wasted money. rant - Page 4

plouffy · 06-27-09, 08:43

this thread has definitely taught me a few things, but then has left me with two questions

1) what citrus based apc/degreaser should I buy?
2) what degreaser is safe on leather?

dave40co · 06-27-09, 09:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by plouffy

this thread has definitely taught me a few things, but then has left me with two questions

1) what citrus based apc/degreaser should I buy?
2) what degreaser is safe on leather?

Will the citrus based degreaser remove dressings?

citizen arcane · 06-27-09, 09:45

On topic: Am I the only one here who cleans their tires and wheels w/ car wash solution? I use the leftover solution from my last wash, wheels first and a few minutes of scrubbing per tire w/ a stiff brush - they're clean and I don't strip the dressing.

Polished&Waxed · 06-27-09, 11:01

I want to get zep's citrus cleaner for a stong degreaser. Any one used this?

This is a good thread for sure. What about the other side of the coin. What are the boutiques that are necessary, waxes, dressings?

GS4_Fiend · 06-27-09, 11:44

Does Optimum Power Clean make the tires white/stain?

grease · 06-27-09, 12:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Polished&Waxed

I want to get zep's citrus cleaner for a stong degreaser. Any one used this?

This is a good thread for sure. What about the other side of the coin. What are the boutiques that are necessary, waxes, dressings?

I use ZEP's Heavy Duty Citrus Degreaser all the time on engines, fenderwells, bug covered lower body panels, and any other grimy exterior surfaces. Mix a little car wash soap for good foaming action on body panels.

I couldnt do without wowa sealants (Opti-Seal, ClearSeal, Ultima Paint Guard). Theyre so easy to use and can be used on most exterior surfaces, windows, headlights, paint, plastic trim, etc... If you like a product thats very quick and easy to use that looks great, they work well.

Accumulator · 06-27-09, 02:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Polished&Waxed

... What about the other side of the coin. What are the boutiques that are necessary?

Griot's Rubber Prep has worked near-miracles for me on really oxidized, nasty rubber. And it's taken off stuff that seemed really tenacious too, like adhesive residue (many adhesive removers do a nasty number on rubber, drying it out).

Some people here will swear that they can't get the "Zymol Vintage look" with anything else and I'm not gonna say they're wrong. Ditto for Zaino.

Quote:

Originally Posted by citizen arcane

Am I the only one here who cleans their tires and wheels w/ car wash solution?

I do usually do LSPed wheels with a shampoo mix, but a stronger one than I use on for regular washing. I've used it on tires but it only cleans sufficiently when they're not very dirty. Some of my vehicles make such nasty brake dust that I have to really *scrub* the front tires with Rubber Cleaner at every wash.

Jakerooni · 06-27-09, 03:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Polished&Waxed

I This is a good thread for sure. What about the other side of the coin. What are the boutiques that are necessary, waxes, dressings?

Fact is none are nessecery. Most work well. But there are a few noted items I will address. The first being Zanio products. Zanio for what I can tell (because I have seem a few zaino'd cars) is a great finish. The problem is the time it takes to get that finish with that product is absoultly retarded. It's not meant for the professional detailer on any sort of time schedule. Your weekend warriors with nothing but time on their hands and the pro's that have the luxory of being able to keep the clinets vehicles for days on end are really the only people out there that can use thier sealants.

And then Zymol.... Do I really need to say why?

Probaly the best hyped product out there bar none. And yet none of it any better than 99% of the stuff everyone else uses on a daily basis. (seriosuly $30,000 for a tub of wax... Who is that stupid?)

They all work and work well but I don't think any of them work better than other products out there for a fraction of the price. I do have a few higher end waxes myself but they were either bought as a sampler to test for myself or they were gifted to me by the manufacture or wholesaler of the sorts.

In fact as I sit here and try to ponder all the different products out there that are niched into something else I can't think of a single one that you should really have over another product. There are people out there sponsored by "Brand X" and will push that brand like the good salesmen they are. I don't think I've ever been utterly disapointed in anything I've tried. So I can't say by any means at all "No don't use this brand it just dosen't work!!" but more along the lines of "Well yea that works but it's pricey and you can just as easily use "X" and get the same results."

Thats Fresh · 06-27-09, 03:59

IMO, the sames with the brushes. you can get some great haired brushes that dont fall apart and you can find some nice ones that fall apart or the hairs start to curl. although its only $12 bucks, i dont see how the SWISSVAX brush is any different than my other brushes. i own one and hardly use it. i love the soft bristles though.

bufferbarry · 06-27-09, 03:59

i ahave to agree here with jake i have used alot of nice stuff that is top dollar, honestly i love the 3m ultrafina and there are a few great boutigue items i prefer but realisticlly there are a lot of chemicals that can be multitasked like glass cleaner and degreaser!

GoudyL · 06-27-09, 08:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by citizen arcane

On topic: Am I the only one here who cleans their tires and wheels w/ car wash solution? I use the leftover solution from my last wash, wheels first and a few minutes of scrubbing per tire w/ a stiff brush - they're clean and I don't strip the dressing.

Nope, assuming the wheel isn't very dirty, some car wash soap is all you need to clean them, especially if they are clear coated.

I think people always find it amazing at how easy wheels are to clean, if you clean them once intensively, and then apply some spray wax.

GoudyL · 06-27-09, 09:08

[quote=Setec Astronomy;1280474]us remember the big rebottling scandal from a few years ago where one of the boutique products that was "painstakingly developed" turned out to be some bulk stuff with the "development" being the fragrance and the label art./QUOTE]

Which one was that?

Whats funny IMHO, is that the main functional ingredients (various silicone oils/emulsions/polymers) in car care products tend to come from the same manufacturers (e.g Dow, GE, and Wacker)