least I can get the right one first time now, made down the road from me as well.
Autosmart Tardis is the 1 i constantly use as its just works best overall.
I'm interested in putting it up against the infinity wax t and g to see how they compare.
Thanks for the video. Isn't Turpentine a cheaper alternative to those products ?
I am glad you included the poly-carbonate test. I did mention the G&T damaging my headlights when you put up the video of your intention to run this test. And well done for pointing out that these products should always be used as directed. I will say though, the G&T directions on the bottle that I had suggested for exterior use only. No mention of plastics of other materials. Perhaps they have updated their packaging, however, last I checked, headlights were on the exterior of the vehicle. So I did use as directed. They just told me tough luck when I called for help / to complain... So not much good with the old customer service for me. I suppose to be expected when their £17/L product damaged the LED headlights on my brand new vehicle. That wasn't a cheap bill to swallow.
I will say also though, previously to my attempt with the G&T, I had been using Tardis for years without issue, in the exact same way I had used the G&T. I know what I'll be using next time.
was that you Stu. I remember the comment its a great example of how comments infuence my thought process. So the G&T says its for user on exterior painted surfaces only, eg paintwork. You can argue they should put on there not for use on plastics or headlights as this would help. most do specifically state dont use on plastic. But I think this is also why the tardis is a worthy winner because it passed this test, so it reduces the risk.
@@ForensicDetailing Yeah, that was me.
I actually screenshotted their webpage at the time, where the warning clearly stated exterior use only, but no mention of painted surfaces or materials, simply:
"Warning: This product should only be used on your vehicles exterior. DO NOT use on any other surfaces."
Just in case I needed it for future reference. So their own documentation was / is not specific enough. I have just checked there, and that is STILL what it states on their website. I would have expected them to have updated that by now. Here is the link for reference. www.car-chem.com/shop/glue-tar-remover
So it is very good that YOU are providing the warning at least. And VERY good to see that you took on the comment, and ran a test yourself, and compared against other products. As I said above, I had been using Tardis for years prior, and I found it to be excellent, as you did too. So will be using that going forward now. A worthy winner indeed. I had high hopes for the Koch Chemie EU at that price, but I guess it wasn't to be, ha ha.
Anyway, lesson learned now. Expensive, but learned. Their CS has certainly put me off ever considering their products again though.
Thanks for all the great content you put up. Everytime I see the notification, I can't wait to watch another informative, well made video.
Cracking work! I was looking nervously at that 5L of TARDIS in the shed for a minute there after the vfm round.
Good review Jon & great method of testing. To throw one in for consideration, strictly speaking it is a panel wipe, Upol Slow Panel Wipe. It works pretty well as a tar/glue remover & is extremely cheap for 5L as well 👍
Did you find the product that you used just as effective without worrying it would damage lacquer and plastics
@@diljithayre9379 not as effective as a dedicated T+G remover & needs a little agitation but works well while being more gentle. Being a panel wipe I have no worries it would damage clearcoat or plastics.
You know what I've actually got that stuff in the garage the slow panel wipe I didn't click until you wrote it down thanks bud save me a lot of hassle
I’ve been using Tardis for years, been my “go-to” product as well 👍🏻
Good to see my gut instinct on this efficient tar remover wasn’t wrong 😏
Thanks for this Jon, as always, I enjoy the videos, keep’em coming, good work👍🏻
Really good test, enjoyed watching that 👍. Not a huge surprise Tardis came out on top, a lot of the pro's seem to use it and they have far more to consider than most amateurs. I think I'll switch once I've used up my AutoGlym 👍.
Another excellent video. As ‘weekend warrior’ the info Jon puts out is invaluable to me 👍🏻
Many thanks for all the effort you put in!
Pretty good test but I'd be interested in the results on different types of plastic. Car exterior trims use more than just polycarbonate - and I have definitely seen black trims (I believe to be ABS) bleached by Tardis and the likes. Similar for vinyl too, which can be damaged by strong hydrocarbon based tar removers. Poor respray jobs can even be completely removed by a hydrocarbon based tar remover, so I'd be wary of calling Tardis completely safe. However more mild limonene based ones are usually fine on the different plastics and aftermarket paint jobs.
on poly prop or acrylic yes me 2 but I think poly carb is the most sensitive. I think this is a fair point. Tardis is not a mild TandG you do need to be carefull with it. but its the worthy winner. I think you have to be carefull as a user with these products like you say. Its important to say anyone can do these tests and come up with a different winner as well.
Bilt Hamber don't mention anything to specifically not apply their product to, winner for me.
I've always used autoglym tar remover and in all seasons and its good stuff does the job!
Another great video. I suspect it is difficult to know where to strike value for money as a calculation but Tardis is less than £30 for 5 litres so actually does quite well on that front too. However my 5 litre can is over 5 years old and is probably more than I'll ever need so i get the logic of 1 litre equivalent.
I've just bought the autobead tar glue remover. What are your thoughts?
This is a great review. Unfortunately not all of these products are as easily purchasable for me here in the US. I have a really tough test case, I have a wheel which is covered on the rough finished back side with I believe asphalt sealer that is very hard to budge, so I just slowly attack it when I'm ready to do a wheel-off cleaning, but the chemicals I have (a nearly empty can of solvent based remover that works well and will knock you out with fine, and Tar-X) don't allow me to remove to much at a single time without a lot of effort and product use.
Absolutely brilliant. In-depth review on the products.
Another great, well-researched video! As a hobby detailer, I have been using ValetPro Tar & Glue Remover for years, simply because it is mild and I don't mind going over an area twice (gives a bit more control I think), and because it is quite cheap (as you showed in the video). I have tested other brands as well, but I still come back for the ValetPro. I can imagine if you are a detailing company, you would opt for the AutoSmart or the Koch brand, because they are the most effective.
Great video again, always enjoys the musical interludes...Been using AG for a while but will definitely switch when I need to refresh supplies!
Managed to get some of the car chem one on my black plastics after it trickled down the paintwork, did leave a bit of a mess behind
One of my favorite tests of yours. Thank you Jon
Love using Cleanser Fluid but it's about time I gave Tardis a try. Never used it.
Hi mate, would you say cleanser fluid removes mostly all of the black tar spots for you?
Interesting thought about the plastic thing jon. I never thought it was a problem. A lot of people use them on plastic arch liners 😯
prolly less of an issue on poly prop but need to be carefull still I think
It’s interesting that they say that you can’t use on plastic tho when most cars do have plastic arch liners and what else do you use aha
Very surprised to see you include an autosmart product
Would be very interested to see comparisons with my go to tar remover- Autoglanz spar tar! I've tried 4 of these products and I'd say it's very similar in performance with the Koch chemie
I am a big fan of Koch chemie eulex. Removes tree sap and other nasty stuff too very easily. I found that it works much better than the g-technic w7
Brilliant review, Jon. Thank you for posting the video. I’ve had good results with AF Oblitarate, but will definitely try Autosmart Tardis as the trade seem to rate this, too.
Another great video Jon. Tardis is much cheaper if you buy in 5 ltr around £35.
Super helpful thank you !!
Have you any experience with Tar-Dah by ProKleen?
I see they have a 5 litre for £23 and it's being advertised as "Safe for your paintwork, wheels and plastics", hmm.. would love to see a test on this one
- also wondering about Troll's Breath and Dragons Blood Iron Contamination Remover both at £24 for 5L, they are manufactured by different chemical companies and sold by ProKleen UK
Thanks for the vid John. Folks, call you local AS rep. £20 for 5L. The guys and I chipped in for 25L £75. Deal. 👊🏻🙋🏻♂️
I’ve been using Tardis for years but I’m going to grab a bottle of Eu to test for that price
Jon, what about the Tetrosyl panel wipe which you have previously suggested as a good tar removal product?
I contacted my local autosmart rep at he quoted £20 for 5l definitely worth given them a call rather than buying online. They deliver to you as well.
Another Beltin vid pal random head pick do u have any tips for cleaning mmi screens? If so product or method
Great testing and interesting results Jon. I'm a long time user of Tardis which has alway been great for me but I'm surprised so many people have issues with it. I've also had good results from AM Details Tar.
Dave after watching this review I went and bought TARDIS lot of bang for the buck but my question is will it remove and I hope it will remove when it comes to the end of the year or the start of the year to put a new wax or sealant down will it help me remove my old wax sealant base I'm going to be polishing afterwards IPA fluid all over it there are a lot of guys reckon this is a great aid in cleaning old wax and sealants I don't need to clay bar the car as it is only going to be a year old and has been actively kept
tardis is last product i would use on my coated car for maitance wash to remove tar... Thats where gyeon or carpro tar remover win every time since they they designed for it
He didn't say if the car was coated he just said the best at removing Tar and glue mate.
I'd like to get the Tardis but can't find it in a small format. Just the large tins which is a lot of money
I like your reviews and watch them from time to time. One thing - Koch Chemie is spelled KOH HEMEE ;)
its "spelt" Koch Chemie. How its pronounced Ive been told a million times already by others.. I will always call it "ko-t-ch". It gets people commenting to correct me and that helps me with the algorithms. ;) ((playing around, much love to you my friend and thanks for watching))
@@ForensicDetailing fair enough ;) out just hurts my ears xD
Hi, based on your video i clicked on the link to buy Koch Chemie EU Eulex from In2Detailing, once i got to the checkout basket i was hit with £4.95 delivery charge, i think it would be nice if you mention these charges in your videos, but apart from that it's a great video and thank you for time to make this content.
Buying one item at around £7, there will be a delivery charge from any supplier.
Hi I enjoy your content and channel and I’ve just subscribed. I have a detailing question for you. Why use expensive decontamination liquids when a clay bar or clay cloth does the same thing?
You can just clay but it makes ckaying easier to de tar and fallout removerm. But yes you can skip chemical decon
Really interesting results regarding the plastics. Very good to know.
Loving the highlander reference!
Top video John.
a Question "affects plastics" "not to use on plastics" etc, how does that translate to the Plastic Trim parts on cars, esp the Textured plastics you find on the lower areas of the car that usually get the worse of the tar / same with wheel arch liners ?
*is off to find local autosmart rep for a 5l can ,, two cars and the local "road repairs" are all the "pour tar in the hole + add some chippings " !
poly propalyene you mean. Well in my head its a form of plastic so that means dont use on poly prop trim either. that would include wheel archers... great question. I think its REALLY important to have one that passes the poly carb test isnt it.
@@ForensicDetailing yes one of the ones that Do not mark polycarb is a "must" imho,, ruined headlights/sidelights due to over spray would get £££ on the wallet fast,
i Was swinging towards Koch Eu as a replacement for the autoglym i use now But following your test results on Just the polycarb ,, as above im hunting my local autosmart rep :D
having used autoglym on wheel arch liners and the textured plastic trims im counting myself Lucky it didn't react or cause damage ,,
@@ForensicDetailing do you know if autosmart are able to "work" during this 3rd lockdown ? *still waiting on a reply from the local rep,,
@@andrewdodwell1324 im not sure mate I would guess they would be allowed to stay open.
Would have been good to see AutoFinesse ObliTARate in this review! By far the best tar/residue remover ive ever used ... better than Gyeon TAR
I found autobrite’s to be better
Great test John, I think you may have got the autosmart tardis price wrong, as its £20-£25 for 5 litres not 1 litre
price is correct my friend :) prices are based on smallest retail size offering available as stated. Otherwise retail offerings like autoglym which is only available in 330ml would be at huge disadvantage if I compared to 5l bulk price.
autosmart.co.uk/shop/tardis-1l
Have you ever come across a sticky dash? Just wondering if you would use a tar and glue remover on a dash or would this be too harsh?
John ... Bow your head ... Lord, thank you for my brother-in-Christ who has an amazing passion for detail forensics. John is bestowed with the gift of meticulousness, clear/thorough explanation, and attention to detail, to say the least. Lord, keep John, his family/friends/loved ones safe from all harm, danger and devilish schemes/entrapments ... Lord, I also want to thank you for allowing me to find my brother-in-Christ (originally, during my search for tar removal videos) ... He has reignited my past love for chemistry and just simply wanting to know ... Blessings, Amen.
Koch Chemie ordered. Thanks for the detailed Vlog Jon 👍
I've found Autofinesse obliTARate to be as good as tardis. least effective I've used was meguiar's tar and glue remover, it really did nothing... that was a lot of years ago now though so it may have been updated. Great test as always =)
I've used the Auto fitness tar remover takes a little while longer to work than most tar removers , but it didn't really remove glue
I love valet pro, I have been using it on exotic motorcycles for cleaning chain grease and never had a probkem. But I think it has solvents in it and strips the ceramic coating, as I have seen gyeon tar hasn't solvents in it and it is safe for ceramic coatings. Is it right?
Excellent review, don’t suppose you know which solvents will remove graffiti do you?
Acetone or cellulose thinner used with care. It can damage far paint
Hi Jon, such a great video - thank you for carrying out these tests! I have heard that AutoSmart's Tardis is a great product and to see the results was really beneficial. I will definitely give this a try on my CLK 320 😉
You didn't test CarPro TarX! I'm very surprised and disappointed to be honest. Such a great idea to test these and I thoroughly appreciate the results.
I bought a bottle of GTechniq Tar and Glue in preparation for picking up my new car.
The bloody thing leaks all over my hand when I use it.
It literally smells just like turps and takes ages to get rid of the smell.
And after 3 hits, following all instructions, it's STILL couldn't remove the adhesive left behind by the packing tape!
Not impressed at all!
I did consider Tardis, but what the hell do I need 5 litres of it for?
Unless you're a detailer by trade, I think its a total waste. For that reason I probably wouldn't have included it in the regular test myself.
That being said Jon, when you are doing shootouts like this in future, it would be nice if you included at least one product that can easily be picked up from the likes of Euro Car Parts, Halfords, motor parts stores etc.
Bilt Hamber don't seem to list anything to not apply their Cleanser Fluid on to, so I'm going to assume that was the one that specifically was expected to be ok on plastic. Seems like a no-brainer to me, use without too much worry. If it's a bit slower just take your time.
its a paintwork cleaner mate. bilthamber.com/product/cleanser-fluid/
thumbs up for tardis, works really well
Another great video and Information, keep up the good work, I've learnt alot since watching your videos
as always best video :) but... Koch Chemie has more Tar removers like. KochChemie Teerwäsche A (Tea), KochChemie Fleckenwasser (FW) or KochChemie Orange Power (OP). maybe they would be better?
you cant test like 4 from one manufacturer mate (well you can but it starts getting a bit silly and you will totally bias your test toward that one brand if you do)...theres prolly around 5000 products on sale in the UK alone. lots of brands have more than one product. I picked 8 from major brands and away we go.
I’m looking to remove left over insulation foam and glue from my campervan. Would these work on such heavy residue mate?
Glue yes not sure about insulator foam M8.
Great video John, but really other than Koch there are no surprises are there... TARDIS was always going to win, as I'm sure you know, the price for TARDIS is so up and down depending where you get it but I'd be tempted to say it can be the cheapest
tardis price per litre is 20.50 from automsmarts main website. tardis was not going to win but the plastics test caused an upset on the last hurdle (rightley so though, its the worthy winner i think)
Tardis was always gonna be the winner! I might check that Koch chemie one tho just for the price 👀
it really wasnt :) Koch was going to be the winner it was just as effective but much cheaper but it swung on the last test. I think not damaging plastics is an important box to tick for me.
Ty for this. Great video as usual. Ordered 1 litre of Autosmart to remove tar from girlfriend car. Will keep you posted how it goes once the weather changes. T
Are you going to try any bits from constellation chemicals?
You never mentioned the smell. I can't machine wash a micro fibre when using a glue a tar remover as it makes the washing machine and subsequent washes stink. Any of these products passable on smell or should we just factor in the cost of ditching any cleaning cloths used.
Will be interesting to see the saled in America of Koch and bolt hamper now they are launched there
Atlast an Autosmart product on test 😀