What are your favorite detailing products?

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Not sure- we have safelight in an aerosol here. Haven't used sprayaway.
I'll research the two?
I think we use the safelight brand because of a contract between the dealership and the company, so employees get a discount when buying through parts dept.
 
Originally Posted By: demarpaint


Will a good sealant adhere to Nu Finish? Or would it be better to clay bar, apply the sealant and then top coat it with Nu Finish? I'm thinking clay, sealant, then Nu Finish would be the better way to go? Thanks..

I would skip the NuFinish all together, clay, seal and be done with it. I'm not aware of a sealant out there that you could apply, and have it survive NuFinish being applied over it. And then there are the obvious bonding issues that can arise when trying to layer sealants. If I were to try, for some reason, I would apply NuFinish first, and then try to put a sealant with no cleaners/abrasives over that. But that's not something advisable IMO.
 
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Originally Posted By: demarpaint


Will a good sealant adhere to Nu Finish? Or would it be better to clay bar, apply the sealant and then top coat it with Nu Finish? I'm thinking clay, sealant, then Nu Finish would be the better way to go? Thanks..


I've always heard( i can't remember where) that you clay, apply sealant, wait 24hrs then you can top the sealant with wax( not a cleaner wax).
I use eagle 1 wax as you dry over klasse.
I'm sure The Critic could set us straight here.
 
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Originally Posted By: spasm3
Originally Posted By: demarpaint


Will a good sealant adhere to Nu Finish? Or would it be better to clay bar, apply the sealant and then top coat it with Nu Finish? I'm thinking clay, sealant, then Nu Finish would be the better way to go? Thanks..


I've always heard( i can't remember where) that you clay, apply sealant, wait 24hrs then you can top the sealant with wax( not a cleaner wax).
I use eagle 1 wax as you dry over klasse.
I'm sure The Critic could set us straight here.


I really do not see the value of "topping" a sealant with an all-in-one product such as NuFinish. Nufinish has cleaning properties and would likely remove or negatively impact any sealant that you apply it to.

You can "top" a sealant with a spray wax or carnauba paste wax, but you often lose some of the properties that a sealant provides (i.e. certain water and dirt repellency properties).
 
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Originally Posted By: The Critic
Originally Posted By: spasm3
Originally Posted By: demarpaint


Will a good sealant adhere to Nu Finish? Or would it be better to clay bar, apply the sealant and then top coat it with Nu Finish? I'm thinking clay, sealant, then Nu Finish would be the better way to go? Thanks..


I've always heard( i can't remember where) that you clay, apply sealant, wait 24hrs then you can top the sealant with wax( not a cleaner wax).
I use eagle 1 wax as you dry over klasse.
I'm sure The Critic could set us straight here.


I really do not see the value of "topping" a sealant with an all-in-one product such as NuFinish. Nufinish has cleaning properties and would likely remove or negatively impact any sealant that you apply it to.

You can "top" a sealant with a spray wax or carnauba paste wax, but you often lose some of the properties that a sealant provides (i.e. certain water and dirt repellency properties).


Thanks! I'm not a big fan of Nu Finish, although I'm using up the remainder of what I have left. It does get the job done though. I just didn't think a good sealant could go over it.

Would something like Collinite Insulator Wax work over a sealant, or would I be shooting myself in the foot?
 
Megs, MG205
followed by Klasse All in One.
Topped by 3 coat's of Zaino Z5
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Plexus on the headlights.
Megs blue clay bar
#34 Final Inspection detail spray.
 
Clay cloth - No more using 2 hours to clay your car, with the clay cloth, you can now clay and wash your car in 20 mins max.
 
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Originally Posted By: The Critic
Originally Posted By: spasm3
Originally Posted By: demarpaint


Will a good sealant adhere to Nu Finish? Or would it be better to clay bar, apply the sealant and then top coat it with Nu Finish? I'm thinking clay, sealant, then Nu Finish would be the better way to go? Thanks..


I've always heard( i can't remember where) that you clay, apply sealant, wait 24hrs then you can top the sealant with wax( not a cleaner wax).
I use eagle 1 wax as you dry over klasse.
I'm sure The Critic could set us straight here.


I really do not see the value of "topping" a sealant with an all-in-one product such as NuFinish. Nufinish has cleaning properties and would likely remove or negatively impact any sealant that you apply it to.

You can "top" a sealant with a spray wax or carnauba paste wax, but you often lose some of the properties that a sealant provides (i.e. certain water and dirt repellency properties).


Thanks! I'm not a big fan of Nu Finish, although I'm using up the remainder of what I have left. It does get the job done though. I just didn't think a good sealant could go over it.

Would something like Collinite Insulator Wax work over a sealant, or would I be shooting myself in the foot?


Apply one layer of the proper product and re-do as needed. That is really the best course of action. It is difficult to fully verify the compatibility of "toppers."
 
A friend who owns a body shop turned me on to "Wax As You Dry". I think it's an Eagle 1 product. My Challenger is metallic black and shows water spots. Spray on wet and dry with a chamois. Simple as that.
 
Originally Posted By: The Critic
Apply one layer of the proper product and re-do as needed. That is really the best course of action. It is difficult to fully verify the compatibility of "toppers."


Thanks- That's what I've been doing but see people using different products which peaked my curiosity.
 
I won't say I have any single favorites really but I have in the almost one year discovered what works well for me.

1) Lofty, thick microfiber towels. Several TOP brands. The thin ones have a place, I will use the lower grade towels in the wet washing stage.

2) Eagle One. You expect their products to be cheap trash. Wax and You Wash, and Wax as You Dry rock. The soap never touches existing wax and it doesn't strip protectant from polymers. Yet it lifts crusty dead stuff off paint. The Dry is just too easy, I really hate drying the car without it! Leaves existing wax, in a just waxed state and really helps protect the coating you spent all that time doing. Plus it contains metal protectant.

3) Colonite 915. I started with my first real wax job using Colonite 845. A bit disappointing. It just didn't last 2+ months. And that's with real babying during cleaning. It was a super hot sunny spring summer here, put still. OK let me be clear - there was some coating still there, but not the wax I rave about 1 or 2 weeks after waxing. Not sure why but I went with 915 next. Wow - now that is WAX. Goes on and lasts like real wax. I prepped and clayed the car, but I didn't using any other strippers (IPA). We will see how the winter goes, but still good right now.
 
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Originally Posted By: Pablo
I won't say I have any single favorites really but I have in the almost one year discovered what works well for me.

1) Lofty, thick microfiber towels. Several TOP brands. The thin ones have a place, I will use the lower grade towels in the wet washing stage.

2) Eagle One. You expect their products to be cheap trash. Wax and You Wash, and Wax as You Dry rock. The soap never touches existing wax and it doesn't strip protectant from polymers. Yet it lifts crusty dead stuff off paint. The Dry is just too easy, I really hate drying the car without it! Leaves existing wax, in a just waxed state and really helps protect the coating you spent all that time doing. Plus it contains metal protectant.

3) Colonite 915. I started with my first real wax job using Colonite 845. A bit disappointing. It just didn't last 2+ months. And that's with real babying during cleaning. It was a super hot sunny spring summer here, put still. OK let me be clear - there was some coating still there, but not the wax I rave about 1 or 2 weeks after waxing. Not sure why but I went with 915 next. Wow - now that is WAX. Goes on and lasts like real wax. I prepped and clayed the car, but I didn't using any other strippers (IPA). We will see how the winter goes, but still good right now.


Pabs is right on!! I've been using Eagle One products since the 90s and they're the best products I've ever used,even better than some super expensive brands I've tried.
 
Another fave of mine is the Armor All Leather Protectant. BEST leather conditioner I've ever used and the price is CHEAP!! Been using that one since the 90s as well and have yet to find one that even comes close.
 
My favorites:

1. DA Polisher - Flex

2. Tire Cleans - Mothers Back to Black Tire Renew

3. Spray Wax - Pinnacle XMT Spray Wax

4. Polishes - Menzerna

5. Glass Cleaner - Meg's (it is so inexpensive)

6. Sealants - Menzerna Power Lock, WG Deep Paint Sealant

7. Car Washes: Cleaning - Ultima, Foaming - Optimum, General: poorboys. do do juice, Meg's Hyper Wash

8. All purpose cleaner - Optimum

9. Microfiber - Poorboys, PakShak

10. Wash nozzle - Adan's Fire Hose Nozzle

11. Leather protection: Leather Masters
 
Meguiar's Dual Action Power drill attachment
Mother's PowerBall Mini for wheels/headlights
Meguiar's Ultimate Compound + Polish
Mother's Ultimate Step 1 + Step 2
Armor All Extreme Shield Wax
Optimum No-Rinse
Any Wax-As-U-Dry

I started 10 years ago with a Porter Cable Random Oribital and Lake Country Pads, but got rid of both. Not that they didn't work, I just didn't care to keep all that stuff that for a one time job.
 
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Here are mine - for now:

Shampoo - Meguiars D110 Hyper Wash
Rinseless Wash - Optimum No Rinse Wash & Wax
Wheel Cleaner - Meguiars D143 Non-Acid Tire/Wheel Cleaner
Decontamination- Nanoskin Fine Grade Mitt and Meguiars C2000 Clay
All Purpose Cleaner - Optimum Power Clean
Chemical Decontaination - CarPro Iron-X
Clay Lube - Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine diluted 16:1
Heavy Compound - Meguiars M101
Light Compound - Meguiars M100
Medium Polish - HD Adapt and Meguiars M205
Finishing Polish - HD Polish
Paint Sealant - Optimum Opti-Seal
Spray Wax - Optimum Car Wax
Paint Coating - CarPro CQuartz UK Edition
Tire Dressing - CarPro PERL
Trim Protectant/Restorer - Blackwow Pro
Glass Treatment - CarPro Flyby Forte
DA Polisher - Rupes LHR21ES and Rupes 75E
Pads - Meguiars DMC6, DMF6 and Rupes Yellow Foam.
Towels - CarPro BOA, Microfiber Madness Crazy Pile, Microfiber Madness Dry Me Crazy
 
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Originally Posted By: The Critic
Here are mine - for now:

Trim Protectant/Restorer - Blackwow Pro




Have you tried the CarPro Dlux?
 
My favorite car wash used to be Adams Car Shampoo until Mike introduced me to the Meg's Hyper Wash. It performs equally as well as the Adam's and is noticeably less expensive.

I'm still loving the Menzerna Power Lock for a sealant and I've had very good luck with their polishes, too. Is there really a noticeable difference between PL and Opti-Seal?

(Side note about polishes and sealants:
One of my problems is it takes me so long to use a 16oz or 32oz bottle of product on my cars that I don't get to try new stuff very often. I'd rather have 4-8oz bottle of polish and sealant so I can try new stuff more often. I've got enough Menzerna SF4500 to last me another 3 years.)

For MF I'm totally sold on the Uber Classic double-sided towels. They're very soft, durable, respond well to cleaning, and have different size pile on each side depending on the product you're removing.

Trim dressing is Adam's Super VRT. Goes on easy, isn't terribly greasy, is durable through rain, and typically lasts 2-4 weeks.

For decontamination I also suggest the Nanoskin Autoscrub Fine Grade pad (probably would not recommend the Nanoskin Glide that may come with it as lube).

For a wash mitt I absolutely love my Uber Genuine Wool Mitt V2. It's pricey but worth it in my opinion. It's very gentle and holds a lot of wash water/suds.

My favorite beauty wax is P21S 100% Carnauba Wax. It's not super high-tech as some of today's products go but it is the highest-quality wax I've used. It's not as durable as some others but the ease of application/removal and the shine is unparalleled.
 
Originally Posted By: gofast182
My favorite car wash used to be Adams Car Shampoo until Mike introduced me to the Meg's Hyper Wash. It performs equally as well as the Adam's and is noticeably less expensive.

I'm still loving the Menzerna Power Lock for a sealant and I've had very good luck with their polishes, too. Is there really a noticeable difference between PL and Opti-Seal?


Opti-Seal is just faster to apply. From a time-to-longevity standpoint, it is unbeatable.

If time is no object, Powerlock is still slicker and will probably last a bit longer.
 
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