The behind the scenes low down on each product >>> Forensic Unplugged (hit subscribe for instant glory!) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-HNtakZ572Ig.html
Thank you John, made my mind up to go for the Bilt Hamber as an all rounder & not overly aggressive. New to detailing & your videos have been a massive help & source of information. Keep it up buddy.
I hadn’t appreciated Cleanser-Fluid as a tar and glue remover, I’d been using it solely as a prep like you would Eraser or Gtech Panel Wipe and using KKD Tartastic as the dedicated tar remover.
It’s a solid video this Jon. I’ve had an awful intro into Tar remover going EU. I’ve ended up looking at alternatives. Common ones. Petrol. WD. White spirits. Maybe even weaken the EU with a white spirit mix. So don’t kill the rubber seals in spray bottles over night.
Brilliant, just what I was looking for was this video, been using Autoglym for years and thinking the 5L were getting expensive even though a great product and others telling me to try different products, so I've just ordered the Autosmart on your expert advice, thanks a lot, take care
To me it sounds like there's 2 tar removers for 2 different scenarios... The odd job/only need 1 litre - Koch Chemie Eulex (£7.25) Bulk order for multiple cars/ 5 litres - Autosmart Tardis (£20 from an Autosmart rep, or £30 on eBay) Personally I think the £20 per litre for Tardis you stated in the video is a little harsh when you can get 5 litres for under £30 (works out at £6 per litre on ebay, or £4 per litre from a rep, making it the cheapest).
I have tried pretty much every tar remover out there, like you Jon, and have always gone back to AS Tardis. I love the idea of Valetpro with it being citrus, but it just doesn’t pack enough punch. I believe elite car care sell Tardis for around £30 for 5 litres 👍🏼
I have to be honest Jon I’ve never used any other tar and glue remover other than tardis so can’t compare to the others. That said tardis is a mega product and I believe it was yourself who said it takes no prisoners and my god you weren’t wrong. I cleaned my uncles car recently and there was a sizeable piece of tar on the drivers wing. It took a couple of hits but tardis got the job done quite easily 👍🏻
Just thought I would post even though this is 3 years old, bought some BH today and they have it in 5L for £29.95 (14.95 for 500ml so no brainer the larger)
So glad I saw this video, I’ve just cancelled my Amazon order for Gtechniq W7 Tar and Glue Remove. Don’t want to risk damaging plastic surfaces on my rs3. Looks I’m back to wd40 and plenty of soap washing/wax..
I’ve used auto glum tar and glue remover everyday for the last 5-6 years always worked a treat never worried about it damaging paintwork even left it on over night if a car is full of tar
I’ve been using Tardis for years, been my “go-to” product as well 👍🏻 Good to see my gut instinct on this efficient tar remover wasn’t wrong 😏 Thanks for this Jon, as always, I enjoy the videos, keep’em coming, good work👍🏻
I use kerosene on tar on car paint, works fine, is cheap and a bottle of it can last for months or years. Plenty of tar spray during our hot summers here in New Zealand :-).
I was expecting to see CarPro's offering on here, TarX. I have it, it's OK, pretty mild stuff, seems to be turpene based, and has that orange smell. Works well on tar, adhesives take a lot longer. Leaves an oily residue.
Thanks for this video.. It's really helpful to see so many products being compared and also the biggest concern for me was the suitability if the tar and glue remover was to drip down onto the plastic trim and the risk of damage.
I am glad you included the poly-carbonate test. I did mention the G&T damaging my headlights when you put up the video of your intention to run this test. And well done for pointing out that these products should always be used as directed. I will say though, the G&T directions on the bottle that I had suggested for exterior use only. No mention of plastics of other materials. Perhaps they have updated their packaging, however, last I checked, headlights were on the exterior of the vehicle. So I did use as directed. They just told me tough luck when I called for help / to complain... So not much good with the old customer service for me. I suppose to be expected when their £17/L product damaged the LED headlights on my brand new vehicle. That wasn't a cheap bill to swallow. I will say also though, previously to my attempt with the G&T, I had been using Tardis for years without issue, in the exact same way I had used the G&T. I know what I'll be using next time.
was that you Stu. I remember the comment its a great example of how comments infuence my thought process. So the G&T says its for user on exterior painted surfaces only, eg paintwork. You can argue they should put on there not for use on plastics or headlights as this would help. most do specifically state dont use on plastic. But I think this is also why the tardis is a worthy winner because it passed this test, so it reduces the risk.
@@ForensicDetailing Yeah, that was me. I actually screenshotted their webpage at the time, where the warning clearly stated exterior use only, but no mention of painted surfaces or materials, simply: "Warning: This product should only be used on your vehicles exterior. DO NOT use on any other surfaces." Just in case I needed it for future reference. So their own documentation was / is not specific enough. I have just checked there, and that is STILL what it states on their website. I would have expected them to have updated that by now. Here is the link for reference. www.car-chem.com/shop/glue-tar-remover So it is very good that YOU are providing the warning at least. And VERY good to see that you took on the comment, and ran a test yourself, and compared against other products. As I said above, I had been using Tardis for years prior, and I found it to be excellent, as you did too. So will be using that going forward now. A worthy winner indeed. I had high hopes for the Koch Chemie EU at that price, but I guess it wasn't to be, ha ha. Anyway, lesson learned now. Expensive, but learned. Their CS has certainly put me off ever considering their products again though. Thanks for all the great content you put up. Everytime I see the notification, I can't wait to watch another informative, well made video.
Kkd tartastic is my favourite for removing tar spots in particular. It's almost gel like consistency and long dwell times just pulls the tar spots straight off the bodywork.
Have used Gaddis for years always could it good & no effort required to use never had any problems on paint or plastic washes off easily & is great on a cotton wool pad for spot removal rather than sprayed all over
Good review Jon & great method of testing. To throw one in for consideration, strictly speaking it is a panel wipe, Upol Slow Panel Wipe. It works pretty well as a tar/glue remover & is extremely cheap for 5L as well 👍
@@diljithayre9379 not as effective as a dedicated T+G remover & needs a little agitation but works well while being more gentle. Being a panel wipe I have no worries it would damage clearcoat or plastics.
It was important for me to find a tar remover sold in the states that can be used dry AND wet. Came across Pure:est T3 Tar Remover which specificlly states it can be used wet or dry! I ordered some to try.
FYI: Tardis is almost completely made up of White spirit and Xylene. This means you can make your own mix if you live outside the UK. Find a distributor of "Xylene Paint Thinner" and "White spirit", then mix 50/50.
Very well produced and presented comparison Jon. Many thanks. You just cost me more money as I don't have any on my shelves. At least I can get the right one first time now, made down the road from me as well.
Really good test, enjoyed watching that 👍. Not a huge surprise Tardis came out on top, a lot of the pro's seem to use it and they have far more to consider than most amateurs. I think I'll switch once I've used up my AutoGlym 👍.
Autosmart Tardis is the 1 i constantly use as its just works best overall. I'm interested in putting it up against the infinity wax t and g to see how they compare.
Great vid. I have used Tardis for ages and it is especially good at removing tar from rear fenders and number plates of motorcycles. I get mine direct from Autosmart and the 5l tin was under £30. In my experience it is the best product by far. I
Another great, well-researched video! As a hobby detailer, I have been using ValetPro Tar & Glue Remover for years, simply because it is mild and I don't mind going over an area twice (gives a bit more control I think), and because it is quite cheap (as you showed in the video). I have tested other brands as well, but I still come back for the ValetPro. I can imagine if you are a detailing company, you would opt for the AutoSmart or the Koch brand, because they are the most effective.
I was trying to find out the answer to this question about 6 hours before this video was uploaded and had car chem in my mind as it's cheap for a 5l (in the sales..) but didn't know the eu existed. And as I've been looking to move onto koch products I now know what to go for. Thanks
I love valet pro, I have been using it on exotic motorcycles for cleaning chain grease and never had a probkem. But I think it has solvents in it and strips the ceramic coating, as I have seen gyeon tar hasn't solvents in it and it is safe for ceramic coatings. Is it right?
its "spelt" Koch Chemie. How its pronounced Ive been told a million times already by others.. I will always call it "ko-t-ch". It gets people commenting to correct me and that helps me with the algorithms. ;) ((playing around, much love to you my friend and thanks for watching))
Dave after watching this review I went and bought TARDIS lot of bang for the buck but my question is will it remove and I hope it will remove when it comes to the end of the year or the start of the year to put a new wax or sealant down will it help me remove my old wax sealant base I'm going to be polishing afterwards IPA fluid all over it there are a lot of guys reckon this is a great aid in cleaning old wax and sealants I don't need to clay bar the car as it is only going to be a year old and has been actively kept
You never mentioned the smell. I can't machine wash a micro fibre when using a glue a tar remover as it makes the washing machine and subsequent washes stink. Any of these products passable on smell or should we just factor in the cost of ditching any cleaning cloths used.
superglue which are dried up on paintworks are the toughest to remove especially leftovers after sticking a loose car plastic logo...for a tar remover to remove the leftovers of glue that have dried up is truly a miracle...
a Question "affects plastics" "not to use on plastics" etc, how does that translate to the Plastic Trim parts on cars, esp the Textured plastics you find on the lower areas of the car that usually get the worse of the tar / same with wheel arch liners ? *is off to find local autosmart rep for a 5l can ,, two cars and the local "road repairs" are all the "pour tar in the hole + add some chippings " !
poly propalyene you mean. Well in my head its a form of plastic so that means dont use on poly prop trim either. that would include wheel archers... great question. I think its REALLY important to have one that passes the poly carb test isnt it.
@@ForensicDetailing yes one of the ones that Do not mark polycarb is a "must" imho,, ruined headlights/sidelights due to over spray would get £££ on the wallet fast, i Was swinging towards Koch Eu as a replacement for the autoglym i use now But following your test results on Just the polycarb ,, as above im hunting my local autosmart rep :D having used autoglym on wheel arch liners and the textured plastic trims im counting myself Lucky it didn't react or cause damage ,,
Great testing and interesting results Jon. I'm a long time user of Tardis which has alway been great for me but I'm surprised so many people have issues with it. I've also had good results from AM Details Tar.
Hi I enjoy your content and channel and I’ve just subscribed. I have a detailing question for you. Why use expensive decontamination liquids when a clay bar or clay cloth does the same thing?
Super helpful thank you !! Have you any experience with Tar-Dah by ProKleen? I see they have a 5 litre for £23 and it's being advertised as "Safe for your paintwork, wheels and plastics", hmm.. would love to see a test on this one - also wondering about Troll's Breath and Dragons Blood Iron Contamination Remover both at £24 for 5L, they are manufactured by different chemical companies and sold by ProKleen UK
Another great video. I suspect it is difficult to know where to strike value for money as a calculation but Tardis is less than £30 for 5 litres so actually does quite well on that front too. However my 5 litre can is over 5 years old and is probably more than I'll ever need so i get the logic of 1 litre equivalent.
Hi Jon hope ur well bud, any reason why you tested the eulex and not the Teerwäsche A (Tea) Tar & Glue Remover?? Read up on slims doesn’t suggest they are different, hopefully you can answer? Thanks very much
I use Just The Tonic. It always works great at removing tar and that weight residue from the back of alloys. BUT, at one time, I used that same product on one refurbished Mercedes-Benz GLE AMG-Line alloy, and the clearcoat turned sticky, it rubberised and rubbed off onto the applicator pad. It was not Just The Tonic's fault, but the inferior quality of the 'After-Meerkat' clearcoat used on that one alloy. It always pays to communicate with the customer to ask if he's EVER had ANY paint done on ANY part of the car, to avoid this schoolboy error.
Brilliant review, Jon. Thank you for posting the video. I’ve had good results with AF Oblitarate, but will definitely try Autosmart Tardis as the trade seem to rate this, too.
Great video! I wonder if these tar removers can resolve paint drops from outside source (paint that comes from a wall or a construction place nearby). Do you know anything that can take these contaminants off the cars surface coat?
it honestly depends on the type of the paint.. .but im my experience they are not great at remove like automotive overspray. I turn to cellulose thinners or acetone or claying.. obviously being carefully with thinners on clearcoat.
@@flemmingjensen3202 if you dont understand how to use it sensibly they stay away from it. Cellulose thinner is a lot stronger but ive been using it for about 20 years to remove various paint oversprays or splatter thats got onto cars without issue.
@@flemmingjensen3202 it does not really matter you have to be very carefull with these materials which ever one you use. they are designed to disolve paint, so your right in a way.. but you just use them with commen sense, dabb on and straight off. if you spray them of apply them and leave them you could litterally swell up and damage your clearcoat reasonably quickly. But the same can be said of IPA above 70%. so its just apply commen sense I guess.
For a few days I have several barely visible tar points. But I will go on vacation for 3 weeks during which time I think other bitumen points will buildup. It is ok to wait 3-4 weeks and remove tar after returning from vacation or should I remove them immediately in order not to damage the paint?
Pretty good test but I'd be interested in the results on different types of plastic. Car exterior trims use more than just polycarbonate - and I have definitely seen black trims (I believe to be ABS) bleached by Tardis and the likes. Similar for vinyl too, which can be damaged by strong hydrocarbon based tar removers. Poor respray jobs can even be completely removed by a hydrocarbon based tar remover, so I'd be wary of calling Tardis completely safe. However more mild limonene based ones are usually fine on the different plastics and aftermarket paint jobs.
on poly prop or acrylic yes me 2 but I think poly carb is the most sensitive. I think this is a fair point. Tardis is not a mild TandG you do need to be carefull with it. but its the worthy winner. I think you have to be carefull as a user with these products like you say. Its important to say anyone can do these tests and come up with a different winner as well.
Hi Jon, such a great video - thank you for carrying out these tests! I have heard that AutoSmart's Tardis is a great product and to see the results was really beneficial. I will definitely give this a try on my CLK 320 😉
Bilt Hamber don't seem to list anything to not apply their Cleanser Fluid on to, so I'm going to assume that was the one that specifically was expected to be ok on plastic. Seems like a no-brainer to me, use without too much worry. If it's a bit slower just take your time.
This is a great review. Unfortunately not all of these products are as easily purchasable for me here in the US. I have a really tough test case, I have a wheel which is covered on the rough finished back side with I believe asphalt sealer that is very hard to budge, so I just slowly attack it when I'm ready to do a wheel-off cleaning, but the chemicals I have (a nearly empty can of solvent based remover that works well and will knock you out with fine, and Tar-X) don't allow me to remove to much at a single time without a lot of effort and product use.
tardis is last product i would use on my coated car for maitance wash to remove tar... Thats where gyeon or carpro tar remover win every time since they they designed for it
the best one in this sense is Valetpro. car chem and Gtech and tardis and BH have heavy solvent smells. koch has mega heacy pear drop scent plus solvent smell thats truely wow in a bad way. AG is ok gyeon has the deep limonene honk.
@@ForensicDetailing thanks for the advice, I've been searching online for hours and the autoglym tar remover gets a good rep and someone said it works to remove insects at the same time, so I'll look at your recommendation and weigh them both up.
I’ve got some Autoglym intensive tar remover but haven’t actually got round to using it yet. How did you apply it, would it be easier to decant it into a spray bottle?
autoglym put it in a bottle without a sprayer for a reason... if you spray these products around and overspray goes on the wrong thing then you can see the potential for damage. but sprayer can be good if you spray into you applicator or your just carefull. AG are cautious because they sell to the mass market and they get to see first hand all the things that go wrong.
@@ForensicDetailing Thanks for coming back to me. Normally I like brake and clutch as it's generally pretty gentle on paint, depending on brand. I'll do some test patches.
Would be very interested to see comparisons with my go to tar remover- Autoglanz spar tar! I've tried 4 of these products and I'd say it's very similar in performance with the Koch chemie
I bought a bottle of GTechniq Tar and Glue in preparation for picking up my new car. The bloody thing leaks all over my hand when I use it. It literally smells just like turps and takes ages to get rid of the smell. And after 3 hits, following all instructions, it's STILL couldn't remove the adhesive left behind by the packing tape! Not impressed at all! I did consider Tardis, but what the hell do I need 5 litres of it for? Unless you're a detailer by trade, I think its a total waste. For that reason I probably wouldn't have included it in the regular test myself. That being said Jon, when you are doing shootouts like this in future, it would be nice if you included at least one product that can easily be picked up from the likes of Euro Car Parts, Halfords, motor parts stores etc.
