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Favorite car detail products

4K views 14 replies 8 participants last post by  JakeM989 
#1 ·
What’s everyone’s favorite car detail products!? Anyone try many of the popular big brands and compared them over the years? What are your thoughts, experiences and favorites?

(No venders, brand reps or people sponsored/endorsed by brands welcome)
 
#3 ·
I find it funny that people spend so much on Chemical Guys, Adam's or other high $$$ boutique cleaners/ waxes, etc. Meguiar's stuff costs much less, has been around for YEARS and is generally rated at the top of ANY consumer reports or other survey/ performance based rating.

Sent from my moto z4 using Tapatalk
 
#4 ·
Meguiar's makes good products, it's just that they make different lines of products that contain a LOT of different choices and consumers don't have any clue as to what is different about the different lines or similar products. Some of their products are body shop safe, some are geared toward detailers and some are geared toward novices who either don't know any better or don't really care about having a perfect finish on their car. So yes, a good choice depending on what you purchase.
 
#5 ·
I've used Meguiars for decades, along with some Mothers, tried Chemical Brothers, and some other quick detailer that got great reviews on Amazon but was garbage. Lets go way back, I loved me some Flitz and the cotton stuff in the blue can that would remove rust from your old school chrome wheels.

Junkman, you make an important point - pick the product that fits your level of commitment. I don't like spending more than about two hours on a car wash session, so I go for the products I can get on and finished quickly. Only once every couple years, or when the car really needs it, will I'll go over it with a clay bar and rewax it. Another solid point you made - price doesn't dictate the success of the product. I remember 20 years back Zaino was all the rage. It was like a 5 step system that promised all kinds of magic. I bought it and gave it a fair shake, putting in an entire weekend worth of work on the car. In the end it, in my opinion anyway, didn't perform any differently than more commodity products of its day.
 
#7 ·
I remember 20 years back Zaino was all the rage. It was like a 5 step system that promised all kinds of magic. I bought it and gave it a fair shake, putting in an entire weekend worth of work on the car. In the end it, in my opinion anyway, didn't perform any differently than more commodity products of its day.
I go back a lot further with Zaino so I can speak from experience and detail about that product line. I have also spoken in depth with Sal Zaino, the creator of the product.

Here's the deal with Zaino, as I remember the hype that you speak of. In the detailing arena, Zaino is actually a glaze, although it was often refereed to as a polish (even Sal calls it a polish). It is VERY important that people understand the difference between the two chemicals. A TRUE glaze is a product that is used TO HIDE imperfections in paint and contains NO abrasives. It doesn't actually "repair" any damage, it just gives the illusion of fixed paint by using "filling properties" to HIDE the damage. As you wash the car, those filling properties wash away and the damage (which was never removed in the first place), returns. For someone not willing to take the time and actually REPAIR the damage in their paint (or for someone who doesn't want to use a machine in their detailing regiment), Zaino's main line of products is a reputable option. The only problem is, you can't put lipstick on a pig and expect everyone to want to kiss it. Glazes have their limitations and a lot of people were trying to put lipstick on a pig, when they should have been doing a face-lift.

A POLISH is a chemical that contains abrasives. Abrasive will actually REMOVE layers of paint and/or clear coat. The layers are where the damage resides. As long as the damage is not too deep into the paint or clear coat, that damage can be removed. If the damage is too deep, then attempting to COMPLETELY remove that damage will result in clear coat failure or strike through, which is what happens when you remove too much of either substance (depending on what stage paint job you have on your car). This is the mistake that is OFTEN experienced by novices who pick up a ROTARY polisher and start working on their paint, without having one ounce of experience with that tool. Novices can't tell you the difference between a rotary, dual-action or orbital polisher, which is why they end up buying the WRONG tool and destroying their paint. They are 3 different tools with 3 different levels of performance. This is why I started making detailing videos because the level of education in this field among people who want to do it themselves is abysmal, and more BAD information get spread online than good. I cringe at some of the stuff I've read in detailing forums. Also, the detailing industry expels so many untruths that a novice could easily get lost in all the lies and half-speak.

Now Zaino DOES make two different polishes. The Zaino Z-AIO (ALL-IN-ONE) is a one step product that detailers use when the when they want to fix and protect paint in ONE STEP. This product is supposed to repair and protect paint in one step, which is why it is called an AIO (all in one) It is like having a compound, polish, glaze and wax in one bottle. It is not something that I would use because I don't detail cars for a living so I don't have a need to rush through a job but it does have its use in the detailing arena. Not all people have the level of anal that I have when it comes to fixing paint so for some folks, an AIO is all they need. Also, it depends on how ugly the pig is you're working on. If you start with thoroughly ugly, you are not going to end up with anything much better than that. However, starting with only slightly ugly may give you the results you want in a shorter amount of time, with a lot less work. Zaino also makes a polish called "Zaino Fusion Dual Action Paint Cleaner Swirl Remover" or Z-PC for short. It is just a straight polish, which actually works and finishes down very well. It is similar to all polishes that you see me use in my videos.

So getting through all the hype that you see online is a big problem for novices because you don't know who to believe when you read all of the opinions out there. That is why I make videos. You cannot doubt your lying eyes. I don't make my videos fancy, and I seldom work on anything pretty in my videos. I LOVE WORKING ON PIGS. If I can make a pig look pretty, you KNOW that The Junkman is the real deal. :)
 
#6 ·
I like Garry Dean's Ultimate Use Detail Juice (thanks, Junkman) and Meguiar's Natural Shine Vinyl & Rubber Protectant. To me, it's indistinguishable from 303, and it's significantly cheaper.
 
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#8 ·
Any chance you're in Houston and willing to drag your anal across that pig in the garage for money? Wait, that came out wrong. :)

I'm no fan of detailing, but I'm also no fan of a dirty car. I'm nearly always somewhere between clean and fully detailed with a few days of dirty in there. Yesterday I tried out a new (to me) product that worked pretty darned well. Mothers Speed Clay 2.0 ... Clay, it is not. Sticky rubber in a red turtle shell, yes. But man does it make it easy to pull little crap off the clear without damage.
 
#10 ·
Any chance you're in Houston and willing to drag your anal across that pig in the garage for money? Wait, that came out wrong. :)
Lol! Let's put it this way. This guy flew me down to Tamps, Florida just to SHOW him IN PERSON how to do what I know how to do. Paid for the plane trip, me and put me up in a nice hotel.

291661


I think the saying is, "You buy, I'll fly." ?
 
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#9 ·
I pressure wash the car using a few ounces of thick Maguairs ultimate wash and wax in the soap reservoir. The pressure washer is connected to a filtered hot water tap in the garage but after going through the supply hose it comes out of the pressure washer less than hot making it perfect for removing road dirt and grime effortlessly and rinsing the soap scum off without any residue.

The engine bay gets wiped down and dried each washing.

Tires get dressed every other car wash.

And about every 3 months it gets cheap Turtle wax.

Other than that I don't do much in the way of detailing it.
 
#11 ·
Favorite product... best product... favorite "detailing" product... WAY to vague to be of much use. Depends mostly on the area of the vehicle, the condition of that area, what you want to accomplish, what you want to spend, etc. We might as well add, what is the best oil to use in your car.

I'll mention one "tip" on a good way to get our textured plastics looking good. Put on a latex glove, get a good protection product (I always use Aerospace 303 for this) and spray it on the glove. Now, lightly rub this into the plastic. Leave it on for at least 10 or 20 minutes and then lightly wipe it off. It will soak into all the nooks of the textured plastic and leave a good layer of the product on it. Products are different but I don't leave the 303 on longer than an hour or so as it can get tacky. One thing that I always thought was odd was spraying product on and then immediately wiping 95% of it off. Seems like a waste. Leaving it on for a little while allows the product to dry a little so more is left on the material. I'll also mention that I don't use any product on the interior that leaves a shine. I especially would not use anything like this on the dash. 303 has some good UV protectors and also does not leave much of a shine.

I'll mention a product but this is really up to each person's like or dislikes. I've tried a ton of tire products. I do not like gels or heavy products at all. All tire dressings will attract dirt and grime. Heavy products lock those in and it just builds and builds. Those products are made to resist washing. The product that I like is (still) Megs Hyperdressing. You probably won't find it locally. I usually it 3:1 or even 4:1. Spray it lightly on the tire. Over a few hours it will spread out over the tire. I don't know how... I think magic is involved. It will wash off with a hard spray of water. You will actually see it bead out if using a pressure washer. But the tire is left clean. You then just need to mist on some more. People want tire dressing that lasts through washes. I'd rather have it easy to remove and reapply. Also, spray your fender liners as well.
 
#12 ·
People want tire dressing that lasts through washes. I'd rather have it easy to remove and reapply. Also, spray your fender liners as well.
Two things. If a tire dressing will last through a washing or two (or even rain), that means you use LESS dressing. I don't like my tires looking like The Fonz's hair gel so I use very little in order to get that brand new tire look. The great thing about what I use is that it is affordably priced and a little bit goes a LONG way. When you look at what these companies are charging for tire dressing, you want as much as you can get for as little as possible. So price and durability is important but manageability is also key. A water-based product is easier to remove and that is why I use what I recommend.

One thing to note. In the following video, I mention a company where you can get the applicators that I use. DON'T CONTACT THEM! I don't even know if they are still in business. When I first made this video (8-years ago), they were bombarded with orders and couldn't meet the demand. They were kinda upset that I drove so much business their way. Imagine that... a company complaining about having too many customers! Lol! Also, keep in mind that I WAS A SINGLE MAN when I made this video and I lived in a part of town that was dominated by women so during the video, you'll constantly see me checking them out as they walk past my garage, which is on a VERY historic street in my city. Yea, I was quite the dog! Lol!

Last of all, the price of the product that I use in this video has slightly increased (imagine that) since I made this video but hey, it's some good stuff. :)

 
#15 ·
What’s everyone’s favorite car detail products!? Anyone try many of the popular big brands and compared them over the years? What are your thoughts, experiences and favorites?

(No venders, brand reps or people sponsored/endorsed by brands welcome)
It’s from Superior Products and it’s called “Cover All” on a good week with little to no rain it will make your tires look almost brand new for a week. Other stuff I’ve used will last for 2 days (maybe) so this stuff is great. I get it at my local O’Reillys. It also works great on any plastics in your interior as well.
 
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