Wash Day Products Review

 Good evening Sports Fans!

And I am NOT sponsored by Canadian Tire.

Washed and detailed the Mist today and have some feedback regarding three tools I used for the first time today.

With the goal of simplifying and making washing the Mist as easy and effortless as possible, I have been on the search for some good tools that I can count on to do the job quickly and effeciently while maintaining a result that is good to very good. Even though I have been washing and waxing my cars for years, some skills and tools work well and others that do not.

First up...

Simoniz Platinum Drill Detailing Brush Accessory Kit, 4-pc#039-7090-2 at Canadian Tire

Purchased at Canadian Tire for $19.99 this kit comes with four brushes of various sizes which are designed for a variety of application in the exterior and interior of your car.

"The Simoniz Platinum Drill Detailing Brush Accessory Kit provides everything needed for thorough interior and exterior automobile detailing. This 4-piece detailing kit includes small, medium, and large detailing brush heads for cleaning flat surfaces, a round brush for hard to reach areas, a stiff bristle brush for scrubbing tires and mats, and a crevice brush for tight spaces. Infused with an apple fragrance to enhance the detailing experience, these brushes attach to drills for power cleaning and manual scrubbing. Sturdy and versatile, this Simoniz Platinum detailing tool can tackle tough grime while freshening up vehicles."

I did not know it had an apple fragrance!

My main buy-in for this set is the crevice brush for my rather intricated mag wheels. Lots of crevices and complex shapes to clean. Added to that, these black wheels look terrible if they are not detailed. If some of the areas are clean and other areas are not the difference is noticeable. It is as if it is all or nothing. Leave the rims alone or clean and detail them well.

For my purposes, as this was a first attempt, the brush is an improvement to my rather slipshod attempts to clean my wheels. There are areas the brush will not get into very well and you need to hand-finish the wheel to get the best results.

Perhaps a foam tool would work better.

I will give it a couple of tries before I give up. The other brushes would do well for carpet but I do not think the OEM carpet on the RS is well suited for this type of application.

Rating: 6/10 with the chance the skill of the operator or the chemicals used need to be changed.

The Original California Plastic Water Blade, Red #039-8101-2 at Canadian Tire

This is a real-time saver.

But at the wash bay I was at there was a residue left over that required me to do a spay wax and polish to correct.

This tool would be much better if the water was cleaner and I would do smaller sections and follow up the use of the blade with a hand dry with a microfiber cloth.

Initially, I was really disappointed because of the results but I realized I was eliminating the water spots so fast that I focused on speed and not accuracy to the tool has the potential of saving time if one modifies their process.

So, the jury is out on this one.

Armor All 12V Wet/Dry Car Vacuum #039-6094-0 at Canadian Tire

This is really just a cheap and cheerful way of doing a light vacuum when required. I do not like the industrial vacuums at wash bays with their bulky tubes and nozzles.

This small vacuum stores in its own utility bag and comes with a nozzle extension crevice tool and a brush that is attached to that extension.

The suction is adequate and if you put the extension and brush on to the vacuum it does an alright job.

My driver-side footwell had some dirt (I love the look of the upgraded Subaru mats but their functionality is nowhere near that of the Weather Tech winter mats) and when I first tried to vacuum it there was not a good result. Adding the included extension and the brush made things much better.

There are other versions of this vacuum with more attachments and power but for my basic needs its small size makes it ideal.

I plan to have the car detailed at the end of each winter so I hope I do not need a more powerful vacuum.

Rating: 8/10 for its price and utility.

Conclusions

There are a lot of tools for car care out there and with the resources out there online a bit of research would help. I did not do much research and should have taken time to consider my purchases. At the same time, I am not displeased with my experience and appreciate the challenge of improving my car cleaning process.

Drive safe and you know where the rubber goes!