Put together a detail kit

[GotBills]

Hello to all, I am a newbie here but have been lurking for a while and cannot believe all the knowledge that is in this forum.

I just bought a new car and want to upkeep it unlike my previous cars and was wondering if you could all put together a complete detail kit that you feel is a good kit to have.



I was thinking of maybe listing the products you use for:



Windows

Leather

Dash

Carpet

Odor

Wheels

Tires

Exterior

Wax

Etc...



My b-day is coming up later this month and want to get a good kit.



Also do you all use products such as the Vac N Blo, and would you say it is worth the money?



Thanks for the input and I hope this is okay for my first post.

 

[Buegie]

Also do you all use products such as the Vac N Blo, and would you say it is worth the money?

I'm sure its a great vacuum, just too much for me to spend. You could pick up a 5-6 gallon Shop-Vac from Home Depot for around $60. It's small enough to use all around the car but still has plenty of power

 

[wascallyrabbit]

your going to get a lot of different opinions on what products to use. windows i like stoner's glass cleaner, for leather i use leather masters, dash i like 303 or opp, carpet Bi-O-Kleen Traffic Lane Cleaner, wheels and tires usually washed with onr, after washing car first, i like sealants for my lsp, currently using upgp on my truck and cmw on my wifes suv. so far can't really decide which i like better. ridgid 5hp shop vac. you will also need buckets, grit guards, and mf towels.

 

[steelwind101]

Windows: Surf City Garage Clearly better

Leather: Wolfgang Leather cleaner, Wolfgang Leather conditioner

Dash: Wolfgang Vinyl dressing

Carpet: Wolfgang carpet and upholstery cleaner

Odor: It will smell great from wolfgang! But as a neutral smell get the Megs yellow spray bottle odor neutralizer.

Wheels: Clean with car wash soap, protect with me PB's wheel sealant after treating with an AIO.

Tires: Wolfgang Tyre dressing OR Sonus Trim and Tire.

Exterior: Pink Moose (VM and RMG mixed 50/50). topped with a wax that compliments your colour!



Thats a pretty decent start to do a good detail on decent quality paintwork/car.

 

[kustomsol]

A lot might depend upon the color of your car. I am a Zaino Zealot, so would suggest your investigating Sal Zaino's line at Zainostore.com Also, even if you don't use his products suggest you read his "tips and tricks" as well as the detailing info here.

You choice of products also would depend upon how OCD you are.



For starters, I'd suggest a good PC, 2 buckets, a woollen mitt, and a pile of good quality MF's.

Leather cleaning, a dilute (5%) solution of Woolite in water. To dress interior leather and plastic, Leather In A Bottle (Z-10) And Leather-In-A-Bottle keeps a new leather smell in your car. Like some others on this board, i stash the Z-10 applicator somewhere in the car to keep it smelling new for weeks.

Exterior rubber and plastic will depend upon the look you like. I prefer Z-16.

I use mop'n'glow to dress the inside of the wheel wells; suggest a spray bottle, applying it by sponge or rag is really messy.

Glass: Stoner's Invisible Glass in the pressurized can, not the spray bottle.



Looking at Zaino products. The simplest is Z-AIO, but if you are going to do it in depth, add Z-2 PRO if your finish is totally unmarred. However, if you have a darker colored car, consider Z-5 PRO.

And I'm very happy with Z-CS although you will hear differing opinions about that.



Definitely Z-7 carwash and Z-8 Finale Spray.



All of the suggestions you will get on this site willbe excellent as all of us use quality products. Hopefully you will choose products that can be ordered from one site and/or purchased at one store locally.



Of the products reviewed on this site, Zaino seems to have a slight edge on sealant durability. Otherwise the final choice of products is one which you prefer based on appearance and your own degree of OCD regarding your car.



As a general rule, true waxes, even carnuba, do not have nearly the life as sealants as they are usually gone quickly during the summer heat and winter salt. I use a heavy coat of wax only when I'm traveling to an area where the highway is 'rich" in nasty insects, like the love bugs in Florida. And then only on the forward painted surfaces.



Best of luck, and let us know what combo you choose.



At one point on this forum professional detailers were asked what they preferred on their own cars. You might search for that thread. I recall at least one comment in favor of Zaino for their personal cars, but not for their customers' because of the time and energy involved in applying 3 coats.