Paging Cirro - advice on product choice

[ScottyB]

I'm looking to up my arsenal of cleaning stuff and wanted to get your opinion on this stuff....actually, if anyone else has some experience with any of this, chime in too. i have done as much searching as i can elsewhere and at this point i'm just not sure what else to look for.

i need engine detailing products and a good sealant for 6-8 months of neglect since my car sits out (apartment living). what say you?

P21S total auto wash
Adam's in and out spray
Klass high gloss sealant glaze
Autoglym intensive tar remover (for good measure, my front end is always getting torn up with bugs and crap)

know of any good vendors with deals?

[.RJ]

I have been using the P21S auto wash and Adam's In&Out - both are very good. I use the in&out on the engine bay and wheel wells and its just fantastic.

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.detailersdomain.com/">http://www.detailersdomain.com/</a><!-- m --> - very quick shipping

I've used the Klasse sealant before and I just didnt like the results - not a lot of depth to the finish. This was a black car though so for silver probably not as big of a deal. I've been using the Menzerna polishes lately and P21S carnuba wax, but the carnuba doesnt last a long time although the finish is very nice. Meguiar's 'show car glaze' is pretty good and more longer lasting but there are probably better synthetic sealants out there.

Bling on

[Mike]

adam's in and out... haha... you would.

[ScottyB]

Bling on

holler!

yeah i've heard alot of good about the P21S TAW and Adam's...my engine is getting crusty and with how lazy i can be i think these 2 would work great.

Klasse was more of a shot in the dark. I have seen good reviews but i know there are others out there that are equally good. Optimum Seal is another i'm considering, since i've been so happy with their No-Rinse wash.

I already have P21S carnauba, shampoo, and wheel cleaner on the way. all of my orders will be coming from detailers domain since i think their selection is killer, unless some other vendor has a crazy sale.

i can't wait until i have a garage and an orbital...apartment car washing is BS ....although i did thwart the local coin op early saturday by taking my own bucket! haha suckers, i'm so bad!

[.RJ]

Can you run an extension cord for an orbital?

[Mike]

only with adam's in and out. the ole in-out in-out.

[Madden]

i need some advice too.
I want to buy a bunch of stuff for detailing and wanted to know what to buy

[.RJ]

Start here - <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://mmsports.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3469">http://mmsports.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3469</a><!-- m -->

[Feersty]

Yeah, coin-op sucks. I am scared if using the soapy brush will cause swirls.

[ScottyB]

I am scared if using the soapy brush will cause swirls.

YES

have you seen where people put those brushes (i.e. under the car, cleaning out horse trailers, etc)?

[CaptainHenreh]

Yeah, coin-op sucks. I am scared if using the soapy brush will cause swirls.

Don't use a pumice stone to remove bugs from your bumper, either.

[flintster55]

+1 on P21S TAW. I have some Klasse SG also that I bought because so many people gave it good reviews but I wasn't too impressed. It is really finicky and you have to apply a really small amount or it's hard to remove. Also, it didn't yield much depth or wetness in the paint. For a good 6-8 month sealant, I recommend Menzerna FMJ. It is my favorite product by far. You should go over the car with a good paint cleaner before you apply but it is extremely easy to remove (probably easier than most waxes I have used). I used it 3 times a year on my car and it never stops beading.

[ScottyB]

You should go over the car with a good paint cleaner before you apply but it is extremely easy to remove

what kind of paint cleaner would you recommend?

[flintster55]

Either a paint cleaner or finishing polish. Basically the reasoning is, your paint is actually "dirty" and has contaminants from day to day exposure from the environment on it that washing won't remove. Claying is a first step after washing to remove the biggest contaminants. If you aren't going for a show winning finish and don't mind a few swirls in your paint, then just use a finishing polish or paint cleaner to make sure the paint is fully prepped for the sealant. A sealant has no cleaning abilities at all unlike most waxes (this is where the term "cleaner wax" was coined) so the surface must be very clean.

I use Menzerna Final Polish every time and I can't recommend it enough

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.properautocare.com/menfinpol.html">http://www.properautocare.com/menfinpol.html</a><!-- m -->

I also have used Sonus Paintwork Cleanser as well and like it. It is just a cleaner though and has no polishing abilities.

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.autopia-carcare.com/son-400.html">http://www.autopia-carcare.com/son-400.html</a><!-- m -->

Both Autopia and Properautocare are great sites and have pretty good prices. I haven't tried detailersdomain yet but I probably will in a few weeks when I order my next bundle of supplies

[BLINGMW]

here's a related question.... how about leather cleaner/protectants?

Having never used them before, I picked up the brown and orange lexol bottles, supposed to be decent stuff I guess. I cleaned up the mini a little before we sold it, seemed to work ok, but the seats weren't stained or anything, so who can tell. But the BMW had a few spots here and there, leather was a bit more worn. I spent a couple hours with the cleaner, then the protectant, and I gotta say, I'm pretty unimpressed. Likely I won't bother with that again. I don't think it cleaned a damn thing, didn't even lighten up the lightest of sports. It probably helped the leather a bit, made it feel a little less dry, but the lingering smell was/is unpleasant as well, now the car smells like crayons.

Is there something out there that actually does any better job than the nothing that this appeared to do?

[flintster55]

Oh and Scotty if you're ever in Roanoke visiting family when I'm in town on a break from school, I have 2 orbitals and a crap ton of stuff you're welcome to use. Just let me know next time you come in if you ever need to shine up the scooby.

[flintster55]

Is there something out there that actually does any better job than the nothing that this appeared to do?

To be honest, I've had exactly the same experience with leather cleaners/conditioners. The few times I've used them, I feel like they are doing absolutely nothing. It's really a frustrating experience. I've pretty much given up on them so hopefully somebody can help us out :?

[Evan]

I like the meguiars wipes, but Ive never had to actually clean any spots with them. Seems more like a conditioner to me. (And I use them on the dash watered down a bit, nice deep semigloss)

[ScottyB]

Oh and Scotty if you're ever in Roanoke visiting family when I'm in town on a break from school, I have 2 orbitals and a crap ton of stuff you're welcome to use. Just let me know next time you come in if you ever need to shine up the scooby.

thanks for the offer man. i'll be in during thanksgiving and we'll be driving the scoob up. i don't know if i would take an orbital on without you telling me what to do though. :oops:

currently my washes go as such:

either wurth autoshampoo (conventional) or optimum no-rinse followed up by clay magic and then zymol cleaner wax.


if i go with menzerna final polish after clay, can i hand-apply it? after that, i can go ahead with something like menzerna FMJ as my last step protectant, correct? or do people put carnauba on top of that?

i've been hanging out at autopia for a while (love the before/after threads) and so far its like learning an alien acronym language. everything is like in code or something. takes forever to figure out what the hell is going on.

[WRXtranceformed]

I've got access to any Mother's cleaning stuff if you guys want to go in on a group buy or something. Mother's Chrome Polish is hands down the best stuff I've ever used. Haven't had a chance to try any of their other stuff yet!