As enthusiasts we all love to take care of our Mustangs. There’s nothing that gives a greater sense of accomplishment than standing back, towel over the shoulder, and admiring your freshly washed, clay bar, and waxed Mustang. Unfortunately, you just burned several hours of daylight doing so. Daylight you could be using to cruise in your Mustang instead of cleaning it (or perhaps even tackling some other Honey Do items on that list she’s made). What if we told you that you could clean and protect your Mustang’s paint surface in roughly 30 minutes, and you won’t even need a bucket, hose, or soap to do it? Yep, we didn’t believe it either. After 30 years of washing our vehicles the old fashioned way, we met Neil Chadwick in January 2015 at the Silver Springs Ford & Mustang Roundup, where he introduced us to his Chadwick’s Triple Play. We tried it and we were so impressed we had to share.
Washing your Mustang the traditional way means dragging out a bucket, soap, a hose (that always kinks and shuts the water off) and washing the car with a sponge or wash mitt and rinsing it all off. Sounds simple, but in reality water sits in crevices, the soap dries before you can rinse it off, and you end up putting gallons of water all over your driveway. Let’s not forget the scientific side of things, such as the “hardness” of the water from all the chemicals and minerals that leave etching marks in your clear coat. Or the fact that most soaps, even car wash soaps, have high pH and alkalines (that’s how they clean). The Chadwick’s Triple Play system throws that traditional wash mentality out the window and replaces it with a waterless wash product that also acts as an acrylic bonding agent to your Mustang’s paint or clear coat. Yes, waterless car wash products have been around for several years, but the Chadwick’s Triple Play takes it a step further.
Chadwick’s Triple Play isn’t just for paint protection either. The formula works great on chrome (which our vintage Mustangs have an abundance of), and can be used to clean glass, interior trim, and even your wheels. On glass Chadwick’s Triple Play acts like a water repellent and the water beads and rolls right off your glass. With interior detailing Chadwick’s Triple Play is positively charged so dust will not stick to the surface of your interior. So now you’ve just cleaned your whole car—inside, outside, wheels, and glass—with one single product and no water or soap. While a great product to use at home, just think how easy and simple it will be to clean your Mustang while travelling for a major car show. Pop the trunk, grab your Chadwick’s Triple Play, and clean your Mustang right there in the hotel parking lot. No more looking for a hose, borrowing hotel towels to clean your ride, and carrying a huge bag of products that take up precious travel space!
1. The Chadwick’s Triple Play car care system consists of a 24-ounce bottle of Chadwick’s Triple Play, a 16-ounce bottle of Chadwick’s No Sling Tire Dressing, a tire dressing applicator, four micro-fiber towels, and the Chadwick’s Buffer Blok, all for $69.99, and comes in a storage tote for easy transport. Refill gallons and replacement towels, applicators, and Buffer Bloks are available as well.
2. Begin the process by ensuring the surface of your Mustang is cool to the touch and the car is under shade. Working one section at a time, apply a light coat of Chadwick’s Triple Play to the surface and allow it to sit on the surface for 10 seconds or so. The dirt will be softened and encapsulated by the product.
3. Folding the micro-fiber towel into quarters, lightly spray the surface of the towel with Chadwick’s Triple Play and in a slow side-to-side motion (not circular!) with very light pressure wipe the surface clean.
4. The Buffer Blok should only be used upon initial application of Chadwick’s Triple Play or when the surface does not feel smooth anymore. The block has a rubber-like surface that helps to buff the surface and create a smooth finish that increases gloss and reflection.
5. Again you will spray the surface with Chadwick’s Triple Play, however this time take the Buffer Blok in long, straight strokes to buff the surface. Like the micro-fiber towel, the Buffer Blok does not take a lot of pressure to work. Pushing too hard will push dirt and contaminants into the paint versus light pressure. Wipe off excess with a micro-fiber and let any remaining product air dry.
6. Using a clean micro-fiber, buff the surface gently to remove the last of the product and introduce a brilliant surface reflection that will have people think they’re staring into the sun itself! Repeat these procedures for the remaining sections of the car and don’t forget your chrome trim, glass, and interior (minus the Buffing Blok of course).
7. Chadwick’s No Sling Tire Dressing is not a spray on product (which your fellow car show participants will no doubt appreciate). It requires the use of the included applicator. The application is in a thick liquid cream with UVA and UVB sunscreen. Using the applicator, wipe your tires down for a rich, deep shine with no overspray on your wheels or painted surfaces. You can even use it on interior vinyl and leather trim and it dries to the touch.
8. Start to finish we used the timer on our smart phone (mind you we were stopping to take photos as well) and our first application came in at just over an hour. Future applications of Chadwick’s Triple Play will no doubt be less, as we won’t need to utilize the Buffer Blok step. Best of all, we can add additional layers anytime without having to dig out a bucket, drag the hose around to the front of the house, and waste several gallons of water. Those of you in California right now can appreciate that!
9. The next day we attended a local Mustang show with our ’66 Mustang hardtop where it was placed in a popular vote class (traditionally a rough class to win, as you’re at the mercy of the audience and you practically have to beg people to vote for your car). At the end of the day our Anniversary Gold hardtop, with its fresh coat of Chadwick’s Triple Play gleaming in the sun, took home one of only four popular vote awards. Thanks Neil!
