I love my car -it's a teeny Peugeot 205cc cabriolet with red and black leather seats, a red and black leather steering wheel and alloys. It's totally a mid-life crisis car.
I couldn't believe my luck when DH agreed to let me have it. It all came about due to a change in his work situation which meant it became necessary for us to have two cars.
With one child already flown from the nest and another who would only come out with us under cover of darkness or with the promise of a meal plus the fact that most of the children were at school all day I felt stupid driving around alone in our huge long wheel based 9 seater VW minibus. I felt
like I ought to stop at bus stops and pick a few more people up.
So we traded it in for a Ford Galaxy (still 7 seats) and were looking at getting a sensible compact runabout for me. Maybe a Ka or a Focus. Then I spotted my new baby on the forecourt. It was love at first sight. DH talked to the garage owner - our minibus for the Ford Galaxy and the too-cute Peugeot? Yes!!!! And some cash back to boot!
I've had the car for just over a year now. It has it's eccentricities but I still feel like a teenager every time I get in it. One problem with it, like many cabriolets, is that even though it's a hard-top I've been advised not to take it into automatic car washes.
So my poor car has been a bit neglected. I can't be bothered to wait (or pay!) while someone else valets it and when I get the hosepipe out the children hurtle out to "help" and everything except the car gets wet.
Imagine my delight when I was contacted by the makers of a water-less car cleaning kit asking if I fancied trying Greased Lightening's "Showroom Shine" out. I was intrigued. The blurb promised the solution "cleans, shines and protects all in one with no water."
The kit arrived in a smallish box containing a 1 litre bottle of the Showroom Shine solution, a hand-spray attachment and two micro fibre cloths.
The claim is that each bottle is enough for up to ten car washes, it's great on metal, glass, plastic and paintwork and that you can clean and wax your car in under 30 minutes. Hmm. Really?
Well why can I say. Despite repeated hints for DH or the children to clean my car with the solution they failed to be lit with my enthusiasm. So today I thought I'd have a go myself.
So here's me. an unfit 40-mumble mum of 7 suffering with Fibromyalgia, a chronic fatigue condition. Not really the best person to clean a car. But without wanting to sound OTT I was truly amazed by the product.
You spray liberally onto a panel then wipe over with one cloth then buff with the other. I thought I'd lack the elbow grease but no! three months of winter grime, and tar spots (and some dodgy green moss that had accumulated in the creases!) literally wiped off. I tentatively tried the windows thinking they would smear - nope - buffed right off.
I left the alloys until last - I almost couldn't see the Peugeot logo on them they were so muddy. But again - lifted right off onto the increasingly filthy first cloth which you don't rinse, just keep turning it. The solution sprayed on nicely - not a fine spray but quite directional which meant you could be accurate for doing the inside sills.
Buffing was a joy - my car looked fabulous and shiny. And on a girly note, another bonus of water-less washing meant I could wear my warm furry suede boots to do it! No more wet jeans and sleeves although I would recommend wearing some washable or disposable gloves just to keep your hands clean. It did take me slightly longer than the promised 30 minutes - more like 45 but as I said I have chronic fatigue condition and was also taking photos so think the claim is fair.
To complete my home car-spa experience all it needed was a good car vacuum and an interior polish and it was showroom clean.
Prices start at £14.99 for the Greased Lightening solution - cheap for ten washes when you consider what an automatic car wash costs and as you can see from the picture I really didn't need to use much to get a nice gleaming clean car. The product is also apparently suitable for caravans, motorbikes and boats but do read the small print on the bottle before using for full details of safe and suitable usage.
Overall I'd say this is a product that really does live up to the claims on the packaging. - perfect if you don't have access to a hosepipe - maybe you live in a flat, are metered or are in a drought "no hosepipe" zone in the summer. And of course great for winter car washing - quick and no puddles left over.
Disclaimer; I was sent a free car cleaning kit containing 1 litre of Showroom Shine and 2 micro fibre cloths worth £17.99 free in return for this honest review.
I couldn't believe my luck when DH agreed to let me have it. It all came about due to a change in his work situation which meant it became necessary for us to have two cars.
 |
| Muddy car! |
like I ought to stop at bus stops and pick a few more people up.
So we traded it in for a Ford Galaxy (still 7 seats) and were looking at getting a sensible compact runabout for me. Maybe a Ka or a Focus. Then I spotted my new baby on the forecourt. It was love at first sight. DH talked to the garage owner - our minibus for the Ford Galaxy and the too-cute Peugeot? Yes!!!! And some cash back to boot!
I've had the car for just over a year now. It has it's eccentricities but I still feel like a teenager every time I get in it. One problem with it, like many cabriolets, is that even though it's a hard-top I've been advised not to take it into automatic car washes.
So my poor car has been a bit neglected. I can't be bothered to wait (or pay!) while someone else valets it and when I get the hosepipe out the children hurtle out to "help" and everything except the car gets wet.
 |
| My Showroom Shine kit |
The kit arrived in a smallish box containing a 1 litre bottle of the Showroom Shine solution, a hand-spray attachment and two micro fibre cloths.
The claim is that each bottle is enough for up to ten car washes, it's great on metal, glass, plastic and paintwork and that you can clean and wax your car in under 30 minutes. Hmm. Really?
Well why can I say. Despite repeated hints for DH or the children to clean my car with the solution they failed to be lit with my enthusiasm. So today I thought I'd have a go myself.
 |
| Gleaming clean car! |
You spray liberally onto a panel then wipe over with one cloth then buff with the other. I thought I'd lack the elbow grease but no! three months of winter grime, and tar spots (and some dodgy green moss that had accumulated in the creases!) literally wiped off. I tentatively tried the windows thinking they would smear - nope - buffed right off.
I left the alloys until last - I almost couldn't see the Peugeot logo on them they were so muddy. But again - lifted right off onto the increasingly filthy first cloth which you don't rinse, just keep turning it. The solution sprayed on nicely - not a fine spray but quite directional which meant you could be accurate for doing the inside sills.
Buffing was a joy - my car looked fabulous and shiny. And on a girly note, another bonus of water-less washing meant I could wear my warm furry suede boots to do it! No more wet jeans and sleeves although I would recommend wearing some washable or disposable gloves just to keep your hands clean. It did take me slightly longer than the promised 30 minutes - more like 45 but as I said I have chronic fatigue condition and was also taking photos so think the claim is fair.
To complete my home car-spa experience all it needed was a good car vacuum and an interior polish and it was showroom clean.
Prices start at £14.99 for the Greased Lightening solution - cheap for ten washes when you consider what an automatic car wash costs and as you can see from the picture I really didn't need to use much to get a nice gleaming clean car. The product is also apparently suitable for caravans, motorbikes and boats but do read the small print on the bottle before using for full details of safe and suitable usage.
 |
| Still lots of solution left |
Disclaimer; I was sent a free car cleaning kit containing 1 litre of Showroom Shine and 2 micro fibre cloths worth £17.99 free in return for this honest review.