Product Review: Bilt Hamber Auto Balm

You can either order from Ben at Rubbish Boys or if you don't need it right now you can wait a few weeks and get it from 911fanatic at Autowerkes.

 

I haven't got final pricing sorted, but from Ben it would be around $21 USD plus shipping.

 

JL, the BMW looks great, as always. It's really, really dark looking.

I've used, and really like, both products. I'd say the slickness is pretty much a dead heat. With the S2000 currently wearing Auto Balm, I got asked by a few people recently how I kept pollen off the car so effectively. So in that regard, it certainly does help.

Now I'm not going to lie and say that Auto Balm - or Jetseal, or any product, for that matter - will magically make pollen just avoid your vehicle altogether. That would be impossible. But it does seem to help it stay off the car, certainly off the sides of it.

 

Oh snap...you guys are killin me. But in a good way. When I first read a post about BH Auto Balm, I wasn't so sure. Flashbacks to my KSG nightmares come to mind. But first JL posts about how much he likes it, then Ken and now Karl...especially you Karl and those new uses you just found!

So would BHAB topped with RBOE look good or what?

 

Can you quess what i've just ordered from RB??

 

Eh I guess I'll give this stuff a shot as soon money comes my way, hehe.

 

EDIT:

Please read on within this thread. Both JL and I later found that Auto Balm and Vintage are somehow incompatible. We both ended up with these strange cloudy areas on our paint. They were almost impossible to see on my silver S2000, but in the right light, they were there. I have now decided that Auto Balm is best left by itself, with no toppers.

This morning, you may have heard a loud "thud." That was the sound of my jaw hitting the floor after I got done topping this stuff with Vintage. I'd expect the same result, or certainly similar, out of RBOE.

Full disclosure: Ben said that topping Auto Balm with a 'nuba could potentially compromise the protective coating that Auto Balm produces. He said the solvents in the wax could, possibly, do this. I'll just have to wait and see how the finish on the S2000 holds up now - if it only goes a month or so, I'll assume that the nuba topping compromised the Auto Balm. If it goes a few to several months, I'll declare it a success. Either way, at the moment, it looks pretty amazing.

 

That looks really great, I wish you got a picture of your car amongst the others that got covered with pollen

K seriously Karl, you and JL are going to make me buy another product. You guys should be salesmen instead of detailers...:thud:. It sounds really promising though, good idea on the instrument cluster. :mounty:


I envy you guys in the states with the stronger dollar, it pretty much makes up for shipping when you order from Ken. But then again Kens local so thats a really big plus haha. Ken let me know when you have some, it seems like a promising product

 

:lol: :thud:

I didn't know you had Vintage! That's pretty interesting about the AB potentially succumbing to a 'nuba's solvents. I'd think it would be able to stand up to anything. Is there anything that HAS been proven as an Auto Balm topper?

 

OK now the BMW is wearing a coat of Vintage over the Auto Balm. I'll see how it holds up as well. I do know that Auto Balm is going on 5 months on the Jeep and still looks and feels great.

 

if we did decide to top with a nuba, about how long shud we wait after applying auto balm?

 

JL very generously gave me a sample of Vintage to play with some months ago. I've only just gotten around to using it :sorry:

Regarding topping Auto Balm - here's a link to Ben's comments about this. This is in JL's original review of BHAB from months ago:

http://www.detailingbliss.com/forum/f75/review-bilt-hamber-auto-balm-6443.html#post96378

 

Uhhh, maybe you guys shouldn't have put the Vintage on :006:


From what Ben says in that post, it seems like it's best if used with itself only. So, I guess no Dodo LPL or SF CF before application too. I'm still interested though...especially for my parents' cars and winter!

 

Yeah, I just couldn't leave well enough alone. Rainy day, a little bored... :LOL:

 

You know that recommendation actually came from the manufacturer about not topping it and that could be that the manufacturer just doesn't think it would be beneficial. Much like Zaino doesn't recommend topping it with a nuba but I've seen it done and done it myself with no detrimental effect.

 

Looks friggin great! Balm is a fun word to say too.

 

I agree with what JL is saying, and it's why I decided to experiment. Besides, at $21USD for a pot of Auto Balm...why not experiment?

From Zymol's page on Vintage, the ingredients include Evergreen, Honeydew, Coconut, Cantaloupe and Sunflower oils. I have a hard time believing that stuff like this would impact Auto Balm any worse than, for example, road spray in a rain storm would.

We'll see how well this particular finish lasts on my car. If it looks like it's starting to tank after about two months, I'll let you all know, and strip the whole car and start over. By then, it'll be due for a polish anyway...

 

This thread is teh win! Good point JL...marketing tactics. Karl, when you say it's starting to tank after two months, was that before or after you topped with Vintage? I R confused...just did my taxes so my brain is mush right now.

 

Marketing tactics??? This is Bilt Hamber we're talking about here. :giggle:

Pete (of Bilt Hamber) has said many times not to top it as the solvents in waxes, QD's etc can attack the film formers in Auto-balm.

Have to admit I do top it on occasions, sometimes you just have to try different things.

 

Oo i understand what your saying. The problem i have with nubas is alot of them actually allow dust to stick on them.After i put souveran on my wrx i drove out to a car meet at a local speed shop. The back trunk lid and rear bump had a nice coating of dust on it. So if it can keep the pollen or dust off for a little while im fine with that.It just a pain when after i finish washing a car i can see a yellow dusting all over my car.