Well, I use several different brands from ObsessiveDetail, Menzerna, Surf City Garage, Poorboys, Clearkote, Pinnacle, Mothers, TurtleWax Platinum, Meguiars, NoTouch, Jeffs Werkstatt, and Optimum.
Obsessive Detail- this is a great line up. Should have everything you need to clean every part of your car. All the products perform as advertised. All the products are great and all compliment each other nicely. The Silk Shine is my favorite. Great Smell, great look. Leaves a nice finished product.
Menzerna- German company known for their polishes- SIP, IP, 106FF, PO85RD. Their glaze will fill some DEEP scratches. The word coming down the pipe I hear isnt good. The polishes are causing the paint to swell therefore making the swirls dissappear. This line is really expensive. About all those products cost $40-50 for 32oz for each. Watch out for Optimum
Surf City Garage- Fairly new company with some nice products. Their glass cleaner is really popular. As equal or better than Invisible Glass which is really saying something. Their wheel cleaner and tire gel are great products too. I've got a few of their products on the way. Should be here wednesday.
Poorboys- EX-P sealant is some great stuff. Really popular on internet forums. EX with Carnauba is a real sleeper product. PBs products are good. You can never go wrong with Nattys Blue on a dark colored car. Natural Look leaves a nice matte finish. The quick detailer and waterless wash are some nice products. Spray N Gloss leaves a nice glossy finish. Their mega-plush towels are one of my other favorite towels. Nice and plush.
Clearkote-QuikShine is a nice quick detailer. Red Moose Glaze is my glaze of choice. Vanilla Moose is good for spider webs. Carnauba Moose Wax is a great liq wax. It has a really good finished look to it.
Pinnacle- Souveran. One of the best paste waxes you'll ever own. Awesome wax. Looks great on red and black. Pinnacle leather conditioner leaves a nice leather smell inside your car for a couple days. Liquid Souveran is nice.
Mothers- Back to Black is a really nice trim dressing. Really works nice on faded trim. The powerball with their aluminum polish works really good together. They're a pain n the butt sometimes though. The reflections line has some good products in it. If you have any Mothers cali gold paste wax, apply that stuff really thin. Its like someone poured cement on your car if you dont.
TurtleWax Platinum- I think its one of the most underated lines. The tire spray is my favorite product. The quick detailer is good. The soap is really nice. Has really nice suds and lubrication. The leather cleaner/conditioner is good. The interior protectant isnt that good. It leaves a greasy finish. The liq and paste wax work really good-watch out for trim with these.
Meguiars Mirror Glaze pro. line has several good products in it. #26 Hi-Tech Yellow Wax is probably one of the best OTC liq carnauba waxes you can get -IMO-.
No-Touch - A great tire foam.
Jeff Werkstatt- Nice products. They work kinda like quick detailers. They're really known for making silver look awesome.
Optimum- ONR, Optimum Polish, Poli-Seal, Compound, Hyper-Compound, Optimum Car wax, ONR, Optimum Protecant Plus, and Opti-Seal. If you get anything from Optimum, get some ONR and Opti-Seal. Two great products. Opti-Seal is probably the finest sealant you'll ever use and gives a really great look. Almost carnauba like. Plus its really durable and you can layer it (every 24 hrs). Protectant Plus is really good for interiors, tires, trim and anything plastic. Its nice to use since they changed the smell. The old version stunk. The polish is nice. Poli-Seal is nice because it can remove minor imperfections and you can seal the product at the same time. Leave the Poli-Seal on and spray Optimum Car Wax on it and remove the excess Poli-seal. Cuts out one step. They're about to come out with some updated versions of some of their products and some new products. The quick detailer is suppose to be really really slick.
ObsessiveDetail has some great microfibers also. I've owned several brands of microfibers and these are the ones I always use if i'm polishing or waxing. Really, you cant go wrong with these. I'd put them up against the best out there and wouldnt be scared to use them on a Bugatti. The Amazing Dryer are some really nice Drying towels. I like using 2 of these when I ONR my car. That way I dont have to ring one of the towels out. I just pick up another one and go to town.
These are the products I use or have used. These are all just my opinions. Find something you like and gives you the finish that you like and stick with it. Believe me, its cheaper that way. I'm just a product junkie. I dont know everything about all these products but i've used them and these are just my opinions.
To get a great finish on your, get some hi-quality products, hi-quality microfibers, and a PorterCable 7424 (dont forget the pads and backing plate). The PC will take your finish to a whole new level. Try going to autopia.org. You can read and read and read over there for days on end and find info on most every product made and used today.
Happy New Year,
Heath
< Message edited by Cooter -- 1/1/2008 2:29:55 AM >
Duragloss products are really nice products. Their polishes and waxes are really nice products. 111,101,105 and 901 are great products. 901 is one of the best car soaps you'll ever use Period. You couldnt ask for a better soap. Their quick Detailer- Fast , Clean, and Shine is a GREAT quick detailer. Their marine RV quick detailer is really nice. It leaves a great glossy finish. The DG 261 Tire Gloss is a sweet product leaves a deep dark, glossy tire. Aqua Wax is a great in between wax booster. The leather/vinyl treatment is okay. Smells like some perfume your grandmother might wear. Over all, there are some really good products in this product line. You will be satified with all of them. You might be able to find them locally at Carquest.
Hope this helps some.
< Message edited by Cooter -- 1/1/2008 3:10:00 AM >
Posts: 3799
Joined: 3/31/2005 From: Indianapolis, IN Status: offline
I have slowly been changing my products over to Justins recommendations at Obsessive Detail:
Exterior
Car Wash: Turtle Wax Car Wash Sponge/Mit: Turtle Wax Mit, only used on the Saleen and stored in a bag Rims: Their chrome, so nothing beyond the car wash and drying with a mf towel with a shot of quick detail spray Drying Towel: OD's large drying MF towel...Super Drier I think its called Swirl marks: What are those Buffer: Porter Cable Polish: Optimum Compound & Polish Wax: OD's Wet Wax Sealant: don't use any Tires: wash with the typical car wash (but not with the good wash mit!!), then shine with Stoners More Shine Less Time
Interior
Stain Remover: stains, in the Saleen But in other cars I use Tuff Stuff Foaming Upholstry Cleaner Glass Cleaner: Stoners Invisible Glass....the best that there is Cleaning: simple vacuum and a light wipe down with a mf and a shot of detail spray Leather Seats: Lexol Cleaner and Conditioner (two separate products) Protectant: OD's Interior Dressing....Silk Shine I believe it is called Brushes: don't use any
For rims, say what you do for them, like the product you use to clean the brake dust off and if you use a brush or what on it. - Mentioned above
And my favorite product is my California Car Duster. As opposed to what some say, the thing works great and has done nothing to my finish except keep it dust free.
Oh, take that back my favorite product by far is CD-2 Engine Detailer for that show ready shine under the hood.
< Message edited by sowaxeman -- 1/1/2008 9:20:47 AM >
Wow, these are some really detailed lists. I was using Klassie All in One with a coat of Maguires carnauba originally, but when I went back and added multiple coats of carnauba I was getting greasy streaks.
I'm happy with my Obsessive products. Polish, Wax and Glaze. They smell great too. I also like Wet, Wipe and Shine detailer, my california duster and foam window cleaner. I use Mothers vinyl clener for my vert top and interior. I also use tire shine!
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My '05 GT 5-spd > my '99 GT 5-spd > my '89 LX 5-spd
Car Wash: Meg's Gold Class Sponge/Mit: Groute Sponge or sheep's wool mitt Rims: DifferentGroute Sponge Drying Towel: Danse Phat towel and OD super plush Swirl marks: OD light polish or poor boy's ssr2.5 Buffer: porter cable 7424 Polish: OD light polish or poor boy's ssr2.5 Wax: Soo many, favorite has to be Pinnacle Souveran paste Sealant: Optimum Opti-Seal Tires: Meg's Hotshine or Meg's hypershine (water based)
Interior
Stain Remover: Tuff Stuff Foaming upholstery Spray Glass Cleaner: ammonia free windex Cleaning: Meg's interior quick detailer Protectant: Optimum protectant plus (new formula) Brushes: Finger nail brushes, que tips, etc etc.
< Message edited by SVTBill -- 1/1/2008 10:14:11 AM >
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-mac cai -Bassani o/r x -Weld in super 40s w/ slp tips
Posts: 3799
Joined: 3/31/2005 From: Indianapolis, IN Status: offline
What, you don't trust the few of us that resonded ......
I left WD-40 off my list - it is your friend for detailing as well. It can be used to wipe off wax residue from plastic trim, plus for black plastic trim it cleans it real well and leaves a nice, clean matte finish. I use it on black plastic bumbers, truck bed top protectors, scuff gaurds, window trim, etc.... You can leave it as is or when done put on a light coating of your favorite "shine" protector/dressing.
Car Wash: MgGuire's NXT Sponge/Mit: Lambskin mitt Rims: Crappy sponge and regular wash soap Drying Towel: Large microfiber towel (got it off QVC) Swirl marks: Mother's Swirl and Scratch remover Buffer: Craftsman variable speed random orbit pad buffer (the Porter Cable was just too damn expensive) Polish: Liquid Glass Wax: Mother's California Gold Carnuba paste wax Sealant: None Tires: Black Magic tire dressing
Interior
Stain Remover: No stains! No food or drink allowed in my car Glass Cleaner: Windex w/MF towel Cleaning: Lexol Leather Cleaner/Conditioner Protectant: Armor-All low gloss Brushes: None
I will agree that the California Gold paste wax has to be put on thin, out of direct sun light and when the surface is cool. If you don't when you got to buff it out the wax will gum up your buffing pad and form these tiny little balls of wax. But I do love the smell of the real carnuba wax.
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'99 SVT Cobra #2085 MAC SS Cat-Back MAC O/R H C&L Intake Pro 5.0 STS Koni Adjustables - Front Bilstein Cobra Rs - Back Steeda Springs Steeda Diff Bushings FR500 IRS Cross Member Tuned by Evolution
HOLLY CRAP I TOOK MINE TO THE CAR WASH AHAHAHAAHAH NO F!@#$%&*ING TIME TO WASH IT MY SELF CUASE OF WORK AND NOW IT JUST SITS ON MY CARPORT WITH A ROOF OVER IT I STILL HAVE TO BUY A PIJAMA FOR IT. ALSO I HAVE NO TTAKEN A PIC WITH IT **** DUE TO TIME, IT ONLY HAS 650 MILES ON IT.
HEY ANYBODY HEARD ON THE CLEAR COAT PLASTICA YOU PUT AROUND THE CAR SO NO ROCKS AND **** WILL HURT IT, THEY CHARGE OVER HERE LIKE 700 TO A THOUSAND BUCKS TO PUT THAT STUFF ON......PRETTY SOON I WILL POST SOME PICS TAKE CARE PEOPLE HAVE A GUD ONE, DON'T GET PULLED OVER NOW
HOLLY CRAP I TOOK MINE TO THE CAR WASH AHAHAHAAHAH NO F!@#$%&*ING TIME TO WASH IT MY SELF CUASE OF WORK AND NOW IT JUST SITS ON MY CARPORT WITH A ROOF OVER IT I STILL HAVE TO BUY A PIJAMA FOR IT. ALSO I HAVE NO TTAKEN A PIC WITH IT **** DUE TO TIME, IT ONLY HAS 650 MILES ON IT.
HEY ANYBODY HEARD ON THE CLEAR COAT PLASTICA YOU PUT AROUND THE CAR SO NO ROCKS AND **** WILL HURT IT, THEY CHARGE OVER HERE LIKE 700 TO A THOUSAND BUCKS TO PUT THAT STUFF ON......PRETTY SOON I WILL POST SOME PICS TAKE CARE PEOPLE HAVE A GUD ONE, DON'T GET PULLED OVER NOW
Wtf.
Bringing this thread back since I think its a pretty good idea to see what you all use.
just a quick comment on the california duster, be carefull my dad used it on his old gt and it swirled the paint. I try not to use it unless there is just a little dust ( i live on a gravel road).
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Proud Member of the Mustang Wranglers 2007 mustang pony package v6 5 sp
Posts: 3799
Joined: 3/31/2005 From: Indianapolis, IN Status: offline
Light dust and gravel road dust are two different things If your car is lightly dusty (like when sitting out at a show) it works wonders. If your car is extrememly dusty or dirty, then sure a car duster could cause some swirls.
Car Wash: Meguiar's GC Car wash or NXT Car wash Sponge/Mit: TurtleWax Lambswool mitt Rims: (since all the cars I have are painted) Meguiar's All Wheel cleaner, followed by Quick Wheel Detailer Drying Towel: TheAbsorber towel Swirl marks: Meguiar's Speed Glaze M80 or M83 Dual Action Polish; small areas I use ScratchX Buffer: Porter Cable 7424 Dual Action Polisher Polish: Same for Swirl Marks - M80 Speed Glaze or M83 Dual Action Polish Wax: NXT 2.0 Sealant: NXT 2.0 (technically, waxes are natural, & contain Carnauba Wax; sealants are all synthetic polymers. NXT is all synthetic and is therefore a sealant, in the strictest sense of the word. However, most people refer to it as a wax) Tires: I used to Use Black Magic Tire Shine; now I use Meguiars Insane Shine Tire Spray
Interior
Stain Remover: Woolite stain remover (should I get a stain that needs to come out) Glass Cleaner: NXT Glass Cleaner Cleaning: Meguiar's Natural Shine cleaner/protectant (I like a more matte finish than gloss; makes it easier to see when I'm driving my car and get the sun reflecting off the dashboard) Protectant: Same as above Brushes: makeup brushes and some harbor freight nylon bristle brushes
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2007 Tungsten Grey Mustang GT Bone stock
1974 Chevrolet Corvette (in the process of rebuilding)
1967 Jaguar E-Type 2+2 4.2L, British Racing Green, aka The Green Penis
A buddy of mine turned me onto the products after he bought a random orbital machine polisher. His car looked amazing after using the products, so I started using them as well with great results.
CAR WASH: Griot's Garage SPONGE/MITS: GG's Microfiber mits (these things hold a TON of water) I have 3, 1 for hood, top and trunklid, one for upper half of side panels, 1 for lower parts of car) RIMS: GG's Wheel cleaner DRYING TOWELS: GG's microfiber drying towels 25"x35" SWIRL REMOVER: GG's machine polish in grades 2, 3, and 4. Grade 2 removes swirls in older cars with slight oxidation, grade 3 is for cars with light swirls from new paint, grade 4 is for making your paint look "wet" all the time. BUFFER/MACHINE POLISHER: GG's random orbital polisher in the 6 and 3 inch size. (will not burn your paint)--the 6" is great for large pody panels while the 3" is perfect for polishing your a pillars and around licence plates. WAX: GG's Best in Show wax.....also GG's Spray-on wax for a quick finish after a wash. (when I don't have all day to make my car look perfect.) CLAY: GG's Claybar with Speedshine lubricant.
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My pony "SKY" has: Pypes single Race Pro muffler. C&L CAI w/ B.A.M.A tunes. future mods T-Loc w/3:73 gears FRPP duals X-charger
All my stuff, unless stated differently is from Obssessive detail.
Car Wash: Obsessive detail Wash N Gloss or Waterless wash Sponge/Mit: Superthick wash sponge Rims: Mothers powerball with Metal RX Drying Towel: The Amazing dryer (this honestly dissapointed me, but its a MF so I still use it over normal towels) Swirl marks: Automagic Compound, and Optimum Poli-seal Buffer: None as of yet. Hopefully a PC sometime when I actually can spend money. Polish: Optimum Poli-seal Wax: Automagic Banana wax, and Optimum Spraywax Sealant: Poli-seal till I can afford more stuff. Then OptiSeal Tires: Nothing ret.
Posts: 2618
Joined: 1/3/2007 From: Southeast Virginia Status: offline
Exterior
Car Wash: I haven't washed my car yet, I never drive it in wet weather. I use Meguiars Quick Detailer for a clean surface Sponge/Mit: Microfiber Mit Rims: Meguiars Quick Detailer Drying Towel: Microfiber Swirl marks: Buffer: Polish: Meguiar's #7 Wax: Meguiar's Gold Class and Meguiar's #26 High Tech Wax Sealant: Trying to find Meguiar's #21 OTC Tires: Aerospace 303 Protectant Trim: Aerospace 303 Protectant Light Dust: California Duster
Interior
Stain Remover: No stains in my car.....no food or drinks allowed, plus leather seats. Glass Cleaner: Windex, Rain-X Cleaning: Meguiar's Quick Interior Protectant: Malco Leather Conditioner, Mequiar's Quick Interior, Aerospace 303 Protectant Brushes: California Duster for interior and a 1" paint brush for the nooks and crannies
Printable Version
What do you all use? - 
But in other cars I use Tuff Stuff Foaming Upholstry Cleaner 
