If you’ve paid any attention to my product recommendations on EV Pulse, you probably get the sense that I enjoy spending time washing and detailing my car. In my nearly 30 years of car ownership, I have used hundreds of different products, from car wash soaps to hand mitts, wheel cleaners to interior detailers. While it’s true that many products in the industry are quite similar and deliver comparable results, there’s a noticeable difference between poor-quality products and high-quality ones. In recent years, more car care brands have seemingly appeared out of nowhere, and it’s been enjoyable to put some of these to the test.
Most recently, AutoManiacs, a brand new entry in the car care industry, reached out to me to see if I could provide honest feedback on its product line. Given my interest in evaluating all sorts of car care products, I happily obliged and AutoManiacs sent me its entire product lineup. According to the brand, its goal is to bridge the gap between professional-grade care and accessible solutions for every car owner. The result is a comprehensive catalog of products, but the question remains: what are they doing to stand out from the crowd?
The folks at AutoManiacs clearly have a thing for coffee, based on the naming convention for its products. Here’s what the company sent over to me for evaluation:
- Latte – interior cleaner
- Frappe – interior dressing
- Ameriglano – ceramic glass cleaner
- Carpuccino – foam shampoo
- Expresso – ceramic gloss enhancer
- Macchiato – tire & wheel cleaner
- Moccha – tire shine dressing
- Quencher – drying towel
- Brewster – foam lance
The entire set is available as “The Barista’s” collection and includes almost everything you need to care for your car, inside and out. Notably absent from AutoManiacs’ lineup at the moment is a proper wax.
My initial impression of the packaging was positive, with each product coming in its own box. Inside the box were welcome cards and accessories or tools matching that specific product. For example, the tire & wheel cleaner came with a brush, while the foam shampoo includes a car wash mitt. What’s interesting here is that most car care brands don’t even bother including accessories or tools with their products, offering them as separate purchases. It’s great that AutoManiacs includes these with their products, but I have to admit I was somewhat disappointed by the quality. This places the brand in an interesting position: while it’s a thoughtful gesture, it ultimately falls short of being truly helpful. I found the wash mitt to be the most usable of the accessories, while the small towels were the least helpful. Which is a bit funny, because the drying towel from AutoManiacs is one of the best I’ve ever used.
Another criticism I have is that the instructions for each product are on the welcome cards included in each box. It’s an odd choice, since we’re so used to looking at a bottle’s label for instructions. As a result, I actually missed how to properly dilute the car shampoo during my testing. AutoManiacs did take my feedback into consideration and is exploring other ways to provide the instructions for each product.
Since I own a pressure washer, I connected the Brewster foam lance filled with Carpuccino foam shampoo, which, admittedly, wasn’t properly diluted. I did test the car shampoo on two different vehicles, mixing a lot more water in the second evaluation. Both delivered the result I expect from a quality car wash soap—a thick blanket of foam that clings to surface dirt and makes it safe to wipe away. I used the included mitt instead of my usual one; it’s fine, but a bit heavier than I’m used to. AutoManiacs states that Carpuccino is a neutral foam cleaner with special surfactants that produce the rich foam shown in the photos. It’s definitely one of the foamiest car wash shampoos I’ve ever used. The foam lance also worked well and is nicely constructed with quality materials. It has a 33.81-ounce capacity, with adjustable nozzle and spray pattern. No complaints here on the foam lance.
The tire & wheel cleaner worked pretty well, although the included brush left a bit to be desired. The brush was a bit too small, and the handle was shorter than I prefer. The solution itself works well and is comparable to most other tire and wheel cleaners on the market. The same applies to the tire shine dressing; it’s been about a week since I first applied it, and it’s still looking good. I found myself needing to use a bit more solution than I’m used to for good coverage on the tire, but overall, I have no major complaints with the wheel and tire products.
This is a good time to highlight a great feature of all AutoManiacs products: the spray nozzle. I know it’s not something most people will think about, but when you’ve used some frustrating bottles in the past, you’ll know what I’m talking about. These spray nozzles deliver an ideal mist and spread, and they feel great to use. They’re also sturdy, which is worth mentioning since I’ve had broken nozzles and bottle necks with other products.
Out of everything AutoManiacs sent me, my favorite product was the Quencher drying towel. It’s a 1500 GSM towel rated to absorb up to a gallon of water. At 24 by 36 inches, it’s one of the best drying towels I’ve used, though, like the wash mitt, it does get heavy. Still, I highly recommend this drying towel if you’re in the market for one. While testing AutoManiacs’ products, I fully dried two compact cars without needing to wring out the towel.
I found the interior cleaner and dressing to be milder solutions, which might be ideal depending on your preference. The above photo shows the result after applying the interior dressing, though not in a generous amount. It delivers a matte finish rather than a glossy or slick one, which I prefer. Like many other interior dressings, AutoManiacs claims it delivers long-lasting UV protection. Unfortunately it’s difficult for us to put that claim to the test. I found myself needing to use a bit more interior cleaner than usual to remove some stains on the door panel. Overall, I think these two products have milder formulations to keep them safe for all interior surfaces.
The next product is the ceramic glass cleaner, which I can recommend. However, I wouldn’t recommend using the included towel, and I hope the company considers improving it, as it actually detracts from the product’s performance. The towel makes it difficult to achieve streak-free, clean glass; I found it much easier to use with my own microfiber towels. Living in Southern California, I don’t experience rain often, so I can’t speak to whether the ceramic coating helps water bead off the windshield quickly. However, I can say the glass cleaner is easy to apply and leaves a streak-free finish, provided you use a proper towel.
Lastly, there’s the ceramic gloss enhancer. This nano-silica formula is designed to create a hard, smooth protective film on the car’s surface. It feels like a standard spray wax, adding shine and gloss to your car’s paint while also making it feel smoother to the touch. It’s difficult to gauge the formula’s protective abilities in a short-term evaluation, but I’ll update this review in a few weeks to share how well it holds up. Overall, I’m pleased with the results, especially considering I applied it on a car that spends all its time parked outdoors.
Overall, I’m impressed with AutoManiacs’ offerings, though there are areas the young brand could improve. The company has been highly receptive to my feedback, which is promising. I’m excited to see what else it has in development. While it’s debatable whether the industry needs another car care brand, I appreciate that AutoManiacs includes tools, accessories, and a more premium packaging experience with its products.
Full disclosure: All products featured in this review were provided by AutoManiacs. The company did not receive a copy of this review prior to publication. We have an affiliate relationship with AutoManiacs and may earn a commission if you purchase any products through our links.
