AUTOCLUB
MATERIALS: SHAMPOOS
BUT RIDES BETTER …
VYACHESLAV LUKYANOV
A cleanly washed, sparkling car, albeit not a new one, not only looks better, but, it seems, goes better! In any case, this feeling is familiar to many. Even in Russia, where it is full of all sorts of eccentrics, you will probably not find someone who never washes a car. Most still love, not sparing polishes, kick her to a sunny shine. But not everyone remembers that before this the surface of the body needs to be thoroughly cleaned of dust, oil, bitumen stains and other contaminants. Car shampoos help in this.
Thanks to special additives, modern compositions not only facilitate the washing process, but also make it possible to bring the paintwork to optimum conditions, restore previously applied polishes, etc.
HOW TO WASH?
Using any shampoos, you must follow certain rules. And the first one is not to save water! Therefore, even before using shampoo, it is useful to wash off sand and all loose, amenable stream of dirt from the body. This eliminates the need to then clean it off with a brush or sponge, inevitably scratching the paint, and the final rinse will wash off excess shampoo and reduce possible leaks (photo 1).
The second rule: do not wash the car (including shampoos) in the open sun when the surfaces are heated. Otherwise, the appearance of stubborn stains cannot be avoided.
Rule three: for washing, it is better to use a soft wool or terry cloth. Sponges with large pores and brushes with loose bristle tips are also acceptable. As they get dirty, the “tools” must be rinsed with clean water and only after that shampoo is applied (photo 2).
Finally, the fourth rule is very important. After rinsing the body, remove residual water with a soft cloth or suede so as not to leave streaks (photo 3). This also applies to those drugs whose manufacturers claim that their product "does not leave stains and does not require thorough drying." It’s better to play it safe! Particular attention is paid to surfaces painted in dark colors - here stains are more pronounced.
RANGE
Shampoos can be divided into two large groups. In one of them only surface conditioners, and in the other - also polishes. If desired, you can select “all-season” shampoos from these groups, which we did (see table).
Shampoos with conditioners (photo 4) allow you to thoroughly wash the paintwork without affecting previously applied polishes. In some formulations, components that increase the gloss of paint, and surfactants, which reduce the requirements for drying the surface and are designed to relieve stains, are added (our comments - see below!). In addition, they also introduce protection against ultraviolet radiation, as well as from static electricity, which is very useful when the car has to drive on dusty roads.
The composition of car shampoos of the second group (photo 5) contains a high content of waxes and polishing polymers. On a washed surface, they form a protective film that does not need to be carefully polished - just wipe the treated surface with a dry cloth (cloth).
All-season shampoos (photo 6) allow you to wash your car even at sub-zero temperatures (up to -12 ° C), but they differ in the way they are used. Formulations from Doctor Wax should be diluted in cold water with the addition of antifreeze liquid for glasses. Turtle Wax products are diluted in hot water.
PRACTICE
We checked all the shampoos presented. Found that everyone is washing well. But if you do not wipe the surfaces dry, leave the stains most noticeable on dark paint. As already mentioned, it is better to make a few extra movements with a napkin than to be upset later!
With the exception of Turtle Wax Hot Wax Shampoo, everyone else gives a lot of foam. If we talk about the brilliance of the coating after applying this or that composition, then we did not notice significant differences between the “talents” of competitors. Protective properties? This is a special and difficult question - in our case it has not been studied. But pure rainwater, according to our observations, rolls more readily from washed surfaces.
Most formulations - gel-like consistency of different densities, only two all-season from Doctor Wax in the form of dry granules, which is quite convenient - they will not leak from the package.
In conclusion, our short test evaluated the compositions at the unit cost of one sink. We brought all the costs of shampoos (following the instructions) to a bucket of water with a capacity of 4-7 liters. (Some manuals indicate the consumption per 10 liters of water, which we have taken into account.)
And that’s what happened.
