Best detailing products to use for the money?

John_chafin

John_chafin

Well-Known Member
81
14
Georgia
Vehicle Model
Civic
Body Style
Si
I need a good brand, or brands to get detailing products. I want to have a good soap along with good wax and polish. I also want to use a clay bar. List down below a few products to try out! Thanks.
 
I use Meguiars

Gold class soap
Clay bar kit
Interior detailer cleaner
In spray liquid wax
 
I've always been happy with meguiars product and invisible glass by stoner.

I've also prefer paste wax over sprays or liquid and a tire gel over aerosols.
 
I have quite a few meguiars products. I have their gold class soap, nxt wax, & their spray detailer. The nxt is a decent wax to apply and remove by hand with decent results.
I like stoner invisible glass a lot.

Chemical guys claybar lube -
http://www.amazon.com/Chemical-Guys-WACCLY100-Clayblock-Synthetic/dp/B001UHQXQ2/
wheel cleaner
http://www.amazon.com/Chemical-Guys-CLD20316-Signature-Cleaner/dp/B00DZIB9GS/
sealant
http://www.amazon.com/Chemical-Guys-WAC11316-Factory-Sealant/dp/B001THP2I8/

If you're using a buffer, you could look at some of the products rasky tends to use on his professional jobs. He tends to list what he's used for each job depending on what is needed.
http://9thcivic.com/forum/threads/raskys-work.582/
 
if money isn't an issue, go check out http://www.chemicalguys.com . a lot of their products are useless but there are quite a few that work wonders man. I use the foam spray guy every wash to get all the dirt off, then their basic wash. Also use their black wax to wax every few months.
 
I've used meguiar's with decent results on some of my cars. What you pick up is going to depend on your preferences, but don't forget to invest in some quality towels that you will use only for detailing, and maybe a buffer if you want to go electric.
 
Meguiars Gold Class or mothers Gold are okay.
I prefer Meguiars mainly due to availability. Was kinda hard looking for Mothers at my Walmart never have any.

I use Gold Class car wash
Clay Bar + the Quik Detailer as the clay's lube.
Ultimate Wax

I've never used Chemical Guy's before. But they have good reviews across all around. But are a bit pricey. IMHO, their price doesn't make it 2x better than Meguiars.
 
I'm pretty sure @Nix likes chemical guys stuff. I'd have to dig but I recall a number of their products were recommended for leaving out harsh chemicals. Stuff that's safe for wheels, ph balanced stuff, etc etc. I recall a thing saying a lot of wheel cleaners on the market are very acidic. @RaskyR1 prob has the most product knowledge from doing detailing.
 
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Yup. Chemical guys is very very user friendly stuff. Best bang for the buck is meguiars D line of professional grade chemicals but you do run some risk with those. You need to dilute them properly and use them correctly. Chemical guys is definitely more $$ but ease of use is a big consideration.
 
A lot of it comes down to user preference and the user will usually dictate the outcome, regardless of product.

If you want over the counter and available locally, Meguiar's is going to be your best bet IMO. If you're willing to order online you will be overwhelmed with all the choices, but you'll have access to tons of very good products.

I've heard others say CG's moderates their reviews, so take them with a grain of salt.


Do you have a polisher? If so which one?
 
Rasky definitely nails it though. It's all in the end user. The more skill and experience you have the better your results will be.

I like a lot of the meguiars D Line stuff and certain Chemical Guys products. It's more about trying things and deciding what you like and what works for you. I've had numerous products that sounded great and had good reviews and ended up being terrible. CG products included.

I will say the nice thing with CG stuff, there is a lot of room for error without having to undo what you did wrong.

CG also have a lot of redundant products available on their website. It's difficult to sort through it all and know what you need and what you don't. There is so much overlap between stuff as well.


Wheel cleaner and pre-wash grime dissolver: Meguiars D103 All Purpose Cleaner. (APC) It's $15/gallon and you have to dilute it. 4:1 or 10:1 work great. This stuff at 4:1 with a couple brushes and you won't need another wheel cleaner. It's way cheaper than anything else for being so versatile and effective. 10:1 for interior cleaning.


As far as good soap, I like to have at least 2. One really strong one for stripping dirt, grime, and old wax. And a maintenance soap that won't remove the wax I just put on.
I like the CG citrus soap for the strong one and their gloss works soap for maintenance.

Optimum no rinse works great for maintenance washes as well. It's super easy to use. Its the only thing I use to wash now. If you live in an apt and don't have hose access, it's your best friend. You can also use it as clay lube.

Clay bars: The "best" one I've used is the Blackfire polyclay. Try a couple out and see what you like best. Clay lube is personal preference also. I've been using dodo juice born slippy. You have dilute properly.

I have found that using Carpro Iron X is great for removing contaminates and makes claying a lot faster. Just do one panel at a time and be sure to rinse off the Iron X and don't let it dry on there!


Polish? Meguiars 205. It's plenty for Honda paint. Start there and get yourself a good buffer and a variety of pads. Lake country orange and white pads should be enough with the 205 for some very good correction. Pick up some black or blue pads if you want to use your buffer to apply wax/sealants.


Hope that helps a bit. Try stuff out and see what you like. Gallons are always cheaper but buy the small sizes first to see if you like it.

2 websites to check out for detailing supplies:

www.detailedimage.com
www.autogeek.net
 
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