We have received a lot of questions recently regarding our liquid fallout removers, Magma, Liquid Clay and Fallout Remover. Usually these ask how the products differ and ultimately "which product is best for me?" To help you answer these questions and find the right product for you we put this article together.
Q: What is fallout and why do I need to remove it?
A: Fallout is a term applied to any contamination that becomes bonded to your paint, although we will be talking about bonded iron contamination in this article. Over time iron contamination builds up on external surfaces causing them to feel rough. This roughness will eventually effect the way light is reflected from the paintwork which results in a reduction in paintwork gloss. The embedded iron contamination will also begin to rust over time. Owners of white cars may see a collection of tiny orange dots on their paint, that they cannot wash or polish away. This is iron fallout starting to oxidise.
Q: What does a fallout remover do and why would I need one?
A: The job of a fallout remover is to break the bond between the iron and your paintwork, or any other surface that they are used on, allowing it to be easily rinsed away. Iron contamination cannot be washed away with a regular shampoo and requires a special process to get rid of it. You can use a chemical process, or a clay bay. Chemical processes are often preferred because they allow you to treat entire vehicle quickly vs the clay bar method. Q: So why do clay bars still exist? A: Clay bars may take longer to use, but they remove more than just iron from vehicle surfaces. Clay bars can be used to remove iron, tar, tree sap and paint overspray, so they definitely still have their place on your detailing shelf.
Q: Where is all this iron coming from?
A: Iron contamination can come from all sorts of places, but most often it is from vehicle braking. The brake dust that gathers around regular brake discs on your wheels is iron contamination. It is generated when the metal parts of your brakes are worn away during use. Trains that have stop at a train station will generate tremendous volumes of iron contamination, so if you park near a railway station regularly you will almost certainly have fallout on your car. Airports also generate fallout for the same reasons too, as well as industrial processes such as foundries, factories and iron works.
Q: Where is all this iron coming from?
A: Iron contamination can come from all sorts of places, but most often it is from vehicle braking. The brake dust that gathers around regular brake discs on your wheels is iron contamination. It is generated when the metal parts of your brakes are worn away during use. Trains that have stop at a train station will generate tremendous volumes of iron contamination, so if you park near a railway station regularly you will almost certainly have fallout on your car. Airports also generate fallout for the same reasons too, as well as industrial processes such as foundries, factories and iron works.
Q: What is the difference between Magma and Liquid Clay?
A: Not a great deal. The name and bottle size are the most obvious factors, although there is a subtle difference in the formulations, but not enough to make a great deal of difference to the performance. Magma was formulated with the needs and desires of the home user in mind, Liquid Clay was formulated for professional users. Both are excellent at removing iron, are pH neutral and both use Colour change Technology, turning red during use.
Q: Is Autoglym Professional Autoglym Fallout remover the same type of product?
A: No, Fallout Remover removes iron contamination from vehicles by using Oxalic Acid. Until reactive bleeding fallout removers came along, this was the preferred method of chemical iron removal, and is actually still a very effective remover of iron deposits. It is safe to use as directed, do not let the acid word scare you, we would not sell it if it was damaging. Just make sure you follow the instructions and you will be fine. Fallout Remover does not turn red and show where the iron contamination is. If you want that sort of product use Liquid Clay or Magma.
Q: Why do you have two different fallout removers in the Autoglym Professional range?
A: To give you a choice! Both ways of removing fallout are effective, but some users want to see what is happening on the vehicle, and the visual indicator of colour change lets them see where the contamination is and can see it being removed. Most people opt for the colour changing products as they are more fun to watch!
We hope that this will help you find the right fallout remover for you, if you have any more questions please give our team a call or drop us an email.