[boone]

For those of us who love to spend a Saturday afternoon making sure our cars look great, having the right product is a necessity. Share your favorite products. Washes, waxes, spray detailers and other products are all welcome.

I'll kick things off. I have enjoyed using Black Light and Black from Chemical Guys for the past six months. They go on easy and provide great results. I also like their Stripper Scent air freshener. It smells a lot different than the name implies. I am anxious to try Wolfs Chemicals Hard Body. Some of the folks over on Club Lexus swear by it.

 

[chicagokevo]

Still haven't found a better tire shine product than Black Magic wet tire shine. The shine holds like no other & noticeably lasts at least a couple of weeks. What type of product is the Black Light?


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[boone]

Black Light is a gloss enhancer that provides a bit of protection for the paint. I top it with Black to provide the most protection and shine possible.

 

[Sinecure]

Hard Body Stripper Scent???

We're talking about cars, right? Or do you have this curious option on your car?

 

[GtoQ]

I like a lot of me Meguiars products ... And optimum opticoat 2.0 ... Apply it once and a lil clay and wax goes loooooooonnnnnnngggggg way...

 

[boone]

Hard Body Stripper Scent???

We're talking about cars, right? Or do you have this curious option on your car?

I wonder if I can get that for my Grand Cherokee. Comes as a set (platform w/pole + dancer), right?

 

[nadir]

Depends on the paint ... but I've been a fan of Klasse AIO/SG for a long time. The SG (sealant glaze) layers on very nice and on black paint (ie. obsidian) it has a lot of depth and wet look to it.

Zaino is another good brand for quick layering, but I've always liked it on a lighter paints.

 

[theNewQ]

Farecla G10 is a must have in the detail cabinet. Removes all surface contaminents and minor clear coat imperfections. Can be used on a buffer pad (variable speed preferred) with Farecla G-Mop pad kit. This is will take the little "rust" and rail dust spots off of a white car with superior results.

An Absorber (thats the brand name) shammy is the only way to go. Its synthetic and slides like glass. For best results, mist some spray-wax onto the shammy while drying after a wash.

Also, Worlds Best Wax is my wax of choice. Simply amazing results.

 

[BNB-Ryan]

A leaf blower Seriously. Dry the car as you normally would, then use a leaf blower to get the water out of the wheels, door handles, mirrors, grill, trunk, etc.

 

[Rick_vdl]

A leaf blower Seriously. Dry the car as you normally would, then use a leaf blower to get the water out of the wheels, door handles, mirrors, grill, trunk, etc.

Chemical Guys sell this, it's supposed be a little more compact and manageable than your run-of-the-mill leaf blower.

Haven't bought it.........yet

Chemical Guys ACC_303 - JetSpeed VX6 Professional Surface Air Dryer & Blower

 

[Rick_vdl]

If we're talking equipment rather than "ingredients", a few grit guards are essential

There's several other detailing threads that mention GG and the 2-bucket method......

 

[boone]

Chemical Guys sell this, it's supposed be a little more compact and manageable than your run-of-the-mill leaf blower.

Haven't bought it.........yet

Chemical Guys ACC_303 - JetSpeed VX6 Professional Surface Air Dryer & Blower

I have that blower. It is great for getting water out of the various crevices on the car. However, I would not recommend it for drying the entire car unless there is very little water on the car.

 

[gbert15]

Thanks for sharing that! Might pick one up for drying the grille and the wheels!

 

[Team_STILLEN]

I just use my craftsman compressor

To be fair this is far cheaper

 

[Rick_vdl]

I just use my craftsman compressor

To be fair this is far cheaper

I like the idea of having an air compressor, as long as it's electric.

This is about the cheapest Craftsman unit that I found - which do you have? How did you select that particular model?

 

[brianch]

A true blower for dying the car would be the Metro Blaster MB3.

That CG one isn't really powerful enough.

Chemical Guys makes good soaps. But not a huge fan of their other products

Their leather cleaner is very affordable as it dilutes 1:6

Meguiars, Optimum, CarPro, Menzerna, SONAX are probably my most trusted brands

Runners up are Chemical Guys, AutoGlym, Griots Garage, 3M

 

[maddsiick]

Black Light is a gloss enhancer that provides a bit of protection for the paint. I top it with Black to provide the most protection and shine possible.

I just ordered both of these. I hope it gives that really nice gloss/shine to the car.

 

[boone]

I just ordered both of these. I hope it gives that really nice gloss/shine to the car.

I think you'll be pleased. Remember, a little goes a long way when applying either of those products.

 

[afrosheen]

I just read a thread the other day where someone said they wash their car then use a silicon squeegee to swipe the water off before using a microfiber or terrycloth towel to pick up the rest of the water. If you are 100% sure your car is clean after final rinse, this is actually a pretty good idea.

Then again some detailers say to lift the water off using waffle towels or synthetic chamois like the Absorber. Just slap it on, wait a second, then lift off and squeeze out. The silicon squeegee idea kinda scares me a little thanks to the fact that every small flying or walking bug within 25 miles is on my car the second I start drying it. I usually wash at dusk or night so they're hanging around anyway but love clean cars.

 

[selzini]

I just read a thread the other day where someone said they wash their car then use a silicon squeegee to swipe the water off before using a microfiber or terrycloth towel to pick up the rest of the water. If you are 100% sure your car is clean after final rinse, this is actually a pretty good idea.

That's what I do. I give the car a final rinse after washing it. The squeegee only works if there's a good layer of water on the car - otherwise, it "scrapes" along the surface. Doing it this way saves a lot of time, and you need fewer towels afterward.