Before we start, let me state the obvious disclaimer – this post on car care products is not endorsed or paid for by OSREN but rather I feel that it is best that others also be aware of this homegrown product. The choice of car care products actually a crucial part when you are washing your beloved vehicle instead of leaving it in the hands of foreign workers who use damaging products like household detergents and wash unprofessionally. Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko from Pexels
Read these first:-
- Year 2017: The Day I Became Car Wash Centre Worker
- Know Your Car Basics 101: Washing Sport Rims Effectively
- Know Your Car Basics 101: 4 Things I Learned On Car Maintenance
- Know Your Car Basics 101: Looking for the Best Car Service Center?
- Personal 101: Leaving Car Stranded During The Long Tiring Holidays
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One of the interesting things about OSREN is that they have their own Youtube channel showcasing their products and more importantly the dos & don’ts of doing proper car detailing. Personally, I have learned a lot about the right way of doing car detailing even before I start using their products.
Car Wash Usual Way
To be frank, when I was staying in an apartment, it was not easy to do my own washing of the car. Even with a bucket of water, it was not easy to bring up and down the water and then was an issue – the area to wash the car.
So the easy way out was to just drive the car to one of the many illegal car wash centres that were set along the shop lots and some of them employ foreigners who don’t speak any English or Bahasa and often manhandles the car. And if they speak Bahasa or Tamil and do a pretty decent job, one cannot expect a very detailed washing due to the number of cars that they have to wash in a day and for the small amount they charge for each wash.
Other than the quality of wash, another thing I hated but had no choice with was the choice of “shampoo” that they use. One place I used to go used detergents used for clothes washing and this will cause rust to take place. This is why they will quickly throw water once they have wiped the detergent on the car. Some use proper car shampoo that comes in large containers but there is no brand on the containers.
So when I had the space and chance to wash the car myself, I opt to wash it myself instead of sending it to the car wash centres unless it is an emergency and I don’t have to wash it myself. But now that I wash the car myself, I do spend a lot of time to ensure the car is really clean in and out and more importantly I take care of what products I use for the wash.
OSREN Products
Most of the shampoos and polish that I had in my little bag of car care product was bought from Tesco or My DIY and whilst some of them is quite cheap and is capable of getting the job done, I was concerned about the brand and the damage on the paint. That is when I found the OSREN car care products which were initially said to be marketed exclusively to the car detailers but now they have started to sell to the retail market and can easily get it online (Lazada & Shopee or their own e-store)
OSREN Car Wash Shampoo
It is stated as coming in a PH neutral concentration and creates high studs once diluted with water. Previously I had a shampoo that included wax so that it creates a shiny paint after each time I was in the car but I was not sure if it was PH neutral. This OSREN car shampoo does its job rather fine and I still get a good shine after each wash although I still need to do proper polishing and waxing once every 6 months.
OSREN Iron Remover
This is actually a new addition to my car care products specifically for the car rims which can easily get dirty with the brake dust. Previously I was using one of their other product called Wheel Cleaner which requires one to spray on the rims, leave it for the solution to work on the dirt and then brush them. Clean off the remaining with a good dose of water. This one which is called Iron Remover works the same but it does not need much scrubbing and it seems like it works better to remove the old brake dust that has hardened over the years.
OSREN Leather Lather
One is often mistaken to think that leather seats will be cleaner and easier to maintain compared to fabric seats. In reality, it is more difficult to actually clean and maintain leather seats, especially in this hot Malaysian weather. If ignored, these leather seats (they are not the high-grade ones) will start to show signs of cracks. I used to apply a “leather lotion” but it does not really clean the leather. With this Leather Lather, cleaning is easier – just spray on the seat and wipe them off. Of course, I still need to add a lotion to avoid it from cracking.
OSREN Exterior Reblack
Finally, one thing that I wanted to do for a long time was a proper blackener for the plastic and rubber lining on the car which has started to fade and in the same places, turned an ugly grey. It seems like it has some oil that revitalises the faded plastic and runner to the original black. It does not take too much effort for this – one or two swipes of the solution turns the faded areas into shiny black plastics.
Note: All images source: OSREN e-store
Final Say
It seems that as the car gets older, it is more critical to take care of the car even more frequently so that the old car remains and looks new and comfortable to drive. Further, with being able to wash my own car on the front porch, I can put the necessary effort to ensure the car is cleaner compared to the quality from the local car wash centres. It can be better in proper car detailing shops but it will be expensive.
And speaking of OSREN products, not all products are in use as I still have my old stock of car care products such as windscreen cleaner, polish and watermark removers. Further OSREN products are not cheap compared to other unbranded, China-sourced car care products but the quality shows. However, I am interested in their other products such as washing towels, polishing pads and wash fibres.
In addition to the car care products, another thing that one needs to brush up on is the car detailing knowledge on what to do for specific cleaning tasks and better use of rotary polisher tools. Couple this with a small body repair and paint works skills and I may do proper car restoration and detailing work for others after my retirement.