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.