Flash cleaner

[Roger Blassberg 0]

I have tried a new (to me at least) cleaning gadget called the Flash system for washing the paintwork.

 

Basically, you fill the thing with shampoo and connect it to the garden hosepipe. It also incorporates a filter for the rinsing water which (allegedly) de-ionises it and stops hard water from leaving drying marks. It saves having to leather the rinsing water off.

 

The claim is that the shampoo does not take the wax treatment off of the paint.

 

I live in a hard water area, and certainly have had problems in the past with limescale marks on the paint if I haven't leathered it off.

 

It does exactly what it says on the box - very convenient.

 

£20 from Halfords,etc., £4 for shampoo refills and £5 for filter refills, each enough for at least 10 washes.

 

Best wishes

 

RB

[craigowl 0]

They sell it up here, too, but we have very soft water, so I do not know if it is worth getting. AutoExpress did a test on it which came out OK.

[chrishill 0]

i saw an advert on tv for that the other day, I'm a little reluctant to wash my car with a product made by the same people who make highly paint-corosive household cleaners! still if you get good results with it then it might be worth a shot although theres no way I'll be using it..... i dont have a hosepipe :lol:

[Kevin Bacon 5]

That appealed to me as I hate cleaning the car. Does it really not leave any water marks AT ALL?

 

Might give it a whirl if that's the case!

[Roger Blassberg 0]

OK, this is based on the one and only use so far, brand new kit with fresh filters etc., not in direct sunshine (which would have been the worst scenario for quick-drying and watermarking).

 

It left no marks at all.

 

There was next to no wax left on the paintwork before washing it, so I cannot judge the claim that it will not be removed by the shampoo. It has subsequently been fully waxed with Zymol, (what a delicious smell that stuff has !!) so the next wash will be the test of that claim.

 

Incidentally, I cleaned off all of the black trim with Meguers Detailing Cleaner; that seems to work well too.

 

Quote from Mrs B., "How much longer are you going to spend cleaning that bl**dy car??"

 

Quote from me, (expletive, deleted).

 

Best wishes

 

RB

[Skimask 0]

I'll have to give it a go...its a real pain drying the car off, any sun at all and most of the car (its black) is dry before I get to it.

I don't know about the filter de-ionising the water, thought it would be more of a fine particle filter, but if it works then great :)

[Exup Man 0]

Used Turtle Wax - Wax it wet last weekend (its 2 for 3 at halfrauds). Be careful not to put too much on! It does work well.

[Banana Man 0]

I nearly bought this flash cleaning system at the weekend but decided to go with the more manual approach of washing and drying it in then end. Might give it a go next time if it's any good though.

[bristolbaron 10]

My trouble is i dont have a very long hose.

[gradeAfailure 0]

Fnarrr fnarrrr... ;)

 

Edit: seriously though, I was thinking about this as I live in a very hard water area... Hmmm, might have to take a gamble on it!

[jedi-knight83 0]

just seen this thread... any more comments on the system?

 

cant you use your own shampoo in the gadget and then just utilise the water softner to avoid water marks

[john_wintle 0]

Think the water softener works best using the supplied shampoo, as it must be a special formulation.

 

Some of the people that have used it says it works OK, other have has issues with it as it seems so strip some treatments that you might have used on the car, such as glass treatment etc.

 

At the end of the day, it is meant for Mr. Average who doesn't clean their car that often, let alone wax/polish it.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

doesn't clean their car that often, let alone wax/polish it.

 

Yep, that's me!

 

Mind you, it does get a very thick coat of your lovely Shield wax once a year though....and the water beads all year round, perfect for a car washing/polishing hater like me.

[Supercharged 2]

Yep, I got some flash for my b'day - seems to clean the car well and really take the dirt off but to be honest you still need to use a sponge and still dry it afterwards for a great finish - I think this is just a good carwash for lazy people!

[billinjah 0]

i think these are excellent even on a hot sunny day i washed my black rado and just left it no water marks at all!!

[Furkz 0]

if i had a hose i would get it,,, its the same price or even cheaper than 3 of autoglym products for example or you can easily pay aroound £10.00 for a decent chamois leather

 

and if what billinjahg60, says its true, thais product must be good coz a black rado and no water marks is quite an achievement

[Phil K 0]

This sounds good... but tbh honest it only takes 10 - 15 minutes to leather the car... plus you get a chance to have a good look at your body work and notice all the new parking dents, scratches and rust spots :lol:

[Furkz 0]

Phil K, hehe that prob the reason for me not to leather so i dont get more madd lol

[Jim 1]

I'm with Phil K - good hand wash, and dry - I use the Autoglymn artificial chamois and it takes all of 20 minutes to dry the car off properly.

 

I guess in winter this might be a slightly better solution though.. its a bit demotivating (and a bit tough going on the old hands!) when you want to get the weeks crud off the car and its floating around 1 or 2 degrees centigrade outside!

[billinjah 0]

im telling you it works like a dream! yeah jim 20 mins aint long but thats 20 mins you can spend cleanng something else! i personally spent 20 minutes waiting for the car to dry saying wow that bits dry and no marks to my girlfriend who was sooo interested!!

[GIXXERUK 0]

i've used it and it works well if ...........you spray on the foam on and then sponge it all over the car to get good coverage , then hose off

 

if not the areas not covered will have water marks

[Skimask 0]

Flash - brilliant!! it does what it says on the box. No marks at all. In the summer - I used to get a quarter of the car chamiosed and the rest dries out (black car) - you've got to wet it again. Saves so much time and hassle.

The downside is you don't notice the new chips and dents!

[G-Lader 0]

with Phil K also, seems expensive if you take into account u gotta keep buying the shampoo and filter for every 10 washes...10 washes does not take long in summer!

[G60Jet 1]

i use a bucket and sponge, then rise with the hose, then use a bucket of hot water and a shammy leather with a cap full of dishwasher rinse aid in to stop the windows smerring

[Skimask 0]

with Phil K also, seems expensive if you take into account u gotta keep buying the shampoo and filter for every 10 washes...10 washes does not take long in summer!

 

 

Seems so until you take into account how much you spend on a Corrado every year - then it really is peanuts. :roll: