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I strictly use mail order products as the off the shelf stuff isn't really fit for the way I maintain the car.
What are your plans? Are you going to be waxing once every couple of months or applying a sealant?
For a wash -- I really like Griots Garage Brilliant Car Finish or Durgaloss 901. Both can be ordered via amazon.
Another aspect of washing frequently overlooked is the wash medium. Little know secret, but Lowe's Proline Grout Sponges are amazing for this. Search the web and you'll see hundreds of raving reviews. If you want to spend more than that, I highly recommend the Griot's Garage Marino Wool Mitt. I have one and it's absolutely fantastic.
For drying the car, I have a Chemical Guys Wooly Mammoth and an electric Leaf Blower.
For waxing/sealant removal, I like Meguiar's Supreme Shine Microfibers as well as most "The Rag Company" towels.
Also, for alcantara, the only thing I'd use is Sonax Alcantara Cleaner.
-Sonax Full effect wheel cleaner
-Adams car shampoo or Chemical Guys V07 soap or honeydew soap
-Bucket (s) with grit guard
-soft wool mitt
-Wheel woolies
-Einszett Glanz 3 layers
-Chemical Guys V07 spray detailer
-Sonax Alcantara cleaner for the wheel
-Leather masters kit for the seats (2x a year)
-Sonax dashboard cleaner
-Tons of microfiber towels
-Leaf blower to dry/ Or Metrovac
If you want to get crazy
-Iron X (2x a year)
-Einszett Insekt
Pretty much anything Chemical guys is great so if you want basic and affordable go that route. All available on amazon or a bunch of other detailing websites.
-Iron X wheel cleaner.
-Tar X for road tar.
-Nanoskin autoscrub if I really need but I try to avoid it.
-Meguiars D101 and a scrub brush for tires.
-Chemical Guys Honey Dew foam and a foam cannon.
-Dry with a Ryobi cordless leaf blower.
-Pinnacle Black Onyx tire dressing (low gloss, water based. Won't brown).
Inside:
-Vinylex for plastic stuff.
-Chemical Guys leather cleaner.
-CarPro leather treatment to seal the leather.
For paint correction and protection, reference my thread. That being said, Optimum Gloss Coat sucked. It didn't last very long on a car that rarely sees bad weather. I am looking into Ammo Reflex or Gyeon coatings.
I use chemical guys have a good product line and are very easy to recommend. I use the matte paint products they offer. For leather cleaner conditioner i use Kali Leather Life and its hands down better than anything i have used.
PS the way my neighbors look at me when i am drying my car i thought i was the only one that used a leaf blower to dry my car haha.
I use chemical guys have a good product line and are very easy to recommend. I use the matte paint products they offer. For leather cleaner conditioner i use Kali Leather Life and its hands down better than anything i have used.
PS the way my neighbors look at me when i am drying my car i thought i was the only one that used a leaf blower to dry my car haha.
My neighbors think I'm crazy when I pull the wheels off to wash them...in 40 degree weather
I recently purchased the Dr Beasley's matte finish products and am pleased so far. Matte wash, matte sealant and microsuede cleaner that I've been particularly pleased with. It reconditioned my steering wheel really nice.
Also have a trial size of their tire conditioner that i have yet to use. Not a big fan of super glossy tires against the matte body and wheels, plus it dirties up the inside of my car cover when deployed.
Wash:
- Chemical guys foam cannon / honneydew snow foam soap (use as like a pre soak)
- Meguiars microfiber wash mit / ultimate wash & wax soap (2 bucket method & spraying the mit in between as well)
- Iron X (wheels mostly)
- P21S polishing soap for exhaust (makes it extremely easy to clean)
After Wash:
- Metro Master Blaster blower to dry off the car (simply amazing, gets about 95% dry)
- Adam's Detail Spray (a thing of beauty)
Wheels:
- Dr. Beasley's matte wheel seal (just to get any water spots)
- Dr. Beasley's tire conditioner
Windows:
- A mix of Stoners invisible glass and Adam's Detail Spray
- Dr. Beasley's glass wax (makes glass super smooth)
Alcantara:
- Sonax upholstery and alcantara cleaner
As far as where to pick them up, I usually just purchase all the stuff through Amazon, prime membership (quick shipping ). I know stores carry Meguiar's stuff for sure but not sure about the other items.
I recently purchased the Dr Beasley's matte finish products and am pleased so far. Matte wash, matte sealant and microsuede cleaner that I've been particularly pleased with. It reconditioned my steering wheel really nice.
Also have a trial size of their tire conditioner that i have yet to use. Not a big fan of super glossy tires against the matte body and wheels, plus it dirties up the inside of my car cover when deployed.
I really like their stuff too. For the tire conditioner (love the blue color), it really goes a long way. A very small amount, quarter size, can do the whole tire...use more for glossy, use less for matte. It really turns out great.
Leatherique rejuvenator oil / prestine clean. Work it in with your hands, get real personal with your car .
I really like pristine clean. I've noticed just that alone darkens the leather a tad and it smells nice too.
Never used rejuvinator oil though. Once I run out of the Furniture Clinic product , which is also an oil based product that you let sit under saran wrap, I'll give rejuvinator oil a shot.
I really like their stuff too. For the tire conditioner (love the blue color), it really goes a long way. A very small amount, quarter size, can do the whole tire...use more for glossy, use less for matte. It really turns out great.
Then the 2 oz. sampler i got with my kit should last at least through the Summer. I also bought the Matte finish spray, that I haven't had to use yet. Would expect to take that along to any shows I may go to for to for touch ups. I was also considering that matte wheel finish - will have to try it out.
Agreed. Makes winter washing a breeze too. I cheated and had Modesta applied to my car prior.
I read that leather masters work very well with Napa leather. No shine or oily residue. That's what I use.
I strictly use mail order products as the off the shelf stuff isn't really fit for the way I maintain the car.
What are your plans? Are you going to be waxing once every couple of months or applying a sealant?
For a wash -- I really like Griots Garage Brilliant Car Finish or Durgaloss 901. Both can be ordered via amazon.
Another aspect of washing frequently overlooked is the wash medium. Little know secret, but Lowe's Proline Grout Sponges are amazing for this. Search the web and you'll see hundreds of raving reviews. If you want to spend more than that, I highly recommend the Griot's Garage Marino Wool Mitt. I have one and it's absolutely fantastic.
Nearly all Griot's products are available at Advance Auto parts now. I use their wash, wax, and clay bar kits
All the Chemical Guys stuff seems great and cheaper than most of the other items listed in this thread. As long as they're safe for the car paint and not terribly toxic ... I might just go with all Chemical Guys' products ...
2012 C63 black series, 2015 C63 507 coupe, 2012 Porsche Cayman R 4.2L 404hp
Washing is easy and all about minimizing damage
If you start out with a new car or a car with perfect paint the key when cleaning is getting the dirt off without scratching the car. Darker colors are the worst-look at the reflection off a black car sometime and you can see the swirls and haze.
When I wash I start in the shade, and just try to rinse off as much dirt and grime with my hose before doing anything else. Next step is a foam canon and your favorite car wash soap-depends on what protection system you use but there are about 50 different ones out there that will work. After foam soaks for about 5 minutes I use a pressure washer (electric set at 1300psi) and wide wand. This gets 90% of the junk off the car, especially good for bird and bug stuff. Next it gets another foam canon coat-note I haven't touched the car with anything but water at this point. The less you touch the less you scratch. The next step is a big wool wash mitt with the same soap and two bucket method of cleaning. Gently start at the top go in ONE direction-preferably the long access of the car-don't go in circles unless you like to see swirls. Then I rinse with De-ionized water-it doesn't spot and carefully dry with a big microfiber towel (some times with use a silicone squeegee to get the bulk of the water off-some people like using air to blow it off). Start at the top and work your way down. Next I carefully inspect for stuck on bug guts or tar-there are some good products to safely get these off. All my cars front ends are clear shielded and chemical bros makes a great spray you can mist over the clear shield to max out the gloss. Since I use Ziano pro I only need to reapply every 6-9 months to maintain good protection. If that is still good I am done-takes 20 minutes.
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). I know stores carry Meguiar's stuff for sure but not sure about the other items.
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