Detailing products. What do you use?

[Digital K]

do you have a polisher? which? if im going to look into using this to buff up wax or polish a car what should I get? What detailing products have you used now and in the past that you may or may not like?

[1FastB5]

i use Prevettes exclusively. local detail company in Des Moines and you can also order their products online. they're some of the easiest products to use and the ones that have lasted the longest for me. their tire shine can last me up to a month after one application even through rain. their waxes, polishes and glazes are outstanding -- and their interior products (esp the leather conditioner) are the best i've ever used. i get a lot of complements immediately on my interiors from my passengers both on how they look and how they smell.

i'd put their products at the top of the list, and often times above the big names like Adams that a lot of people swear by.

Prevettes is a private label company and they work directly with the manufacture and chemists for their products, and they don't mess around. They also have top-notch service and expertise if your not sure what you need. anybody that is a car enthusiast in Iowa or has high end/rare/classic vehicles uses these guys exclusively.

Porter Cable makes some of the best buffers. but keep in mind that most of the time you shouldn't need a buffer (and a lot of people can mess up and burn their paint), what you need usually is a polisher, and they rent/sell the Cyclo polisher. i've used it many times and its a great polisher and is perfect for getting out light scratches and swirls as well. its expensive, but its light, well balanced and has a lot of attachments not only for exterior detailing, but also heads to use for carpets, upholstery and leather.

prevettes also gets cheaper the more you use. they use high quality spray bottles, and warranty the bottles. if it ever breaks or won't spray they replace it. once its empty, you can buy a gallon or more of most product...simply refill and go.

their website is ---> www.prevettes.com

also, as a nice touch when you buy a lot of product with them, they'll also make you a carrying tote that fits all your cleaning bottles, and its free. also if you want, they will also create custom labels for your cleaning products. so it can say "kris's cleaner" etc...



i seriously can't speak anymore highly about their products and more importantly, their services. check them out, try some of their products and i promise you won't be disappointed. they're true car guys and listen to their clients and their products reflect every bit of that.

[Digital K]

I want to eat this stuff:



i traded labor for some 3m stuff. I'll be using that for now.

[1FastB5]

3m was my previous product line of choice.

i got away from most of meguiars, too greasy.

[timmy]

couldn't agree more. did some detailing work at a old job. always used 3M

[Digital K]

3m was my previous product line of choice.

i got away from most of meguiars, too greasy.

yeah but its grape, and lasts forever. and im eating it right now.

[momo]

I use pretty much whatever cheap stuff I have around. Since all of my cars have single stage paint, for a full exterior detail I'll generally use Meguiars polishing compound, followed by whatever wax I have around. I use some old 6" black and decker random orbit polisher that my dad has laying around in the garage. It works alright - I won't complain, for not having paid a thing to use it. If I need to really do some paint correction, I'll do a little wet-sanding, but I really have only done it a couple times. I don't like the potential of ruining paint jobs, so I try to keep away from wet-sanding if I can.

I need some suggestions for better, but not crazy-expensive stuff though. Mainly waxes. I can get my paint to an almost-perfect mirror finish with the Meguiars polishing compound, I just have a hard time keeping it looking good with the waxes I've tried. Especially since I have to park outside, under a tree. Is there anything that resists water spots? I always get crazy water spots on my miata.

What do you guys use to seal up your cars for the winter? I've just used cheap turtle wax hard-shell wax and cheap black magic liquid wax. unobtanium stuff.

[16vguy]

As far as any material removal (scratch removal/wet sanding/etc), I have had great luck with 3m- always predictable. But, I DO love the meguiar's quick detailer , if its already cleaned and waxed, for touch ups. Works absolutely amazing, goes on and off easy, does what it should, and also smells great ;-)

[1FastB5]

yeah but its grape, and lasts forever. and im eating it right now.

The prevettes tire dressing i use smells like bubble gum. With a fresh application i can smell it from a few feet away for a few days!

Also keeps its shine through rain too, i love that. Usually only hafta reapply once a month.

[palmer]

I like the XMT line from Pinnacle. I have had good luck with it, it's reasonably priced, and you can put it on in the sun if needed.

[secondslc]

Find what you like and use it often.

It doesn't matter if x brand lasts a day longer than y brand. What matters is you like it, you use it enough to keep the car clean, and you can find it when you need it.

I use meguiars when I can as its available locally, and for all intents and purposes, does a good job.

[shawn o]

I researched alot before purchasing my Porter Cable 7424XP, mainly on Autogeeks forum.

I came to the conclusion that Megiuars products were the best for me. I used Meguiars #205 and #105, commonly called M205 and M105. M205 is for light polishing and M105 is for heavier correction. You can use either in conjunction with different color Lake Country pads for your polisher to get lighter or heavier action.

After that I use Megiuars NXT 2.0 synthetic wax (2 coats) and then #26 wax (2 coats).

There's a ton of info on Autogeeks, I'd go there if you want to learn whats available and when/how to use the various products together.

[Digital K]

so with light polishing.... are you removing paint or no? is it a worrying amount?

[RedDevil]

As far as any material removal (scratch removal/wet sanding/etc), I have had great luck with 3m- always predictable. But, I DO love the meguiar's quick detailer , if its already cleaned and waxed, for touch ups. Works absolutely amazing, goes on and off easy, does what it should, and also smells great ;-)

Just an FYI, 3M owns Meguiars!

I use Meguiars and 3M products.

[magilson]

so with light polishing.... are you removing paint or no? is it a worrying amount?

Yep. And you should definitely pay attention. A person can "burn" the paint as well as remove a lot of it. On a single stage paint you are removing paint. These products don't "fill" scratches. They remove paint around the scratch to smooth out that scratch and blend it in. With a clear coat you're just working with the clear so you are only slightly more safe in working with it.