What are your go-to cleaning and wax supplies?

[trophies]

This may have been discussed at length prior but the products seem a bit dated from threads I've seen and focus on Meguiar's (no hate though) and looking to branch out from AutoZone visits.

I'm looking to get no washing soap, a wax, wheel cleaner, applicators, and glass cleaner.

I'm looking at:
Chemical Guys Honeydew Snow Foam Wash
Chemical Guys Butter Wet Wax
Sonax Tire Gel
Sonax Wheel Cleaner Plus

Any thoughts on CarPro Hydro2 sealant? I have a lot of dust in my area due to agriculture this time of year and the roads arent the best so I was curious what the best sealant/wax is for prolonging dust to cling to the car and making the car a bit hydrophobic as winter is coming.

My vehicle is Ibis White and always garaged.

[chip_]

Washing soap I use Chemical Guys Honeydew Snow Foam Wash and it does a good job on my foam gun.

I also have Sonax (230500) Wheel Cleaner Full Effect - 169.1 fl. oz. but don't use it as much since I switched out brake pads/rotors. Otherwise I used it with every wash.

For tire gel I have these two -Meguiar's D170 Hyper Dressing or Meguiars Endurance High Gloss Tire Gel.

Glass cleaner I use Meguiar's D120 Glass Cleaner. Alot of people use the Invisible glass stuff.

I also use 303 Aerospace Protectant on interior trim.

[altobeast]

This may have been discussed at length prior but the products seem a bit dated from threads I've seen and focus on Meguiar's (no hate though) and looking to branch out from AutoZone visits.

I'm looking to get no washing soap, a wax, wheel cleaner, applicators, and glass cleaner.

I'm looking at:
Chemical Guys Honeydew Snow Foam Wash
Chemical Guys Butter Wet Wax
Sonax Tire Gel
Sonax Wheel Cleaner Plus

Any thoughts on CarPro Hydro2 sealant? I have a lot of dust in my area due to agriculture this time of year and the roads arent the best so I was curious what the best sealant/wax is for prolonging dust to cling to the car and making the car a bit hydrophobic as winter is coming.

My vehicle is Ibis White and always garaged.

I agree with everything on the post above, often i use meguiars cleaner wax for in-between full waxes or if car needs light (VERY LIGHT) polishing.

For applicators I use the cheap amazon foam ones that are just as good as the Meguiars ones for way less, however if you only want a few to take care of, the CG one with handle is great.

You have Ibis white so you're already 80% cleaner than my Daytona haha

[JettaGetUpandGo]

The tan bottle Mequiars products are great, specifically the M105 and M205 polishes, 7 glaze, 21 sealant, and 26 wax.

Mother's clay bar is a good value relative to the premuim brands at a much higher cost.

For wash soap I bounce between the Mequiars gold glass and the Mothers. It depends on what's cheaper at the time.

303 Aerospace protectant for the interior.

Invisible glass for the, well, glass. I've tried a number of different glass clearers and this one works the best. It's cheap too.

In the past I've had good luck with the Mequiars endurance tire shine gel. More recently it's been really streaky and I'm not sure why, even after trying a new bottle of it with a new applicator on thoroughly cleaned tires. I haven't found a better alternative to it. The spray on stuff gets all over the side of the car and usually looks too glossy for my taste.

Having tried a number of the "premuim" products recommended online (Chemical Guys, Griots, Menzerna, Pinnacle, etc.) I always come back to the above list. Don't believe the hype. Most of them aren't worth the money. The only exceptions for me were the Wolfgang polish and sealant (wasn't a fan of the claybar or other products in the kit) and the Gtecnique (sp?) plastic restorer/protectant. Both were pretty pricey and difficult to get ahold of though.

Hope this helps.

[Ape Factory]

I use 303 Aerospace only on the exterior plastic bits. I'm more of a matte guy and it leans toward shine. Works really well and last through two to three washes before needing reapplication.

For the interior I use Meguiar's Interior detailer. Super mild but matte finish and I don't worry about it damaging the dash adhesive.

For the leather I use Lexol cleaner. No need to use a "hydration" product as you're essentially cleaning plasticized leather.

For the exterior, I purchased a Griot's rotary buffer and pretty much stick to the Meguiar's products, Ultimate compound, mirror glaze polish (easier to remove than Ultimate polish) and then Ultimate Wax. I've found that using a polishing or compound pad, with wax or the polish, negates the need for compound to remove water spots.

I've tried the Chemical Guys wheel wax but it sucks. Meguiar's Ultimate wax is far superior and easier to apply/remove. I haven't really experimented much with tire shine products. I think I'm using some sort of Turtle Wax product which is ok but not great. Keeps the wheels black but not overly shiny.

[JamesRS5]

Go easy on the compounding and especially rotary machines, it’s something you only want to do 2 or 3 times in a cars lifetime, the clearcoat you’re removing every time you do this is part of an entire paint system that’s only the thickness of a sheet of paper, ideally you’d be using a paint thickness gauge to see exactly what you’re working with, a DA machine would be a much safer option with a foam polishing pad.

I restore and detail some pretty expensive cars so have quite a lot of tools in my arsenal:
5 x Rupes machines from 1” I-brid to 6” 21mm throw Big Foot DA polisher, my go to pads are Meguiars MF Compounding pads and Rupes yellow and white foam.
Compounds: kosh chemie H8.02, Meguiars 101, Jescar correcting compound
Finishing Polish: Sonax Perfect Finish, kosh chemie M2.01
Sealing (Ceramic coating): Kamikaze Collection ISM and Miyabi or Gyeon Synchro
Tires: clean with Adams tire cleaner, finish with gtechniq T2 or Gyeon Tire
Wheels: Gyeon Rim (you only ever need to rinse them off once ceramic coated.
Leather: Dr Leather wipes, seal with Gyeon Leather or gtechniq L1 (these prevent wear by reducing friction and prevent blue jeans dye transfer)
Interior: clean with gtechniq I2 Tri Clean, seal with matte dash

I don’t use wax, it’s had it’s day and doesn’t perform anything like the modern ceramic coatings, people say wax has more warmth to the finish than ceramic coating, if that’s your thing but you want the longevity of a ceramic coating then I can truly recommend Kamikaze collection ISM and Miyabi coating, you honestly won’t get a better finish, a finish that comes with all the bonuses of a ceramic coating.

Next week I’m working on a RR Silver Shadow that has so many swirls and marks it looks like it’s been through a coffee grinder, it’s completely lost the color of the car when the light shines on it, it’s just a haze of swirls. I may end up wet sanding this as it will remove less paint to restore the finish than compounding (sounds back to front but you get a quicker result with less paint removed doing it this way).

[Ape Factory]

The Griot's buffer is a DA and fairly inexpensive. Since this was my first attempt at paint correction, I didn't want to go high dollar for a DA. I've only ever done compound once on my car and most likely won't do it again any time soon. I also used the least aggressive pads and I did clay the car first. Took me a day and a half! I don't think I have the proper space or experience to do a ceramic coating unfortunately so I stick to the wax for now. Not that I don't want to but all of the new coatings are such a rabbit hole and I have too many other rabbit holes at the moment to really get into it, LOL. But I'll look into the products you suggested!

[MME1122]

My collection includes:

Meguiars gold class soap for washing, affordable and does a good job without any wax type effects
Sonax wheel cleaner, I've tried a bunch and this is my favorite. Seems to be the most effective.
Collonite 845 wax, it's a liquid wax thats very easy to apply and holds up great. By far my favorite wax, I've tried a lot of mother's stuff too and didn't like it as much.
Mothers gold clay bars, I clay once or twice a year.
ONR, I mix some in my soap bucket for washing and then use it as a quick detailer, clay lube, and for wiping down the interior dash, trim, etc.
Optimum optibond tire gel, doesn't sling and adds a nice clean semi gloss to the tires. Not obnoxiously shiny.
Adams tire and rubber cleaner, since I started using this the tire gel seems to hold up better with a clean surface to apply to.
Lexol leather cleaner and conditioner for the seats. I use a horsehair brush to agitate with.
Mothers back to black for exterior black rubber and trim
Mothers mag and aluminum polish for exhaust tips. I haven't used this on my AWE tips yet, but for the stock tips it's great.
Invisible glass for windows
I just picked up some Iron-X for these brown spots that clay won't remove, but I haven't tried it yet.
ABN wheel wheelies, a little pricey but they've held up better than any other wheel brush.
Rag company microfiber towels, wax applicator pad, wash mit, etc. Their stuff is excellent.
Grit guards and buckets from home depot.
IPA and distilled water for a pre-wax wipedown. I also use distilled water for my quick detailer, you get less chance of water spots that way.

I don't have a DA so I don't compound/polish but harbor freight has one that seems to be a go-to budget option.

[altobeast]

My collection includes:

Meguiars gold class soap for washing, affordable and does a good job without any wax type effects
Sonax wheel cleaner, I've tried a bunch and this is my favorite. Seems to be the most effective.
Collonite 845 wax, it's a liquid wax thats very easy to apply and holds up great. By far my favorite wax, I've tried a lot of mother's stuff too and didn't like it as much.
Mothers gold clay bars, I clay once or twice a year.
ONR, I mix some in my soap bucket for washing and then use it as a quick detailer, clay lube, and for wiping down the interior dash, trim, etc.
Optimum optibond tire gel, doesn't sling and adds a nice clean semi gloss to the tires. Not obnoxiously shiny.
Adams tire and rubber cleaner, since I started using this the tire gel seems to hold up better with a clean surface to apply to.
Lexol leather cleaner and conditioner for the seats. I use a horsehair brush to agitate with.
Mothers back to black for exterior black rubber and trim
Mothers mag and aluminum polish for exhaust tips. I haven't used this on my AWE tips yet, but for the stock tips it's great.
Invisible glass for windows
I just picked up some Iron-X for these brown spots that clay won't remove, but I haven't tried it yet.
ABN wheel wheelies, a little pricey but they've held up better than any other wheel brush.
Rag company microfiber towels, wax applicator pad, wash mit, etc. Their stuff is excellent.
Grit guards and buckets from home depot.
IPA and distilled water for a pre-wax wipedown. I also use distilled water for my quick detailer, you get less chance of water spots that way.

I don't have a DA so I don't compound/polish but harbor freight has one that seems to be a go-to budget option.

I thought IPA was for you to drink during the cleaning process not for the car haha.

Definitely the Collonite is huge, a little hard to remove when it's colder out but great for durability. I use a topcoat detailer after that to get the shine i want, and the wax will last 6 months easy.

[MME1122]

Haha that too

Yeah buffing when it's cold out can be hard but the stuff is great. I try to wax every 2-3 months though since my car is outside all the time.

[altobeast]

When I'm parked outside, it's everytime a new season starts, garaged I can stretch it but these PNW winters make it every 2 months sometimes after the salt and sand ugh.

[JamesRS5]

I don't think I have the proper space or experience to do a ceramic coating unfortunately so I stick to the wax for now. Not that I don't want to but all of the new coatings are such a rabbit hole and I have too many other rabbit holes at the moment to really get into it, LOL. But I'll look into the products you suggested!

Honestly, it’s really a very simple process, if you can apply a wax without burning down the garage then you can easily apply a ceramic coating.
Here’s a few YouTube clips, first one is a product I will highly recommend for ease of use and finish/protection/ease of cleaning after application - Gyeon Syncro. The second clip is fairly lengthy at 28 minutes but it’s a great application and explanation video on the base coat of the Syncro system, Gyeon Mohs.





You really can’t get it wrong with the above providing you follow the instructions and allow the product to cure before getting it wet.

[altobeast]

You see James, I almost have burned down my garage during a wash, so this may be an issue hahaha. But yeah ceramic DIY is much easier than people expect. It's the price of a paint correction + ceramic that intimidates people into not doing it at home, they see the high price of it and expect it to be super hard to do, but in reality the paint correction is the hardest part.

[JamesRS5]

Absolutely, the hours of labor that go into a good paint correction is the expensive part of the deal, but that depends on the customers expectations, if they just want a ceramic coating but aren’t bothered by the swirl marks then it’s a days job, a quick machine polish and IPA wipe down, a few hours to apply and the rest of the day to cure before venturing outside.

A full correction is around 20 hours of compounding and polishing but what you get is a car that’s 95% or in some cases (Tesla are you listening) better than when it left the factory.

[E.LEE25]

snow foam: bilt hamber
De iron: Car chem de iron
washing shampoo: Maguirs gold class
polish: autoglym super resin
wax: soft fusso king of gloss or Maguirs liquid wax
tire dressing: dodo juice supernatural

you can also go on detailing world forum there are many more suggestion out there.

[trophies]

Placing an order this evening..

for shine + hydrophobic + protection from road grime/salt/dirt/dust what would the process be? Do I find a shampoo with wax properties? Or do I find a shampoo like Meguiar's Gold Class or CarPro Reset or Chem Guys Snow Foam and then apply a spray + towel combo of some sort of sealant?

[11S5V8]

I use a lot of chemical guys products and I was really pleased with their scratch and swirl remover. I got their leather cleaner and conditioning kit which I used on my seats and it was uh-mazing. There is a guy out there who started a product line called AMMO and I'm waiting for spring to try some of his stuff out. there are some detail pics on my insta "the_s5_life"

[Game]

I use a lot of chemical guys products and I was really pleased with their scratch and swirl remover. I got their leather cleaner and conditioning kit which I used on my seats and it was uh-mazing. There is a guy out there who started a product line called AMMO and I'm waiting for spring to try some of his stuff out. there are some detail pics on my insta "the_s5_life"

He's got a huge Youtube channel as well.

[trophies]

I'm trying to understand the differences between coatings vs sealants, vs waxes...

My steps are as follows:

1) foam cannon, pre-wash
2) rinse
3) Iron remover if necessary
3a) rinse
4) hand contact wash with shampoo
5) rinse
6) sealant
7) wax

I am going to ceramic coat the car in another 2 months or so before summer. In the meantime, what should I look for as an all-around product for hydrophobic properties that will leave behind gloss but protect from dirt, dust, and any environmental particles that may kick up during wet roads?

Thanks!

[11S5V8]

He's got a huge Youtube channel as well.

yeah his videos are way more in depth than Chemical Guys (at least I think) and he does a good job of explaining what the reasoning is behind the product and what it is doing.

[DetRebel]

yeah his videos are way more in depth than Chemical Guys (at least I think) and he does a good job of explaining what the reasoning is behind the product and what it is doing.

That’s one of the best parts to his channel. Compared to chemical Guys. They have so many products it’s hard to narrow down what to use and even harder to figure out which order.


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine

[11S5V8]

That’s one of the best parts to his channel. Compared to chemical Guys. They have so many products it’s hard to narrow down what to use and even harder to figure out which order.


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine

talking about this made me get on his website and I saw the wheel gelee which is supposed to form a protective barrier to brake dust and road grime so it is easier to wipe off. Hundred percent getting that for my spring detail!

[trophies]

talking about this made me get on his website and I saw the wheel gelee which is supposed to form a protective barrier to brake dust and road grime so it is easier to wipe off. Hundred percent getting that for my spring detail!

Gyeon Q2 Rim for wheels /thread with CarPro Iron-X remover.

[RockJGC]

... I may end up wet sanding this as it will remove less paint to restore the finish than compounding (sounds back to front but you get a quicker result with less paint removed doing it this way).

Maybe quicker if you doing the job to get paid, but I'd never do that on my own car because I work from least aggressive to most aggressive, only as much as necessary. No way I'm even touching sandpaper to my car unless all other methods are exhausted. That's the only way to get the least amount of clearcoat removed.

[RockJGC]

This may have been discussed at length prior but the products seem a bit dated from threads I've seen and focus on Meguiar's (no hate though) and looking to branch out from AutoZone visits.

I'm looking to get no washing soap, a wax, wheel cleaner, applicators, and glass cleaner.

I'm looking at:
Chemical Guys Honeydew Snow Foam Wash
Chemical Guys Butter Wet Wax
Sonax Tire Gel
Sonax Wheel Cleaner Plus

Any thoughts on CarPro Hydro2 sealant? I have a lot of dust in my area due to agriculture this time of year and the roads arent the best so I was curious what the best sealant/wax is for prolonging dust to cling to the car and making the car a bit hydrophobic as winter is coming.

My vehicle is Ibis White and always garaged.

Watch Larry (From Ammo) latest YouTube video. He makes the point that you don't need a huge arsenal of products to detail a car. Work with what you have. And if you don't have anything, just get the basics and learn how to use them properly. That's the main point of his video.

It's interesting, but in the video they polish an old hood using hand lotion on a wool pad. You need to watch the video to truly get the point.

[Yoda1]

Feeling outclassed here lol. I just use Nu Finish, the once a year car polish in the bright orange bottle. It works decently but then again I haven't tried much else and that Ceramic coating link that James shared looks tempting.

[03TLSinCO]

Feeling outclassed here lol. I just use Nu Finish, the once a year car polish in the bright orange bottle. It works decently but then again I haven't tried much else and that Ceramic coating link that James shared looks tempting.

From what I've read, ceramic coating is not the easiest to apply properly. I'm having a professional do mine. He's just north of Denver (although out of town until May), highly recommended in the Rocky Mountain Regional Forum, and very reasonably priced. He uses Adam's products. He's done the paint correction on my car and will do the ceramic coating when he returns in May. PM me if you'd like his contact info.

[JamesRS5]

Maybe quicker if you doing the job to get paid, but I'd never do that on my own car because I work from least aggressive to most aggressive, only as much as necessary. No way I'm even touching sandpaper to my car unless all other methods are exhausted. That's the only way to get the least amount of clearcoat removed.

It seem counterintuitive but correct wet sanding actually removes less paint and creates less heat so is less stressful for the paint than compounding if you have a lot of damage to remove or a particularly bad orange peel paintwork you want to flatten.
I absolutely agree with the least aggressive method first statement and on normal jobs that would be the case but in severe cases wet sanding is the way to go.

[RockJGC]

It seem counterintuitive but correct wet sanding actually removes less paint and creates less heat so is less stressful for the paint than compounding if you have a lot of damage to remove or a particularly bad orange peel paintwork you want to flatten.
I absolutely agree with the least aggressive method first statement and on normal jobs that would be the case but in severe cases wet sanding is the way to go.

I agree with less heat, but not with less paint removal. The idea there is that a less abrasive method removes less paint than a more aggressive method, all else equal. And despite having less heat, I can't ever see a situation where sandpaper will remove less than a compound. The best way to remove imperfections is to get the paint flat, but also removing the bare minimum amount of paint to get it flat in the first place. Otherwise you'll end up with less protection from the clearcoat.

[BuyTheWarranty]

These guys were running Facebook Ads, however, seems a bit gimmicky but the reviews look quite good:

https://www.shinearmor.com/

Normally I use Chemical guys, specifically their polymer quick detailer and they’re honeydew wash. The reviews for the Shine Armor look quite good, lots of YouTube reviews, I’ll report back!

[JamesRS5]

I agree with less heat, but not with less paint removal. The idea there is that a less abrasive method removes less paint than a more aggressive method, all else equal. And despite having less heat, I can't ever see a situation where sandpaper will remove less than a compound. The best way to remove imperfections is to get the paint flat, but also removing the bare minimum amount of paint to get it flat in the first place. Otherwise you'll end up with less protection from the clearcoat.

Removing defects requires you to remove enough clearcoat for the defect to be removed, be that with 3500 paper in 5 minutes or with a fine abrasive compound and soft pad in 6 hours, the resulting paint thickness will be the same, one method is much less stressful for the paint.
I would always map the paint thickness before starting any defect removal so you know exactly what you’re working with. I understand your concern and there’s lots more to think about than just compounding (strike through on edges, etc) but for a localised repair of a deeper scratch or a car completely covered in fairly deep swirls, it really is the best method if you know what to look out for.

[RockJGC]

Removing defects requires you to remove enough clearcoat for the defect to be removed, be that with 3500 paper in 5 minutes or with a fine abrasive compound and soft pad in 6 hours, the resulting paint thickness will be the same, one method is much less stressful for the paint.
I would always map the paint thickness before starting any defect removal so you know exactly what you’re working with. I understand your concern and there’s lots more to think about than just compounding (strike through on edges, etc) but for a localised repair of a deeper scratch or a car completely covered in fairly deep swirls, it really is the best method if you know what to look out for.

I agree with that, but it's fairly easy to remove a significant amount of clearcoat with compound without taking a long time to do so. It can even be done with polish, but that would likely take quite a bit of time unless the damage was very slight. Either way, I'll still save sanding as a last resort where compounding just doesn't seem to be enough. The only situation I've ever encountered like that was etching from bird droppings. The damage was deep enough that I ended up wet sanding by hand with 2000 grit. Then I followed up by polishing.

[JamesRS5]

Have you seen the hairdryer trick on bird etching? Apparently (according to the pointy heads of detailing) bird poop isn’t corrosive and etching away at the paint as we all assumed, it’s the paint under the bird poop going through a different heat cycle to the rest of the paint in that area so it’s expanding and contacting at a different rate which allows it to shrink. Wash it away and heat the area gently with a hairdryer or heat gun and watch the marks disappear after a few minutes of heating. You’re basically remodelling the top layer of clearcoat instead of removing it.

[BuyTheWarranty]

Have you seen the hairdryer trick on bird etching? Apparently (according to the pointy heads of detailing) bird poop isn’t corrosive and etching away at the paint as we all assumed, it’s the paint under the bird poop going through a different heat cycle to the rest of the paint in that area so it’s expanding and contacting at a different rate which allows it to shrink. Wash it away and heat the area gently with a hairdryer or heat gun and watch the marks disappear after a few minutes of heating. You’re basically remodelling the top layer of clearcoat instead of removing it.

Just tried this literally 30 minutes ago, as I had bird etchings from the summer (I already tried claybarring and polishing), it didn’t work, and I tried the blow dryer for about 2 minutes, maybe it wasn’t hot enough. It did seem to fade a bit, but then come back after it cooled down.

[JamesRS5]

You need to let the paint get pretty warm, probably hot summer day parked in the sun temperature. You should see it slowly fade away.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=guk5m6...ature=youtu.be

[BuyTheWarranty]

He's using a heat gun, maybe that's why. He kept it on for about 20-30 seconds and the temp went from 16 - 67degrees. I tried the blow dryer for about 2 minutes, not sure what the temperature got to, but it was HOT and I thought I could smell sealant wax so i stopped ;)

[GarbatyA4]

The tan bottle Mequiars products are great, specifically the M105 and M205 polishes, 7 glaze, 21 sealant, and 26 wax.

Mother's clay bar is a good value relative to the premuim brands at a much higher cost.

For wash soap I bounce between the Mequiars gold glass and the Mothers. It depends on what's cheaper at the time.

303 Aerospace protectant for the interior.

Invisible glass for the, well, glass. I've tried a number of different glass clearers and this one works the best. It's cheap too.

In the past I've had good luck with the Mequiars endurance tire shine gel. More recently it's been really streaky and I'm not sure why, even after trying a new bottle of it with a new applicator on thoroughly cleaned tires. I haven't found a better alternative to it. The spray on stuff gets all over the side of the car and usually looks too glossy for my taste.

Having tried a number of the "premuim" products recommended online (Chemical Guys, Griots, Menzerna, Pinnacle, etc.) I always come back to the above list. Don't believe the hype. Most of them aren't worth the money. The only exceptions for me were the Wolfgang polish and sealant (wasn't a fan of the claybar or other products in the kit) and the Gtecnique (sp?) plastic restorer/protectant. Both were pretty pricey and difficult to get ahold of though.

Hope this helps.

I use the same stuff except for my top coat, I use Autoglym extra gloss protection. 6 months protection. Cheap and easy to apply.

[Yoda1]

From what I've read, ceramic coating is not the easiest to apply properly. I'm having a professional do mine. He's just north of Denver (although out of town until May), highly recommended in the Rocky Mountain Regional Forum, and very reasonably priced. He uses Adam's products. He's done the paint correction on my car and will do the ceramic coating when he returns in May. PM me if you'd like his contact info.

Thanks. I’ll keep this in mind. My availability recently opened up so I may likely have a lot of time to give it a shot myself if I decided to switch to ceramic protector. My car is a garage queen so no pressing need atm.

[B8 S FOR]

Griots Garage for me! Been using their products for years.

[Yoda1]

Thanks for all the good advise on this thread. I went ahead and upgraded form NuFinish to a 2 step process. Was pain in the ass to remove old product out but I used Meguiar's Mirror Glaze 205 then finished off with Meguiar's Ultimate Liquid Wax. Haven't really tested its water beading yet but the result looks good. Was quite pleased so I did a photo shoot.
Here is one of the pic I did in a Lowes parking lot.
[IMG][/IMG]
Over Processed pic.