{"product_id":"dr-wack-a1-speed-shampoo-autoshampoo","title":"A1 \"Speed Shampoo\" Car Shampoo","description":"\u003ch2 id=\"speakable-headline\"\u003e25 millilitres of A1 \"Speed Shampoo\" washes a whole car\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cblockquote id=\"speakable-summary\"\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWhat is the A1 \"Speed Shampoo\"? A pH-neutral car shampoo concentrate from Dr. Wack for hand washing with a bucket, mixed at 25 millilitres to 10 litres of water, that leaves an existing wax layer where it is. Not a pre-wash foam for the foam lance, and no substitute for an alkaline pre-cleaner after winter.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\n\u003chr\u003e\n\n\u003cp id=\"speakable-definition\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA1 \"Speed Shampoo\"\u003c\/strong\u003e is a car shampoo concentrate from Dr. Wack that you mix at a ratio of 1 to 400. 25 millilitres make 10 litres of wash solution, so a 500-millilitre bottle makes 200 litres. It is developed and made in Baar-Ebenhausen, where the manufacturer has run research, production and logistics from a single site since its new build in 2024.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe anionic surfactants drop the surface tension of the water far enough for a continuous lubricating film to form between paint and wash mitt. Basically the same job the oil film does between piston and cylinder wall. For you, that means the loose grit still sitting on the panel on the first pass rolls along inside that film instead of being pressed into the clear coat like an abrasive. Your real defence against swirls is the film, not how high the foam stands in the bucket.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOne dosing chamber sets up the bucket for a whole car.\u003c\/strong\u003e 25 millilitres to 10 litres of water is the manufacturer's figure, and even an estate needs no more than that. That turns a 500-millilitre bottle into 200 litres of wash solution, or 20 full buckets.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThe neutral point protects whatever is already on the paint.\u003c\/strong\u003e The safety data sheet gives the pH as neutral, and an independent re-test puts it at 6.76, practically bang in the middle of the scale. Here is how you can tell: last month's spray sealant beads just as well after the wash as it did before.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMetallic, matt and wrap share the same dosing.\u003c\/strong\u003e Three paint types, matt and gloss wraps, plus nano and scratch-resistant clear coats and the convertible soft top all sit on the same approval list. From fresh new-car paint to a heavily weathered twelve-year-old, the 25 millilitres stay the same.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003chr\u003e\n\n\u003cblockquote class=\"praxistipp\"\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDetailing1's tip from the shop:\u003c\/strong\u003e We often see the bucket mixed by eye, a good glug until it foams. With the Speed Shampoo, that quickly puts you at four times the intended 25 millilitres. None of that gets the car any cleaner, because the cleaning power sits in the surfactants in the lubricating film, not in the foam height. All you buy yourself is a rinse that refuses to run clear, plus surfactant residue on rubber seals and trim. Measure it out once with the dosing chamber and remember the fill level on the bucket.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\n\u003chr\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eSoaking and washing come out of the same bucket\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRinse the heavy dirt off with water first, then run 25 millilitres of concentrate into 10 litres of water and foam it up with a strong jet. That is your wash solution done.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhen the car is really dirty, the instructions call for a second step with the same solution: foam the car thoroughly first, let it dwell briefly, then wash from the top down. The foam softens the road film so the mitt does not push it dry across the paint. One bucket, two jobs, and the reason the active foam formula made it into the name in the first place.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThat formula is chemistry, not a strapline. Alongside the anionic surfactants, the concentrate contains cocamidopropyl betaine, an amphoteric surfactant with a positive charge at one end and a negative charge at the other. It slots in between the harsher anionic molecules and stabilises the bubble walls. Day to day, that means the foam is still standing on the bonnet while you wash the door, and you can see where you have already been.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBug splatter and bird droppings are why the instructions mention the foaming step at all. Both are dried-on protein that you cannot wipe away, only soften. Lay the wash solution on generously across the front end, the door mirrors and the windscreen edge, give it a minute, then wipe it off without pressure. Rub straight away and you push the hard remains across the clear coat like grinding grit, and you will still see that trail in low summer sun months later.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor the two-bucket wash, you put a second bucket of clean water next to it. After every pass the mitt goes in there and gets dragged over the grit guard at the bottom two or three times before it is allowed back into the wash solution. That keeps the grit you have lifted off in the rinse bucket rather than in your shampoo. The \u003ca href=\"\/products\/dr-wack-a1-waschhandschuh-zubehoer\"\u003ewash mitt from the same line\u003c\/a\u003e lets go of the grit reliably.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eGetting the order right around the car saves you a second bucket change. Roof, glass and bonnet first, then the doors, and last of all the sills, bumpers and wheel arches. That is where the brake dust sits, and it has no business in a mitt you are about to run straight back over the bonnet. Wash the lower sections with a second mitt and the solution stays clean enough for a whole car.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTwo conditions decide the result in the end, and both are on the product information sheet as notes: do not work in the sun, and do not work on hot surfaces. The wash solution must not dry on. After that, rinse from the top down with a gentle stream of water and dry off the remaining water while the surface is still wet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0800\/3272\/7375\/files\/dr-wack-a1-speed-shampoo-autoshampoo_anwendung.jpg?v=1787867897\u0026amp;width=1400\" alt=\"A1 Speed Shampoo being measured into the dosing chamber above the wash bucket\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;border-radius:4px;\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eA pH-neutral shampoo cannot touch iron fallout and winter grime\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA pH-neutral shampoo shifts road grime, pollen and soot. Baked-on iron fallout, tar and the grey salt film after winter stay put, because it simply lacks the chemistry for them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThat is not a weakness of the formula but the whole idea behind it. A cleaner that breaks up grease and salt film works well above the neutral point and takes the wax layer off along with the grease. The Speed Shampoo deliberately stays on the other side of that trade-off. When there is a grey film over the sills in March, an alkaline pre-cleaner goes on first and the shampoo after.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe second limit is the kit. Put a dosing chamber of it in a foam lance and you will not get a carpet of foam, because at 1 to 400 there is simply too little surfactant in the reservoir to carry a foam that hangs on vertical panels for two minutes. If a foam lance or pump sprayer is already on hand, the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/dr-wack-a1-power-foam-shampoo-schaumshampoo\"\u003esnow foam from the same line\u003c\/a\u003e is the right grab. If a bucket and a mitt are your tools, it is this one.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe third limit comes out of the lab. In the car shampoo test by KÜS and AUTO BILD, issue 26 of 2022, the Speed Shampoo scored a grade of 1.2 and took 2nd place out of nine. Full marks for cleaning performance at 50 out of 50 points, and 26 out of 30 for material compatibility. Among other things, the test covered polycarbonate over 48 hours at 80 degrees. So the only points it dropped had nothing to do with how clean it gets.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eA 500-millilitre bottle holds twenty buckets of wash solution\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA 500-millilitre bottle makes 200 litres of wash solution. At 10 litres a bucket, that is 20 washes without having to buy more in between.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThat makes the Speed Shampoo the one for you if you wash your own car regularly and do not want to buy any kit to do it. If you reach for the bucket every two to three weeks, one bottle lasts you about a year. On the shelf in the shed that would otherwise hold three half-used bottles, that is the tidier maths.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt is less of a fit if you wash twice a year and want to get everything off in one go, because a maintenance shampoo is no match for build-up that has had time to set in. And it brings no protection of its own. After the wash the paint is clean, nothing more. If you want beading, lay down a spray wax or spray sealant afterwards.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn the \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/autoshampoo\"\u003eCar shampoo\u003c\/a\u003e category, two types sit side by side: maintenance shampoos like this one, which leave the protective layer alone, and shampoos with a share of wax or polymers that put a little protection down with every wash. The second type sounds more convenient, but it builds up thin layers that turn patchy after a few washes. Keep the jobs cleanly apart, washing here and protection there, and you stay in control of both.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe point you will not find on any bottle: the safety data sheet classifies the concentrate as clearly hazardous to water. For you, that is less a chemistry question than a question of where you wash. The wash water belongs at a wash bay with an oil interceptor, not down the drain at the end of your drive. Plenty of local authorities ban washing cars on your own property anyway, and a look at the local rules takes five minutes. On top of that, the hose at a wash bay runs a gentle stream, which is exactly what the final rinse needs.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Dr. Wack \"A1\"","offers":[{"title":"500ml","offer_id":54707197968719,"sku":"D1-DRW-2760","price":11.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0800\/3272\/7375\/files\/dr-wack-a1-speed-shampoo-autoshampoo.png?v=1787867356","url":"https:\/\/detailing1.co.uk\/products\/dr-wack-a1-speed-shampoo-autoshampoo","provider":"Detailing1","version":"1.0","type":"link"}