Using HALFORDS Cheap Detailing Products | Do you NEED to PAY MORE???

[@jamietaylor3075]

Cheaper products will get the job done but once you try a more premium product they don't get a second glance

[@SparkleanAutos]

100% Jamie... We all start somewhere but when you move up and up, it's hard to go back down!!!

[@pmbrowny]

Great video again Mark, highlighting the difference between good and cheap, totally agree that you can get some results with cheap but not a great user experience. Keep up the good work sir 👍🏻

[@SparkleanAutos]

Thank you Paul 👍🏼 good processes and practices can make up for a lot with poor products but it takes the enjoyment clean out of it (excuse the pun lol). Definitely not worth saving a few quid on shampoo anyway!!!

[@owensteele1645]

This puts me in mind of the well-known video on the Car Cleaning Guru channel, where he was using cheap, old 1990s products and tools to wash and polish his Volvo. He ended up resorting to using plush mitts and towels in the wash process as obviously the leather and sponge were not up to the job. He showed that you can get the job done very well by detailing in this way, but it was certainly not a particularly enjoyable experience compared to using the tools and products we use today.

[@SparkleanAutos]

Great to know I'm in good company lol Process is 90% of the job but the products definitely make it much more enjoyable and less of a chore!

[@owensteele1645]

Skoda paint is very tough and forgiving. It would be interesting to see what impact the Halfords Polish would have on it, and see what it is able to remove tar, bug and fallout-wise. Would it add any more shine to it?

[@SparkleanAutos]

Might be interesting to find out so maybe I'll save that one for the next time I'm feeling generous with the neighbour's cars lol Half by hand and half by machine 👍🏼

[@owensteele1645]

The tyre dressing aerosol is a disaster waiting to happen. When I had new tyres fitted to my car recently, the fitter told me that the reason tyres prematurely crack is because of repeated application of flammable silicone tyre shine. I used to think it was just a Bridgestone thing but now I'm not sure. My old tyres were manufactured in late 2020 and although they were still 5 to 6 mm on the tread, the material was showing degradation between the lugs on the tyre shoulders and starting to go on the sidewalls around all the letters.

[@SparkleanAutos]

Awful products, there's a good reason most of us don't use them anymore!!! Tyres cracking isn't a huge issue for me as I go through 4 in about 18 months anyway (I do a lot of miles!!) But I just don't like silicone dressings regardless lol

[@adwol48]

halfords have just bought out a new range of advanced products one includes a product simialr to magiseal would be interesting to see how the two comapre for the price they are.

[@SparkleanAutos]

They have indeed, one step ahead of you and already planning that 😏

[@ObsessiveCarDetailer]

A very refreshing video Mark. Not everyone is either an enthusiast or professional car cleaner, some just want to know what to use to clean the daily runaround and this gives them just that. A lot of channels won't even mention Halfords yet that's where most of us start and you can get some good products and equipment. So well done mate, we're not all detailing snobs.

[@SparkleanAutos]

🙌🏼 100% agree Martin, that is exactly why I made this and there will be more along the same lines. Some people just want to know the basics and which products should they buy that they can just pick up on their way home! And if it does the job & the owner is happy, It's irrelevant what name is on the bottle! 👍🏼

[@decker0373]

There are so few channels doing this type of content, so big up to you buddy. Funnily enough, i got this pack as a gift, im not ashamed to say, i gave it away, barring the upholstery cleaner, which is actually pretty damn good. All the best mate. 👍

[@SparkleanAutos]

I don't like to talk about other channels Lee but agreed, too many of them just seem to make videos to make brands happy... Not my style! That's very interesting about the upholstery cleaner, maybe I should've used it after all 🤣🤣 Thanks as always Lee 👍🏼🙌🏼

[@decker0373]

@SparkleanAutos yep, it's decent Mark, spray on, agitate with a low pile microfibre using warm water, worked well on the tartan red/white/black seats of a VW GTi, albeit with 3 passes on a pretty off colour 6 uear old driver seat.

[@SparkleanAutos]

👌🏼I'll give it a go on something that I don't mind scrubbing at 👍🏼

[@briandefreitas5008]

You did the best you could with these products and to be fair is wasn’t that bad in the end, but detailing has come a long way in the last 5years or so thank goodness. Another great vid.

[@SparkleanAutos]

Thank you Brian... Just making lemonade with lemons!! The industry has definitely advanced massively 👍🏼

[@Just_Bald_Chris]

Hi, my names Chris and I'm a car cleaning snob - I do not like Halford products... I use Halfords in order to buy named brands - Magiseal, as I have said before, is brilliant stuff. I am trying others but so far it has produiced bestter results that many other brands.

[@SparkleanAutos]

Magiseal is good stuff 👌🏼thanks for sharing Chris 🤣👍🏼

[@johnbrown3951]

Firstly the car came up great. With regards products, Greenstar I have not tried but everybody on KZbin raves about it, when I finish my 5L of Autobrite Citrus it is next on my list. Magiseal I have used and have a bottle and a half on the shelf but I fell out of favour with it as I found it's longevity was not there for me and the water behavior did not last but I might give it another go in the winter or when my bottle of wet coat dries up. The halfords products, I think the less said the better but I guess to many they do a job. Look forward to your next video.

[@SparkleanAutos]

Hi John, thank you as always 👍🏼 GreenStar is a fantastic product, you won't be disappointed! Magiseal is one of those products where the durability isn't really a deal-breaker for me - I find I get about 5/6 weeks on average but I don't mind applying it monthly - I only make up a 350-400ml solution so a bottle lasts me quite well 👍🏼 And agreed, less said about the 'own brand' stuff the better 👍🏼😁

[@kevinshepherd1376]

Nice job Mark I use Halfords wheel cleaner for a weekly maintenance wash does a good job for a good price not sure it could tackle filthy wheels though

[@SparkleanAutos]

Horses for courses isn't it Kevin. Unfortunately I didn't get the wheel cleaner in this bundle as that would've been interesting but I didn't get to choose lol 👍🏼 thank you mate.

[@owensteele1645]

You do pay for what you get, but only to a degree. You see, Koch Chemie Green Star is ridiculously cheap, but it's also awesome. It's absolutely amazing at the 10% dilution you use. It's my go-to as a maintenance cleaner for tyres and alloys and the corrosion inhibitors really do stop flash-corrosion on the calipers and disc brakes during washing. It's good for chassis cleaning as well. One thing I will say is that the Green Star can dry quickly so you need to be speedy with the agitation before rinsing.

[@SparkleanAutos]

Again, fully agree, it's a fantastic product but that's a good point about the rinsing, hence I was doing one door shut etc at a time 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 Thanks for taking the time to leave the comments Owen, very much appreciated 👍🏼

[@DavidMcBay]

First yayyyyyy Excellent video Mark, the car came out great! I allways see these products whenever im in halfords and just walk by, yet ive seen so many pick them up. The thing is, there are so many people out there who see washing the car as a chore and just want it clean but dont want to go as far as using dish soap, and i can imagine these are the people that buy these products.

[@SparkleanAutos]

Thanks Dave... And congratulations 👏🏼🤣 Yeah, they still do the job but I wouldn't be reaching for that shampoo again in a hurry!! Some people just see the price and think "that'll do rightly"! cleaning the car is just a chore to most people so who am I to judge lol

[@liggett12345]

Magiseal or gyeon wet coat, which would you prefer. Yet to try either, but may go for wet coat

[@SparkleanAutos]

Believe it or not I've yet to use Gyeon Wet Coat so I can't even answer that but I can honestly say that I love using Magiseal 👌🏼👍🏼

[@GMDetails]

GM Details • 0 sec ago Sorry mate, I thought I'd already left a comment , I remember you getting this kit and love the result, except the tyres As vou said it's 90% technique anyway so products don't really do much and in this case they def didn't put on much of a show & I now would wish every Halfords customer would watch the rest of your videos and then realise how much better a good product makes the experience, fantastic video Mark

[@SparkleanAutos]

🙌🏼🙌🏼 thank you Graeme - that would definitely help the view count 🤣🤣🤣 For results it really is all about the techniques & processes... The products are just there to make it enjoyable! And there wasn't much enjoyment with these... Perhaps Halfords Advanced range will change that 🤔🤔🤔

[@GMDetails]

@@SparkleanAutos I’m looking forward to trying them out

[@SparkleanAutos]

@@GMDetails you and me both 👌🏼

[@petebaja2690]

Great video, if your brother buys you any more of that stuff I'd think hard what to get him for a present in return!😂 I take it you're from these parts, I'm in Belfast and was told by the guy in Car Pro in Carryduff to stick to Gtechniq as I got the car ceramic coated with that. Interestingly their ceramic Gwash doesn't have any suds in it at all although I'm use bog standard Gwash after fall out removing the tyres, snow foaming and drying with a pet drier.

[@SparkleanAutos]

Thanks Pete, I'll remember him next Xmas don't worry 🤣 I am indeed from these parts, South Belfast originally but love up the country now! That'll most likely be Davey in ProCar, knows his stuff, been in this game for decades now - I used to call into the shop when it was on Ormeau Road before I had my first car!! He's right too, always best sticking with the same brand for maintenance - they tend to be formulated to work in conjunction with each other - different brands won't do any harm as such but you'll likely get better results sticking with the same 👍🏼 Thanks for commenting mate 👍🏼🙂

[@jimmcgeown2083]

Good job on the car Mark despite the crappy products,you get what you pay for and personally I enjoy using a nice shampoo or wax ,and definitely don’t do any silent videos ,keep the craic going and as always keep er lit big man 👍

[@SparkleanAutos]

Haha appreciate the vote of confidence Jim, I don't think I could keep my mouth shut even if I wanted to 🤣🤣 Process is definitely more important than products but you still need decent ones to enjoy it, it is supposed to be a hobby after all 👍🏼👍🏼

[@jimmcgeown2083]

Absolutely Mark , I was sitting quietly the other day and the wife thought she had gone deaf 😂😂

[@SparkleanAutos]

@@jimmcgeown2083 🤣🤣🙉🙉

[@SomeMadRandomPerson]

Another Superb Video Mark Anyone else winse when yhey heard that sponge 😖 I dont even ise a sponge to wash vans lol

[@SparkleanAutos]

The noise is horrible... You just made me watch it again and I got shivers lol 😵‍💫

[@SomeMadRandomPerson]

@@SparkleanAutos 😂😂😂

[@johnfox2113]

Hi Mark liked the video, interesting take on things. Reminds me when I got cheap wheel cleaner at Lidl, didn't do a thing 😂. Just wondering do you always use wheel cleaner if the wheels aren't very dirty and which brand do you like? Cheers 🍻 John

[@SparkleanAutos]

Haha cheers John. I like to keep my videos as interesting as possible! We'll I try to anyway 🤣 To answer your question... No! I generally do the faces with a wheel shampoo weekly, barrels every 3-4 weeks and maybe every couple of months I'll use a wheel cleaner if needed... Then 2-3 times a year I'll use a reactive wheel cleaner like the Koch Chemie one from this video 👍🏼 For wheel shampoos I use the GT one mostly, I've heard Autobrite one is very similar but haven't tried it And for sprayable wheel cleaners I use either Autobrite Wheel & Tyre Cleaner or AutoGlanz Alkalloy

[@johnfox2113]

@@SparkleanAutos Thanks for your help Mark I have been using Mile Deep car shampoo for the wheel and a wheel woolly. And Dodo juice fallout remover a couple of times a year followed by spray wax protection. Not sure if it's enough but it does clean. Many thanks John

[@SparkleanAutos]

@@johnfox2113 if it works for you then it's good enough 👌🏼👌🏼👍🏼

[@thedetailinghobbyist]

Great video 👍 I always wonder what the long term effect on your paint of cheaper products would be. If you polished the paint, washed it weekly, would you be polishing again in maybe 6month instead of 12 🤷‍♂️ (If your buying this bucket your maybe not arsed 😂)

[@SparkleanAutos]

Thanks Craig 👍🏼 I think you hit the nail square on the head with that last comment - if you're using products like this and a builders bucket, you're either not that fussed or you don't know any better! I don't know about you but I was there at one stage too... Many many years ago - too many to say it out loud!! As for paintwork, I don't think they'll do any long-term harm, certainly not from a chemical point of view, but if you're not carrying out a proper pre-wash, proper drying etc., then you're likely to be doing the paintwork no favours at all!! I will try the polish out of curiosity but I don't think it's going to replace my Koch Chemie products 🤣🤣🤣

[@paulquickmire4140]

Another good video Mark. The only thing I've got to say (politely) is that everything should have stayed in the bucket and been put out for the refuse truck. If you really care about your vehicle its best to do a bit of research first or even better ask someone, even the staff at Halfords would tell you, other shops are available too 🤣🤣.

[@SparkleanAutos]

🤨🤨🤨 1. Not my vehicle 🤣 2. Bad workman always blames the tools - I think I proved you can do a great job with crap products... It's just more effort than it needs to be 🤣 3. I AM the research 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@paulquickmire4140]

@@SparkleanAutos 1 I'll give you that one. 2 didn't see the wax and I bet the fumes off the aerosol were great. Also a sponge for a safe contact wash 🤔🤔. 3 I cant and won't argue with that one 🤐🤐. Your advice is always spot on mate 👍👍

[@SparkleanAutos]

🤣🤣 I honestly felt sick using the sponge... Mind you, the paintwork on this car wouldn't have even noticed 😥

[@pigeonpoo1823]

Yeah, no thanks.😂 The magiseal seems a bit like BH Touch-on. I'd love to use that kind of product through my IK foamer or sprayer, but am concerned it would clog up the innards, even if i properly sprayed water or even surfex at 5% after. Any thoughts or experience with this. Ever had issues with a foam cannon because of sio2 type products? Cheers. Ps, love the sarcasm.

[@SparkleanAutos]

Having used both I'd say this is superior to touch-on... It's a more expensive to buy but you can do a full car with a 300ml mixture in a foam lance (30ml of product) but obviously you'd use considerably less than that if using it in a sprayer/foamer (although I haven't done this myself). So pound for pound they cost about the same - I have found this to be more durable and one recyclable/reusable bottle is better for the environment than 10 disposable sachets!! As for sio2 products, I've never had an issue but I always run about a litre of clean hot water through the lance as soon as I've finished (if you look carefully you can see me doing this behind the car while the product is on there lol). I wouldn't bother with surfex as it can leave its own residue - just warm water 👍🏼

[@pigeonpoo1823]

@@SparkleanAutos thanks for the advice

[@SparkleanAutos]

@@pigeonpoo1823 any time 👍🏼

[@M3AutoCare]

Hello There, Was Wondering On your opinion on a pressure washer it’s between a k4 and the Ava p range there’s one on there site for 349 but I’m only 13 and am on a limited budget im looking to be a detailer and slowly building up. So your opinion A Karcher k4 for £229 with upgrades or a Ava p range?

[@SparkleanAutos]

Honestly, if you're only starting out then keep your costs down. I presume you'll be working from family home or do you have some way of transporting equipment to do this locally?? I love my Ava P80 (which you can't get ATM but the P70 isn't far off it) but to be honest, you can't really go wrong with the K4 either and you could save the extra £100-odd for other things - longer hose and machine upgrades?? Or just other bits and bobs you'll need. But start small, don't overwhelm yourself. You've a long time to learn your trade so don't put yourself under pressure to be an expert charging into the thousands for ceramic installations within 2 years!! 👍🏼👍🏼 Good luck with it

[@M3AutoCare]

@@SparkleanAutos thank you very much sir, just love your videos and watch them every day and I just want to say keep doing what your doing because it’s helping people across the globe. On another note do you have any tips for me and yes I just work at my grandas with a hose lock hose and a good amount of chemicals.

[@SparkleanAutos]

@@M3AutoCare best advice I can offer is to set realistic standards... Don't get sucked into what you see on social media because people are full of it!! The ones who take the time to do the job right don't have 6 hours a day to spend on FB - always remember that. Set your own standards, don't work to someone else's... And enjoy what you do. I'm no expert but I'm always free to answer any questions 👍🏼🤜🏼

[@M3AutoCare]

@@SparkleanAutos I was Wondering For My Full Detail When I Have All The things I Need For £80 I would include full prewash and contact wash with safe wash method every thing cleaned and done on exterior and interior with a 1 step paint enhancement and a spray sealant for 3-4 month protection

[@M3AutoCare]

Would that be good enough or am I included too much or not alot

[@gillywash1487]

Controversial mix of Halfords and AD product’s according to online rumours 😂

[@SparkleanAutos]

Meh, I pay no attention to most of the tripe people talk online 🤣🤣

[@Noooname2024]

"relax and enjoy..." HM. So you like pan the organizer? Copy paste dogs😀

[@SparkleanAutos]

I haven't seen one of Pan the Advertisers videos for about 3 years so I don't really get the reference, sorry

[@cometroy]

Another good honest review Mark and I totally agree with all your comments, cheap products will clean a car, but as you have stated a few times in this video they talk longer and as you have to use more product, so are they actually cheaper 🤔 plus also how long will the look last, you only get what you pay for in this world but if you live on a budget I get them that’s what you have to use 👏👏👏👏👏 last comment you built are hopes up of less talking and as we were under a misrepresentation you didn’t shut up 😂😂😂👍😎

[@SparkleanAutos]

Haha cheers Roy .. yeah I realised when I'd finished that I just talked as much as usual 🤦🏻‍♂️🤣🤣 I'll have to do a video with no talking whatsoever 🤣🤣 You're right about the products, false economy. Even if they do work out cheaper, I wouldn't be buying them again - not that I was expecting anything different but it was good to be able to demonstrate it 👍🏼

[@cometroy]

@@SparkleanAutos Definitely don’t do a silent review as your comments are crucial for products etc, but having a second thoughts maybe one in black and white and speeded up would be entertaining 😂👍

[@cometroy]

Forgot to add with Benny Hills music in the background 😂😂

[@SparkleanAutos]

🤣🤣🤣

[@SparkleanAutos]

What a brilliant idea 🤔🤔🤔