Putting together a detail product list, inspired by Dan and Cody

[The_Auto_Tech]

Just trying to toss together a list here of the detail products. If anyone has any suggestions, please, chime in.


Headlight buffing kit - 3M Headlight Lens Restoration system

Car wash - Dawn dish soap (original, unscented, used for cars that have been neglected badly or
covered in tree sap, bugs, bird shit, etc.)
Meguiar's Gold Class Shampoo and Conditioner car wash

Clay bar - Meguiar's Mirror Glaze detailing clay (mild, blue)

Quick Detailer - Meguiar's Quik Detailer mist and wipe (red bottle, not the Ultimate shit)

Wheel well/engine bay degreaser - Purple Power cleaner/degreaser (cut to 5 parts water, 1 part PP)

Wheel cleaner - Meguiar's Hot Wheels All Wheel cleaner

Tire dressing - Meguiar's Gold Class Endurance tire gel

Wheel/exhaust tip polish - Mother's Mag and Aluminum polish

Wax - Meguiar's Gold Class carnauba plus (cheaper cars)
Pinnacle Souveran paste wax (expensive cars)

Glass - Stoner Invisible Glass (aerosol can, not spray bottle)
Rain-X spray bottle (at owner's digression)

Sticker/emblem/badge/etc. remover - 3M General Purpose Adhesive Remover

Leather cleaner - Meguiar's Gold Class rich leather aloe cleaner

Leather conditioner - Meguiar's Gold Class rich leather aloe conditioner

Interior cleaner/detailer - Meguiar's Quik Interior Detailer cleaner (non-greasy stuff)

Interior freshener - Febreze Auto


That pretty much takes care of everything besides a buffer/polisher, glazes and compounds, brushes, buckets, mitts, pads, towels, etc. I'm also looking into what shampoo to use for interior carpets when using a Rug Doctor or the likes. If anyone has any suggestions on the above stuff I'd gladly appreciate it before moving onto some other shit. Thanks to Dan and Cody for helping with everything thus far. Just wanting to get a full detail kit put together so that I can really get into this.

[Mk4Gasm]

That Porter Cable 7424 and pinnacle polishes/glazes are a great starter kit for intermediate/minor swirl/scratch removal. It's nice because it can't really burn a hole in the paint unless you're an idiot with it and it has enough power to cut through most swirls and scratches. Once you get good with that you can probably upgrade to something more powerful like what Dan uses.

Might want to include wash mitt(s) and drying towel(s) you plan on using too as I'm sure there will differing opinions on both. I love my absorber as long as it stays clean, but sometimes you gotta wash it off and clean it while drying the car if it gets contaminated.

If you're looking for a good wax for cheaper cars but still has the shine, breathability, and durability that Gold Class doesn't really have, DP, cheaper pinnacle wax, and P21s all produce good results from what I hear. I've personally used both the cheaper pinnacle wax and P21s and for 30-40 bucks a jar you get a lot of applications and it works much better than gold class, spreads better, comes off easier, and seems to have a much better gloss to it. Also beads up much better than gold class especially after the first 2 weeks.

You also already know my feelings on your choice in wheel cleaner :p

[ChinaMan]

i like the professional grade Meguiar's waxes and polishes.

[lenny]

Menzerna polishes

[rubberpenguin]

i just detailed the audi with all meguiars professional mirror glaze... from cut to final inspection... and the paint feels like sex now :D

as for carpets... why use a rug doctor? never had any problems with a good shop vac an upholstery brush and some blue magic spot and stain lifter followed by either blue coral shampoo, or turtle with oxy (simply for the more potent longer lasting "clean" smell)

[The_Auto_Tech]

Alright, from Dan and Cody's advice I've switched wheel cleaners to the Eagle One All Tire and Wheel cleaner. :)

Now, as far as polishes and compounds go, the Meguire's Mirror Glaze is supposed to be good shit and it's pretty cheap too. I've seen some good details come from it. As far as the Pinnacle XMT stuff goes it seems pretty good also. I know Dan is partial to the Menzerna polishes from AutoGeek.net too. I'm going to do some more digging around on this and see if there's anything specific that pops up. As far as what you need, is there any specific way to tell what to get? All I can tell is that basically the compounds/polishes come in different cuts. It seems like manufacturer's just have different names for different amounts of cut that the compound provides. I'm assuming you basically just want intermediate cut (scratch remover), light cut (swirl remover), and a glaze (final inspection)? Is there anything specific to look for?

As far as wax goes I may just end up using the Pinnacle Souveran on all the cars I do. This is mostly because I probably won't be able to use the whole jar before it goes bad anyways, and I don't plan on doing a ton of cars, maybe 1 or so a week. This would be one less product I need to carry in my detailing kit too. The Meguiar's Gold Class is good, just not near as good as the Pinnacle Souveran, that's for sure.

As far as a buffer/polisher goes the Porter Cable 7424 is definitely popular. Dan had good things to say about it also. I'm just wondering if it would be best to pick up the XP instead of the regular 7424. I understand there's better options out there, but until I get much better at detailing I would prefer to use something that won't burn through very easily.

We'll talk about towels/mitts/etc. later. That's a whole new ballgame. :P

[The_Auto_Tech]

Done a little more digging on this.

I read a few comparisons for the 7424 V.S. the 7424XP. From what I've read, many say it's not worth the "upgrade." If you don't already have good polisher/buffer then the 7424XP is good, but for the people who already have the 7424 then you should stick with it. The only real difference in that the XP has a 4.5 amp motor, the original with a 4.0 Most people say the only time they see the difference is when you have the XP on full crank at 5-6k RPM's. There are a few downsides to the XP though. One being that with the bigger motor it's increased in vibration. Also, the air vents were switched to the handle of the buffer, not on the bottom like the original. Also, the switch was changed onto the top of the buffer instead of the bottom, meaning it's possible to hit the switch when changing grips. At this point I'll just go with the 7424. :)

As far as the wax goes, I'll just use the Pinnacle Souveran on all the vehicles I use. I plan on doing maybe 1 or 2 cars a week. Most likely the wax will go bad before I have a chance to even use the entire jar, so I may as well just use it for all the details I do.

Now I'm just starting to look into buffing pads and polishes/compounds. I've pretty much got everything but towels, buckets, mitts, brushes, etc. taken care of.

If anyone else has any suggestions I'd love to hear them. :)

[Mk4Gasm]

I had no trouble using the 7424 on several cars. Like I said I would recommend more pads...the more you have the better you will be. There are no short cuts in detailing either so if you start doing it for other people for money, make sure you give yourself a LARGE window for time. It's a lot of work...I remember I spent almost 14 hours on the W8 when Jeremy owned it but he was definitely satisfied with the end result. It turned out awesome, as I'm sure you can ask him. That Pinnacle souveran is extremely good stuff...spreads on like butter and comes off just as easy and is VERY durable from what I've experienced using it. I'm very glad that Dan turned me on to it.

[The_Auto_Tech]

I had no trouble using the 7424 on several cars. Like I said I would recommend more pads...the more you have the better you will be. There are no short cuts in detailing either so if you start doing it for other people for money, make sure you give yourself a LARGE window for time. It's a lot of work...I remember I spent almost 14 hours on the W8 when Jeremy owned it but he was definitely satisfied with the end result. It turned out awesome, as I'm sure you can ask him. That Pinnacle souveran is extremely good stuff...spreads on like butter and comes off just as easy and is VERY durable from what I've experienced using it. I'm very glad that Dan turned me on to it.

Yea, I just need to pick up a few more pads and a couple more bonnets and I'll be set. Since Autogeek sells them in sets I'll probably just buy a few of the small white, orange, and gray pads and get the smaller hook and loop attachment so I can do doors and bumpers easier. Bonnets I just need a couple more MF ones for taking off wax, way better than removing wax by hand. It was nice to watch Dad use it for a bit and watch the videos and stuff, helps to understand things a lot more. After I'm able to get all my supplies together I'll probably just take a Sunday off and start on the W8. At this point I think I have enough knowledge to take a whack at it. I am also very impressed with the Pinnacle Souveran paste wax. I just washed the W8 tonight quickly and the souveran I put on about 3 months ago is still faintly there, even after driving the car on gravel for the past month. Great shit.

[924s]

rick's best matte tire spray is the best product ever.

[swirlfree]

rick's best matte tire spray is the best product ever.
AGREED. best tire shine.

[The_Auto_Tech]

Updated list:


Headlight buffing kit - 3M Headlight Lens Restoration system

Car wash for first time details (wax and bug stripper) - Dawn dish soap (original, unscented)

Car wash for regular details - Meguiar's Gold Class Shampoo and Conditioner car wash

Clay bar - Meguiar's Mirror Glaze detailing clay (mild, blue)

Quick Detailer - Meguiar's Quik Detailer mist and wipe (red bottle, not the Ultimate shit)

Wheel well/engine bay degreaser - Purple Power cleaner/degreaser (cut to 5 parts water, 1 part PP)

Wheel cleaner - Eagle One A2Z All Wheel and Tire Cleaner

Tire dressing - Meguiar's Gold Class Endurance tire gel

Wheel/exhaust tip polish - Mother's Mag and Aluminum polish

Buffer/polisher - Porter Cable 7424

Pad conditioner - Pinnacle XMT Polishing Pad Conditioner

Heavy swirl/scratch remover - 3M Rubbing Compound

Intermediate swirl/scratch remover - Pinnacle XMT Intermediate Swirl Remover #3

Light swirl/scratch remover - Pinnacle XMT Ultra Fine Swirler Remover #1

Glaze - Pinnacle XMT Carnauba Finishing Glaze

Wax - Pinnacle Souveran paste wax

Glass - Stoner Invisible Glass (aerosol can, not spray bottle)

Glass sealant - Rain-X spray bottle (at owner's digression)

Sticker/emblem/badge/etc. remover - 3M General Purpose Adhesive Remover

Leather cleaner - Meguiar's Gold Class rich leather aloe cleaner

Leather conditioner - Meguiar's Gold Class rich leather aloe conditioner

Interior cleaner/detailer - Meguiar's Quik Interior Detailer cleaner (non-greasy stuff)

Interior freshener - Febreeze Auto


Besides something to clean interior carpets I'd say that pretty much takes care of things as far as chemicals go. If you guys have any other suggestions before I move onto pads, towels, mitts, buckets, etc. on my next post after doing some reviewing.

[OrangeDUB]

I'd like to share a detailing secret that I learned over the years-

After I'm finished with detailing my cars I use a big feather tickler from the adult store all over the whole car, especially the rear valence where dust likes to collect and the sun doesn't quite get to. It gets all the fine dust for the "perfect shine"

[The_Auto_Tech]

I hope your car is a girl Casey because otherwise that might be a little weird. lol I hate to see you trying to turn your car gay.

[anchovi777]

I'd like to share a detailing secret that I learned over the years-

After I'm finished with detailing my cars I use a big feather tickler from the adult store all over the whole car, especially the rear valence where dust likes to collect and the sun doesn't quite get to. It gets all the fine dust for the "perfect shine"

LMAO! hahahahaha! i seriously busted out laughing at work!

[The_Auto_Tech]

Alright, going to continue on with this.

I figured I'd start digging into wash buckets and mitts here now. From what I've seen the Mother's Lambswool mitt is pretty popular for washing the body and glass. As far as wheels, underbody, and wheel wells go the Schmitt Wheel Mitt looks pretty good.

http://www.autogeek.net/mothers-lambswool.html

http://www.autogeek.net/blwhsh.html

Now, as far as buckets go I plan on doing the 2 bucket method with 5 gallon buckets. You can get ones with wheels on them but I'm not too keen on that idea as I don't plan on being able to roll them around most driveways. Also, they make ones that have sealing lids too but that's also something I'm not thinking will benefit me much. I'm thinking of just buying a couple 5 gallon buckets from Wal-Mart or something and picking up some Grit Guards from AutoGeek. They will help keep dirt in the buckets and off the mitts.

http://www.autogeek.net/grit-guard-2pack.html

Any other brushes, mitts, or bucket stuff I should look at?

[Ey3doL]

http://www.autogeek.net/poca74pofcop.html?productid=poca74pofcop&channelid=FROOG

is this a good thing to start with? or does anyone have a better suggestion/place to buy?

[lenny]

I would also add some white and grey finishing pads as well. Perhaps add a stronger cutting compound like Menzerna IP or PG to round it out and have everythign you might need (minus a rotary for really bitchy cars)....Seriously considering getting back into this as a weekend hobby that isn't related to drinking
-Dan

[The_Auto_Tech]

For a beginner the PC 7424 XP is great. You don't need a rotary buffer unless you've got some seriously damaged cars and most of the time a PC 7424 with a stiff pad and a good compound can take the shit out. As far as compounds go I've gone away from the XMT's and am using Meguiar's 105 and 205. If you're really interested in getting into this Mike I'll call you about it. There's a ton of shit to learn. This is my old detailing list and I've changed it up quite a bit. I can explain it all to you on the phone, much easier than typing it out. lol

[Head at JJperf]

For polishes I go for Mezerna as well SIP for when the paint is bad 95ff for the intermediate step and 108RD for my final cuts cant remember the pads they are from detailers domain work they work pretty well and hold up for cleaning.

Another excellent product is Adam's in and out spray, they finally got it worked in around the new Cali VOC rules, non greasy non dust attracting aerosol spray for plastics and stuff. They recommend it for interior but there is a ton better stuff for that on engine bays though this stuff has no damn equal.

Waxes for me vary a lot depending on vehicle but most just use MG Gold Class, a few I am using Swissvax Saphir shit is amazing on dark colors.