Nathan began by revisiting the fundamental principles of car care, aiming to understand the features and benefits needed to make the car washing process more efficient and enjoyable. His journey started with the bucket. Most buckets on the market were repurposed from other uses, such as food containers, paint, or construction. These buckets, while capable of holding liquid, lacked any design features specific to car washing.
Next, Nathan examined the standard grit guard. In his own bucket, he noticed how the guard moved and swirled, causing small particles to re-enter the water. This defeated the purpose of having a grit guard in the first place.
Finally, Nathan observed that the dirt and grime from a recent wash contained a significant amount of metal particulates. These particles were attracted to a magnet he had dropped into the dried-out bucket.
“These three key problems became the foundation for the FIX8 car care products I went on to create,” says Nathan. He set out to design a bucket specifically for car washing, a grit guard that stayed in place and effectively trapped particles, and a system to capture metal particulates. Through this process, FIX8 was born, dedicated to providing car enthusiasts with the ultimate car care experience.
Nathan's innovative approach has transformed car care, ensuring that every product is crafted with precision and functionality. “I wanted to create a solution that addressed the real needs of car enthusiasts, making car care not only more efficient but also more enjoyable,” Nathan adds.
🪣 Heavy-Duty, Purpose-Built Construction
The FIX8 bucket was developed to withstand the demands of professional, day-in-day-out use. Thick-section construction, controlled rigidity, engineering polymers and a stable base ensure it remains solid and predictable even when fully loaded.
For the home user, this means a bucket that doesn’t flex, deform, or feel flimsy — even after years of regular use. It’s not just durable for domestic washing; it’s deliberately over-engineered for it.
🧠 Designed, Not Generic (Innovate don’t imitate!)
Unlike conventional buckets that are designed as generic containers, FIX8 was engineered as a complete wash system. The internal shape, lower geometry, and interface points were all designed together — not adapted after the fact.
This allows FIX8 accessories to fit precisely, behave predictably, and work together as intended, rather than floating, shifting, or compromising performance during use.
🧼 Engineered to Reduce Swirls
Most swirl marks aren’t caused by poor products — they’re caused during the wash process itself. A contact wash lifts contamination from the vehicle and releases it into the wash bucket. What happens next is critical.
Conventional grit guards are designed to fit generic round buckets. As a result, they float, rotate, and re-agitate settled debris whenever the water column moves — which it does every time your wash media is dunked.
FIX8 solves this at the design stage.
The bucket’s internal lower geometry is shaped specifically to match the FIX8 grit guard, locking it in place and preventing rotation or lift. Once debris settles beneath the guard, it stays there.
In addition, the bucket’s internal geometry creates flow channels that actively direct water beneath the grit guard and across the Iron Guards. Larger debris is mechanically trapped, while finer contaminants — such as brake dust and iron particles that normally remain suspended — are actively drawn out of the water column by an array of eight neodymium magnets mounted beneath the bucket.
The result is cleaner water, cleaner wash media, and significantly reduced abrasive contact with paint and plastic surfaces.
