As most know, environmental regulations are becoming more stringent as days go by. Unfortunately, the old Meguiar's Detailer Line (also known as the 'D-Line') has fallen to the wayside of the environmental laws that are coming down the pipe and set to land on the United States Environmental Protection Agency Region 9 (USEPA R9) in the very near future.

These new laws specifically focus on the consumer chemical industry and even have provisions (as I'm told) that specifically deal with car care chemicals. These regulations are set to be federal policy by the year 2008. With that in mind, and knowing that the current Detailer Line wasn't compliant to the new volitile organic compounds (vocs) laws, Meguiar's was forced to reforumate and redesign nearly the entire D-Line.

That being said, let's move on to the new products as I've finally been given a green light to discuss them a little more in depth. I might also add that I've used ALL of them and might be able to comment if you have questions about them...

The NEW D-LINE FROM MEGUIAR'S

1. SUPER DEGREASER -- Replaces the old product by the same name. Changes to this product were VERY minimal. Dilution varies and it's available in 1 gal, 5 gal, and 55 gal sizes. (1-gal P/N D-10801)

2. SAFE D-GREASER -- Replaces the old All-Purpose Cleaner/Degreaser. This product is a great choice for degreasing an engine or working in the wheel wells. Dilution varies and it's available in the same sizes as Super Degreaser. (1-gal P/N D-10501)

3. ALL PURPOSE CLEANER -- Replaces APC+. Again, dilution varies depending upon how agressive you want to make it and is available in the 1, 5, 55 size schematic. (1-gal P/N D-10101)

4. HYPER-WASH -- New product. INCREDIBLE Suds!!! This will probably be my new favorite car wash after trying it out at Meguiar's a few weeks ago. Dilution.... get this.... 400:1. Yes, FOUR HUNDRED. Available by the gallon and 5 gallon. (1-gal P/N D-11001).

5. SHAMPOO-PLUS -- A step up from HYPER-WASH. Extremely stable/rich suds and very slippery. Dilution 1oz:1gal H20. (1-gal P/N D-11101).

6. GLASS CLEANER CONCENTRATE -- I'm told that this product changed the least from the old formula. I know this was a FAVORITE among lots of folks. Dilution 10:1. P/N - D-12001.

7. WHEEL BRIGHTENER -- Not for use on anodized, magnesium, or polished aluminum. We compared this product against the old Wheel Brightener product and found that it basically kicked the old stuff's rear all over the place. A great product!! Dilution is up to 4:1. (1-gal P/N D-14001)

8. X-PRESS LIQUID WAX -- Replaces Express Wax. Had minimal time to experiment with this product. Designed with high-volume detailers in mind (ie: Car dealerships).

9. LAST TOUCH SPRAY DETAILER -- This is the one that everyone's been waiting to hear about and thus, I'll give some thoughts and opinions. First and foremost, it's a GREAT product. Can I honestly say that I like it as much as the product it's replacing (FINAL DETAIL); I can't honestly say based on my use. It definately still has the FD 'pop' but, the smell wasn't as pleasant (although, we were utilizing the mixture that they had developed within Meguiar's on-site product development laboratory and it wasn't the final product -- it was said that the smell was DEFINATELY going to be better). I definately loved it. I don't have many worries about this new one and I'm sure it'll be finding a spot on my shelf in the garage in the VERY near future. In short, fear not FD lovers, Meguiar's will still have the #1 detailer spray in my mind. (1-gal P/N D-15501).

10. BODY SOLVENT -- A new product designed to deal with adhesive residue, tar, and grease. Take one sniff of this stuff and you'll never know how great it works! It smells just like vanilla extract! You want to drink it! (but, of course, please don't). This was a GREAT product to utilize in the Meguiar's Garage! No dilution. (1-gal P/N D-13001).

11. ALL SEASON DRESSING(TM) -- Formerly known as 'S-Dressing' and is solvent based. Not body shop safe. Great product but, I didn't get to do much comparison to the other D-Line Dressings. (1-gal P/N D-16001). Avail in 1, 5, 55. No dilution.

12. SILICONE-FREE DRESSING -- Formerly known by the same name. New formulation though. P/N D-16101. Avail in 1 or 5. No dilution.

13. HYPER DRESSING -- Awesome product that seems to have a very similar look to Endurance in my opinion. Heck, it even smells similar. We tried this product out on the SAAB that we detailed and it performed WONDERFULLY! Dilution varies on the level of shine that you want to achieve (from 1:1 to 4:1). I will have some of this stuff!

14. ACCENT DRESSING -- This was the only D-Line product that wasn't sitting in a 'ready to use' position in the Meguiar's garage. I've never experimented with nor tried this product but, one of the wholesalers that sat through the class with me mentioned that he sells this product to high-volume detailers and can't get it in fast enough. He went on to say that this was one of his FAVORITE products out there! Not sure about the future of this product though as it's not listed on any of Meguiar's Detailer Application Bulletins. Avail only in 10 oz aersol can.

15. LEATHER CLEANER & CONDITIONER -- Hard to get me to sway much on this one as I'm a leather conditioner guru but, this was a decent 'one-step' high-volume type of product. It wasn't very aggressive on the cleaning side (and it really shouldn't be) but, it provided a nice feel and nice matte/original look. D-18001 and it's ready to use.

That's it.

So, now you're noticing that I didn't mention a few products. IE: Engine Coat, Citri-Gel, Detailer Clay (and maybe another one or two that I'm forgetting). The unfortunate fact is that these products are discontinued and really don't have a good replacement (other than the clay). Citri-Gel, which many of us have grown exceedingly fond of because of it's long dwell or hang time on a tire or other item that you're looking to clean is a product of the past now. I will soon be buying two gallons of this stuff because when it's gone, it's gone. Engine coat was a product that many liked as you could apply it wet and not worry about it. Unfortunately, like Citri-Gel, sales were VERY marginal and thus, it was on the chopping block with no replacement as well.

The clay line has now been revamped to two levels of clay. A mild and agressive bar respectively. As you probably know, this idea was utilized in the D-Line clay but, now it's going to be on the professional line side. Both the mild and agressive varieties come in ONE 200g bar and are colored for easy recognition (red and blue -- mild and agressive).

I think that just about covers it from A to Z. If I missed some points or if you have questions, please don't hesitate to ask. I have both the TECHNICAL and APPLICATION bulletins issued by Meguiar's and might be able to help out with other concerns.

Also, I know the vast majority of the products listed here aren't products that the average 'home-user' is going to go out and buy. I simply have posted this information for general use and to let you all know that there are some great products out there that are available in bulk for a considerably cheaper cost.

Fire all questions.


RP

 

Great info Rock. Is the hype-wash the same as the nxt car wash? I just tried the nxt wash with anti-static. Is this ant-static BS? I just washed my black truck and I think its not attracting as much dust. Maybe just in my mind. Thanks for all your info.

 

RP,

Thanks a bunch for this information. I'll be printing your post and saving it for future reference.

Just to clarify, has the production of Citri-gel already been discontinued...? I may have to place an unexpected order with PAC...

John

 

No. The NXT wash is very different and of a much higher quality. Also, as you know, the NXT wash is ready to use (RTU) out of the bottle rather than diluting it out to 400 parts water to 1 part Hyper-Wash.

Also, the anti-static properties of NXT wash are present, however minimal in my opinion. Further, if you follow with a quick detailer spray or something of that nature, you're most likely covering/removing/decreasing the effects of the anti-static. If you're like me, you QD after every wash and several times prior to my next wash.

I definately like the NXT soap but, in my opinion, the Hyper-Wash is some fantastic stuff. The suds really had a great hang time, it was very slippery, and it seemed to work great.

RP

 

That is correct. Production has ceased. Don't order all of it!! I need to get a couple of gallons too!!!

I actually sat down last night and worked up a $300+ order with PAC ($200 of it was the Makita Orbital though).

-RP

 

Hey rockpick, I have a question about that Safe D-Greaser. I was looking for a product that I could use the clean the grime off the metal parts of my engine, but also use as an all purpose cleaner for cleaning off scuff marks on my plastic door panels and stuff like that. Would this be a good choice for that? Or would there be something else better suited for this?

 

RP,

Once again, a classy, well written and understandable review of a very fine product line. We're (F150Online members) fortunate to have somebody like you around here. Keep up the good work!

 

For the metal parts in your engine compartment, it'd be a perfect product.

I think it'd work for the scuffs and stuff but, I'd use a different dilution (weaken the mix)

RP

 

Thanks 2stroked! I appreciate it.

 

Cool, thanks

 

Sure... NP!

 

Yeh Rock, thanks for this and your previous post regarding the Meg's products being discontinued. I immediately put in an order with Dwayne at PAC and ordered a couple gallons of Final Detail and another gallon of the Citi-Gel Cleaner (not to mention a couple more clay bars and some more MF's).

For everyone else, Dwayne at PAC agreed to place a sizable order last week for a re-stock of Final Detail, so If you need or want some more of the current formulation, get your order(s) in.

-Mike-

 

I snagged two gallons of FD, a gallon of Citri-Gel, and a gallon of Engine Coat. I hate that they're going away but, like I've mentioned, there are some great products still coming down the pipe!

I have two jars of clay on the way as well... I love goodies!

Anyone seen Boss?

RP

 

Is Final Detail the same thing as Final Inspection or is that a different line? I couldn't imagine buffing a car without being able to use Final Inspection. Also makes claying a breeze!

Great write up RP!

 

SS,

Final DETAIL was formerly part of the Meguiar's DETAILER line of products. Final Inspection (a very similar product) is part of the PROFESSIONAL line of products.

FI is body shop safe whereas FD is not. FD, in my opinion, is a better product if you're looking for overall pop and slickness.

RP