Review: BLACKFIRE All-In-One Trim & Tire Protectant

[Marc08EX]

Review: BLACKFIRE All-In-One Trim & Tire Protectant
BLACKFIRE All-In-One Trim & Tire Protectant, tire dressing, tire protectant, whitewall tire cleaner



Description: (Taken from Autopia`s website)

BLACKFIRE All-In-One Trim & Tire Protectant is the only product you need to clean and protect exterior plastics and tires. This one-step cleaner and protectant contains powerful cleaning agents that remove embedded dirt and grime while adding a protective layer of low-gloss sheen. BLACKFIRE All-In-One Trim & Tire Protectant helps you to put the finishing touch on your perfectly detailed vehicle.

Shiny paint is great, but a true detailer won’t stop there! BLACKFIRE All-In-One Trim & Tire Protectant allows you to achieve a perfectly detailed look on tonneau covers, engine compartments, plastic moldings, tires, and more. It even works great on whitewalls and tires with raised white lettering! The water-based formulation contains strong degreasers and cleaners that tackle grime and soil without damaging delicate surfaces. What’s more, it won’t attract dirt and dust, dries to the touch, and won’t sling off!

BLACKFIRE All-In-One Trim & Tire Protectant is like a waterless wash for tires and trim! Built-in cleaners annihilate dirt and grime while the protective ingredients go to work sealing out future contaminants in one easy step, without the aid of water! BLACKFIRE All-In-One Trim & Tire Protectant is ideal for use at car shows and on road trips. Simply use a microfiber applicator to apply to exterior plastic, rubber, and vinyl surfaces once a month to keep them protected and looking like new!

Price:
$24.99 for 20oz (currently on sale for $19.99)
$49.99 for 64oz (currently on sale for $39.99)
$79.99 for 128oz (currently on sale for $64.99)

Introduction:

Detailing should be an activity that relieves stress especially for car enthusiasts like most of us. I myself love the process of washing the car, cleaning it, making it swirl-free and shine like no other cars on the road. However, there are certain aspects of detailing that I dread. Interior detailing is the part of detailing I least enjoy - mainly because you don`t get any visual impact on the car when looking from the outside. And also, it`s hard work. The second least favorite aspect of detailing for me is cleaning/dressing tires, trim and engine bays. It`s just a messy job. You have to make sure the surface is squeaky clean before applying any dressing. And majority of the time, these dressings sling from the tire, attract dust like no other and cause a very greasy mess when cleaning it the next go around.

When I first received this product, it really didn`t catch my attention because it was just another dressing. How can a dressing differ from all the other dressing out there right? But I guess I didn`t pay attention to the "All-In-One" part of the product name LOL! When Mike Philips posted his review on this product, I saw Nick@Autogeek posts and he said:

The idea for this product came from the fact that I`m a rinseless wash junkie and there`s really no easy way to clean your tires while performing this type of wash. When you do clean them while performing a rinseless wash, it`s messy and it never quite turns out all that great. This has been an issue that I encounter frequently, and I figured there`s no way I`m the only one....so we came out with a product that eliminates that issue altogether! Since most of the vehicles that Mike details are classics and are only given a waterless wash prior to being polished, Mike loved the concept too and here we are today.

The trick is to apply this product with a microfiber or terrycloth applicator. Spray it directly onto the applicator and scrub the tires with a little bit of passion. Not only will it clean the tires, but it will add a nice glossy finish to them as well. Apply using the same technique to engine bays, running boards, etc.

His post IMMEDIATELY caught my attention. A dressing that cleans, protects and shines all in one step?! REALLY?! SIGN ME UP!!! Just imagine, dressing the engine bay and tires without having to clean them anymore?! That`s a major win for me!

Now let`s get on to the juicy part - the actual review of this product.

The Review:

Here`s a picture of the product description and instructions:



After reading the this, there were a lot of descriptions that caught my attention. A water based product. It dries to the touch. It cleans, restores, protects and beautifies. It will not sling. All these made my eyes grow big and jaws drop to the floor. This will make the dressing part of detailing a lot less dreadful. WOW right?!

Here are some before pictures of the different plastic/rubber parts of my wife`s car:

Engine Bay Before:


I`m sorry but the engine bay doesn`t look all that bad from the picture above. I cleaned it about 3 months ago. But here are some close-up shots that show you some dust/dirt particles.















The plastic pieces in the engine bay aren`t dressed at all. Mainly because I don`t like having oily things in the engine bay. An oily surface attracts dust a lot faster and promotes dirt accumulation. And when it`s time to clean up, your towel becomes this greasy mess after wiping a small section. YUCK.

Front Tires Before:




Rear Tires Before:




Lower Trim Before:




Side Mirror Before:


The directions said to use a microfiber or terrycloth applicator pad so that`s what I used. I can understand this because this product is supposed to "clean" as you go. So the nap of the microfiber or terrycloth will provide this agitation. The directions said to thoroughly massage the product into the surface. This is what Nick@Autogeek meant as to rub it in with passion. And wipe off the excess with a microfiber towel.



Product Consistency:




The product is on the watery side. It`s not extremely watery though. As you can see, the product puddles up the microfiber applicator pad as you spray it. But the product gets absorbed by the microfiber applicator pad shortly after.

Rub the surface with passion...



The following pictures are 50/50 shots of the protectant applied to compare against undressed plastic/rubber.



***DRUM ROLL PLEASE!!! Remove the tape!

Engine Bay:








Front Tire:


Rear Tire:


Lower Trim:




Side Mirror:

[Marc08EX]

Amazing difference right? The following pictures are the afters.

Engine Bay:


















Front Tires:




Rear Tires:




Lower Trim:






After wiping the surfaces with a microfiber towel, I checked if it was dry to the touch. And I`m happy to report a YES!!!



After dressing everything I wanted. Of course I was left with a very filthy microfiber applicator pad as it was removing all the gunk and dirt off the surface. The only dressing I use is Meguiar`s Hyper-dressing because it`s water based. I know I know, water based dressings don`t last as long as silicon based dressing. But man it makes cleaning a whole lot easier. I just rinsed my microfiber applicator pad with water and look at what was coming out!



After a few squeezes, the microfiber applicator pad came out clean. This is why I LOVE water based dressings and this product is no different.

Conclusion:

This product works extremely well as advertised. It cleans and shines the rubber/plastic surfaces with ease. ALL IN ONE STEP! The product also dries to the touch. This will help alleviate problems of other oily dressings - attracting dirt/dust and slinging from the tire. The product being water based makes cleaning of the applicator pad a lot easier.

Gone are the dreadful days of cleaning and dressing engine bays, tires and trim. You don`t have you clean these surfaces and dress them after. You can now save time and combine these to one simple step. And it does a great job at doing so. This product will be extremely useful if you perform waterless/rinseless washes often.

Thank you Nick and PBMG for bringing out a product like this. It will for sure be in my arsenal from now on and I`m sure I`ll be using it often.

What are you waiting for?! Get yours TODAY!

[Accumulator]

Marc08EX- If you get a chance, report back regarding how it holds up to rain and washing, and how often it needs reapplied.

[Marc08EX]

Marc08EX- If you get a chance, report back regarding how it holds up to rain and washing, and how often it needs reapplied.

Hi Accumulator,

Unfortunately, it doesn`t rain much here in AZ. And we`re getting temperatures of above 110F so I`m sure it might evaporate the dressing before I can test the durability.

[Accumulator]

Marc08EX- Heh heh...yeah, I completely blanked out on your location!

[tropicsteve]

it`s nice to have one product that can perform multiple tasks well.