The pre-wash stage is arguably the most important element of any safe car wash method. Using a good quality, Citrus Pre-Wash is an effective way to massively reduce the amount of dirt and grime on your vehicle before the contact wash stage. In this Them 'vs' Us test, Gloss Fuel Citrus Fuelled Pre-Wash battles against ‘Best Selling’ product in the Stjarnagloss range - Först Citrus Pre-Wash.
Stjärnagloss Först 'vs' Gloss Fuel Citrus Fuelled Pre-Wash
Stjärnagloss
In 2010, Stjärnagloss, pronounced ‘Ste-Yarna-Gloss’, was a little known UK based brand, sold exclusively by the now defunct reseller, Shinearama. Nearly ten years later, in November 2019, the Scandinavian inspired brand was ‘Björn Again’.
Headed by experienced detailing industry brand manager Jack Cavanagh, the company was resurrected by parent company Dodo Juice with an entirely reformulated, repackaged and rebranded product range.
Gloss Fuel
Gloss Fuel was founded by two friends who share a lifelong passion for motorsport and for cleaning and detailing cars – their own and the occasional rally car.
Gloss Fuel cater to the weekend warriors, experienced driveway detailers and car care professionals alike. Gloss Fuel offer an authentic, affordable and effective system of products. Ones which offer sustainability and a lower impact on the environment. Gloss Fuel are actively reducing plastic waste in the car care market with their innovative ‘Refuel Packs’ which use 75% less plastic than traditional bottles.
Gloss Fuel Citrus Fuelled Pre-Wash Overview
Ease of use of Gloss Fuel Citrus Fuelled Pre-Wash
Gloss Fuel Citrus Fuelled Pre-Wash is a concentrate which needs to be diluted to strength. Despite this added step before use, the excellent product labelling features clear, easy to follow instructions and a simple dilution guide.
Evenly spray the diluted Citrus Pre-Wash on to the affected areas and let the product dwell. After several minutes, rinse the vehicle thoroughly, prior to proceeding to the contact wash stage. The traffic film, dirt and grime should easily wash away with just the water from the pressure washer.
Benefits of Using Gloss Fuel Citrus Fuelled Pre-Wash
Many other brand pre-wash chemicals, including TFR (Traffic Film Remover) and Citrus Pre-Wash are caustic. Caustic products have greater cleaning ability but can damage certain materials, particularly textured exterior plastics, aluminium trim and components plus diamond cut alloy wheels.
Gloss Fuel Citrus Fuelled Pre-Wash is non-caustic, therefore not damaging to your vehicle. Thanks to its formulation, it's safe yet highly effective. Being non-caustic, it's far less damaging to your LSP (Last Stage Protection) be that a wax, sealant, or ceramic spray coating. It's also a great bug splatter and bird bomb remover and is safe to use on wheels and tyres.
Value for Money of Gloss Fuel Citrus Fuelled Pre-Wash
Gloss Fuel Citrus Fuelled Pre-Wash is a concentrate product. This means that the user can dilute the product with water to varying strengths according to what task is being undertaken. Therefore the cost of £12.00 for a 500ml bottle offers great value when you consider that it can make up to 5 litres of ready to use product at maximum strength.
In order to effectively pre-clean the lower sections of the average sized car, you would likely use approximately 200ml-250ml of product. This puts the cost per application at just £0.60 which is a very low cost per use. Gloss Fuel Citrus Fuelled Pre-Wash is also available in a 5 litre container for a cost of £35.00 putting the cost per application at an astonishingly low £0.15.
Cons of Gloss Fuel Citrus Fuelled Pre-Wash
If the convenience of a ready to use product is your overwhelming priority, then a concentrate Citrus Pre-Wash like the Gloss Fuel Citrus Fuelled Pre-Wash is not for you. That said, this 'weakness' is one of its strengths and if you mix a batch up and pour it into an empty trigger spray bottle or IK Spray Bottle or Pump Sprayer, then you're good to go.
Stjärnagloss Först Overview
Stjarnagloss Först is a Citrus Pre-Wash / Pre-Cleaner product. If your vehicle is really dirty and needs a deep clean, Först TFR will make short work of the stubborn dirt and grime that you’ll want to remove, before contact washing the vehicle. The natural orange oil within Först’s formula boosts the cleaning power snd smells great too!
Ease of use of Först Citrus Pre-Cleaner
Stjärnagloss Först is a ready to use Citrus Pre-Cleaner which makes it convenient and easy to use. Simply spray evenly on to the affected areas, typically the lower third/half of the vehicle and allow the product to dwell for a few minutes.
After a few minutes, rinse the vehicle thoroughly before moving on to the contact wash stage. The traffic film, dirt and grime should simply wash away with the water from the pressure washer.
Benefits of Using Stjärnagloss Först Citrus Pre-Wash
The main benefit of using Först Citrus Pre-Wash is its ability to dissolve traffic film, loosen dirt and strip grime chemically, without any contact.
This Citrus TFR (Traffic Film Remover) contains powerful detergents combined with natural orange oil. Citrus oils contain Limonene which acts as a strong degreaser. This ingredient helps to make this TFR particularly effective, especially in winter months, in areas where roads are treated with road salt and/or grit to help prevent ice and snow build up.
This combination of chemicals softens, breaks down and strips dirt, road grime and traffic film from your paintwork. Instead of removing this abrasive dirt with your wash mitt, risking damage to your clear coat, use a Citrus Pre-Cleaner and your pressure washer to remove it first.
Value for Money of Stjärnagloss Först Citrus Pre-Wash
Stjärnagloss Forst is a ‘Ready To Use’ (RTU) product. This means that Först doesn’t need diluting and can be used straight from the bottle. Therefore the cost of £11.00 (plus p&p) for a 1 litre trigger spray bottle is quite high. To clean the lower sections of the average sized car could use approximately 200ml-250ml of product. This puts the cost per application at around £2.75 which is a very high cost per use. Först is available in a 5 litre container for a cost of £38.00 (plus p&p). This then puts the cost per application at £1.90 - better but still expensive.
Cons of Stjärnagloss Först Citrus Pre-Wash
Forst is a solid product but it's probably not suited to the cost conscious detailer with its high cost per use. The fact that you can't dilute it to differing strengths, for different uses, makes it even less practical for some users.
Stjärnagloss Först or Gloss Fuel Citrus Fuelled Pre-Wash: Which should you choose?
Based on price per use, value and versatility, we think you should choose Gloss Fuel Citrus Fuelled Pre-Wash. Gloss Fuel wins on value - no question. Both have pleasant scents and with fragrance being subjective, it's hard to pick a winner on that front.
Both have excellent cleaning ability but with Gloss Fuel Citrus Fuelled Pre-Wash being non-caustic and safer on pre-existing protection, that adds another big tick in the Gloss Fuel column. In terms of value and versatility, it's a clear win for the Gloss Fuel product. In this head-to-head battle, the best alternative to Stjärnagloss Först is Gloss Fuel Citrus Fuelled Pre-Wash.
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Disclaimer: Both products tested were purchased and tested back-to-back by the reviewer. The review published here is the honest opinion of the product reviewer. All information and prices quoted were deemed to be correct at the time of publication. To notify us of any updates and/or corrections, please contact Gloss Fuel.
