Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community - FT86CLUB - View Single Post

Guzic · 05-30-2014, 02:59 AM

I decided to create a separate review thread as this one will review "maintenance" products rather than "restoration" and paint correction products. After my first dealings with Stay Fresh Car Care, I was overwhelmed by the amount of support , advise and general friendliness that they offered. This is one company that will actually communicate with it's customers whether it be before or after a sale has occurred. I'm sure I must have the guys at Stay Fresh flustered as I've kept them busy with all my E-mails going back and forth

.
Onto the review, since I was pleasantly surprised by the products I had tested and reviewed before (thread here http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=66313) I decided to give their other products a go. This time around I ordered their Shampoo Bath, Tire shine, Blue 850 gsm MF towel, cleaning brush, and Hexpads and buffing pads.

Shampoo Bath:
Before trying this shampoo, I was using the Aero Super Suds shampoo. It is made by a jump detailing company. My problem with that (and most other car shampoos) was that suds appeared when you first started the wash but after 5 minutes the water would be completely flat. This shampoo was night and day difference. When I first saw the suds on the car I knew I had found What I was looking for. The suds stayed alive through out the whole wash and the coverage was nice and thick. A stand out point for the shampoo was that it claimed to prevent harsh water spots from forming while washing, and boy did it deliver. If you've ever tried to wash your car where the weather is anything like Vegas where it is still hot even after the sun goes down, you will fall in love with this shampoo. It also gave a noticeably cleaner look than other shampoos I have used in the past. The price point for this shampoo is also quite attractive (as with many of the Stay Fresh products) compared to other boutique shops.
This is with SHAMPOO ONLY
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Tire Shine
I am very picky when it comes to using tire shine on any tire. If I do not have a proper tire shine product then I will just leave the tire as is and clean it as good as I can with soap and a brush. I am also against using any tire shine that leaves the tire oily, causes browning, rotting, and SLINGING. The most noticeable point was that this tire shine was not oily at all. It applied very evenly and smoothly across the tire with a Shine & Scrub Hex pad. I am 100% positive this tire shine will not sling if applied with the Hex pad because you are not leaving anything on the surface on the tire, but rather "rubbing it in" or applying it as if it were wax. If you've ever used any of the SUPER oily tire shines like Meguiar's Tire Shine where it seems to just sit on the surface of the tire for days without drying and then slinging all over the car, This product will truly win you over. The appearance it gives the tire is that nice new black rubber look. If you like your tires flat balck, A single application will be enough. If you want extra shine, additional "coats" will achieve that.
Big Bonus: This tire shine works AMAZINGLY well on plasti dipped wheels. My wheels are dipped while I get my new set up and I've had other tire shines completely eat up and dissolve the plasti dip. With this Tire shine, it left the plasti dip completely intact and restored the true black look. A must have if you have black dipped wheels and struggle to clean them.
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Hex Pads
So far I have only tried the Shine & Scrub black hex pad to apply tire shine. These are actually bigger than I had imagined (about the size of an average hand palm). They are super resilient just as advertised and give great coverage as they wrapped around the entire sidewall of the tire. Easy to grab and use. Price is only $1.95

I've seen companies sell other hand pads for upwards of $7-$10. Will be trying out the other pads and updating the review later.

Buffing Pads
Have not had a chance to use these yet. From looking and feeling these, they are super resilient just as the hex pads and there is a noticeable difference between the rigidity of the pads. There are other companies that will sell you the same pad in 5 different colors and advertise them for a different purpose. Stay Fresh is keeping it simple and avoiding any confusion to the customers on this one. If you've ever tried the hex logic pads (some of my favorite), yo'll know that they can easily become bogged down and become pressed. This doesn't seem to be an issue with these pads so I am really looking forward to using these.
Microfiber Towels
I've reviewed the Green and Purple Mf in my other review already. Great towels that WON'T scratch your paint. The Blue MF towel is their highest quality towel at 850 GSM. and it only costs $5 . These towels are right up there with Zaino and The Rag Company towels in terms of quality. The only change I would make to these is make them border less, but they do have a satin border so it's not all bad (unlike Meguiar's stitched border). If you pick some of these up you will fall in love with them.

Like I said, Stay Fresh offers some of the best customer service I've seen. They will keep assisting you long after your purchase and give you advise even if you don't purchase from them. In m order, I had ordered a cleaning brush and they forgot to include it with the rest of the items. They promptly sent me a message with their apologies and they shipped it out the next day at their expense through priority mail (all their shipping is super fast btw). Shipping by USPS is also great for those in Canada. They have answered all my questions ever since I first contacted them weeks ago. I'm sure I've even kept them up late at night asking them questions as i sent them emails at 9-10 Pst (west coast) and still received a prompt answer (They are 3 hours ahead, EST). The customer service alone would make me become a customer, and with the great products it's a no brainer. I will be adding reviews of the other items as I try them. Stay Tuned and give a great community vendor a try!

Feel free to PM for any detailing questions, or if you want to get your car detailed/see products in person and you are in Vegas

05-30-2014, 02:59 AM	#1
Guzic Clean as F86ck Join Date: Dec 2013 Drives: 2014 Asphalt FR-S Location: Las Vegas :) Posts: 116 Thanks: 25 Thanked 53 Times in 37 Posts Mentioned: 8 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	NEW Stay Fresh Review! W/ Pics! I decided to create a separate review thread as this one will review "maintenance" products rather than "restoration" and paint correction products. After my first dealings with Stay Fresh Car Care, I was overwhelmed by the amount of support , advise and general friendliness that they offered. This is one company that will actually communicate with it's customers whether it be before or after a sale has occurred. I'm sure I must have the guys at Stay Fresh flustered as I've kept them busy with all my E-mails going back and forth . Onto the review, since I was pleasantly surprised by the products I had tested and reviewed before (thread here http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=66313) I decided to give their other products a go. This time around I ordered their Shampoo Bath, Tire shine, Blue 850 gsm MF towel, cleaning brush, and Hexpads and buffing pads. Shampoo Bath: Before trying this shampoo, I was using the Aero Super Suds shampoo. It is made by a jump detailing company. My problem with that (and most other car shampoos) was that suds appeared when you first started the wash but after 5 minutes the water would be completely flat. This shampoo was night and day difference. When I first saw the suds on the car I knew I had found What I was looking for. The suds stayed alive through out the whole wash and the coverage was nice and thick. A stand out point for the shampoo was that it claimed to prevent harsh water spots from forming while washing, and boy did it deliver. If you've ever tried to wash your car where the weather is anything like Vegas where it is still hot even after the sun goes down, you will fall in love with this shampoo. It also gave a noticeably cleaner look than other shampoos I have used in the past. The price point for this shampoo is also quite attractive (as with many of the Stay Fresh products) compared to other boutique shops. This is with SHAMPOO ONLY Tire Shine I am very picky when it comes to using tire shine on any tire. If I do not have a proper tire shine product then I will just leave the tire as is and clean it as good as I can with soap and a brush. I am also against using any tire shine that leaves the tire oily, causes browning, rotting, and SLINGING. The most noticeable point was that this tire shine was not oily at all. It applied very evenly and smoothly across the tire with a Shine & Scrub Hex pad. I am 100% positive this tire shine will not sling if applied with the Hex pad because you are not leaving anything on the surface on the tire, but rather "rubbing it in" or applying it as if it were wax. If you've ever used any of the SUPER oily tire shines like Meguiar's Tire Shine where it seems to just sit on the surface of the tire for days without drying and then slinging all over the car, This product will truly win you over. The appearance it gives the tire is that nice new black rubber look. If you like your tires flat balck, A single application will be enough. If you want extra shine, additional "coats" will achieve that. Big Bonus: This tire shine works AMAZINGLY well on plasti dipped wheels. My wheels are dipped while I get my new set up and I've had other tire shines completely eat up and dissolve the plasti dip. With this Tire shine, it left the plasti dip completely intact and restored the true black look. A must have if you have black dipped wheels and struggle to clean them. Hex Pads So far I have only tried the Shine & Scrub black hex pad to apply tire shine. These are actually bigger than I had imagined (about the size of an average hand palm). They are super resilient just as advertised and give great coverage as they wrapped around the entire sidewall of the tire. Easy to grab and use. Price is only $1.95 I've seen companies sell other hand pads for upwards of $7-$10. Will be trying out the other pads and updating the review later. Buffing Pads Have not had a chance to use these yet. From looking and feeling these, they are super resilient just as the hex pads and there is a noticeable difference between the rigidity of the pads. There are other companies that will sell you the same pad in 5 different colors and advertise them for a different purpose. Stay Fresh is keeping it simple and avoiding any confusion to the customers on this one. If you've ever tried the hex logic pads (some of my favorite), yo'll know that they can easily become bogged down and become pressed. This doesn't seem to be an issue with these pads so I am really looking forward to using these. Microfiber Towels I've reviewed the Green and Purple Mf in my other review already. Great towels that WON'T scratch your paint. The Blue MF towel is their highest quality towel at 850 GSM. and it only costs $5 . These towels are right up there with Zaino and The Rag Company towels in terms of quality. The only change I would make to these is make them border less, but they do have a satin border so it's not all bad (unlike Meguiar's stitched border). If you pick some of these up you will fall in love with them. Like I said, Stay Fresh offers some of the best customer service I've seen. They will keep assisting you long after your purchase and give you advise even if you don't purchase from them. In m order, I had ordered a cleaning brush and they forgot to include it with the rest of the items. They promptly sent me a message with their apologies and they shipped it out the next day at their expense through priority mail (all their shipping is super fast btw). Shipping by USPS is also great for those in Canada. They have answered all my questions ever since I first contacted them weeks ago. I'm sure I've even kept them up late at night asking them questions as i sent them emails at 9-10 Pst (west coast) and still received a prompt answer (They are 3 hours ahead, EST). The customer service alone would make me become a customer, and with the great products it's a no brainer. I will be adding reviews of the other items as I try them. Stay Tuned and give a great community vendor a try! Feel free to PM for any detailing questions, or if you want to get your car detailed/see products in person and you are in Vegas __________________ Last edited by Guzic; 06-02-2014 at 08:01 PM.