The Bilt Hamber Experience

 

    When we went to the Shetland Car show some time back with the XJS Cabriolet, I noticed on the program that they had an advert from a Lerwick company which stocked Bilt Hamber products.  I'd heard good reports about this company and their products and decided to give this place a visit in the couple of spare days we had after the rally.  The place took some finding but eventually we found this family firm on the Industrial estate and they were surprised that the ad. was in the program again.  Anyway I discussed my requirements with the Boss and came away with a couple of Clay bars, some S50 cavity wax and a tub of Auto Balm for exterior waxing.

    It was some time before I got round to using the S50 in the sills of the Mini Clubman Estate and I was very pleased with the ease of application and the way it crept along seams.

    Later that year I bought the XJ8 and being a fairly dark metallic maroon with a fair few swirls and fine scratches I thought I'd have a shot at using the Auto Balm on it, just to see if it 'did what it said on the tin'  This car has to stand outside (yes, I've got too many other toys which completely fill the very large toy cupboards!) in the kind of weather which tests any automotive finish - we occasionally get gale force salt laden winds and you can taste the salt on your lips after a few minutes outside on that kind of day.  The finish on the XJ8 was not bad - slightly dulled over 14 years of use and there is a lot of semi matt black paint around door frames, mirrors and the like.  As we all know, this combination leads to horrible white streaks from most of the available resin polishes.

    I'm not an obsessive detailer, but I quite like my cars and bikes to look well turned out and cared for.  Before and after pictures are not easy - it all depends on the type of day and the time you take them - but I am really amazed with the results after only a couple of applications.  Most of the swirls have gone completely and the colour has far more 'depth' to it.  According to the Bilt Hamber information it has corrosion inhibitors included which should prevent any tiny chips - there are a few - from turning into those familiar under paint spiders.

 

 

Some time later I thought I would order some more stuff direct from BH and on perusing the web there are quite a few stockists, and it took me a while before I actually found the proper Bilt Hamber site.  The order was despatched very quickly with free delivery here to Orkney - some companies really stitch us up with delivery charges.

I think I'll do a salt spray test on a few panels, bare and painted and leave them outside in the open and see what happens - but I'm very pleased with what I've seen so far.

 

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