ilogikal1

4 year child: “why is Wall-E hiding in that car?” Cannot unsee!

Because carbon. It's the same reason you would need to take it to a specialist just to lift the (carbon) bonnet. It's not a material that just any mere mortal can handle, y'know.

Fun fact: it's also printed on the inside lip of the box, so you have to open the box to read it. Also the Mars thing is impressive too, I guess.

Clearly you’ve been following my thread for too long, you’ve started to think like me. I’m worried for you too...

Speaking of Neutral Enhance... This is basically a waterless wash that doesn't make too many astounding claims of superiority over everything that's ever happened before, like some do. It does promise that it's "specifically developed for all paint types and wraps". I'll be honest, I'm not sure how something can be specifically developed to be used generally by all, but ignoring the pedant in me for a moment we'll move on. It does promise to safely lift dirt and grime away from the surface "using a clever emulsification process". Whatever that means. It does promise to leave "a clean, neutral finish". The website does also state: Naturally I had to test that - in fact the only bit I haven't tested (yet) is the Hydropel claim. But all in good time! The instructions are simple: 1. Shake well to activate the formula. 2. Lightly apply the formula to a microfibre cloth and the surface one area [or panel] at a time. 3. Wipe the area [in one direction](not in circles). 4. Use a 2nd clean, dry microfibre cloth to buff the surface to reveal a protective shine. [Indicate additional instructions on the bottle not quoted on the website, for referece]. I followed instruction 1 to the letter. I shook well to activate the formula. I didn't do so well on instruction 2; I sprayed the surface and then the cloth. Oops. I followed instruction 3 from the website. I didn't not follow the unidirectional instruction from the bottle - I wiped in both directions but, unless otherwise stated, I did so across in a single plane (i.e. left to right to left, not a cross hatch pattern). I followed instruction 4 perfectly. 2 out of 4 isn't bad... Anyway, aside from the picture in the last post, I have nothing to offer (I know, I'm slacking!) but, I attached the plastic storage bin lid, as above. First impressions; it's a white liquid that smells like a chemically coconut - looks and smells similar to BSD actually, but that's where the similarities end. It felt reasonably well lubricated on most surfaces, a little more than water but not quite as slippery as a shampoo. It spreads well, it buffs reasonably easily. It does leave a nice neutral finish, in that is doesn't seem to add anything to, or take away from, the finish of the surface. It did fine against light dirt and dust, so I mived on to an interior door that sees plenty of traffic - typical gloss white painted wooden door whch has become grubby where people (okay, I) don't use the doorhandle to close it (don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about!). One quick spritz of product on the door, one on the cloth and it soon lifted the grime with no signs of damage. So I moved onto the kitchen counter top - which I'm pretty sure are quartz rather than granite, but could be the other way around. Anyway, again lifted the dirt easily - more stubborn dirt needed to be scrubbed a little though which would not do soft Japanese paint any good at all! Then this: Now, my desk is a glass top desk so I started there before moving onto actual windows, which have not been cleaned in at least a year so there is a film of dirt over them - that cloudy film you can see quite clearly when the sun is shining through it. Confession time; for the windows and desk, I wiped in a cross hatch pattern. I'm not even sorry. I can confirm that this does make a pretty decent window cleaner - I probably wouldn't use it on a windscreen, but for household windows it's fine. In comparison I used a QD on one window to compare; Neutral Enhance definitely lifted more dirt, more easily and left a clearer finish. The QD felt like the cloth was doing all (or at least most of) the work whereas Neutral Enhance was mush easier. Even where it's over applied, it's easy to get a good finish when you use a dry cloth for the final buff. Now, I haven't actually used it on proper gloss paint that's clear coated yet, and I certainly won't be using it on my car paint except in inconspicuous areas like under the bonnet. Semi-verdict - meh, it's a waterless wash, so fine for dust and light grime but there's nothing here that makes this stand out over any other waterless wash for me. The only differentiator is the finish, this doesn't seem to add anything to the finish so if that appeals this would be better than something with gloss enhancers - or vice versa depending on what you're after. As I've not tested what, if any, protection it leaves behind (the bottle doesn't state, but it does imply that it adds protection inasmuch as the label states the phrase "protects paintwork" but that is the entire context in those two words right there), I can't really conclude at the moment, but I'm sure I'll be able to rectify that with 1.5 litres of the stuff. Conclusion: better testing will follow in due course.

I wouldn't go as far as to say detailed - more wiped over with the product really. But here you go. Top one has been wiped over with Silicone Dash Spray, the bottom one hadn't at this point; For those not familiar with these, the music and call functions are controlled by the trackpad that is basically the right ear cup - so that gets touched a lot. The right ear cup is the top one, for reference, and hopefully you can see in the picture the finger prints still on the left cup - that's the one that doesn't get touched as much. The review then (of SDS, not the headphones... although I could... maybe another time!): As mentioned the top (right) cup has been wiped over - in this case I sprayed some Silicone Dash Spray onto a microfibre cloth, wiped in a cross hatch pattern and then wiped over with a clean mf cloth to remove the excess. As you can see, it leaves a nice natural matte finish - if you look closely you can see where it's streaked a little, another wipe over with a dry cloth a minute later cleared that up a little bith but not completely. It could just be a case of excess product and I suffered a similar problem op the laptop lid too but when used on a larger area it was not evident at all. Which brings me to my next point. I like the finish it gives. I don't like the aerosol delivery method. I'm not going to explain aerosols to you all, so suffice it to say it's difficult to get the product where you want it, in the quantity that you want it without getting a massive amount of overspray on the surrounding area - on a dashboard, you're going to end up with product all over the windscreen; or you're going to be getting in and out of the car everytime you need to spray the product. It's workable, but there's a reason why aerosols aren't typically used for detailing products. As I mentioned previously, it smells delightful. Anyone who rememers the PB air fresheners, this smells very similar. And they were one of my favourite air fresheners. For those who don't; it's very reminiscent of a cologne type of scent. Now, obviously this makes it more pleasant to work with - you're surrounded by an atomised cloud of this stuff, so you're going to inhale it. The fact it smells very pleasant is therefore a benefit in that sense. However, this is a trim/plastic dressing first and foremost, so the surfaces you would use these on don't hold that scent. Ergo, once that cloud of product has dispersed, so to has the scent - if you folow the instructions and use it in a well ventilated area (because, you know, atomised cloud of product, breathing... makes sense to!) then that scent lasts about 3 seconds. If, however, you use it in, say, a home office office for example, the scent lasts a good 8-9 seconds. So after using it on the laptop and headphones, I tried something else - chosen largely because I had two that I could compare side-by-side and because it has both glossy and matte aspects to it and I wanted to see how it did with both finishes. So a thing happened. That thing was a random comparison of Silicone Dash Spray against Neutral Enhance (a waterless wash) on some big plastic lids; Beforehand both lids were a little grubby, mainly light dirt and heavy dust really. The left one was cleaned purely with SDS, the right with Neutral Enhance - I tried to get an photo of them both in the same light to show a direct comparison. Neutral Enhance is designed to leave a "clean neutral finish"; In comparison, Silicone Dash Spray looks like this; I didn't quite get a like for like picture, but in person there's nothing between them at all. Silicone Dash Spray cleaned the dirt and dust just as well as Neutral Enhance here, and as the headphones showed it removes fingerprints too, so for light clening duties this would seem to do the job as well as dress. In terms of durability, the headphones already have some fresh fingerprints on, so in high traffic areas it doesn't last long at all - the plastic sotrage box lid is as I left it, so if you don't touch your dashboard it'll be fine for a while. Pretty much like any other dash dressing, really. All-in-all, it's an okay product. It leaves a good finish when you master applying the right amount, which is more difficult that it needs to be. It has a lovely scent, which makes using it a bit more tolerable but is otherwise rather pointless. Verdict - I'll use it whilst I've got it but I wouldn't buy it. I would buy and air freshener with the same scent though.

So, having spent all day on Tuesday trying to think of something to use Silicon Dash Spray on and it turns out it was (literally) in front of me the whole time; my work laptop. It's a Lenovo jobbie with that soft touch texture, so I figured I'd try it. After that, I then used it on my Sennheiser PXC 550 II headphones. And then I used it on a couple of other bits and pieces. Two things; Firstly, it smells delightful. Secondly, it's nowhere near as shiney as I expected from the name. It actually gives quite a pleasant matte finish. So it may go near my dashboard after all.... A proper review will follow in due course.

It's a spray sealant. Apparently works with wax and other sealants, lasts up to 6 months according to the blurb. Naturally this will be throughly tested.

I worry myself with my accuracy sometimes. My accuracy and my modesty... Anyway, Car Chem did a thing. A thing with VP and SP Pro. In December 2019 I treated myself to a previous Car Chem Mystery box (here, for reference). For those not familiar, it was a similar premise; 6 random products from the range(s). Both SP Pro and VP are "affiliated" with Car Chem - the short version is that all three are now Car Chem brands, for all intents and purposes, however it is my understanding that wasn't always the case for VP in particular. The Mystery boxes included all old stock as well current products. I will come back to this later. As with previous mystery boxes they offered both 500ml and 1 litre versions. Now, I resisted the thing this time. Not least of all becuase I still have 800ml of snow foam, a whole litre of QD, a litre of waterless wash and wax, ~950ml of odour eliminator, >900ml of Revolt, ~993ml of glass sealant and ~95ml (I think) of Hydrocoat Hybrid from my last haul 14 months ago. So I resisted the thing. I resisted for THREE. Whole. Days. Sadly the offer was on for three and a half days so three weeks later* this little lot turned up. That is 500ml of each of the following: VP Silicone Dash Spray VP Devil's Blood (fallout remover) CC Lockdown Sealant CC G&T Glue and Tar Remover SP Pro Waterless Wash Neutral Enhance SP Pro Waterless Lotus And then in the other box was this: Which is 1 litre of each of the following: VP Snow Foam VP Dirt Magic (APC) CC Tyre & Trim Dress CC Ceramic Suds SP Pro Neutral Enhance SP Pro Hydropel (sealant) So that's 2 more litres of waterless washes that I'll use sparingly, if at all, on a car - and if I do I'll be using it more as a QD than anything. Snow Foam, Dirt Magic, Tyre & Trim Dress, Cermic Suds, Hydropel, Devil's Blood, Lockdown Sealant & G&T will get used, abused and reviewed post apocolypse - expect summer updates. Neutral Enhance and Waterless Lotus will probably get used around the house before that - expect updates sooner. Silicone Dash Spray... I have spent all day trying to think of something to use it on and come up blank. I will NOT be using it on my dashboard - I prefer a matte finish to my interiors - but I will need to use it somewhere because, well, I have it. All in all, not a bad haul. Again. Even the waterless washes will get used - albeit never something I would buy - and I'm pretty certain I can find something to use the Silicone Dash spray on - albeit not MY car! I gave Car Chem £26.98 for the two mystery boxes. In exchange they gave me (roughly) £153.92 of products. By my count I make it a reasonable 82.5% off this time. That'll do. I say roughly £153.92 because: 500ml G&T = £8.50 500ml Lockdown Sealant = £10.99 500ml Devil's Blood = £4.99 500ml Neutral Enhance = £9.50 500ml Waterless Lotus = £15.99 1000ml Tyre & Trim Dress = £12.50 1000ml Ceramic Suds = £18.50 1000ml Dirt Magic = £8.99 That's £89.96 of products that you can buy today. 1000ml of Snow Foam is not available, but based on VP's current "Cheery Snow Foam" it would have been ~£9.99 Similarly both Neutral Enhance and Hydropel only appear to be available for purchase in 500ml, so doubling up the prices are £9.50 x 2 (£19) and £14.99 x 2 (£29.98) respectively. That just leaves Silicone Dash Spray. Which is not currently available for purchase. Nor is a product that Car Chem offer. As I typed earlier, the mystery boxes included old stock. This is clearly one of those products and the manufacturer of the product that I'm fairly sure (approximately 93.527% certain. Approximately) sells their version for ~£4.99 per can. Which is an estimate because of their business model which allows local prices to vary from customer-to-customer. That should give you enough clues as to what I think that is. Anyway, with some assumptions and my maths I make that a total of ~£153.92 of products. For ~£27 delivered. And I only had to wait 3 weeks for it turn up... Okay, so about that; extenuating circumstances and all that, but to explain: Car Chem had pre-boxed a number of these based on numbers from previous offers. In 3.5 days they received nearly 10x the number of orders they were expecting - over 9000 in fact. Car Chem worked 24 hours a day to fill the orders. Royal Mail then failed to collect, process and/or deliver said orders. Now, again, extenuating circumstances; pandemic imposed skeleton staff across RM as a whole - around here we only received some Christmas post a month later at the end of January. Apparently theur collections were as affected as their deliveries, as such RM were only collecting a limited number of parcels each day. And not turning up at all on other days. Even when RM had collected the parcels, it wasn't unusual for them to sit in sorting offices for days on end. So yes, it took 3 weeks to deliver. Yes, Car Chem's communications during the whole thing were... disappointing. But >80% saving, and it's not like I knew what I was getting before it turned up anyway, so meh. Anywho, I've tried Neutral Enhance already (not on paintwork yet, but I might work up to that). Expect a review soon. Well, I have to do something to drag this out until the zombie apocolypse ends!!

It's one of the more durable waxes, no doubt (FK1000P is still better though) but I've never seen it last more than 8 months myself and that's under optimal conditions. OP; if the detailer in question hasn't even asked what you're after before stating what products they'll be using, then go elsewhere. If, on the other hand, you asked for a wax then Fusso is durable but doesn't give the best finish - i.e. you won't have the same warm, deep, wet look that you get with carnauba waxes, nor the gloss you get from better sealants (let alone the incredible gloss you get from coatings). It is a reasonable compromise between looks and durbility though. Personally, I wouldn't be paying anyone else to apply a wax for me as it just doesn't represent good value for money.

In fairness, for your average vehicle owner, a barrage of sensors to montior literally everything along with a plethora of brightly lit lights right in front their faces, not to mention the very specific and detailed warning messages that pop in front of their [insert whatever the "cool" media is this week] display is often seemingly insufficient notification that an issue may be present. Much better to let the car spontaneously erupt in a dramatic fireball of death than to "warn" of said impending fireball of death. Especially when it's just a rolling laptop.

Their foam isn’t a thick foam, it’s designed to shift dirt more than look pretty - and a thick foam isn’t conducive to that. So long as you’re getting the correct PIR, it will work better than almost anything else; and certainly better than anything that creates a shaving foam type consistency. I’ve not played with the current version of Ceramic Suds much, but the sample I have used also wasn’t sudsy (which isn’t any indication of performance at all), but I also found an older version wasn’t as slick as I’d expect Car Chem stuff to be (based on all of their other shampoos) tends to be. Sheeted water really well though!

Basically all of that ^^^^ Its a decent hybrid sealant/wax (1000p is better, there I said it), but I wouldn’t pay someone else to apply it. If you’re paying a detailer, and if they’re worth their salt, go for the best SiO2 coating of whatever brand they affiliate with. Not going to lie to you, if the best they can offer is Fusso I would question whether it’s worth paying them at all...

Almost standard; there are random lights on the grille and rear parking sensors. The other thing I noticed was the cabletie by the airbox snorkle in the engine bay pictures - right behind the pipercross sticker. Worth taking a closer look at what's going on there too. There appears to be a random screw holding the front of the driver side kick plate down. And the handbrake needs adjusting. Minor things perhaps but does raise questions about maintenance for me.

If the DRL were working before the incident, tell the garage/insurance to take it to Nissan and hand it back when the job is finished. The lights don't just magically switch themselves off so someone has changed something since you had it, which would be my bigger concern if they don't know how to undo what they must have done... I would suspect that they fiddled with more than resetting the bump damage, whether intentional or otherwise.

There's no rhyme or reasons to the way orders are being filled, not helped by Royal Mail who are only collecting a certain number each day (when they turn up at all) and even then orders are sat in sorting offices for days or weeks in some cases. Car Chem's communications could be considerably better, but the deliveries are purely down to Royal Mail. If you call Car Chem, they should be able to tell you whether your order has left the warehouse or not. If it has, they should be able give you a tracking number so you can watch it sit with RM for a while at least.

Dehumidifier bag.

No such thing.

I do like that - the perforated leather bit at the bottom is a particularly nice touch. Good choice not going for alcantara too! Not many people realise just how badly it wears unless you're going to wear gloves every time you drive it.

Haha, no worries if I can’t switch it off I’ll just learn to live with it (or just open the browser on the widescreen monitor instead of the laptop screen, I suppose). Cheers for checking.

Yep, tried a few browsers and that doesn’t make any difference.

Cheers, I've tried all of those options but can't get rid of it. Having it on the right is marginally better but the solution seems to be just to use the mobile site instead.

Should have mentioned that it’s only on the desktop site, not the mobile version, too.

Has anyone discovered a way to ditch this from the top of some threads? Only comes up on longer threads but takes up so much of the screen when it does show - any way to turn this off?

In fairness, there were fundamentally only two problems with AvP. In no particular order, they were: The concept. The execution. Also in no particular order: Pulp Fiction, Reservior Dogs, Empire Strikes Back, Mallrats, Dogma, Shawshank Redemption, Aliens, Saving Private Ryan, Goodfellas, Die Hard, Die Hard 2, Terminator 2, Human Traffic, At a push, Falling Down - it's not a great film, but it's re-watchable.