HD Total, APC- Review (Holiday Giveaway)

[Dellinger]

Greetings All,

As promised, I am following up the gracious offer made available from 3D/HD ( http://www.autopia.org/forums/car-de...-holidays.html ).



I own quite a few HD products as well as some from the 3D line and enjoy using the products. I had yet to purchase HD Total due to the fact that I have quite a supply of APCs on the shelf from detailing product manufacturers and some sourced locally from home improvement stores.

In this review, I will try to give a holistic view of the product`s performance that a professional and enthusiast could both appreciate. Often (myself included), professional detailers looks at a product through a professional`s lense and while that is certainly a great way to analyze a product, I/ we could be blinded to the fact that said products could be well suited to weekenders or enthusiasts for reasons other than pure performance or price.


I`m not going to regurgitate the marketing lingo from the product... if you are curious see below:
HD Total - Multi Purpose Cleaner

Now, on to the meat and potatoes....

First off, I was curious what exactly was different or unique about Total. A description on the package speaks to `... Special European Super Cleaning Polymers,` so, I naturally went to the MSDS for any tidbits of info regarding this. Naturally, I`m not a chemist/ scientist/ tribologist or what-have-you; so what I found was somewhat helpful but nothing that spoke to me regarding the polymer bit. And I didn`t really expect to see it on the MSDS anyway... was just curious.

HD Total:
Ethoxylated Alcohol 2- 3%
Sodium Hydroxide <2%
Sodium Metasilicate <2%
EDTA - Biodegradable <2%
PH 10

Naturally, I then proceeded to check out 3D`s line of green APC... just to see if there was a difference, chemically, and not just a label swap.

3D APC, green:
Sodium Hydroxide <3%
EDTA - Biodegradable <3%
Sodium Metasilicate <3%
Ethoxylated Alcohol 3- 7%
Deionized Water 85- 88%
PH 12

So, HD Total is indeed different via the PH and the lack of mentioning `Deionized Water` ad did 3D APC. This is curious to me and I assume it`s not listed on HD Total`s description (DI water content) due to some trade secret or equal effect.

Still curious, I looked up my current APC`s MSDS... and it stated-

My current APC:
WATER 80- 95%
MIXED ALKYL SULFATES 1- 5%
ETHYLENE GLYCOL MONOPROPYL ETHER 1- 5%
SODIUM METASILICATE 1- 5%
PH 13

Take from the above, what you will.

Science= Not Sexy. APCs= Not Sexy. But both relevant and necessary to understand and use in detailing. Now that the `boring` part is over...

HD Totals SMELLS LIKE- chemicals. (Smells similar to 3D LVP and/ or 3D Yellow Degreaser.)
HD Total LOOKS LIKE- water. (Clear in concentrate and clear when diluted)



The above photo showing HD Total Diluted 5:1 (on left, for interior plastics, medium duty) & 2:1 (on right, for heavy duty, wheels/tires/engine)


My test vehicle was an older Toyota Corolla with 155k on the clock. Client was in for a wash/wax, light interior deal.










Now, the car was not equipped with leather so I did not have a reason to dilute HD Total to 10:1 for light/ delicate cleaning. The included sample of 16oz was just enough to make two quarts at their respective dilutions listed above.



Exterior, HD Total Performance:


Picture showing consistency of HD Total (2:1) after 1.5 minutes of dwell time on both tire/ wheel. Note lack of `foam`. HD Total was applied after pressure pre-rinse of wheels/ tires/ wells.


After wheel/ tire agitation with various brushes.



Both photos above showing condition after pressure rinse. Bonded break dust remained.


At this point in time, I was a bit underwhelmed with a pretty intense 2:1 dilution ratio but wanted to give HD Total a fair shake, so I broke out a dedicated, non-acid wheel & tire cleaner to try to gather some objectivity for my subjective thoughts.


Non-acid wheel/tire cleaning after 1 min of dwell time.


Non-acid wheel/tire cleaner after agitation.


Brake dust still there.


Can`t say there was a HUGE improvement with the non-acid product but it did clean better both wheels and tires vs. Total.
Seeing the lingering brake dust... I broke out some wheel acid.


Before wheel acid...


After wheel acid...


Finished wheel/tire.


Now, on to the jambs...

I utilized a 5:1 dilution ratio when cleaning jambs and trim around the car.

Jamp prior to HD Total and pressure rinse application.


Another shot.


After, approximately 1 minute of dwell time, pressure rinse, NO agitation.


After, approximately 1 minute of dwell time, pressure rinse, NO agitation.

Not shown but need to include- there was some lingering grime in and around the door hardware/ hinges that I had to use a brush with to agitate. Leftover grime in the above photos was removed with a QD and MF during the light interior cleaning the car received.



My thoughts on HD Total`s Exterior Performance:

***Let me preface for one thing that I wanted to test but my ambient conditions would not allow and that was chemical staining. I wanted to evaluate the performance of HD Total on exterior paint with a reasonable dwell time (1- 2 minutes according to the packaging) to see if staining would be present after use. My ambient conditions were overcast with drizzle and low 40`s which kept the solution wet and continually dripping off any vertical surface via the jambs. I will evaluate this on my OWN vehicle`s exterior panels due to the potential damaging nature of the test and will report back to this review.

Second thing- Readers must be aware I have used this product ONE time. So, take everything written and shown with a grain of salt. Since APCs are widely used and there are many of them on the market... only consistent use and evaluation of the product will reveal it`s strengths/ weaknesses versus other APCs.***

For professionals- Regarding wheels/ tires, you are better off with a non-acid & acid wheel cleaner concerning all-out performance and I don`t think that is slapping 3D/HD in the face at all. This is labeled as an All-Purpose-Cleaner, not a tire/ wheel cleaner (although that is mentioned.) HD Total could be used on very well maintained wheels/ tires @ 2:1 but generally speaking, I don`t see those very often. Dilution @ 2:1 could make the product cost prohibitive in this endeavour.
Regarding jambs and textured plastic... HD Total cleans well @ 5:1 and rinses very well. Hypothetically speaking, If I could have tested the chemical staining of the product on exterior paint and verified it passed that test... this product could be very appealing from that standpoint. No respiratory negative externalities to report... fumes/ vapors i always try to avoid but will ingest some from APC use usually at some point on every detail. I didn`t cough one time while using the product which is nice.

For Enthusiasts/ Weekenders- HD Total is versatile and it should be, thus All-Purpose-Cleaner. If you love detailing your pride-and-joy every weekend and keep the vehicle in excellent shape... HD Total will meet your needs as an wheel/ tire/ well cleaner. You will have few, if any problems, cleaning jambs and textured plastic with this product. Dilutable, so you`ll save money with Total instead of buying bottles of cleaner at the autoparts for $5+, not to mention the use of the product on the interior. No respiratory negative externalities to report (not implying you can inhale the spray or that there are no side effects from continued use and inhalation but I was not irritated by any vapors I may have come in contact with.)



Interior, HD Total`s Performance:

Used Total diluted @ 5:1 for interior use... brush used for agitation after dwell time of 1 minute, followed by MF wipe. Product does foam when agitated, nothing crazy though.


50/50 of step plate molding.


Showing grime removed.



Passenger`s Armrest before...


50/50... apologies for picture. Using phone camera, I cannot manipulate settings to show better contrast.


After. Note concentration of ground in grime near base of armrest, adjoining door. Some grime still remained. Steam would have knocked this out but in my test I wanted to see what Total could do.



HD Total worked very well on gauge cluster and head unit of radio. Did not note any streaking or smearing after wipe off. (Inspected with Brinkman and hand-held LED after.)




Pics of the `Totaled` subject vehicle...








My thoughts on HD Total`s Interior Performance:

For Professionals- Good cleaner but not earth shattering. I used my current APC on the driver side, rear passenger`s area (area= step plates, door plastics, over head hand holds, etc....) to gain some objectivity. HD Total did SEEM to clean better... not revolutionary better but indeed better. HD Total removed quite a lot of aged, Armor All dressing (took two applications to fully remove.) Tested HD Total for staining/ spotting when directly applying to surfaces. None noted. Again, worked very nicely on instruments/ cluster, head unit of aftermarket stereo even at 5:1 and should be even better at 10:1 (could not dilute to 10:1 because I had no more product to dilute.) Foams very little when sprayed but will foam when agitated... I liked that characteristic. Again, never did this product irritate my respiratory tract while breathing and that`s very nice when inside a car. Very interested in this APC`s cleaning on leather but not test... from my other readings on this product, could be a strong suite. Did not test product for cleaning cloth/ fabrics/ carpets. Has typical dilution ratios @5:1 and 10:1.

For Enthusiasts/ Weekenders: Good product for normal interior maintenance duties. Heavy interior grime usually needs steam/ extraction. Dilutable. No breathing problems when using inside which can be typical of other APCs on market.

PS- Will update this thread concerning stain/ leather cleaning next week. Have a good candidate coming in with both issues.... carpet stains/ dirty leather.



Finally:



I dilute all my chemicals, when testing, with distilled water. Water quality, in my opinion, does affect performance of diluted products. My well water is fairly hard, so I wanted to ensure I was eliminating any variables with the products performance.

In closing, thank you for reading. I have tried to be forthright in my evaluation of the product. If readers have any questions or concerns regarding what was demonstrated, please comment and I will reply at my earliest convenience. Again, I did not test the product in all facets due to time constraints. I will continue to update the review as time moves forward.

Best regards,
-Gabe

[GearHead_1]

Very thorough review. Nice job.

[Ben@3D]

Wow. This is by far the most thorough and in depth write up for HD Total that I have seen. Nice job!

Thanks for taking part in trying and reviewing the product!

[Bunky]

Well done review !!

[ShaneB]

Wow very well done review... How am I gonna beat that?! Guess I`ll have to try

[RMD]

Great review. Thanks.

[House of Wax]

Quality quality review. For what its worth, I have the same opinion of Total that you do. Not an earth shattering product, but is a nice non offensive general purpose APC

[Dellinger]

Wow very well done review... How am I gonna beat that?! Guess I`ll have to try

Thank for the kind words, Shane. Anticipating your review and I`m sure it will be equally stellar.

Quality quality review. For what its worth, I have the same opinion of Total that you do. Not an earth shattering product, but is a nice non offensive general purpose APC

Thanks House! Glad you chimed in with your own take on things. Always helps to have multiple users comment on their observations as well.

Best,
-Gabe

[EVOlved]

That was a beautiful review!! You can always tell a good review when you read everything and that I did.

[Merlin]

Very nice and well done review!

Good Job!

[Pats300zx]

Amazing review !!! Thanks for putting that together.

[tom p.]

Gabe, real nice write-up, as usual I`ve used HD Total for a long time. I regard it as a light-duty, go-to cleaner that I keep in the garage so I have quik access to it. I generally mix at 1:5 or possibly more dilute than that. I think my current batch is at 1:7. I`m not using it for serious clean-ups. It`s more for wiping down door sills, seats and things like that on a regular basis.

I`m impressed with the action you got on the arm rest in the Toyota. In fact, the car looks really good in your after shots.

I did a write-up a few years ago and cleaned the engine bay on one of our cars. It wasn`t terribly dirty but the HD Total left everything looking just right with a nice patina. I guess HD discontinued the product and re-introduced a year or two ago. Many of us were thankful (to David) the product made its re-appearance It`s one of the few products I have that I consider essential.

[David Fermani]

Gabe - This review is extremely thorough and well done. I applaud you for your un-biaseness as well. Your test vehicle offered an extremely challenging terrain for HD Total. Please know that I was very instrumental with the reformulation of Total and I would like explain a few things about this product and what to expect when using it so people reading this review can better understand the parameters of it.
Many products are developed by chemists who have no understanding of the actual hands on detailing process. We needed the entire HD Car Care line to perform well for both detailing professional as well as the enthusiast detailer. Each product needed to be user friendly and deliver exceptional results. In fact we pooled our resources from several individuals (pro & novice) from all over the country to make sure each person`s results and expectations were consistent before bringing this line to market. At the end of the day we needed it to be a line of professional products made by high end detailers for high end detailing applications.

With so many cleaners being offered on the market, I wanted HD Total to have a few specific characteristics to separate it from its competitors. Its main objective was to perform best and safely as an interior cleaner. It should be able to effectively clean the most soiled interior as well as the most delicate one too depending on the dilution chosen. This, based on your review, I feel has been accomplished. Please continue to reach for Total on your high end applications with confidence.

Total should also be able to perform well on "general" and/or "normal" cleaning duties too. This would equate to applications for maintaining a car`s appearance on a regular basis such as wheels & tires. Not so much for extreme measures like heavy degreasing or build up of grime on exterior surfaces. With that said, I feel that other cleaners may be a better, more effective choice for heavier specific cleaning duties like I just mentioned.
I hope this clarifies what HD Total is all about. If not, please feel free to let me know your thoughts.

[Dellinger]

Gabe, real nice write-up, as usual I`ve used HD Total for a long time. I regard it as a light-duty, go-to cleaner that I keep in the garage so I have quik access to it. I generally mix at 1:5 or possibly more dilute than that. I think my current batch is at 1:7. I`m not using it for serious clean-ups. It`s more for wiping down door sills, seats and things like that on a regular basis.

I`m impressed with the action you got on the arm rest in the Toyota. In fact, the car looks really good in your after shots.

I did a write-up a few years ago and cleaned the engine bay on one of our cars. It wasn`t terribly dirty but the HD Total left everything looking just right with a nice patina. I guess HD discontinued the product and re-introduced a year or two ago. Many of us were thankful (to David) the product made its re-appearance It`s one of the few products I have that I consider essential.

Thanks Tom. Great hearing from you! Fully appreciate your additions of thought and I do value them.

Gabe - This review is extremely thorough and well done. I applaud you for your un-biaseness as well. Your test vehicle offered an extremely challenging terrain for HD Total. Please know that I was very instrumental with the reformulation of Total and I would like explain a few things about this product and what to expect when using it so people reading this review can better understand the parameters of it...
....I hope this clarifies what HD Total is all about. If not, please feel free to let me know your thoughts.

David, it`s certainly true that my test vehicle would have been very difficult for any APC... I think anyone reviewing on the professional side of things pretty much understood that even though it wasn`t written (but vaguely shown by the additional chemicals I did test to bring in some relevancy that other people could understand).

However, I purchase products based on how they perform in these type of tests (such as my review above.) I want to know when I throw the product in the deep end what it can and can`t do. Knowing the limits of a product/ chemical helps me with my work flow and saves time.

I can understand and appreciate the need for a very safe APC for high-end applications. I believe you have demonstrated that in writeups before. Unfortunately, my clientele just isn`t made up of a `high end` group, at this point.

The `safety` aspect of Total certainly is interesting... and I will continue to test this and report back here.

Thank you, David, for your feedback!
-Gabe

[fdresq4]

Darn Gabe...setting a high bar for us!

Great review is an understatment. I`m always on the look out for a good APC that will tackle many tasks.

Thanks,

Steve