Car wash products for summer bug marks: AutoGrooming AutoGrooming 3

I used the AutoGrooming AutoGrooming Cube Wash Line 3-piece set on my Hyundai Palisade, which had built-up bug residue and water spots after a sudden shower. I usually do a self-service car wash about once every two months, but this time I went through each step in order, from pre-wash to bucket wash.

What comes in the AutoGrooming Cube Wash 3-piece set, and what are the bottles like?

The set includes Indigo Core Pre-Wash, Red Dissolve Dual Wash, and Blue Edge Shampoo. You can buy them individually or as a set, and I found the set convenient for getting all the products I needed at once.

The square bottles reminded me of cereal boxes or laundry-room detergent. They come in purple, red, and blue, making them easy to tell apart while washing the car.

What kind of grime was on the car before washing?

Hardened bug residue was stuck to the front grille, hood, and windshield. There were shower marks over dirt that might have been dust or pollen, making the hood look messy. I was also bothered by the water spots left after rain dried in the sun.

I started washing on an overcast day with no rain in the forecast. A cool breeze was blowing too, so I decided to try the three products one by one.

Each product is 800ml. Based on my usual washing interval, I expected them to last around a year, although I have not actually used them for that long. They arrived sealed, and you switch to a separate cap that makes pouring the solution easier when it is time to use them.

How did Indigo Core Pre-Wash feel to use?

For the first step, I used the alkaline Indigo Core Pre-Wash. Both the bottle and the solution are purple, and the cap has measurement markings.

With products I had used before, I sometimes could not tell which solution was in a spray bottle. This time, the solutions themselves follow the color of each product, so they were easy to distinguish.

I used to finish a wash with just one car shampoo, but water spots and bug marks sometimes remained. Since getting a new car, I have been doing a pre-wash before the main wash.

This time as well, I began by loosening the grime before rubbing with a wash mitt. I diluted the solution in an electric sprayer and sprayed it onto the car.

After spraying, I could see grime breaking loose and running down. That let me start the mitt wash with less contamination left on the surface.

Before the solution dried, I rinsed it with high-pressure water. I expected a harsh smell, but it smelled more like perfume to me. My wife, who was taking photos beside me, also said it smelled nice.

How did Red Dissolve Dual Wash work on water spots?

The second product was Red Dissolve Dual Wash, an acidic car shampoo. It can be used with foam or in a bucket, and because water spots remained after rain, I used it as a foam wash this time.

You can dilute it in a bucket and wash with a mitt, but I wanted to apply it by spraying.

I planned to use the ready-made foam cannon I had prepared, but it was broken and would not dispense the concentrate. In the end, I transferred it to an electric foam sprayer and diluted it with water.

Once I diluted the deep red concentrate, it looked pink. It had a sweet scent different from Indigo Core.

The listed bucket ratio is 20ml of concentrate for 20L of water. At 20ml per wash, one 800ml bottle works out to 40 washes, so the amount felt generous too.

I wanted to apply it more evenly with a foam cannon connected to a pressure washer, so I was disappointed that the equipment problem prevented that. Still, the foam from the electric foam sprayer stayed on the paintwork for quite a while.

After the alkaline pre-wash followed by acidic cleaning, it seemed like a lot of the grime had already been reduced, even before I rubbed with a mitt. At the time, it felt as though around 70% was gone, but that was not a measured figure.

I cleaned the wheels too. The foam did not run off quickly, and during this wash I felt that water spots left behind by dried water were washing away.

How were the foam and glide of Blue Edge Shampoo?

Finally, I diluted Blue Edge Shampoo in a bucket and washed the car with a wash pad.

I used 20ml, which is one capful. If you use 20ml at a time with this product too, 800ml works out to 40 washes.

Blue Edge is presented as a mildly alkaline car shampoo. Beyond its cleaning power, I was curious whether it would also feel smooth while moving the mitt.

When I actually moved the wash pad, the gliding sensation was much more noticeable than any dragging. That was the part I particularly liked during this use.

One 20ml capful made creamy foam, and the mitt moved smoothly too. After the bucket wash, I rinsed with high-pressure water and finished by drying the car.

What stayed with me after completing all three steps?

Seeing grime reduce as I applied the two pre-wash steps with a sprayer, then finishing with a hand bucket wash, made it feel like I had washed the car thoroughly. For me, it felt like I had completed the wash without putting in too much effort.

The matching colors of the products and solutions made them easy to identify, and I also remembered the scents and Blue Edge's glide. This was one use on a car with a lot of accumulated grime before the monsoon season, so I have not yet confirmed the long-term maintenance effect or how long a bottle actually lasts.