Recommended Detail products

[s_ribbens]

It seems that there isn't much talk of detailing on this forum, and with one thread floating about I thought we might benefit from each others experience with different products. We can discuss technique elsewhere, so lets keep this primarily devoted to products. This is a bit long but I hope that it is helpful. Please feel free to add your comments and preferences to the list so that others can have some good info when they do their detail product shopping!

This list includes everything I've personally used or know to be top-notch. I don't skimp on any products for my BMW's, and this is certainly one area that can make a significant difference in how good you Bimmer looks.

Washing:
In terms of soap, I have no reason to look beyond meguire's products.
-Gold Class and NXT are both very good and cost effective

Wash mitt's are absolutely crucial to keeping a swirl free finish on your paint. I would only recommend Chenile cotton or MF (micro-fiber) material for them. Be sure to wash them frequently so that dirt does not build up which will scratch your paint.

Drying:
One area where new technology certainly is better than the old stand-by's. I will never use a traditional chamois again.

-Waffle-weave MF towels (such as Cobra)
-"The Absorber", which is a synthetic Chamois, works very well also.

Clay-bars,
I don't find these as necessary, as many do, if your paint is relatively clean and you are using a machine buffer. A lot of the rough feeling your paint accumulates is from oxidation which a buffer can do a much better job of eliminating. However, there are still times when a clay is the best option. If your paint doesn't require buffing but is a little dirty, then clay bar it. Or, if there are contaminents on your paint, such as tar from the road, then the clay bar is the only way to get them off without destroying your paint. I don't recommend any "off the shelf" clay bars. Primary reason is that your typical Mothers and Meguires bars are much harder than the others leading to a greater chance of not grabbing as much contaminents as well as being more likely to scratch your paint. I use Meguires Quick Detail for the lube with my clay bar but you can also mix soap and water in a spray bottle as well. Just make sure you wash the car again if you go that route.

-Pinnacle, Wolfgang, or any other high-end clay bar work very well.

Polishing:
Two catagories here. One, those doing it by hand; two, those using a buffer.

By hand,
- Klasse All-In-One (AIO) tops the list by far. Simply apply it and wipe it off with a MF towel to reduce oxidation and swirl marks. It is an acrylic based product so a good amount of swirl mark reduction is due to filling them in rather than removing them.

Keep in mind that you can't remove scratches by hand regardless of what anyone tells you. Oxidation, sure; scratches, no way. They can only be filled making them disappear until the product wears off.

With a buffer things get a bit more complex.
For cutting,
-3M Perfect-It II is the absolute best and least abbrasive (i.e. it won't remove much paint since there are no cutting agents in it) polish I've ever used. It is absolutely amazing how well it can take the most extreme oxidation off of paint. Use with a cutting pad (typically yellow).

-3M Perfect-It III for removing scratches and extremely heavy swirl marks. Primary difference from PI-II to PI-III is that this one does contain a cutting compound (which is the only way to get scratches out). Also use with a cutting pad.

After cutting, or for simply adding gloss and depth to otherwise good paint, there are polishing compounds.
-3M Finesse-It II works extremely well. I do not find it to be the best final polishing product though. I would typically use this after PI-II as the second stage to thorough paint work. It contains some very minimal cutting agents in it (if a true cutting compound would be compared to 600 grit sand paper, think of FI-II as a 1500 grit sand paper). Use with a polishing pad (typically white).

For final polishing prior to wax or sealers, to make sure your paint is as smooth and glossy as possible.
-Kasse AIO applied by hand is a great option
-PoorBoy's Swirl-Remover 1 (SR-1) is my favorite with a buffer. Use with a finishing pad (either the black or blue pad).

Wax and sealants:

There is a difference! Sealers are a synthetic material that bonds with the paint making them last significantly longer than wax. However, they do not lend to as warm or wet of a look to the paint. But, you can use both to give an even better effect. Sealers can only be applied to bare paint and NOT on top of wax or it will not stick. You must use them after you have removed any previous wax (so use them after you've done the previous steps). Sealers will bond to the paint, but also to itself. A new coat can be applied after roughly 24 hours. Layering sealer (3 coats is enough) can add a significant amount of depth and gloss (listen up Alpine White guys). After you have layered enough sealer, then you can top it off with your favorite wax for the ultimate wet look. I do this on every car I own and with every car I'm detailing for a show.

Sealers:

-Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze is probably the best.
-Pinnacle and Wolfgang are good too.
-PoorBoy's EX-P sealant is fine but not as good as the others. Much less expensive though.

Wax:

-P21S or it's cheaper equivalant S100 are my top picks. They give the most shine of any I've used but also last far longer than any other wax I've seen. I'm always amazed at how long the last.
-PoorBoy's carnuba wax is the glossiest, or most "wet", looking wax. But, the catch is that it doesn't last nearly as long as the above.

I personally use S100 or P21S most often because they give the best compromise of all and look terrific.

[GoldenOne]

very nice write up! this will be good for those who are curious

edit: for those that use the Klasse all in one and sealant, make sure the paint is nice and cool before you apply it and DO NOT apply it in the sun. My friend made this mistake so I have to try and get the dried leftovers outta the paint...looks terrible and im sure its not good for the paint either

[s_ribbens]

Yes. For that matter, any detailing and washing should be done in the shade. Water spots are no fun. I won't do any detailing (like buffing/waxing) unless I'm in my garage.

[ericcamaro]

I own my own Mobile Detailing Outfit and I use Top of the lines products. they can be bought at topoftheline.com they are some of the best on the market. I also have tryed 3m products, im not too impressed, Klasse polish is defenantly really good. If you want proffesional products you usually have to buy them in bulk though.

Glass & Chorme= RIghtlook.com's glass and chrome polish, removes water spots and leaves both glass and chrome flawless. 16oz will cost you close to 25 bones. Just for cleaning glass not polishing I use sprayaway aresol glass cleaner, it wont hurt your tinted windows and doesnt leave spots on dash after dressing.

For cutting- I use TOTL (top of the line) light cut laser leveler for those nasty swirls. For stuff a little deeper I go with Rightlooks Clear Coat Compound and for the next step down its TOTL Medium Cut then Heavy cut and Finally Extreme cut, (extreme cut will get out 600 grit scratches!!!!)

Clay bar- NOt always necissary but a very good tool to have. (pretty much the best thing to get overspray off a car and any other contaminants.) I use Rightlooks Medium duty clay bar, with pearl instant detailer for the lube. I am very happy with this product and use it on my own car in a 3 step, Clay, Light cut leveler, then Wax.

I could go on all day but the TOTL products speak for themselves.

[Derek A.]

OK.

I have a 200,000 mile car. Lots of brushed in stone chips. Car still looks good. Lots of other things going on - don't want to spend two days polishing/waxing the car.

Suggestions on an easy cleaner/polisher to use and best comprimise for shine/longevity on the top coat.

I have a porter cable buffer - would be using it for the job. Are the original white pads good for the car or should I spend the money for the velcro backed setup and all the different colors?

Thanks

Derek.-

[Russell]

Very nicely done!

[Alexlind123]

Thats a nice write up, but it simply boggles my mind.

I have never done anything other than washing with blue corral(el cheapo bi-mart) soap and a good qualuty wash mitt, and then using meguiars liquid gold wax applied by hand and buffed off later by hand. I use never dull on the chrome trim around the windows, which brightens it nicely. The wheels sometimes get tire black cleaner stuff prayed on them after a wash.

Between waxes, i use Turtle wax car soap which leaves the paint very glossy and smooth. I highly recommend the turtle wax soap for those of you who dont have entire weekends to spend on washing/detailing your car.

Oh, and i also use invisible glass glass cleaner on the windows, followed by rain-x on the front and rear windows.

I have used meguiars quick wax spray bottle wax between waxes to freshen the finish in the past, but the Turtle wax wash works better and easier.

Oh yes, i also highly recommend a product called "black again," it transforms any black trim on your car to like-new condition (rubber/plastic/etc.)

Another product i recommend is the california... water blade squeegee. It cuts drying time drastically and reduces the likelihood of swirl marks from your drying rag.

[Chowchilla Skunkwerks]

Good post. Personally I really like P21S. Goes on easy. Great shine.
Question for the masses. 4X steel wool or clay bar for water spots on glass?
Maybe this could build into a sticky !!! As long as it doesn't turn into a pissing contest slagfest like has happened on other boards...
thanks again Rob

[George M]

OK.

I have a 200,000 mile car. Lots of brushed in stone chips. Car still looks good. Lots of other things going on - don't want to spend two days polishing/waxing the car.

Suggestions on an easy cleaner/polisher to use and best comprimise for shine/longevity on the top coat.

I have a porter cable buffer - would be using it for the job. Are the original white pads good for the car or should I spend the money for the velcro backed setup and all the different colors?

Thanks

Derek.-

Hi Derek,
Its been a while. You would be best served to purchase three good pads for your Porter Cable...a yellow, white and black pad with the velcrow backing.
Purchase a good velcrow backing plate for your PC as well. You want to start with the yellow cutting pad and use a SMR or equivalent with the yellow pad to polish out the paint a bit. Then you can use a glaze with the white pad which in effect fills all imperfections creating a highly reflective surface.
Then finish with a pure carnuba like either the P21S or S100. I also am a fan of P21S. One tip is to use P21S GEPC which is a Gloss Enhancing Paint Cleaner just prior to application of the P21S show car carnuba to really give it a good pop. GEPC has very mild chemical and mechanical cutting only about a 2 out of 10 and works nice with the white finish polishing pad. Most pros do not use a PC for final application of the wax...only for polishing. Others will use the black pad for light polishing and application of the final coat of wax. Personally for expediency Mother's one step Cleaner Carnuba wax applied with a black pad is a hard shine to beat if your paint is in good condition and what I typically apply for maintenance. Just keep in mind that a cleaner wax will tend to strip preceeding applications of a glaze or GEPC.
HTH,
George

[ericcamaro]

Good post. Personally I really like P21S. Goes on easy. Great shine.
Question for the masses. 4X steel wool or clay bar for water spots on glass?
Maybe this could build into a sticky !!! As long as it doesn't turn into a pissing contest slagfest like has happened on other boards...
thanks again Rob

I like to use the chrome & glass polish as stated above for water spot removal, as well as all other contaminants on glass. Clay bar is too expensive to waste on windows cause they just spot back up. I prefer to polish then seal with rain X or similar product. Ive heard 4x steel wool is good but dont want to get any little shards of steel wool into any of my other rags or pads, could ruin a finish in a hurry.

[liquidtiger720]

isnt -3M Perfect-It II carcinogenic?

And a MF wash MIT?!?!?! Holy swirls bat man.

[onewhippedpuppy]

isnt -3M Perfect-It II carcinogenic?

And a MF wash MIT?!?!?! Holy swirls bat man.

What's wrong with the MF mit? I use one, and have seen them recomended by many people.

I used the S100 (P21S) paint cleaner then wax on my wife's 4Runner last weekend, easily the best it has ever looked. Prior to that I had washed and clayed it. I have used multiple waxes on it, this blows them all away. You work in small sections, wipe it on, then immediately wipe it off. It applies like soft butter, and wipes off almost immediately. By far the best and easiest product line I have ever used. Her car has very mild swirl marks, the cleaner took care of most of them, but it is very mild. The 540 will need some extra help, I really need to invest in a PC buffer. Regardless though, the S100 is awesome. $30 for both the cleaner and the wax, and available at the local Harley dealership.

[onewhippedpuppy]

A good link, for those that have never been there.
http://autopia.org/
Totally dedicated to detailing. The forums search can yield a lot of good info, and clicking reviews on the top will lead to reviews of pretty much everything for detailing a car.

[liquidtiger720]

There's no nap in the microfiber mit....the dirt stays on the surface.


Micro fiber also as a tendancy to hold onto dirt and stuff a lot easier and longer. Hmmm...rubbing across all taht in the paint.

Sheepskin all the way.

[SchnellE34]

Very nice write up, exactly what I was looking for. One question... what about rim cleaner? I have basketweave wheels and it takes me an hour for all four wheels with a tooth brush to get them satisfactory. Would anyone suggest a good spray on, wash off cleaner to avoid scrubbing?

[onewhippedpuppy]

My MF mit is made up of a bunch of woven MF strands, so it does have nap to it. I use the two bucket wash method as well.

Schnell, do you ever wax your wheels? I always do mine, and even when they're filthy they wipe off easily with normal car wash soap. Worth the time to do. Otherwise, none of the spray on, spray off type wheel cleaners have ever worked for me. Also, you have to be very careful, some can damage certain wheel finishes.

[ericcamaro]

there is only one way to wash your wheels and thats with your car wash soap. Wheel finishes these days are very similar to the paint on your car so the soap is perfect. I also highly recomend a product called "wheel wax" works great on all wheels and lowers brake dust by 75% and makes cleaning your wheels a snap. also dont have to worry about any oxidation getting to that chrome.

[onewhippedpuppy]

there is only one way to wash your wheels and thats with your car wash soap. Wheel finishes these days are very similar to the paint on your car so the soap is perfect. I also highly recomend a product called "wheel wax" works great on all wheels and lowers brake dust by 75% and makes cleaning your wheels a snap. also dont have to worry about any oxidation getting to that chrome.

Do you mean it prevents the brake dust from sticking? Because there's no way a wax can make your pads create 75% less dust, though I wish there were. Most wax seems to have that effect, my wheels always seem to stay cleaner longer after I wax them.

[SchnellE34]

Ok thanks. I was also concerned about ruining the finish with those types of cleaners. I will have to put some wax on them next time.

[Russell]

Use synthetic polish not a carnuaba wax. BTW, The heat of the wheels will melt waxes. It is my undersatnding that Wheel Wax is better than ordinary wax, but not as good as the synthetic polishes in terms of durability and heat issues.

Keeping the wheels polished will keep your wheels cleaner and easier to wash. I try to treat painted wheesl like any painted surface on the car.

[calmloki]

Re: microfiber cloths - I've been very happy with the twenty pack from Costco at $10. Mostly use them for washing. Soft, fairly thick, absorbs water like mad, grabs dirt well. At 50 cents/cloth I feel just fine using them for finest to grubbiest projects as they get more use.

[trumpetr]

isnt -3M Perfect-It II carcinogenic?

And a MF wash MIT?!?!?! Holy swirls bat man.

My car is alpine white, also. What do you use product wise, to get rid of the swirls and to remove stubborn tree sap and bird crap, and then to wax/polish with?

Ive used zymol cleaner wax, and some bug and tar remover, using elbow grease,,,but it just doesnt get the crud off. Thinking of getting a PC random orbit buffer, before I get carpal tunnel, and a rotator cuff tear in my shoulder!
Once it quits raining here (two weeks straight, so far), Id like to spend a day getting the car detailed on the outside.
The paint is otherwise in pretty good shape.

Thanks-

[ericcamaro]

Porter cable is the best tool money can buy. I have the Random orbitol and the High speed rotary they just came out with. both perform fenominally. To get out sap and stuff use the clay bar, then cut with a light-medium compound and finish up with your favorite wax. btw the cosco microfiber deal is outa this world thats the only place I buy mine, Great quality and less than a buck a pop, you cant beat it.

[s_ribbens]

I completely agree. PC is the best you can buy and not even more expensive than it's competition really. I'm a fan of the circular buffers but they do take a bit more expertise to not mess up your car (should NOT be read as them being difficult to use, just have to pay a bit more attention).

[s_ribbens]

It's funny how when detailing comes up we tend to go straight to paint work. I had intended to talk about interior detailing but completely forgot! Lets get some feedback on that aspect as well here.

Shine/Protectant (vinyl):
-303 aerospace protectant is supposed to be the best of the best.
-PoorBoy's offers a low-shine product for those that don't like being blinded by the glare off of their dash.
-I really can't complain with the Meguires products. Their standard product is a great moderate to low gloss product with a nice leather smell; NXT is a very high-gloss that lasts a tremendously long time but has a fruity smell which I'm not terribly partial too.

Leather:
-Leatherique is the best of the best. Pristine Clean and their conditioner is the best you can buy.

Carpet:
-The "spot" cleaning products you can pick up just about anywhere are good to catch those accidents before they have completely set in to the carpet.

There are also some good cleaning products that you can get through bulk detail product distributers. I spent $20-25 on a gallon of something called Citrus Clean a while back and haven't even made a dent in it even though I detail a significant amount. It did wonders on my filthy 5'er. Just be sure to properly dilute products like that if you venture into that area and be sure to know what you are buying. Some of them may end up being too strong for interior items.

[ericcamaro]

I use lexol leather care products and will put them up to the test against leatherique any day of the week. Actually they are pretty much equal, I use top of the lines Leather and Vinyl cleaner, you can mix it in different concentrates depending on what your using it on and how tough the stain is. If you use it straight you can get ink out of leather, sometime will also take the dye out too, so gotta be real careful. Lexol also makes a great vinyl product called Vinylex wich I use on the inside and outside of my vehicle but am not too happy with using it on the outside. It seems to streak up after it rains and looks pretty bad. BUt if it doesnt rain it looks good for months. It seems to protect the dash really well and it is water based so It wont evaporate and end up on your windshield. Anyone know of a good solvent based vinyl/rubber product to use on exterior trim? one thats legal in CA???

[pgrindstaff]

This may be slightly off topic but what better place to ask than a topic discussing cleaning products.

My car has had two previous owners, at least one of which smoked. The smell is actually very faint now but needs to go away more. I figure I need to shampoo the carpets, clean the leather really well, and scrub any other plastic pieces, etc. I have leather cleaner/conditioner but should I use something a little stronger to initially get it clean? As for the plastic, around the seats and such, how should I clean this, soapy water and an old toothbrush?

I have considered bringing my car somewhere to get detailed but I think I should try my hand at cleaning my car before I fork over ~$150+ for someone to detail it. I kind of feel like Jerry when his car is valley parked.

Thanks for your input

[liquidtiger720]

My car is alpine white, also. What do you use product wise, to get rid of the swirls and to remove stubborn tree sap and bird crap, and then to wax/polish with?

Ive used zymol cleaner wax, and some bug and tar remover, using elbow grease,,,but it just doesnt get the crud off. Thinking of getting a PC random orbit buffer, before I get carpal tunnel, and a rotator cuff tear in my shoulder!
Once it quits raining here (two weeks straight, so far), Id like to spend a day getting the car detailed on the outside.
The paint is otherwise in pretty good shape.

Thanks-


PC random orbit for sure. Awsome tool.

Read around on some detail sites and see what products might fit what you want to use it for. IE...I use poorboys stuff because its sun friendly- and it really does still work in the sun. It does "dust" a little faster, but thats okay.

tree sap- first try some mild clay bar. after that, agressive clay bar from meguiars. after that, you are out of luck.


Wax. I LOOOOVEE pinnicle paste glaz., but its no longer available.

I've come to like Poorboys Natty's Blue even though its for dark cars.

[onewhippedpuppy]

This may be slightly off topic but what better place to ask than a topic discussing cleaning products.

My car has had two previous owners, at least one of which smoked. The smell is actually very faint now but needs to go away more. I figure I need to shampoo the carpets, clean the leather really well, and scrub any other plastic pieces, etc. I have leather cleaner/conditioner but should I use something a little stronger to initially get it clean? As for the plastic, around the seats and such, how should I clean this, soapy water and an old toothbrush?

I have considered bringing my car somewhere to get detailed but I think I should try my hand at cleaning my car before I fork over ~$150+ for someone to detail it. I kind of feel like Jerry when his car is valley parked.

Thanks for your input

We bought an A4 several years ago that had been smoked in, the odor had faded but there was a film on everything. Most of the fabric we cleaned with spot shot sprayed on a rag, with lots of scrubbing. Plastic parts got a liberal scrubbing with Vinylex until the film was gone. In the end, you couldn't tell it had ever been smoked in.

Spot Shot is an amazing carpet cleaner, best I've ever used. Vinylex gives a nice low gloss shine, everything else I've ever used is too much. Leatherique blows away the Lexol leather products, I tried the Leatherique after the Lexol and the seats ended up looking new on my 951. Invisible Glass from Wal Mart works well on glass, Einzett Gummi Pfledge from Pelican works well on the weatherstrips. One other trick I like, on fabric that tends to hold in dirt and dust, a lint roller works great. It's a must on the alcantra-like material on my wife's 4Runner seats.

[s_ribbens]

Just give everything a good scrubbing. As commented above, there is just a film of crap that is causing the lingering smell. If you don't have a lot of detail products lying around try using Woolite and water. It's a very gentle detergent and I've used it before. I'm never impressed with what the average (not all, but the vast majority I've seen) $150 detail comes out as. I'm heading up a detail department for a local BMW tuning shop that opens next week and we'll be charging $150 for just an exterior detail. But, customers are going to have nothing but the best products used on their cars so they actually look better than new and stay that way for a long time. Do your homework before picking a place. Go to the shop and see if you can walk around and perhaps see the guys mid-detail to see how they do.

[s_ribbens]

Interesting. I have never heard that comparison before.

Have you tried Stoner Trim spray? There is no such thing as a long lasting exterior trim shine as far as I've ever seen. The best way to keep them looking as shiny as your paint is to simply paint them (black if you don't want to color match).

[JoshsE34-M50]

If you're fussy about windows, try Griot's "glass polish". Their "fine glass polish" works well on exterior mirrors. Here's the best glass cleaner I've found:
mix distilled water with denatured alcohol, in ratio of 3:1. It's pretty cheap to do but IT'S NOT ALL THAT HEALTHY FOR PAINT OR INTERIOR PARTS so be careful.But it works! Griot's, Meguiar's, and Autosol wheel cleaners work well. Two BMW brand products that really work well are their car wash and wheel cleaner. They may or may not be re-bottled versions of other brands, but those two particular products don't smell like Meguiar's or any other product I've used. Personally, I LOVE 303 Protectant- Perfect level of gloss for rubber and vinyl, and the best at dealing with uv's (if you believe their ads).

[JoshsE34-M50]

Anyone ever try 1 Grand products? I've heard they work really well.

[ericcamaro]

1 grand is a very good company. I use 1 grands plastic polish and am very happy with it. cleans up all plastic real nice and takes all the oxidation off, the stuff is pretty useless unless you have a Porter Cable though. Stoner products are great too but too expensive and almost all are aresol and im not trying to burn no holes in the ozone or kill any more of my preciouse brain cells. 303 is good too but as long as your not using armoral your doing good. BTW DO NOT USE ARMORAL FOR ANY REASON. It will crack your vinyl and literally suck the moisture right out of it.