Review: Bilt Hamber Auto Balm

Well I have been dying to use the Bilt Hamber Auto Balm I got from Ben at Rubbish Boys. I don't like to use products that I haven't used or some of the detailers on here haven't used on one of my clients cars. So I decided to give it a whirl on my Jeep Cherokee. I had Zaino Z5 Pro on it before and it was about time to give it a new LSP.

I started by washing the Jeep with the foam cannon and 2 oz of CGs Citrus Wash Clear. After washing and drying I hit the paint with CGs Vertua Bond to really clean the paint. I was going to use my usual DG 501 but I wanted to see how Auto Balm does with durability without having something underneath it that has some sealant in it. I applied the Vertua Bond with the Metabo and a gray 3M finishing pad. Well with the paint squeaky clean it was time for the main event.

Ben's directions said to dampen the supplied applicator pad before rubbing it into the Auto Balm. I did this and cracked open the Auto Balm. It has the consistency of pudding and is a tan color. The smell is straight chemical. No fancy fruity smells here. While using it, it even has the hint of lighter fluid. I dipped the dampened pad in the Auto Balm and applied in straight back and forth motions on horizontal panels and up and down on vertical ones. The directions say to apply in circular motion unless you want to do some filling and hide some minor swirling and then do the straight back and forth motion. I have some very very minor swirling so I decided to see what it could hide.

It goes on a little tacky and that's one of the reasons you want the pad to stay dampened, to provide lubrication. I re-wet the pad about 4 times during the application. Each time I wet the pad I made sure to wring it out really well. After I had the Auto Balm applied to the entire Jeep I let it set for about 5-10 minutes.

Ok now things get a little tricky. Just like Rubbish Boys OE I think there is a knack for application and removal. Application wasn't too bad with Auto Balm but removal was a little tricky. Now I do think I got the Auto Balm a little thick on the hood and roof and removal was much more difficult here. Now when it came to removal I started using the CGs 530xl MFs but they didn't have the ability to remove the Auto Balm too well so I decided to use the CGs Edgeless MFs that I use for nuba removal. This worked much better.

Now removal is not easy like most sealants, nowhere near as easy as DG or Jetseal. It feels like you are rubbing a clay bar over an unlubricated surface if that make sense. It grabs the MF a lot and you have to use some effort to get the MF to buff it off or in. The reason I say in is because you don't buff it off because you get absolutely no dust or residue when removing. Its like you are rubbing it into the paint and the paint just loves it.

The more you rub and buff it the slicker it gets to the point that it gets super slick. You can see the paint just take it in. It was a pretty wild procedure and as I realized what to expect it got tremendously easier. I think once you have the method down it will be much less difficult to use. When I had it all off or in I went back with one of Bens new MFs (the really super soft thick ones) and buffed the entire car. Its like the more you buff the better it gets.

Well just like Rubbish Boys OE that Ben talked me into trying the Bilt Hamber Auto Balm he recommended turned out to be AWESOME! I was knocked out by the look of the Auto Balm and the paint was sooooo slick. Like I said it takes a little getting used to for removal but its so worth it! Here are some pics I took when I finished:












Let me say that if you are thinking of trying a new sealant I would put Bilt Hamber at the top of the list! This will be a staple in my aresenal and if the durability is there then it will become a go to sealant.

 

Nice review JL now I am definitely going to contact Ben again, do you think you can top this sealant with something else?

 

Not sure Corey and I was wondering the same thing. Hopefully Ben will chime in and give his thoughts. I would love to see the Auto Balm topped with RBs OE!

 

How did I know you would say that.:

 

nice to know! Thanks for the review!

 

One thing I forgot to mention was my door handles. I included a picture of the passenger side door handles. If you notice the front door handle is much darker than the back door handle. I got some of the Auto Balm on the front one and decided to coat the whole thing and man did it get darker. I'll be checking to see if it lasts.

 

Thanks for the review JL.

 

Very interesting JL, thanks for sharing

I didn't realise your Jeep was actually a metallic From all the previous pics I remember seeing I thought it was black, it seems as if the Bilt Hamber really brings out the flake in the paint !

Will be interesting to see how well the product lasts on the door handle as well.

 

Looks very nice JL. :headbang:

One of the things with Auto-balm is that you don't want to leave it on for any length of time. You need to work in small areas no bigger than 2ft x 2ft, but I would say about 1ft x 1ft. Apply like you did, its sounds like you got that going well with the damp pad, but remove immediately after applying to every section, NOT the whole vehicle.

So:
Damp Applicator, not dripping wet, but plenty of moisture.
Apply extremely thin (thinner than RBOE), a tiny bit is all you need.
If it feels sticky or drags when applying, you either need more water on the pad, or you have too much balm on the applicator.
Apply to a small section, work into paint, keeping very thin.
Remove from this section immediately, no more than 1 minute curing time. If you get it right it more or less dissappears into the paint and it feels like you are just buffing it to a gloss.

It's got a little nack to applying, but once you get it, it does go on and off VERY easily.

Trim, yes it's fine on the trim, doesn't stain or anything.

Now with layering, Auto-balm is a sealant, it may have some wax characteristics but it is a synthetic product. So it would be best sat on bare, clean paint so that it can find the paint pores and seal them up, and bond to the paint nicely. It will go on top of things though if you want, but having a cleansing effect it could well remove or partially remove some products. Bilt-Hamber say don't use anything on top of balm, the solvents in waxes could easily damage the film left by Auto-balm and reduce it's durability. So it's best to only layer more Auto-balm on top of it.

 

Looks promising. I guess I'll have to get some.

 

Thanks Ben for the info. I see where I made my mistake now. The directions say to only work in a 2x2 area but it doesn't say to buff it off right then. I thought it was to be worked in a 2x2 area then move to the next and then come back and buff off. Well next car I do will be done your way for sure. It seems as though some of the very best products have a little knack to using them but once you get the method down its pure money!

And Carn you are right my Jeep is what they call Smoke Black and it is metallic. You are right that Auto Balm captured the flake better than anything I have used. It even captured the flake from a good distance away in the pic which in and of itself is amazing!:headbang:

 

hey JL. I liked your review and the comments to it. Seems like the whole learning curb and the method of using is right here in one thread. I must say that I think I will hold off until I try Jeat Seal 109 and Wolf Gang 3.0 and take the advise that you, P1et and ROCKET gave me first. I'm not quite at that level yet with sealants...:shrug:

 

Excellent review JL!!!! I guess i'll be making another purchase from Ben pretty soon.

 

Sounds like quite the process to apply and remove, but with fantastic results!

 

After reading this review I had to send Ben a PM for a new order for some Bilt Hamber products. Nice review and thank you, Mike...

 

It's not really, I think it's just my long winded explanation :bla2:, it is easy to apply and remove once you get it. As JL says theres a little knack to getting it right, but once sussed, it's easy peasy. :headbang:

 

Hmm, it sounds like a little more work than some products. I really like being able to apply it to the entire vehicle and then buffing off or not even buffing off at all like Opti-Seal. Guess it's worth a shot though. If I do order, I will be trying out the Bilt-Hamber and the Glisten and maybe the RBOE and MF towels to make the order wortwhile.

 

Excellent review. I'm going bankrupt buying all these wonderful products that the pros recommend.
My wife said she will soon disown me if I don't stop...Heheheeeeeeee

 

Looks great JL, the first thing I noticed how much the flake popped out in the pictures.

 

I really don't think it would be that difficult Denzil, we just need to get used to doing smaller sections at a time. I know I like doing the whole car too before buffing but when I used Zymol Glasur I found out that you want to do small sections and buff it off before it drys. Once I got my method down its really easy to switch gears and do that too.

Oh bro, my wife just quit asking about all the stuff when she found out we were on the UPS man's Christmas card list! LOL The Auto Balm is an excellent product.

Thanks Asphalt. I really think the flake pops more with the Auto Balm than anything else I have used.