Have we had a discussion about cleaning/detailing supplies?

What are your favorites?

I've always stuck with meguiars. Not top n of the line by any means, but good for the kind of stuff you can grab at walmart.

We compare 15 in the next issue of Classic Motorsports. Just sayin'... Subscribe here

I've always been a fan of Meguiar's. Especially their commerical line. But you can't beat the availability of NXT, mirror glaze, gold class, etc., at a big box or auto parts store. You can even get their clay bar retail.

That said, I'm a big fan of sealants. Less upkeep. My favs are Klasse, Optimum Poli-Seal, and Meguiar's NXT.

As for the shampoo, I favor using Optimum's No Rinse in the garage in the winter.

Mind you, one can't really go wrong with today's formulations. They are pretty good. It's how many steps you want to take, and how much time you have. SWMBO flips out on the time I spent on the exterior without major polishing.

I've had good success with microfiber. Waffle weave for drying, double sided thick towel for clay barring/wax off, microfiber wash mitt for washing. Always 2 buckets, always 2 mitts. I honestly haven't paid that much attention to the cleaning chemicals I'm using - I just assume the auto parts store stuff is junk and try to forget about it.

Also leave a microfiber towel in my door pocket for wiping the dash. Next thing I need to add to the arsenal is some detailing brushes. I've seen the professionals use a fine brush, something like a boars bristle shaving brush, to work/lather the cleaning product into the seat, door panel, etc. before wiping away. Seems to work a lot better than just wiping with a cloth.

Sovereign for me, sun glo for the cheaper cars. What ever top coat I can get cheap on sale as all the silicone glazes seem the same to me.

I keep a bottle of leatherique for the high end stuff when I need to do interiors but that normally includes removing the seats and bagging them.

I like the Mothers Gold Car wash, it's super sudsy and very gentle on paint. So far the best wheel cleaner I have found is DUB by Maguire's, sprays on neon Green, changes to Purple when ready to remove. Smells like E36 M3, but it works great!

That wheel cleaner looks like Sonax, which I like, but it's pricey.

I feel like I've used a bit of everything. Zaino, Chemical Guys, Collonite, FK1000P, etc. I've spent more time on detailing forums than I care to admit. And now, for the most part, I use Meguairs stuff that you can get anywhere. Usually Ultimate Wax. Though I do have some Menzerna Power Lock that I put on right before winter, as it's supposed to last a long time.

Maguire's for general cleaning and waxing.

For cutting back the paint and buffing I really like the 3M products.

I've considered buying one of the Chemical Guys Kits, I haven't had personal results or know any one who has used it though.

Just washed the cars with Meguiars Deep Chrystal wash and waxed them with Mothers California Gold carnauba wax.

But that's just because it was handy, I generally use whatever is on sale. My cars don't get high-end cleaning and polishing.

Collinite insulator wax is what I primarily use. It lasts a long time and has a nice shine. I use the Griots quick wax as you dry stuff as well.

When I flipped a car last year, I tried nufinish and was quite impressed.

As far as non-chemical tools go... I'm a huge fan of the clay mits. I can do the LS430 in 15 min with good lube. I also use the 2 bucket system. Once you try it, the dirty water bucket will be so gross you won't go back.

Norton Ice system for compounding. Maguires or Mothers carnuba wax. Zymol or similar for leather. Aerospace 303 on interior and other trim FTW. Tire/ wheel cleaners: whatever is handy. Outlast tire shine. Mothers mag wheel polish for chrome wheels. Car Guys wheel wax on alloys.

Not a fanatic about detailing anymore but time permitting. Reminds me I need to get three vehicles done before winter.

Marjorie Suddard wrote: We compare 15 in the next issue of Classic Motorsports. Just sayin'... Subscribe here

Ha, Margie beat me to it. Yeah, a little while back Tim suggested a quick-detailer comparison. They're all the same, right? I said.

We had Tim McNair, who details cars for Pebble Beach and Amelia, run the test.

Turns out that there's a big difference.

Two words: foam cannon.

G_Body_Man wrote: Two words: foam cannon.

I've been thinking about one of those. Sell me.

In reply to Tom_Spangler:

X2.

Foam cannons/guns are great but man do they chew through soap like you would not believe. Really good for getting cleaner into softops to saturate.

This thread got me into the garage to see what I have left over. Holy tar do I have a lot. I need to take a photo but between all the stuff I have been gifted or asked to review over the years its adding up.

This is the chemical brothers one that I have

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqUEirOEyaw

I bought a foam gun recently and find it a gimmick. It's easier to just use a firehose nozzle to blast off dirt, then do the 2 bucket method to wash. No point adding in the foam gun after blasting off dirt IMO, just an unnecessary step that asks you to take out the pressure washer.

Foam guns really eat soap, but they penetrate all the little nicks in the paint and actively lift the dirt right off the surface instead of sort-of pushing it into the paint with a mitt. Plus, I can pre-rinse, wash, rinse, and dry a Panther in 8 minutes. If you never though you'd have time to wash your own car, now it's quick enough you can easily make time. Fast and easy washes, less risk of swirl marks, and no soggy socks. And if you don't want to pay Chemical Guys prices, Amazon has this one that works very well with Meguiar's Deep Crystal car wash (gave up trying to make Ultimate W&W the right consistency, so now I just use Deep Crystal and Ultimate Spray Wax every two weeks.

So, you never actually rub the paint with anything? Kinda hard for me to believe that you can remove caked-on dirt by just soaking with soap and then rinsing.

Regardless, for $19, I'm willing to give that one on Amazon a try.

In reply to Tom_Spangler:

It's pressure washer-based, so you do a pre-rinse, then a foam bath, then a final rinse. Regardless, you need way more pressure than just a hose will give you.

Walmart sells one for dirt cheap that's actually pretty awesome for light duty car cleaning (it takes a lot of work for it to remove oil-based undercoating or anything like that)

This is why I just plastidip everything. It gets dirty? Paint over it. I come from a long lineage of men that just cover over the mess.