Bowden's Own - Quality Car Products

...Until I used the products, I never really thought about how you make it for your own cars. Of course it's going to be good... But I wasn't prepared for how good. Love the instructions, they are well thought out and a bit of humour is good to see, but most importantly LOVE the results. Keep it up, I love seeing Aussies do well.

Dane A. via email (US based maybe?)

Hi Chris and Dan, I want to thank you for your great car products i have just won 1st place again for the second year in a row at The All Holden Day at Carina.

HSV VY -VZ inc coupes with my HSV GTS Coupe i raced this car at Morgan Park last year at the muscle car shootout & Regularly race at Queensland Raceway sprint days also at Powercruise 5 and drags at willowbank.

So you can emagine its hard to keep it in prime condition when you also do show and shines but with your great products it makes it to 1st place for all events that i can thrown at it.

I have a Bowden's Own decal on my sign board when i show and also on my car.

Have a great Christmas and Thanks again for your great products and will see you trackside in the new year

Mr Chris W.

(I can vouch that he owns one wickedly quick and clean HSV!! CB)

Hi Chris,

I'd thought I'd offer some feedback (I'm not sure if you want any) but I
really like the products (I bought the super-size bucket) but $6 difference
between buying it over the net as opposed to buying it from Autobarn didn't
seem like much incentive to buy it from on the net ie. risk of postage foul
ups, having to wait a few days etc. If the price of $180 included postage,
it would have been a bargain (though might also infringe on any agreements
with Autobarn), $10 would have said you were trying and I probably would
have bought online, $6 meant I went to Autobarn :) Not trying to be picky -
just offering some pricing feedback. I'll definitely be checking online
again when I need some refills.

The surprise for me was the wash mitt. After my wife bought home a heap
of "mitts" from Woolies to clean the bench, shower etc, I hated mitts with a
passion. I wasn't going to use your mitt (before seeing it), but after
after I saw and touched it - I loved it. I was so surprised at how soft and
comfortable it was to use - so easy to get into all the little creases and
crevices.

The cleanser and wax worked well and gave the paint a real rosy glow. I've since had quite a few people cruising past on the road having a look at my car - hasn't happened since I bought it in 2000.

As a total package, I would have liked to have seen a clay bar included. These seem to be quite popular now.

I got the cleaning bug, did my wife's car, friend's new Swift and another
friend's Impreza GX and everyone is amazed at how well their car has come
up.

Anyway, it's a great product (so much I cleaned 2 of my friend's cars to
prove to them how good it is).

Cheers,

Mr Adam C via email.

Hi Chris & Dan,

I have to contact you after using your products on my 2 BMWS, I just love it! the cars are now quite often mistaken for new models....they are at least 4 years old!

Kind regards, David C. via email.

Hi Bowden's,

I went to Bathurst in 2004 and purchased a bucket of Bowden's Own from your stand at the 'Torana' display at the showgrounds. At that time I owned a black BA XR6, which I have since traded on a BA II Devil R. The car yard cleaner asked me how I kept such a finish on my car, I said its all in the product I used. I have since started to enter my Devil R in car shows and second show; First Prize! Thanks to Bowden's Own. My mate who helps me prepare for shows thought he had all the answers until I introduced your product to him. He has been convinced and sure tells everyone how good it is.

Thanks guys and keep up with the good product.

Regards, Paul W, Victoria.

Dan,

I have a bit of feedback on your product range.

A mate of mine (Rob W– Member of the QLD Corvette Club Inc) brought over his Mother Bucket kit and we cleaned both his and my Corvettes. They came up excellent!

My old girl doesn’t have the best of paints, in fact it is crap, but the shine on the old girl is deeper than any other product has given to date, without leaving crusty white powder from the polish. The paint cleaner did not remove any paint, it did seem to remove ground in dirt as most of it was on the rag after using it.

I left it for a couple of weeks and went in to Autobarn when they had their 20% off sale and got a basic kit, the one without the metal polish and quick detailer. I am hooked, best products I have used and I ‘aint just pullin your chain’. I couldn’t help me self, I whacked on the Beach Boys and had another car cleaning day!

I have even managed to talk and old Mustang mate of mine around, so now he is polishing those ponies with Bowdens Own as well. Another mate of mine at work lashed out and purchased a kit for his beloved Subaru.

I am wondering how I can get another Bowdens Own sticker for the Vette, I put the one from the kit on the Commodore. I was even impressed with the product, I did the old VS Commodore, which has had Ming paint protection since we got her new. They always said not to polish her, but the products worked well and she came up like new.

My wife drove the Commodore down to the shopping centre and was asked by strangers what we used to clean the car as she looked great for her age (nearly 10 now). I thought that was pretty impressive considering no one gives these cars a second glance now.

Cheers,
Tony W, QLD.

Hi,
I would just like to say that I think you have some great products and a very informative website. I have bought and used your car wash and wax and am very impressed.

Thankyou,
Jonathan M, S.A.

G'day,

First of all I'd like to say love your products I use them all on my show/drag/Sunday car (including several magazine photo shoots) & on my poor old daily driver as well & they are easily the best products I can buy over the counter & right up there & often better then the international brands I've spent a fortune on ordering over the net.

I'd just like to say I'd love to see a paste version of ABP. ABP is easily the best liquid wax I've ever used but I still getting a hankering for pastes as I've always found them better then the liquid versions. I just like the way they apply & always figured they were more concentrated (whether that's true or not I don't know it's just been my assumption)

I'm sure you've got all kinds of other products you'd like to develope first but as a loyal customer I figured I'd give you some feedback of what I'd like you to look into if you haven't already.

Thanks,

Mark S, NSW.

Chris, Just a note to let you know I've used your complete range of products in preparing my '66 Aust delivery Mustang coupe for a Wedding I did on
Saturday. Even though the paintwork is at "ten foot" quality and in need of replacing, it came up looking a million dollars and I got lots of comments
regarding it's shine and finish. Therefore your products got some great plugs! I now look forward to using your gear on my '65 K-code fastback when
it's on the road again. Thank you all again for the great tour of the collection and the chance to meet you guys during the Mustang club day. Take
care and give my best wishes to your Dad & Chris. Philip McC, QLD.

Hi Boys,

Just a quick one, but I have to tell you that your metal polish is amazing. The best I have ever used, period. Keep them coming, don't ever change.

Mr J Smythe, Melbourne, Victoria.

Hi Chris,

I've been using Meguires on my 2002 Corolla Levin since the day we bought it and the car has always looked like a million dollars. A couple of years ago I decided to put a somewhat childish 'blanket' boycott on all American products (including all fast food outlets) due to their disgraceful behaviour with the war, monopolising corporate takeovers, gun laws etc. etc. etc. etc. and I was always dissappointed that there wasn't ever any Australian alternatives when it came to good quality car care products. That was until now ....

There I was ... I'd finished my third bottle of Meguires Gold Class car wash (thanks to getting given two bottles for birthday presents etc. over the last couple of years) and I was ready to go shopping for some new stuff. I had a bottle of Auto Glym in my hand (apparently nice English stuff that's actually made in England) and I was just about to walk to the registers when an AutoBarn salesperson approachaed me. He asked if I needed some help and I was just about to say "no thanks" when I thought I'd ask him for his opinion. Lucky I did ! He lead me to the section with all the Bowdens products and I was blown away ... I was then even more blown away when he told me it was developed, manufactured and distributed from Buderim here in sunny QLD and I was floored once I found out I could also buy the entire range of Bowdens cloths etc. too. I bought a $50 'stater bucket' because my Meguires chamois was dying and I thought the wash glove was a good idea too ... plus I got a free bucket and a bag of jelly beans to boot. How could I go wrong :)

I went home and after I had a bit of a sit down to read the great little 'instruction booklet' & to eat the jelly beans attacked the Corolla which hadn't been washed for about three months. I usually keep it in mint condition washing it as soon as it gets dirty (sometimes four times a week depending on friggin' rainfall !) however we moved house about three months ago and I hadn't had the opportunity to give it a good solid clean until now. I used my normal 'two bucket' method and was very impressed with the way the glove glided over the paintwork taking all grime & dirt with it. I gave it a final rinse, drove it and then threw the chamios over it to finish it off. What can I say ... the result blew me away ! It's so shiny it looks like the car's made out of liquid !!! It no longer looks like a million dollars, it looks even better !

Thanks very for making such an amazing product and most importantly keeping it local . Australia needs more of this and we all need to support it ... even if it does cost a little more it shouldn't matter because it's usually far superior. I will now be saving up my pennies to get everything else I need in the range as the car is due for a polish.

Thanks again,

Mr Steve B. Via Email.

Bowden Family

Hi, my name is "PK". I have been a good friend of Chippo’s now for 5 years.

To cut a long story short, after looking at Chippo’s Mustang on many occasions I asked, "how do you keep your race car looking so clean". His answer "Bowden’s Products". I asked Chippo where do I get these products. Chippo offered to get me some Bowden’s products as he is aware of how I like to keep my Fairlane and Landcruiser looking spotless.

After receiving the "Auto Body Kit" I then sat down and read through the booklet and checked out the products. My first reaction was "What the hell am I going to do with all this". So first things first, I sat down and ate the Jelly Beans before the kid’s found them. Now that I was full of energy, I got to washing the car. I followed the car guide thoroughly and washed the car – looks great. I must admit every time I used to polish my cars, it was done begrudgingly. After using Bowden’s it is an easy task. It is so easy to apply and the results are truly excellent. Now I love polishing the cars. I stand back and think "Wow". The cars have never looked so good. I just had to go for a drive and show Chippo.

That night I read the car care guide again and said to my wife "I am so impressed I am going to write to the Bowden boys".

So thank you Chris, Dan and Family, your products are terrific.

Kind regards

Mr P KELLY, Maroochydore, QLD.

Hi Chris,

Credit where credit is due, I have just used the Bowdens car care products as instructed and my vehicle looks awesome. I have had quite a few comments on the "new treatment" to the paintwork of my car and wont hesitate to recommend your product. Keep up the great work.

Cheers

Anna B, Sydney, NSW.

Hello Dan,

At the reasonably recent Porsche Club QLD day held at your place (what a great day and thank you to you and your dad) I purchased a complete car care kit.

Let me tell you I have tried just about EVERY brand known to man and I must say that the shampoo and polish, all the cloths especially the glass cloth are THE BEST I have ever used on any and all of my cars including my 911.

Thanks and keep up the good work.

Regards,
Scott M, via Email.

Hi Guys,

Okay bowdens own has one me over if it was legal to marry an automotive wax i'd propose to your product tomorrow. My brother owns a Datsun 120Y its small its old it doesn't go fast the only thing its got goin for it is the fact it got a respray 5yrs ago. No one ever cut or polished it after the spray, its never been waxed or sealed or washed after the spray. Its been sittin under a carport and in the weather since the respray. So the paint needed some lovin, rephrase the paint needed a ship load of love and then some.

I bought a bottle of "Auto Body Protection" from my local autobarn after being talked out of Maguires NextGen Tech Wax. Which is the best thing a salesperson has ever done for me. The original purpose for this wax was my 93 626 SE 5spd V6, nice car all the electrical gizmos and room for improvement very much loved and missed, but i managed seriously damage her bye bye. So left with some new wax & no car I thought my brothers paint work is crap. Lets see if this stuff is all its cracked up to be.

A quick wash, a competitors paint cleaner, and bowdens own and this 120Y S-box was shiny hell it was freakin amazing. The paint sucked up the first coat for all the nourishment and most of the second coat, but the crazing and the bleaching from the sun was mostly gone or hidden beneath what seemd to be 4 inch deep wax. A week in the car was still shiny a little dusty but you get that leaving it outside. Its now been two weeks from a distance the car still gleems up close is a different story my bro needs to seriously wash the car. All my work is goin to pot grrrrr.

I am amazed how simple the wax is to apply on wet, off wet no need to wait for a fine haze :P And its so rich and glossy. Yep I am definetly getting the rest of Bowdens Own products for sure.

Anyways thanks for meeting a need guys keep making products to such high standards and I'll keep braggin how good you are to all my friends and people i meet who love cars.

Thanks for your time
Mr Sam H. Viva Bris Vegas.

P.S.
Clive would be pleased to note that it was driver error not mechanical that caused my 626s demise :(

Chris,

Its actually an MY05 STi bought in December '04. So still very new.

My previous car was an MY04 WRX which I treated with Bowdens from day one, and when the dealer saw it, they said it was the shiniest best looking Rex they'd seen - That I think says a lot about the quality of the Bowden's products.

Thanks for the advice.

Cheers
Gerard C. Brisbane.

Hi Chris,

I recently bought some Bowden's Own Auto Body Perfection and I must say I was quite impressed.

I am curious about the product though, is it a polymer sealant/glaze or a carnauba based wax? To me it kind of seems like a bit of both? The fact that there is a cure time and the easy on/off application --reminds me of sealants like Klasse/Zaino, whereas the description on your website/bottle is geared more towards a pure ‘wax'. Yet it is not typical of any waxes such as P21S or Zymol? …because it reminded me a lot of sealants the way it went on/off. Yet you seem to emphasise the fact that it is a ‘wax' on the website, with carnauba. My experience with carnauba is while it gives a great deep shine, it is lucky to survive 1 month. Which led me to believe it is more of a sealant?

I think you are onto a good thing though…it is definitely just about the best thing I can get competitively priced and off the shelf at Autobarn!

Regards,

Col C. Melbourne.

To Dan & Chris ,
Another Car Show over & another two Trophies for the mantlepiece thanks to Bowdens Own Products .

To get the one for Best HSV of the show I was very proud .. Obviously paint goes a long way to this & thanks to your products my paint has never looked
better . I had used Final Inspection on the car before you had unpacked your new Auto Body Detail . I purchased some of your Product & decided to
give it a go before I went home on Friday night . I was absolutely blown away with this stuff , you could actually see the shine being enhanced . The judge actually asked me if the car had been resprayed . Not bad for 16 year old original
acrylic paint hey ?

The most amazing thing was that after 2 days at the show not a spec of dust sits on the car . Usually in my garage at home if I leave the cover off the car you can see the dust after one day . The cover has
been off for a week & still no dust . This stuff is amazing !!!!! The worst thing about it is my competitors at the Show are now using it !

I was wondering if your Tyre Gel had been released yet because if it is as good as the other products I need some of it as well ?

Regards,
Mr. Nev G.

Brisbane.

Dear Chris,

Have been using your products for a few weeks now after recommendations from Autobarn Brisbane... came out with 4 bags of your products (didn't believe it myself)... Loving it! Goes on and comes off smoothly to give a real depth of shine. Don't know what to do with my Swissol kits now?!?

I look forward to hearing from you...

Dr Ray G. Viva Bris-Vegas, QLD.

G'day Dan,

I met you and your very capable assistant (sorry to say this but she was far better looking than you) at the Holden v Ford shoe in Brisbane. Just a quick departure from the topic, the young lady with you ( my apologies to her as I can't remember her name) was very knowledgeable about your products which was very pleasing to see as the other Promo Girls from the other trade stands would have been lucky to know one end of a car to another let alone the product they were promoting.

Hope you enjoyed your “day off” after the recent Ford –v- Holden Show in Brisbane. It was nice to meet you and talk to you.

I recently used your Auto Gel and I would agree it is the best on the market, I have used Meguiar's and other “premium” brands but yours is certainly the best. I have even used it on Katrina's car, her sister's car and her mother's car.

PS. The website has been updated if you have previously looked at it, www.katicore.com.au

Just a short note to say how good the products are. I have a BMW M5 titanium silver and I am very fussy about what I polish it with. I used to use Meguuirs and Zymol. Zymol is hard to get, and Meguirs is hard to rub off!

Thanks for a job well done. Herman the German at the BMW factory would be proud of the M5 shiner than new

Mr Dallas D, Fussy Bastard. Via Email, did have QLD plates on the Beemer though.

My name is Robert and we conversed a little bit around Christmas time in regards to your products and their availability at my local AutoBarn at Capalaba. As I am starting to get low on all three , I am wondering if you could let me know if the stocking problems encountered at Xmas time have been solved ? Yes I know , why don't I just go and have a look myself . I intend to, on Thursday. I haven't been there since the last time . Just thought I would have a chat first ! I have been very, very impressed with that glossy look and enjoy the looks that my car gets . You know after I give my car the works , I can't help looking at other cars and thinking what they could look like if they knew what I did about Bowden's Own. It's a bit like wanting to shout out aloud to everyone about it , but also like keeping a secret . Like a secret fishing spot , you know .

My car is only a 95 Faimont but the next one I hope will be a BA XR8. I just love looking at that huge motor . Getting back to your products , I have found the blue/purple and yellow polishing rags to be fantastic but I think I need at least 2 of each. I'm not so sure about the small round blue mitts though. I think to start with I would have to use a fair bit of the Cleanser / Wax to really get going . Maybe I have the wrong idea about it's intended use !! I have been using old soft brushed cotton tea towels cut into small strips which seems to be easy to get into the grooves. Anyway I'll have a look at AutoBarn on Thursday to see if they have any of your stock and if not I will order through the internet.

Hi Chris ,
Finally got around to using your polish . I used on our Maloo first to try it out . It looked great so I decided to use it on the
Walkinshaw . I am very impressed . I found it required a bit of effort with the pre wax cleanser . It actually felt like a
Cutting polish at first which worried me , but after looking at the cloth expecting paint colour , it was just actually dirt .
I thought the car was clean but obviously not !

I have just put a second coat of wax on and it has come up even shinier.
My question is whether putting extra coats of wax ( as I was thinking of 1 more coat a week before this June car show )
is good or bad for the paint ?

Regards,

Mr Nev G. Brisbane.

Having just completed the wash & polish of my Subaru Liberty, I am so impressed that i thought I'd write and let you know.

The car is deep Mica Blue in colour and this is a very difficult colour to maintain. In fact it will attract the dust blown from the breeze of a Bee's fart. Your car wash, wax and polish bought, what I thought was a well polished car, back to brand new sparkle. It is fantastic to at last use a product that does what it claims.

Also, I am a person who does not like 'Stickers' on my cars. The back windscreen of the Subaru now proudly wears the "Bowden's Own" sticker.

I have just walked away from my shed. Inside that shed is the best looking Blueprint BAGT Falcon in the world. On that GT is Bowden's Own Perfection. If I ever meet you guys I'm going to kiss you.

OK, so the old XA didn't turn into the Phase 4 when I waxed, but it is looking the most spiffy it has for about ten years of daily driving. It must have been two months now, when does it stop beading?

Hello Bowden's. I feel a bit odd writing this, as I have never in my 40 or so years written to a company on such a matter. I have to say thank-you for making a product that delivers. I saw your ads in Australian Muscle Car, but thought you were a bit expensive when I went into our Autobarn, I bit the bullet not knowing what to expect as I have had some disappointments with other car care brands in the past. To cut a long story short I have just washed, cleansed and waxed my delft blue VU SS commodore ute and I'm that impressed that I have to write this e-mail. I'm not pissing in your pocket, If my wife was home I would'nt have written this. I have to tell someone.Thank you and please keep it up.

Thanks David, I'm throwing everything else out. From now on my car is Bowden's only. My Daughter loves the smell and my husband thinks the HT looks the best it has ever looked in the 12 years we have owned it. Were you really never going to release this on the market?

I love the colour when you pour it in the water. My stepfather and I think it is fantastic. I just sprayed it on my wife's car with a pressure cleaner to see how it worked and it is looking the best it has ever looked. With no effort.

( Pressure cleaners are great for saving water and effective cleaning, just make sure you know what you are doing!)

I saw the Gullwing at the Classic Adelaide with KB driving (was David navigating?) and it looked sensational. Silver can only shimmer like that with really good polish, so I had to buy some Bowden's Own. My Merc came up better than new. But I do have one complaint. You guys should be bragging about how long it lasts, it's now 10 weeks and still beading like crazy. I want to wax it again, but it would be a waste of time. Keep up the good work and I hope to see you all racing through Adelaide again.

Chris,
Products are excellent. Best chamois I have ever used (I used to hate chamoising my car off but at least now it is not such a laborious task, I guess my old chamois must have been pretty crappy). The microfibre polishing cloths work better and faster than any cloths I have ever used in the past. I will certainly recommend them to my car club mates.
Thanks for the info.

Regards,
Mark D.

Just a quick note to say thanks for making car care products for cars, not people. I bought the Auto Body Kit last week and used it on the weekend, as you recommended I followed the directions and I had to write to say how rapt I am with the results! Knowing that you guys made this stuff for your own cars got me interested, using it on my 66 Mustang has confirmed how good it really is. Your right it is very different to everything else I have used. Please don’t change, keep making it for your cars, not people.

I just used the Gel, Cleanser and Perfection in a 1,2,3 motion. I followed the directions you gave me and this is a quick message to say…..YOU LITTLE RIPPER. My paint practically drank the wax! I did it panel by panel on the black Audi (don’t worry I was in the shade, it was cool to touch etc) and she came up a treat. I’m looking forward to seeing how long it lasts. Good on you guys!

The sponge did seem to glide more easily on the surface and the disk brake dust did not cling to the sponge like before, it washed out easily. Also the bugs and other s%&* came off with a mild amount of rubbing. To sum it up I think you are on a winner, just like the cars you own.

After using your Auto Body Kit, our 1991 MX5 really "looks the goods" in it's original factory paintwork. Amazing when you consider it travelled over 100 000k's as a road car before being modified for competition use in 1997.

Since then it has done 6 seasons on the track competing in the GP Cars Production Sports Car Series, raced in Targa Tassie and the Indy Car Rally twice, competed in one Leyburn Rally, numerous sprints and club events; a total of some 35 000k's in competition of some form or other.

I take great pride in the appearance of my car and I seriously thought it was time for a re-spray. It looks as though I will get a few more years out of the paint now though. Please find attached a photo of my MX-5 at Morgan Park.

I am just writing to congratulate you on putting together a car wash that has backed up to what everyone has said. I drive a black Audi S4 Avant and found it increasingly difficult to maintain the shine on the car. Most of the car washes I used left it looking dull and streaky. After the first wash with Bowden's Own, straight away I knew it had done its job, easy to read instructions well priced and leaving my car streak free. Thank you Bowden's for releasing something that was developed for Australians and is 100% Australian owned.

Knowing that you use the product on your precious vehicles gives me the confidence to use it on mine.

Congratulations, you have converted a sceptic. I saw your product advertised in Australian Muscle Car and thought it might be a bit of a wank. I have a mate who raves about your Auto Body Gel, so I bought your kit about a month ago. I’m surprised, but I really can feel the difference with your products and ones with heaps of silicone added. I thought it would be impossible. I have 5 XR Falcons (1 GT, 1 Panel van, 1 Ute, the other 2 I’m keeping under wraps for now) “Pimpin”, my wagon was featured in Street Machine two days after giving my car the treatment with Bowden’s Own. I bet you didn’t know that! I have since given all of my old car care stuff to the neighbours kids. I am never going to spend another cent on that yank shit. Having said that, when will you release a tyre gel?

Firstly, let me say I was very impressed when the cleaning products arrived to find a "Dear Udo" letter from you, and to see that it was personally signed. Such a small thing makes one feel appreciated as a customer and has certainly encouraged me to stick with Bowdens. It also costs virtually nothing to make someone feel good.

Secondly, I've only used the products on my new PT Cruiser about three times, the first time giving the car the full treatment, and it has come up a treat. Polishing does not require anywhere near as much effort as the previous polishes I've used and the result, even on new paintwork, is first rate. You've certainly won me over. I also use whatever's left in the bucket (no use wasting any) on my daughters VW Golf which is left for weeks on end in the driveway (she has been overseas for over 12 months), and even without using any cleanser or polish, I think the car looks a bit better with every wash, especially as rainwater now beads up on the car.

I've noticed your range of products has increased since I purchased my cleaning products and will look to buying more of them when I need to stock up again. Are you planning to introduce any products to keep the interior - vinyl, suede, leather -clean as well? Then you certainly will be a "one stop shop" for me.

"The Bowden's Own car wash seemed very sudsy and sheeted the water off well. I found it excellent to use."

"I think the Auto Body Gel is superb and will certainly continue with its use. I have previously used a considerably more expensive product (Zymol) and I consider your product to be as good as if not better than it. It certainly helps to keep the vehicles looking their best. We use it on our 4 GT's plus our other cars so I will be in touch soon to buy some additional bottles. Congratulations on a great product and I look forward to hearing about new products as they are added to the range."

"We have just finished testing a new Australian car wash Bowdens Own Body Gel. Our comments are:

One of the best car washes we have ever tested. We have no hesitation in endorsing it as a Wax Wizard recommended product.

This is inspiration.

Our cars motivate us,

our customers inspire us;

When a store calls, to say that an ecstatic customer just came back to the store, to show them how good their car looks, or we get mail like the letters below.

It pushes us further.

From all of the Bowden Family, thank-you.

Wax Wizard (On-Line Company) Monthly Specials Flyer Dec 2002