Alright, I have never been a clean freak with my vehicles, but then again this is my first new ride and I would like to keep it looking good for as long as I can.

Having said that, I do not have a lot of first hand knowledge when it comes to quality car care products. Everyone claims their product is the best so if you don't have first hand knowledge you are just guessing.

I won't spend all day detailing my truck, so I need stuff that works well with out having to dedicate my life to my truck. I will probably get burned out if it takes all day just to wax.

I have searched through some past threads and have gotten a lot of helpful information so far, but I was hoping to get a more complete list together, so when I go out I will know exactly what is the good stuff.

These are the areas I am concerned with. And some products I have heard others speak of, let me know what you think. Also, if there is an area that is particuliarly important to you that I don't have listed, let me know.

Wax - NXT , Zaino , Mequiar's
Car Wash Solution/Kits - ?
Tire & Wheel Treatment - ?
Glass - Stoners
Glazing/Rubbing Compound - Meguiar's Scatch-X , 3M
Interior Trim - Tannery , Armor All
Exterior Trim - ?
Upholstery (for spills and stains on fabric) - ?
Clay Bar Kits - Mothers , Meguiar's

Is it better to stick with one product for everything. For example...Meguiar's comes up a lot so would it be best just to get everything from them?

I'm sure all these have been covered before, but I thought it might be beneficial for others to have a thread that shows the most common products and what everyone here prefers. Kind of a one stop info thread for car care.

Thanks

 

kbldawg,

The bottom line is this, find a product you like and use it frequently. There are OODLES upon OODLES of great products out there. I see no names listed within your post that I wouldn't personally trust on my vehicles. We all have our preferences and most of them have been established by trying several of those products.

This one is just too broad and encompassing and you're gonig to see a variety of different answers. Further, alot of the answers that you see are going to be empassioned novels talking about how this product is better than another product and so on.

Also, I disagree that it's a necessity to have to use all of the products from one manufac. I have, at least, 15 manufacturers represented on my shelf at home. I probably use 8 of them. The others are expensive paper weights.

RP

 

No comment....

 

One company I have alwasy seemed to trust is "Mother's." Mothers is the name of a car wash and detailing place that gets down and dirty into every corner of your truck. They spent a good deal of time on it, and hae a whole rack of stuff they use all for hand wash, also, all for retail. I use Mother's stuff only because I know it's good. If there are any other names that you know are good, then it probaly isnt a bad idea to stick with those. I have found many of Mother's products at AutoZone

 

The only Mother's product I have used is the wheel polish. Worked great!! Thanks for the input.

 

yea mna. mother's makes good stuff. but it doesnt hurt to branch out and try new thigs. id say though, that if your experimenting, its always a good idea to experiment on your woman's car. dont mess up your own

 

You read my mind. I was thinking that very same thing the other day.

 

Well let's keep it simple then folks. Just put down what you use for those that I listed above.

Thanks for the input RP!!

 

Here are the products I like and use often on my truck. Some I like more than others and some I just can not decide between: therefore there are two or three types of some items. In the case of some replication of products that do the same thing, I use whatever I grab or catches my eye first. Hope this does not confuse or muddy the waters deeper.


1. Meguiars’ #83 Dual Action Cleaner / Polisher
2. Meguiars’ #82 Swirl Free Polish
3. Meguiars’ #80 Speed Glaze
4. Meguiars’ #26 Hi-Tech Yellow Wax
5. Meguiars’ #9 Swirl Remover 2.0
6. Meguiars’ #7 Show Car Glaze
7. Meguiars’ NXT Generation Tech Wax
8. Meguiars’ NXT Generation Spray Wax
9. Meguiars’ NXT Generation Car Wash
10. Meguiars’ #40 Vinyl & Rubber Cleaner / Conditioner
11. Meguiars’ Natural Shine Vinyl & Rubber Protectant
12. Meguiars’ Endurance High Gloss Long Lasting Tire Protectant Gel
13. Meguiars’ High Gloss Hot Shine Tire Spray
14. Meguiars’ Hot Rims All Wheel Cleaner
15. Meguiars’ One Step Leather Care
16. Meguiars’ Gold Class Rich Leather Cleaner / Conditioner
17. Meguiars’ Gold Class Rich Leather Cleaner Wipes
18. Meguiars’ Scratch X
19. Meguiars’ Quik Clay
20. Meguiars’ Quik Mist & Wiper Detail
21. Meguiars’ Porter Cable G - 100
22. Meguiars’ W 9006 Pads
23. Meguiars’ W 8006 Pads
24. Meguiars’ 6.5 inch Diameter Ultimate Bonnets
25. Meguiars’ Ultimate Wipe Detail Cloth
26. 303 Aerospace Protectant
27. Cerama Bryte - Glass / Ceramic Cooktop Cleaner
28. Eagle One 20/20 Auto Glass Cleaner
29. Stoner - Invisible Glass Cleaner
30. Armor All - Glass Wipes
31. RainX Original
32. Mothers Back to Black
33. CLR - Bathroom and Kitchen Cleaner
34. Black Magic - Wet Shine Spray Detail

 

kbldawg

From reading your original post, I wonder if you might be better served by just making sure you do a nice thorough wash of your vehicle (inside and out) on a weekly basis, and then maybe supplementing this with an occassional tire dressing treatment, etc.?

In all honesty, my experience has been that you either love to detail and maintain your vehicle, or you don't. For me personally, detailing a vehicle is something that I take great pleasure in, in the same way that some other guys might enjoy maintaining their lawns in a pristine condition (which to me, is nothing more than complete and utter drudgery in every possible respect of the word!).

If you are not the type of guy who was born with this natural "genetic defect" for maintaining vehicles, then you will probably never keep up with a program on a consistent enough basis to achieve good results.

I would rather have you spend an hour a week (every week) giving your vehicle a good wash, than have you spend a full day (one time) doing a complete wash, wax and detail, and then saying "That sucked!" and never bother to pick up a hose again!

 

GB Texas,

Looks like you have your stock in Meguiar's too!! AH and the CLR hehe I thought that was a gimmik. What areas do you use that on. Thanks for the input.

ddellwo,

For the most part, I believe you are right. I won't go to the detail as frequently that some of you guys do, that is for sure. However, I don't like seeing my truck dirty either.

Today I have some dirt splashed up on the side from the tires, and it is bugging me pretty bad. Do, I wanna spend all day on it...No. But it is in the back of my mind. The other day my boys were playing in the yard, and had dead grass all over their shoes. As soon as they got in my truck it was all over the carpet. It bothered me until I had a chance to vacum the whole truck a couple days later.

I guess the part that I dred is waxing. I grew up using the old Turtle Wax paste, and I remember how big a pain in the butt that use to be. Perhaps the Meguiar's and other waxes aren't as big a hassle, and will be enjoyable to do twice a year.

When I do detail my truck, I do a very thorough job. I can't just start and then skimp out on one or two areas. Don't know if that qualifies for the "gene" or not.

 

Well folks, I've tried a "bazillion" products over the years. To be honest, I've found that there's really not a big difference between most "quality" products. Yes, some might be a tad easier to use, and some might look better (depending on who's doing the looking) or "different" on certain colors, or when used in combination with other products. However, in the end, as RP was saying........... it's really "nit picking" between the quality products.

Anyhow, after doing this stuff for many, many, many years, I've not found any product, or product line that has changed theory............. Use the right tools, the correct processes, with the proper techniques, and just about any "products", or "product lines" will give you great results!

In the end, there's a big (no, HUGE) difference between "What's the best product to use", and "What does it take to get a flawless finish"! Once you ask, and find the answers to the latter question, you'll find out how insignificant the first question really is.

Just my 2 cents!

 

Oh yea.......... one more thing! Just to show how little I believe in the "one product line" theory, here's one of my favorite processes on a dark colored vehicle............

Wash with Sonax Gloss Shampoo.
Clean paint with Meguiar's Medallion Premium Paint cleaner, or Poorboy's Pro Polish.
Clay with Mother's clay bar, or just about any other bar (if needed)
Remove major imperfections with Poorboys SSR2.5
Final Polish with Menzerna Final Polish II.
Glaze with Meguiar's #81 Pro Hand Polish
Wax with Pinnacle's Souveran
QD with Meguiar's Final Detail or Last Touch.
Maintenance cleaning with Poorboy's Spray & Wipe.

 

Boss_429,

Hey thanks a lot on the info!! I am starting to understand everyone's point about not having to use one product line. It seems like the folks that are really into detailing, and that have been doing it for a long time, have found certain products over time that they like better than others.

 

That's definitely correct! Plus, some products are more readily available than others. Price is a concern often times.

There are so many factors that play in... not to mention performance.

I mean, if I was doing volume detailing, I seriously doubt that I'd spring on buying gallons of 4-Star Ultimate Gloss Enhancer at $60 per gallon. I'd probaby be buying a lower cost detailing spray like Meguiar's Last touch for $20 per gallon (and it can be diluted to 1:1 so you effectively get two gallons for that price...).

So many factors... so little time.

RP