In this post, we are taking a look at Chemical Guys Maxi Suds II, specifically in the grape scent. This shampoo is available in a few different scents but from my understanding, they all provide the same performance and the only differences in the various versions are scent and color.
Maxi Suds II is a pH balanced shampoo advertised to be tough on dirt, gentle on paintwork, and safe for all wax, glaze, and sealant coatings. It is also advertised to work well in both a foam cannon and bucket so we’ll be trying both.
First up, the foam cannon. For this, I’ll be adding 3 ounces of Maxi Suds II to my MJJC Foam Cannon Pro and filling the water reservoir up to 800ml. This is my standard for testing all car shampoos in a foam cannon so if you’d like, you can compare the results here to the other car shampoo reviews that I’ve previously made.
From my experience, one thing that Chemical Guy’s car shampoos do really well is providing thick foam in a foam cannon. Here with Maxi Suds II, I would have to say that the tradition continues. The foam is very thick and clings really well to the surface. As the foam clings longer, it has more chance to encapsulate any loose contaminants and take them off the surface as the foam rolls off or is rinsed off. From these results, I would say that Maxi Suds II is completely viable as a foam pre-wash or even as a sprayed-on soap for contact cleaning without a bucket.
Next, we’re moving on to using Maxi Suds II for the two bucket method and contact wash. The directions say to mix one ounce of product to five gallons of water. First up is the hand lubricity test. This is just me getting a feel of the soap solution between the skin of my hand. Upon first impressions, Maxi Suds II failed miserably. This has got to be the most watered-down soap solution that I’ve ever felt and there is little to no lubrication. Because of this, I DO NOT recommend that you mix Maxi Suds II at the manufacturer’s recommended ratio. For my personal testing, I’m going to add another four ounces of shampoo, bringing the total up to five ounces to five gallons of water or one ounce per gallon of water. Doing the hand lubricity test again, my hand feels like an oil slick, and I do not feel my skin rubbing against each other at all. To be honest, five ounces to five gallons of water may be a bit much. If you’re going to try this out for yourself, I would recommend starting at three ounces to five gallons of water and go from there as needed. Once I got the soap solution to a point that I was satisfied with, I would say that there wasn’t anything particular that stands out about this product and that’s a good thing. It was able to clean the car as well as anything else so no complaints there.
Overall, I would say that I’m happy with Chemical Guys Maxi Suds II. It performs really well in a foam cannon and just as good as every other car shampoo that I approve of. The only disappointing thing about this product is the one ounce to five gallons of water mixing ratio that Chemical Guys recommends. I’ve noticed that they recommend this with a few of their car shampoos and the recommendation never lives up based on my personal testing. One ounce of Chemical Guys car shampoo to five gallons of water is always watered down and I always have to add more products to get something satisfactory. It would’ve been great if this advertising were true because the shampoo would’ve been extremely economical but even at one ounce per gallon as shown in this video, the cost per ounce of Maxi Suds II is still pretty low. With all of this in mind, I would have to give this car shampoo a recommendation. If you’re looking for something that can be used as an all-in-one, for both the pre-wash and contact wash, then Chemical Guys Maxi Suds II is worth a try.
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