On the UK Flash car cleaner there is an indicator on the side of the filter which is visible through a cut out in the side of the unit,apparently it turns from black to brown or visa versa when in use to tell you that it has come to the end of its use.The filter that came with the kit is only good for three uses,i didn't notice the indicator change colour on mine but did notice that the windows on my car were showing white streaky marks which i took to mean that the filter was on its way out,i bought a replacement filter which cost £4.95 but it is for 10 uses..oh and some more shampoo which is a 600ml bottle for £3.95
ahhhh right, so the `aftermarket` shamoo and filters (still made by flash) sounds like you dont really need to look else where for cheaper shampoo to do the job then hey!
Got one for my Fiancee as she hates washing her car. We noticed the same, not very soapy at all. The TV advert shows that bloke who used to be in Brush Strokes (Showing my age here!) lathering up the car.
We weren't impressed, And it dried with white water marks all over it!
HBB MCS
Chili Pack, Visibility Pack, 17" Bullets, MFSW
Mine didn't get all lathered up but enough for washing the car with the sponge,I used mine yesterday and the results were great again.With a product there are always going to be some people that swear by it and others that think its rubbish.I myself buy products and have a really pessimistic approach to the outcome generally,but this item was bought for me by my wife for my birthday,i had seen the advert but not really taken much notice of it,so i had no preconceptions.For me it works a treat and as my wife will testify when it comes to washing the car i generally spend far too much time keeping it clean and i'm quite fussy about smears marks and swirls.It won't be brilliant for everyone but i'm really happy with it.
I have the Mr.Clean Auto-Dry system and in the directions with that, it mentions to NOT use other car wash soaps as it will not produce the desired results (no streaking). The soap as it came out of the dispenser was not really "lathery" as you would expect, but it was sudsy enough to do the job with the supplied mitt. (you soap up the car AND the mitt before use) On both of my cars,the results were outstanding. I also noted (yes, the hard way) that you must do as they say in regards to how far away you hold the wand while using the ionized water (the filtered part). They say around 12" or so and if you are farther away than that, the results show it (streaking will occur) Think of using the ionized water part as you would a paint sprayer..going over every square inch of the car in a back and forth motion. Also, as the soap comes out not totally mixed, make sure you rinse EXTRA good or you'll just create more suds and the remaining unrinsed soap will streak like a dog. Once I finally broke down and followed the directions -exactly- then the product worked as advertised. Really!
It doesn't really matter how you actually wash your car, the important thing here is the filtering feature of the Flash washer. The soap that is supplied it a polymer based substance - it's sole purpose is to sheet the water off the car in order to decrease the drying time...beaded water has to evaporate - imagine how fast you can empty a glass of water by pouring it compared to leaving it standing to evaporate.
The final rinse with the filtered water is what prevents the water marks. The filter physically removes solid inpurities from the water, anything from limescale, chalk, salt to chlorine and even lead in older houses. (Incidently, it doesn't de-ionise the water, thats a whole different process ... anyone remember Dasani by Coca-Cola? That was just de-ionised tap water. H+ and O- ions turned back into H2O if my memory of chemistry serves me well). When water evaporates it is ONLY the water that evaporates - any impurities that are present are left behind resulting in water spots/streaks. Filtering the water removes these impurities and dramatically reduces the spots left.
Forget about the soap - the most important thing to remember when you use the Flash washer is after you have rinsed away what ever soap you have used thoroughly, make sure you give the entire car a very, very thorough rinse down with the filtered water ensuring you flush out all the nooks and cranies - start from the roof then work your way down to ensure you flush away all un-filtered water. Then, it doesn't matter how wet you leave the car or how long the car takes to dry. As long as you have flushed away all the un-filtered water with the filtered water, when the car eventually dries, there will be not spots.
I still hand wash my car with a bucket of soapy water (Meguires), then do a final rinse with the Flash filter. I have a cup of tea while I wait for it to dry, then if I'm in the mood I polish/wax. The perfectly clean surface is perfect for waxing. I get excellent results every time
I was very impressed with Flash cleaner. The soap is not very soapy but does the job. I was extremely impressed with the results of less than an hours work. Definite thumbs up.
I'll give it the thumbs up too - bought it in Halfords (£19.99) a few weeks ago, used it twice now, and hey - it really works!
Gonna try it with my reg shampoo next tim as the Flash stuff is nearly out, but as others have said, soap up the sponge with the stuff first and it works fine washing the car. Also have tried the Flash stuff in a bucket with hot water on the car, and it cleaned brilliantly. Then used the autodry filtered water and spotless shine!
Amazed by how well it actaully does work - I am usually a very hard person to please...
Reommended for those in-between washes (I'd still enjoy giving it a proper clean once in a while...)
Picked up one of these today for £19.99. Unfortunately, I won't be able to try it out for a couple of weeks though as I'm pretty busy at the moment. Very excited though!
2006 MINI Cooper with JCW Sound Kit - sold July 2009
Now driving Golf VI GT TSI 1.4 160PS
Tell me about it - bought the kit yesterday In Halfords (they said they were flying off the shelf - said after I had bought it so not a sales ploy ) just washed the car, not 100% perfect, but think that is down to the operator not the product still very impressed It dosen't produce many sud's but when washing over with a sponge does actually create quite a lather. Looks to me like the Flash shampoo (600ml bottle - not the smaller one that came in the pack) will last for about 3 washes or so.
As tracie said being in a hard water area down here (and having a black car) this looks to be something that will make life much easier. Don't think I will use it all te time - but fairly often
One reason I didn't want a black mini was because I was driving a black car before, and found it so hard to clean. Always dried naturally quicker than I could dry it, and as a result left loads of marks on the paintwork. This kit is ideal for avoiding the problem.
I have a BRG Cooper, and it does a great job on mine. I'm really impressed. Takes me about half the time, and the mini looks loads better cleaned this way
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Flash 
) just washed the car, not 100% perfect, but think that is down to the operator not the product 
