CarPro Reset Alternatives: Quan Pink, Symplex Platinum and Silica Wash Compared

CarPro Reset is a concentrated car shampoo that CarPro built to go with its own coatings and sealants. It rinses clean, a little goes a long way, and it's $89.99 a gallon, about 70 cents an ounce. Here's what we'd swap in, what each one costs per ounce and in a foam cannon, and who should stay with Reset.

What Reset Does, in CarPro's Words

CarPro says Reset was formulated as the perfect partner to nanotechnology-based sealants and coatings, and developed for its own Reload, HydrO2 and CQuartz. According to CarPro, its intelligent pH surfactants break down road grime and traffic film with the power of an alkaline cleaner while staying as gentle as a pH-neutral shampoo. CarPro says it's pH neutral, free of harsh sodium and lauryl sulfate derivatives, and rinses off without leaving soap residue or silicones.

CarPro rates it at 400 to 500:1, which in practice is about 1 oz in a 3 to 4 gallon bucket. For a foam cannon, CarPro's ratio is 1:9, about 1.6 oz in a 16 oz bottle or 3 to 4 oz in a 32 oz bottle.

One line on CarPro's page is easy to miss. Under Precautions, it says Reset "may degrade organic waxes and polymer sealants." It's built for coatings. If your car wears carnauba or a polymer sealant instead, that's a reason to look elsewhere.

Top Pick · Lowest Price per Gallon — Quan Pink

Quan Pink is our house car soap, a concentrate with a pH of about 7 on its safety data sheet. Use 5 oz in 5 gallons of water, which is 1 oz per gallon, or 1 to 2 oz in a foam cannon.

Pink wins on price. It's $16.99 for 32 oz, $27.99 a gallon and $89.99 for 5 gallons, so by the gallon it's $0.22 an ounce to Reset's $0.70. In a foam cannon it isn't close: 22 to 44 cents a load at gallon prices, against $2.11 to $2.81 for Reset.

Buying in bulk? A 5-gallon pail of Pink is $89.99, the same price as a single gallon of Reset, and it works out to about $0.14 an ounce.

Pro Pick · Wax, Sealant and Coating Safe — Symplex Platinum

Platinum is the pick if Reset's warning applies to your car. Symplex says it's "specifically engineered not to strip existing waxes, sealants, or ceramic coatings," and it publishes the pH: 7.0 to 7.5. Symplex lists it as safe on clear coat, chrome, stainless steel, polished aluminum and plastic trim. Symplex manufactures in Orlando.

Use 3 to 4 oz in a 4 to 5 gallon bucket, or 2 oz of soap to 6 oz of water in a foam cannon. It's $12.99 a quart, $33.36 a gallon and $137.98 for a 5-gallon pail. By the gallon that's $0.26 an ounce, a little over a third of Reset's price per ounce. You switch for what it leaves on the paint, the published pH and the 5-gallon pail.

The SiO2 Option — Symplex Silica Wash

Silica Wash is for when you want the wash to leave something behind. It's a concentrate with silica (SiO2) nanoparticles in a water-based carrier, and Symplex says it cleans, protects and enhances the finish in a single application, adding gloss and water beading that cut down water spots and speed up drying. It's pH neutral, and Symplex says it won't strip existing waxes, sealants or ceramic coatings and helps maintain and extend a coating's life.

That's a different routine from Reset, whose directions finish with Reload or HydrO2 to top up protection. Use 3 to 4 oz in a 5-gallon bucket. Symplex doesn't publish a foam cannon ratio. It's $16.99 a quart, $55.98 a gallon and $238.00 for a 5-gallon pail. By the gallon that's $0.44 an ounce, and you get SiO2 protection from the wash itself.

What Each One Costs per Ounce

Here's the price per ounce at every size we carry.

More on soap math in How Far Does a Gallon of Car Soap Go?

In a foam cannon, the order flips. Here's one 32 oz cannon bottle at gallon prices.

Symplex gives Platinum's cannon mix as a ratio with no bottle size, so 8 oz is that ratio in a full 32 oz bottle.

Is Reset Still Worth It?

Yes, for the right car. Stay with Reset if your car has a ceramic coating and you top it up with Reload or HydrO2. That's the system CarPro built it for.

Look elsewhere if there's an organic wax or a polymer sealant on the paint, since CarPro says Reset may degrade them. Platinum is the swap there. Look elsewhere if you foam, too, because Reset's cannon dose is 3 to 4 oz per 32 oz bottle to Pink's 1 to 2 oz. And if $89.99 up front is a lot for soap, a gallon of Pink is $27.99.

Which One Should You Buy?

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a cheaper alternative to CarPro Reset?

Yes. By the gallon, Quan Pink is $0.22 an ounce and Symplex Platinum $0.26, against $0.70 for Reset. In a foam cannon, Pink costs 22 to 44 cents a load against $2.11 to $2.81 for Reset, and a 5-gallon pail of Pink is the same $89.99 as one gallon of Reset.

Is CarPro Reset pH neutral?

CarPro says it is, and describes Reset as mild and pH neutral in use. Symplex publishes 7.0 to 7.5 for Platinum, and Quan Pink's safety data sheet puts it at about 7.

Will CarPro Reset strip wax?

It may. CarPro's own precautions say Reset "may degrade organic waxes and polymer sealants." On a waxed or polymer-sealed car, use Symplex Platinum, which Symplex makes not to strip waxes, sealants or ceramic coatings.

CarPro Reset vs Symplex Platinum: which should I buy?

Platinum if there's wax or a polymer sealant on the car, or you want a published pH or a 5-gallon pail. Reset if your car is coated and you use Reload or HydrO2.

What's the best soap for a ceramic-coated car?

A pH-neutral soap made with coatings in mind. CarPro developed Reset for its own coatings and sealants. Symplex makes Platinum not to strip ceramic coatings, and says Silica Wash helps maintain and extend a coating's life. Our full list is in Best Car Wash Soap for Ceramic-Coated Cars.

Can I use these in a foam cannon?

Yes. Quan Pink takes 1 to 2 oz. Reset's ratio is 1:9, about 3 to 4 oz in a 32 oz bottle, and Platinum's is 2 oz of soap to 6 oz of water. Symplex doesn't publish one for Silica Wash.