Originally I had requested to try the 3D Pink Car Soap for the Holiday Giveaway for comparison to my go to car wash from DG. Since DG 902 “leaves something behind” David suggested I try HD Wash so I agreed to try both.
My car had been treated with DG 501/601 and DG 105/601 in late October as preparation for winter. Since then it had received a couple of coats of CG Hybrid V7.
Car was in about the same shape for each of the three comparison washes (which wasn’t hard to do with the winter we’ve been having here in SW PA.
For all washes the car was first pressure washed. Wash media was a Carpro Sheepskin mitt in all cases. My garage has a drain and is insulated, but not heated so the temp was 42-46 degrees for each wash.
DG902 has been my go to car wash soap for the last 10 years and I’ve always been happy with it’s performance, but felt it was time to try something new. I tried to look at each product with a critical eye (as much as you can with a car wash soap) and used the manufacturers recommended dilution rates. Pricing used was from Amazon to try to keep it level across all products. All products were mixed with 3 gallons of warm water.
DG902
FROM DG: “Is a highly concentrated blend of mild surfactants and cleaners that actually enhance the shine of painted vehicles each time it is used. Does not contain acids or alkali and will not remove durable polishes. "Shines as it Cleans". Recommended dilution is 1 oz per gallon of water.
IN USE
: Produces a nice amount of suds upon initial mixing, but they fade as the wash progresses. Cleans well with one or two passes and rinses well. I’ve never been able to see any difference or improvement in the shine after a wash. Leaves the finish slick and clean.
Cost: $23.36 per gallon-- .18 per oz-- .55 per wash. Note: This price at Amazon was from a supplier who only had a few bottles remaining. Pricing from DG is $30.95 per gallon-- .24 per oz-- .72 per wash.
HD WASH
FROM HD:
• Will Not Strip Wax or Sealant
• Gently Cleans, Shines & Protects
• pH Balanced
HD Wash is a highly concentrated car shampoo designed to cleanse, maintain and renew the shine on your vehicle. Fortified with a blend of PH balanced polymers and European glossing agents that will gently and effectively cleanse the bodywork of your fine automobile while leaving behind a clear layer of protection .
HD Wash’s luxurious lather will emulsify and encapsulate harmful surface dirt and grime without threatening your car’s finish or existing protection. The carefully engineered chemistry in HD Wash will keep your car looking its very best every time you treat it to a wash.
As you bathe your paintwork, you will be depositing a layer of protection that leaves paint shiny and slick. Environmentally safe, phosphate free, VOC-Compliant & biodegradable. Recommended dilution is 1oz per 3 gallons of water.
IN USE
: Produces rich, thick suds that were maintained throughout the wash. Cleans well with one or two passes of the mitt and rinses well. After drying I noticed the finish had a “grabby” feel, but by the next morning it was very slick and there was a definite improvement in the gloss. Perhaps this was caused by the cold temps in the garage and wouldn’t be the case in warmer conditions. Clearly HD Wash was “leaving something behind.”
COST: $7.99 per 16oz-- .50 per oz-- .50 per wash.
3D PINK CAR SOAP
FROM 3D:
Great for car washes, detailers, and more.
Concentrated soap
High Foam car wash shampoo
Rinses fast
Ph Balanced
Green and biodegradable car wash soap
Water saving product
Pink Car Soap is a super concentrated mild car shampoo designed to gently lift away dirt & grime safely from your vehicle. With 1 quick and easy swipe of your wash mitt, thick lather encapsulates, loosens and removes embedded contaminants to reduce surface friction marring and micro-scuffing. PH balanced for safe and effective cleaning without reducing the longevity of your freshly waxed or sealed vehicle. Its thick gel-like composition makes it super-concentrated providing maximum lather even with the smallest amount of usage. Rinses effortlessly from the surface and will not leave any residue or additional protective or enhancing elements behind.
Pink Car Soap works great with foam guns or foam lances, traditional bucket washing or even in specialty hand car wash applications. Extremely cost effective and concentrated lather keeps going and going and doesn’t dissipate like other soaps on the market. Produces extra slick lubrication that creates an added buffer between your mitt and the delicate soiled surface. This greatly reduces surface marring even on the dirtiest of surfaces.
In addition to being safe for your car, Pink Car Soap has been designed to be safe on your skin too. This soap is a favorite among many hand car washes which require a soap powerful enough to clean, but not harsh enough to dry out your skin. With a pH level that is well-balanced for even the most delicate car finishing and scrubbing hands, you can confidently use it for hand-washing your vehicle.100% Bio-Degradable so rest assured knowing that you are not harming the environment while making your vehicle look its very best. Pink Car Soap meets and exceeds all of these criteria, but does so much more.
This is also a great soap to get a car ready prior to optimal paint correction. Pink Car Soap rinses completely off the surface without question. With no gloss enhancing additives, you can rest assured knowing that the finish it leaves is 100% true. No extra elements remaining on the surface to interfere with polishing as well as none that will interfere with the bonding of your favorite paint protectant.
Recommended dilution is 1 oz per gallon of water.
IN USE
: Produced an enormous amount of suds that seemed to regenerate just by shaking the mitt in the wash solution. Had a tremendous amount of suds right through the whole wash. The suds seemed to cling to the paint more so than the others. Cleans very well with one or two passes with the mitt and rinses very fast. Left the finish very slick and “squeaky clean” if you know what I mean.
COST: $16.99 per gallon-- .13 per oz-- .40 per wash.
CONCLUSION: All three had great lubricity and all three cleaned the car well with minimum effort. DG 902 is still a fine car wash solution, but the suds seemed to die quickly, I really have never seen any increase in gloss or slickness and the price seems to be going up. HD Wash created great suds that seemed to last throughout the wash and there was an improvement in shine and slickness and the price is reasonable. I noticed after the HD Wash the car seemed to stay cleaner longer and the following wash was easier. 3D Pink Car Soap created a fantastic amount of suds-- if you use a foam gun or cannon this would seem to work well. It cleaned well and rinsed very easily and left the finish slick and spueaky clean at a very reasonable cost. Hard to beat at .40 per wash. In the future I think I’ll be using the 3D Pink Car Soap for most washes and the HD Wash when I want to bump up the gloss a little.
Thanks again to 3D/HD for the opportunity to evaluate these products.
) to something newer/better. I *still* wish I'd kept my '87 Quantum Synchro wagon, or bought one of the older "square" Passat ones with AWD; today's models just won't work for me no matter how much better they are.