Thanks for the info on the Mr. Clean product. I was thinking about getting it but, I have the shadow gray FX4 and live in the country with well water - so it doesn't sound like it would be to my advantage. For the time I have had the Xzilon product, it has made cleaning the vehicle very easy and so far I am very happy with it. The five year warranty the product provides on a new vehicle is what had originally drawn my interest. The 5 Starshine sounds like a good product, but it sounds like it is a waxing process that would need to be repeated over time - which was something I did not want to do and you do not have to do with the Xzilon product. If you get any info about how long the 5 Starshine product lasts, or how often it has to be done, let me know. It might be something to look into for my wife's vehicle.

 

The Mr Clean stuff is only good if you are cleaning off pollen. If you take your truck offroad, it does nothing, you have to clean the entire truck first THEN use the MR clean for an okay look. I just pay someone to clean the truck then i can B&*%$ and make them fix mistakes.

 

FadeToBlack is right,

I too am not so impressed by the Mr. Clean system. My black supercab has some spotty issues, but then again, its better than trying it the 'old fashioned' way and cursing my water.

And the problem people have isn't water pressure. You could have 120 psi, and still not be able to reach up high, the filters only allow water to pass through at a certain rate... though if you only had say..3psi (your wife/girlfriend/goldfish would be screaming for you to move or call a plumber...showers would take 3 hours) then there might be a problem...
but generally that tiny a@@#d filter can't handle but so much water.

In my profesional opinion I think its a sham. They demand you use thier soap, which has a drying agent. The filter does remove a bunch of junk, but if you believe that a filter the size of a tube of JB weld will "deionize" your water in milli seconds...I'm preaching, sorry.

I do think they did not design it to work on Black full size trucks. I used the "trial soap, and filter" up with one wash, not 3.

H2O 4 LIFE

 

I just wanted to let you guys how the Xzilon is holding up. So far I am extremely happy with it. There is no fighting to get bugs or road tar off the paint. Most of it comes off with a wash mitt and not much elbow grease. The break dust that gets on the rims comes right off. I had a piece of candy melt into the back carpet that looked like it was stuck right in there, but it came out with hardly any effort. I would definately recommend this product to anyone. If anything can't come clean they will repaint your vehicle or replace the interior at their cost within five years for a new vehicle.

 

How would this product hold up to spider scracthes on a black truck? Sounds good so far

 

http://www.granitize.com/ Check out this link, they sell Xzlion and several other products. I called them up to request a catalog.

 

Refering to the xzilon wax! Just had this applied to my 2004 Thunderbird and what a waste of money. Was not applied correctly and really doesn't do much!!
There are a lot of products on the market that are less expencive!!
The dealer refunded my money back!!! Not impressed. It does not add a shine to your car just puts a coating on the surface to repeal grime.

 

Just a caution on the Mr. Clean stuff. Usually the only way to avoid waterspots without wiping down is to formulate with wetting agents (surfactants) to prevent beading. A lot of shampoos do this but for something to work completely without wipe off raises a red flag in my brain concerning how much is used.

Please hear that I don't know how it's made but I do have a degree in Chemistry and I make printing inks and coatings for a living with similar technology.

It must also have an extremely effective water softener (surfactants again).

The bottom line is that there has to be a lot of chemistry left on the paint. I would give it some time and read a lot of testimony (maybe for years) before I use Mr. Clean on my GTO.

Dr. Detail - www-drdetailforless.com

 

Mr. Detail,

for a person who claims to have a degree in chemistry, your program must have excluded aquatic chemistry. A water softning system has nothing to do with surfactants; it's based on the principles of ion exchange. Hardness, by its chemical nature are +2 metal ions-sepcifically magnesium and calcium. Water "spots" are generally residual calcium deposits. To "soften" water you replace the +2 ions with +1 ions: usually sodium and potassium. This is neither here nor there, and I'm not flaming you, just wanted to clarify...

However, you bring up a good point about the Mr. Clean system I hadn't thought of: what is this "drying agent" in the soap (a surfactant) doing to my finish?

Car Buff, thanks for bringing up a two yr old dead thread, I'd forgotten about this place! sarcasm included at no extra charge!

 

obx h2o boy

Thank you for not flaming me and I appreciate your effort to clarify but you speak of only one method of softening water, one which requires equipment. There is also a chemical method using chelating agents which complexes the Calcium Carbonate in the water and prevents its deposition on the surface.

The point is that besides the soaps for cleansing and the wetting agents to lower the surface tension of the water there are also chemicals to soften the water preventing it from beading and allowing it to sheet off the surface.

I think we can both agree that that is a lot of chemistry being sprayed on your paint.

Dr. Detail - www.drdetailforless.com

 

Doc,

I was unaware that chelating agents were classified as surfactants. I guess thats because I am a mere water boy, and not a H2o pHd (j/k!)

And yes, I agree, the chemical engineers worked overtime for the Mr. Clean AutoDry Carwash system. Pluses and minuses aside, I do like the inline filter (however small, and contact time however short) but then again if you are truly a detail (punny ) oriented car buff you will have a in-situ home treatment system.

I think the marketing guys hit the nail on the head for thier demographic: people who don't want to spend time drying or detaling their car but don't want spots.

Water=life

 

obx h20 boy

You're absolutely right. They are not marketing to the enthusiast. Only to the "get it done fast" guys.

I try not to get too technical when I write but I do try to raise the intellectual level a little. Technically chelating agents are probably not surfactants but I lumped them into that group for simplicity. On the other hand you'll find wetting agents in the formulation which will lower the water's surface tension and avoid beading. They really are surfactants right along with the soaps you mentioned.

I have an ion exchange water softener at home for my car collection and wouldn't be without it. Soft water, a great shampoo and microfiber does the trick.

How is it that you know so much about water treatments.

 

Funny you ask, I kidnapped a Culligan man years ago and he's locked in my basement.

I spend most of my day (when I'm not here reading) in an Environmental Engineering lab. 90% of the projects going on deal with water and wastewater. Mircofiltration is a specialty. Nothing beats a carbon prefilter and R.O. ..now thats some high quality H2O!

keep the shiny side up