Top Detailing Products discussion

[ronmart]

I have a thread going on Autopia with my favorite detailing products, and I`ve had over 350 product responses from people that have said what their favorites are. Post #29 has the current winners, but I`m curious about what people here think.

I was having some trouble logging on to the site so my apologies in the delayed post. Here`s my original question again so we can continue the thread here:
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I was reading the Your most significant detailing product? thread on Autopia and noticed that some people were listing one or two items and others were using a bunch of acronyms or abbreviations I never heard of before. As a result, I thought it would be great to have a single thread where people throw down what products that you MUST have when detailing a car.

Towels, car shampoos, mitts, etc... are all fair game so list what you have.

BONUS POINTS for those who provide links to what they use and REMEMBER NO ABBREVIATIONS (i.e., SSS, CG, GG, BHB, etc... are all BS (abbreviation pun intended). LIST OUT WHAT YOU MEAN).

I`ll start with my top products in order.

Ron`s Top 20 Must Have Detail Items

1. Griots Garage Car Wash with the Gallon Pump Head - excellent lubricant, great suds, smells good, and two squirts are enough for your 5 gallon bucket

2. Sonus Der Wunder Wash Mitt (short pile microfiber) - easy to be sure your mitt is clean between dips

3. Sonus Der Wunder Drying Towel - these are wonderful! I have 8 because I`m OCD, but two are sufficent for normal people.

4. Griots Wheel Cleaner - I`m also a fan of P21s Gel Wheel Cleaner, but it is way too expensive (although I keep some around for stubborn cases)

5. Meguiars Versa-Angle Wheel Face Brush - Awesome brush safe for all wheel types and cleans up the wheels in a hurry.

6. Sonus Leather Care Bundle with extra Sonus SFX Professional Applicators - This stuff will make your leather soft as a baby bottom. It is AMAZING like nothing I`ve ever seen for any price. It stinks a bit when you put it on, but the smell goes away within a few hours leaving you with clean wonderfully soft seats.

7. Sonus Der Wunder Polishing Towel The are FANTASTIC lint-free towels for interior wipe downs, use with ANY interior product, as well as the final touches on glass.

8. Klasse Complete Kit OR just Klasse All-In-One &Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze with 2 Sonus Der Wunder Applicators and Sonus Der Wunder Buffing Towel - Want your paint to look like glass and be protected for a 6 months plus? Look no further - PERIOD.

9. Griots Garage Machine Polish & Wax Kit with Monkey Tail Cord Cover - Porter Cables are good too and arguably more versatile, but I like this one because it vibrates less AND has a much better handle. It also uses a different mount which disapates heat better, so it is truely the idiot proof polisher. The stuff in this kit is enough to get you started for the perfect finish.

10. Griots Garage Six Piece Microfiber Polish & Wax Removal Cloth Set - You`ve gotta get that polish and wax off, and these do the job nicely. However, the equivalents at Autopia and Poorboys are just as good.

11. P21s Carnauba Wax - Zymol shymol, Zanio schmanio. I LOVE this stuff and you only need to look at my avitar to see the results of using ONE coat of this stuff on a car that had only been washed.

12. Stoner Invisible Glass Cleaner - Im still looking for someting better, but until I find it, this is IT. However, I only use it on the exterior as it is too messy for the interior. I use whatever I have laying around (currently Sonus) for the interior.

13. Quick Detailer. There are TONS of products and people are religous about there choices, so pick your favorite. For my garage queen I use Griots Garage Speed Shine and for everything else I use Meguiars Quik Detailer

14. Autoglym Engine Cleaner - this stuff will get your engine bay perfect with minimal effort.

15. 3M General Purpose Adhesive Remover - If it is welded to your paint, this is how you remove it safely. Always re-wax or re-seal the area after applying this product.

16. Griots Garage Vinyl & Rubber Dressing - A nice matte finish for your interior and tires. Its like Armor All without the greasy feeling or dust collecting shine.

17. Griots Garage Chrome Polish & Wipes Kit - This stuff will amaze you at how nice your chrome can really look (it is easy to take for granted that cleaning is enough). The wipes are expensive, but a scratch free solution.

18. Griots Garage Glass Polish - When used with an orbital on windsheilds WITHOUT exterior film (usually found on Japanese vehicles) it can bring your glass back to a new car luster.

19. Griots Garage Plastic Polish - Get rid of those marks on your wood or plastic finish inside your car with this stuff and make your exterior head and tail lights absolutely glow.

20. Two-Way Mini Detail Brush - for nooks and crannies inside and out.

HONORABLE MENTION (like to have, but not must have - in order)

IF you have a fabric cabriolet top, then RAGGTOPP Fabric/Vinyl Cleaner with Griots Garage Horse Hair Leather & Interior Brush

Griots Garage Anti Hose Catchers - these things looked silly when I first saw them, but when I saw them in use at Griots I bought them on an impulse. After having them at home I`m in love with them because they keep the damn water hose, vaccuum hose (from my built-in house vac), and power cord (for the orbital) from getting hooked on the tires. Silly and overpriced perhaps, but I love it and am glad I have it.

The Ultimate Aluminum Hose Nozzle - this is cheaper than those found elsewhere and works fine for my purposes. It is even better with the Griots Garage Touch and Flow Valve although it does cause the water pressure to dip slightly.

Meguiars Duo-Fiber Glass Towel

Griots Garage Machine Polish 2 - This is the most abrasive product I feel comfortable using. Others will use a more abrasive products (like Griots Garage Machine Polish 1) but those types of polishes level the paint and require additional restoration which I just don`t prefer to do to my paint. Many will disagree, so your mileage may vary.

Griots Garage Micro Fiber Cleaner - this stuff works MAGIC on getting stains out your microfiber

Griots Garage Rubber Cleaner with Meguiars Versa-Angle Tire Brush

Dawn Liquid - for wax build-up removal and pad cleaning

Grit Guard with any 5 gallon bucket that works with it. I prefer 2 - 1 pre-rinse and 1 rinse.

Griots Garage Wheel Scrubber Brushes

Quick Wax - There are TONS of these products, so pick your favorite. Personally I use Griots Garage Spray On Wax on my 911 and Meguiars Quik Wax on my Black Mercedes and my wife`s Lexus. I`m also likely to try other products as neither of these is perfect, so feel free to choose from others list for this one.

All Natural Boars Hair Brush. I got $20 off the kind sold at Griots Garage, but ones with equal quality for less money are out there. NOTE: I ONLY use this product for heavy grit removal for the lower panels and I only use it with LIGHT single wipe strokes with a dip between each wipe (just as I`d do with a mitt). Again, this is a VERY controversial item, so your mileage may vary.

7-1/2 inch, Constant Pressureâ„¢ German Polishing Pad for use with final waxes like Griots Garage Best of Show Wax or a Carnauba Wax.

Griots Garage Machine Polish 4 - for water spot removal or MINOR surface flaws on new or recently polished paint

Griots Garage Undercarriage Spray - GREAT for SUV wheel wells (smells good too)

Meguiars Wheel Spoke Brush - this thing is USELESS for wheel spokes, but FANTASTIC for cleaning wheel wells

Concours Buffing Towel

Whew, thats` a BIG list. I`m sad to say, that is NOT every product I have nor is it everything I tried. These are just the ones that I think work well. I encourage you to take the time to add your list as well and PLEASE consider adding links and DO NOT abbreviate.

[ronmart]

As it stands now, the results from Autopia and Rennlist indicate these are the products you can`t live without (> 4 different people said they are must haves):

Sheepskin Mitts (from Excel)
303 Aerospace Protectant
3M Imperial Hand Glaze
Clearkote Red Moose Machine Glaze
Duragloss Aquawax
Foam Gun
Klasse All-In-One (AIO)
Meguiars Gold Class shampoo
Meguiars #80 Speed Glaze
Meguiars #83 Dual Action Cleaner/Polish
Natty`s Blue
Optimum No Rinse Wash,
P21S Carnauba Wax
Pak Shak Microfiber towells
Poorboys EX-P
Porter Cable 7424 Polisher
Sonüs Microfiber Towels
Stoner Invisible Glass
Vinylex by Lexol
Woolite (6to1)
Zaino Z-10

Here`s some very popular products that at least 3 different people spoke highly of, but didn`t make the above list:

Black Again
Clearkote Quickshine
Clearkote Vanilla Moose
Griot`s Garage Car Wash
Griots Interior Cleaner (esp for carpet)
Griots Wheel Cleaner
Klasse Sealant Glaze
Lexol Leather Conditioner
Meguiars NXT Glass Cleaner
Menzerna Final Polish II (FP2)
Menzerna Intensive Polish (IP)
Optimum Compound
Optimum Hyper Compound
Poorboy`s Bold `n Bright Tire Dressing
Poorboys Spray & Wipe
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[JaredPointer]

I don`t think I`ll go through the the trouble of linking, and there`s an acronym list if you don`t know the abbreviations, but I`ll list a few of the items I use more often than not. That doesn`t mean that they are the best or my favorites, it just means I use them a lot.

Meg`s NXT Wash
Claymagic Clay (blue)
EO All Wheel & Tire Cleaner
Poorboy`s S&W
Adam`s Detail Spray - Let`s not debate whether it`s Adam`s or CG. let the horse lay.
Adam`s VRT - see above comment.
Meg`s ColorX
Poorboy`s SSR2.5 & SSR1
Sam`s Club MF towels for grunge work
Meg`s Water Magnet
Big Blue MF drying towel from Dwayne
Plush MF from Winner`s Circle
Meg`s NXT glass cleaner
Pinnacle Paste Glaz
Poorboy`s EX-P
Wolfgang Sealant
Woolite & Water (1:6)


I would also add Duragloss AquaWax. even though I have only been using it a short time, it`s one of the best OTC products I have used to date.

[budman3]

Ok since I have a few minutes I`ll try to round up the products that I like to use. Some are "must have" and others are ones that I use a lot.

Wash:
Wolfgangâ„¢ Complete Wash System with Dolly This is a great combo for washing. It comes with a dolly so you can easily move it around the car along with a grit guard, lid and seat cushion.

Meguiars NXT Generation Car Wash One of the best car wash soap I have used. I still haven`t tried other popular ones but this works great.

Any soft sheepskin was mitts are must have. These include Viking, Eurow and Excels (Eurows I think).

Poorboy`s Spray & Wipe Waterless Wash This is HANDS DOWN the best product to have in a detailing arsenal. I have bought a 5 gallon jug of it. Awesome stuff. I think it is the #1 must have product.

The Guzzler Waffle Weave by Cobra A great Waffle Weave drying towel. They come in various sizes and are very soft.

SOFT & ABSORBANT WAFFLE WEAVE DRYING TOWEL These waffle weave towels are just as great. Very absorbant and soft (The name says it all )

Polishing:
Porter Cable 7424 Dual Action Polisher This machine is a must have for a detail enthusiast. You don`t have to worry about paint burns or hologramming with this machine. A 4 year old can use this machine and produce results.

Any pad kit can be used with the above polisher. Right now I am using Lake Country pads but many like Edge as well.

Poorboy`s SSR 2.5 This is truely the best polish to be used with the Porter Cable dual action polisher (PC7424 and PC7336). Easy on, easy off. It can tackle some deep swirls and scratches too. Use it a few times and you may be able to go directly to a Last Step Product (LSP)

Poorboy`s SSR 1 An awesome light polish that`ll leave the surface perfect for a wax or sealant. It can remove hazing and leave a great finish. Awesome with a Dual Action polisher.

Optimum Hyper Compound This is a great heavy polish used with my rotary. It cuts swirls out of paint very fast and is fairly easy to work with.

Optimum Polish I like this polish to remove light swilrs and scratches using a rotary. The work in time is great, no dust and can be worked in for a long time.

Poorboy`s Polish with Carnauba (Blue) A great chemical polish that`ll clean the surface, add gloss and be ready for a Last Step Product.

Last Step Products:
Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant This is becoming one of my favorite sealants used on dark vehicles.

Natty`s Paste Wax (blue) An awesome wax that gives off awesome looks. Very popular and for a reason- great stuff.

Four Star Ultimate Paint Protection A great all around sealant.

Klasse High Gloss Sealant GlazeA very durable sealant that give off decent looks.

Interior:
Stoner`s Invisible Glass Has to be the best glass cleaner around. Must have for a window cleaner.

Meguiar`s #40 Vinyl & Rubber Cleaner / Conditioner A great cleaner / conditioner. It has very good cleaning ability and leaves good protection at the same time.

Poorboy`s Natural Look A great interior dressing on clean interiors where you want a natural sheen to the plastic. Very good smelling too.

Folex carpet cleaner is great for cleaning carpets as is the Woolite/water mix.

Microfiber towels!!!!! Big time must have!!! Poorboys Mega Plush or DELUXE MEGA TOWEL. Any microfiber towel from our vendors seem excelent.

Thats about all that I can think of and find online at this moment. I`m sure everyone has favorite products and one list can`t show all of them. The ones I`ve listed (and others too I think) should be used as a guide to products that we use and are of high quality. If someone is coming into the detail scene, not all of the products listed are necesary. A few hours of reading and you should be able to find what products are popular and necessary. These would include:
-Quality wash tools
-Quality soap
-Polisher (if you please)
-Pad kit (to go with polisher)
-Polishes of different abrasives
-Paint Cleaner
-Clay
-Sealant and/or wax
-Carpet cleaner
-Dash protectant
-All purpose cleaner
-Tire dressing
-Atleast 15 Microfiber towels

I`m sure there are more but thats just a quick list. Hope this helped

[CalgaryDetail]

Good point mikeyc, makes a lot of sense. However I think this is an amateur starting a cool thread(I`m sorry ronmart) I know when I was starting out I wanted to know what the best was, what I NEEDED to buy all that kind of crap. And everytime I got a different response and realised I can only like what I like. So I think the point of this thread is to figure out what he needs to buy, not realising that it’s much too personal. It’s a good idea, I know I started a similar type thread of what I should buy and what was the best. So I`m not knocking this thread at all, I like the idea however mikeyc has a really going point

[ronmart]

I`m really not sure what you`re trying to accomplish with your thread here, on Autopia, and on Rennlist. Basically it sounds like you`re running a popularity contest. Honestly, I`m not sure what kind of insight that gives you or anyone reading the threads.
...
There is no one who has tried every product available. I`m sure if you started this thread on Meguiar`s On-Line the votes for Meguiar`s products would sky rocket.

The purpose of posting at different places is to try to see if there are biases towards one product at one forum versus another.

For example, the rennlist forum is going to feature a lot of Porsche guys who, in general, are going to be more willing to spend more on products. You`ll typically see people turn their noses up at products like Meguiars, whereas more expensive products from Poorboys or even Griots are considered good. However, if you go to DC or Autopia, you get a lot more people singing the praises of mitts from ExcelDetail and Meguiars #80 & #83.

My goal is to try to detect a trend or commonality among all the places and compare that with my own preferences. For example, based on the feedback I`m seeing, I`m planning on picking up some 3M Imperial Hand Glaze because it got rave reviews from all 3 forums. I think that is a strong indicator that it is probably a decent product.

Please don`t get me wrong. I`m not trying to be nasty or put down your thread. However, you have to understand about detailing two things:

1. Product selection is all about personal preference. Each detailer is looking for a certain set of goals which can be accomplished through their detailing whether that be looks, durability, and yes some even are particular about beading. Simply because 4 or 10 people named a product as their favorite what does that really say? Maybe it`s just the most easily accessible product? Who knows what this means? Probably it means little to nothing IMO.

That`s your opinion, and I respectfully disagree.

I think if you start seeing a trend you are going to likely find a subset of products that will generally be considered a good product by many.

I do agree that it is about personal preference, and ultimately that is what I`ll use to make my decisions. However, I`d like to hear people discuss why they think their product is great and if they convince me, I might try it out to see if I agree. After all, just because I spent 10 years as a pro detailer (admitdly in the 80`s & 90`s) and have tried out $1400 worth of new products in the last two months, doesn`t mean I know everything. Even with that, I`ve barely scratched the surface, so I`d like to learn more.

2. The winds of change blow frequently in the detailing community. One month the brand of the moment is Pinnacle, the next Poorboys or Menzerna, then maybe Jeff`s Werkstatt, and then maybe Duragloss. Every month there seems to be a new "hot" product line that everyone swears by.

Exactly, so I`m trying to get a pulse on the current trend of products that people swear by. I`ll use the data to buy new products and update my own personal favorite products list.

Not only are these factors, but I find certain people tend to have loyalties to certain vendors. So, they only buy the products that vendor sells. They probably haven`t even tried anything else. There is no one who has tried every product available. I`m sure if you started this thread on Meguiar`s On-Line the votes for Meguiar`s products would sky rocket. Maybe you should also have this on the Mother`s forums. Votes for Mother`s products would also increase.

Sure, and that is fine. It is also pretty easy to see which brand someone is loyal to when they post their list and it is > 50% from one company. For some it is 1Z, others its FK, others it is Zanio, etc... Again, in the case of 3M Imperial Glaze, it shows up on many peoples list, even when the rest of their products are from the same company. That tells me that I should try that product out.

[ronmart]

good point mikeyc, makes alot of sense. However i think this is an amature starting a cool thread( im sorry ronmart) i know when i was starting out i wanted to know what the best was, what i NEEDED to buy all that kind of crap. And everytine i got a diffrent response and relised i can only like what i like. So I think the point of this thread is to figure out what he needs to buy, not relising that its much to personal. Its a good idea, i know i started a simliar type thread of what i should buy and what was the best. so im not knocking this thread at all, i like the idea however mikeyc has a really going point

Yes, I am a new to Detail City and Autopia`s web site, so I`m trying to see how my favorites compare to others.

No, I`m not new to detailing. However it is my hobby, and I am fortunate enough to be able to spend what I want on products just to check them out. However, I`m not and can`t buy everything, so this allows me to see trends as to what people currently like these days so I can add it to my arsenal.

I enjoy detailing very much and have 3 cars that I constantly learn new things on. I won`t buy products that I won`t use (I`ll return them), and I`ll use some products on one car that I won`t on another. I`m searching to identify the products that I think do the best job with the least amount of effort, yet produce great long lasting resutls so I can apply those to my new garage queen.

In the end, just enjoy seeing what people have to say are their favorite products right now. I know I`m enjoying it, so please don`t rain on my parade.

[CalgaryDetail]

Yes, I am a new to Detail City and Autopia`s web site, so I`m trying to see how my favorites compare to others.

No, I`m not new to detailing. However it is my hobby, and I am fortunate enough to be able to spend what I want on products just to check them out. However, I`m not and can`t buy everything, so this allows me to see trends as to what people currently like these days so I can add it to my arsenal.

I enjoy detailing very much and have 3 cars that I constantly learn new things on. I won`t buy products that I won`t use (I`ll return them), and I`ll use some products on one car that I won`t on another. I`m searching to identify the products that I think do the best job with the least amount of effort, yet produce great long lasting resutls so I can apply those to my new garage queen.

In the end, just enjoy seeing what people have to say are their favorite products right now. I know I`m enjoying it, so please don`t rain on my parade.

Sorry let me rephrase that. What I meant was new to a forum. I have no doubts that you know what you’re doing and do a good job, I have seen the picks. and out of my experience a lot of new people like to start threads like this. I know I sure I did. I actually started a few. I’m not knocking it at like I said however I was just saying. I like the idea of the thread, this one takes to the next level by asking for a description. I never said it was a bad idea, or that you sucked at what you did. I’m sorry if that was how it was interpreted. I’m sure when I find the time to go through all my products I`ll post a list here too.

[ronmart]

sorry let me refrase that. What i ment was new to a forum. I have no doubts that you know what your doing and do a good job, i have seen the picks. and out of my experiance alot of new people like to start threads like this. I know i sure i did. I actualy started a few. Im not knocking it at like i said however i was just saying. I like the idea of the thread, this one takes to to the next level by asking for a discription. I never said it was a bad idea, or that you sucked at what you did. im osrry if that was how it was interprited. Im sure when ifind the itme to go through all my products ill post a list here to.

That would be cool - thanks!

And the rain on my parade comment was really more for both you and MikeyC, but after re-reading your comments I think I should have put it in my reply to Mikey. I was just a bit grumpy with two posts that were down on my thread.

An interesting observation is that there aren`t any real negative comments on the other two forums, so perhaps DC just isn`t the right place for me.

[jaybs02]

I agree with gearhead, that the "best product" or "favorite product" threads are all over the place.
I think that the term "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" fits best here, Different products work well for different people just because people have different requirements. And as it was pointed out where you are having the discussion of course

On a side note:
Even though it is not against the rules to link to an out source. It would have been nice to see links to our sponsors that may carry some of the products mentioned, because they are the ones who keep DC going.

JMHO
"J"

[ronmart]

I agree with gearhead, that the "best product" or "favorite product" threads are all over the place.
I think that the term "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" fits best here, Different products work well for different people just because people have different requirements. And as it was pointed out where you are having the discussion of course

On a side note:
Even though it is not against the rules to link to an out source. It would have been nice to see links to our sponsors that may carry some of the products mentioned, because they are the ones who keep DC going.

JMHO
"J"

Good point. I just linked to where I got my stuff from and I`m sure others probably did as well.

Feel free to call out which products can be purchased where.

Oh yeah, and FWIW I bought $130 worth of stuff from the "most popular" list from autogeek today using the detailcity coupon code. It basically amounted to free shipping. WHOOWHOO!

[The Chee]

Hey Ron, did you manage to get in on the `cheap` Souveran deal Autogeek had yesterday?

[ronmart]

Hey Ron, did you manage to get in on the `cheap` Souveran deal Autogeek had yesterday?

Nope, didn`t hear about it. I probably would have added it to my order today if it was still going on.

[jaybs02]

with all the products that you are buying Ron ,you may have to start doing the neighbors cars or buy 1 or 2 more

"J"

[ronmart]

with all the products that you are buying Ron ,you may have to start doing the neighbors cars or buy 1 or 2 more

"J"

That`s EXACTLY how I got into pro detailing when I was a youngster.

I`m already trying to decide which friend I`m going to ask to come over so I can see the restorative powers of some of the new products and techniques I have been trying to pick up lately.

All of my cars are too clean and shiny to make any noticable difference with now!