Products at Target (MF, Megs, etc)

[TheCheeta]

Hey all. I would like to detail my new Passat (black metallic) for the first time this weekend. I`ve had it a week, and there has been rain, so the car is a bit dirty right now. In addition, the detailer sent it through the wash before I knew that I should say STOP.



So... since I have the time this weekend, and I can`t wait for products to be shipped to me, I`d like to see what my options are.



I looked through Target last night (I live in St. Louis) and noticed that they had quite the assortment of MF stuff. Mitts, towels, wands, etc. Is this stuff any good? They had two lines of MF... one seemed to be at a higher price point. Buy, or leave it alone and just wait another week to wash the car?



Also, the only car shampoo that I could see being of any sort of quality was Meg`s Gold. Is this up to par, or again, should I hold out to get the good stuff via the webbernet? They had Gold Wax and NXT there as well.



Any suggestions? Would Advance/Pep Boys/NAPA/etc. have a better selection of really good stuff?

[firegate]

The higher end Vroom MF`s at target are actually pretty decent towels.. The big blue drying towel is also pretty nice, although I`d buy at least 2. I`m also a fan of the Chenielle/MF foam pad - I`d avoid using the MF side for washing, or an MF mitt for that matter. Gold Class is probably one of the best OTC shampoos available and I wouldn`t hesitate to use it.

[TheCheeta]

Is there any good OTC stuff for removing the remaining transit gunk?

[fdizzle]

i am illeterate - could you defien transit gunk? If you are refering to tar/road grime then yes - automotive car care would include stoner tar remover, turtle wax tar remover have both worked well for me, and non-automitve items like wd-40, goo gone and 3, adhesive tar remover work fantastic . . i usually follow up with a quick polish and add some lsp . . . stuff like that usually does a good job at stripping your paint . . .



VROOM MF is probably one of the best brands you can buy for department stores. Viking and Vroom . . . if you need a quick soloution to a microfiber problem, there is your answer.



You will notice a slight to moderate difference in quality if you mail order some MF`s, like Sonius, Danese, Cobra or Poor Boys . . .

[TheCheeta]

I definitely intend to get the high-end cleaning products next week, but I really want to get the car clean before it gets any dirtier/covered in road grime.



Re: transit stuff. The dealer "detailed" my car (quick run-though of the dealer wash) and used some type of product to remove some of the residue leftover from the plastic sheets stuck on the car to protect it during transit. Upon closer inspection, there is still quite a bit of this stuff left on the car, especially on the driver door. I am glad I noticed it the other day instead of at the dealer, though. After reading all of the "dealer detailing" horror stories, I think I may have lucked out with some very minor swirling on the curvy parts of the car.



So, any way... I am looking fro some OTC stuff that is safe for the clear coat that I can remove the rest of the transit sticker residue.



Or should I just go ahead, live with the dirtiness for a little longer and order the good stuff online?

[BLK_03]

Hey Cheetah,



I too live in St. Louis and noticed what looked to be some really nice detailing products at Target.



I bought one of the wash mits. It looks like orange dread locks and is made of microfiber. It is awesome!!!

[TheCheeta]

I noticed those, too, and just didn`t know if they were really good quality or if I was running the risk of using something that was going to scratch my new paint! But the dreadlock look is definitely workin` for it :-)

[paul34]

I use the wash mitt, which is quite all right, but exhibits (to a lesser degree, I believe; I just noticed this yesterday to my horror) that it leaves lint just like the orange towels.



And yes, I`ve washed them many times, but still it leaves tiny tiny tiny pieces of orange lint... also, I noticed that when washing them with dishwashing liquid, the rinse water is orange when you pour out the water.



Now I`m stuck with tiny pieces of lint on my windshield that is probably going to take many cleanings over a period of time to get off.



Other than that, though, they`re ok. You can use them as some very general purpose towels - I`ve since gotten better towels, so I`m not sure what i`ll do with these. I have been using them for door jambs and such.



But hey, maybe its just my experience! Just try out one towel, and if you don`t like it, return it. I wish I would`ve thought of that during my experience lol. good luck!

[sdcj]

I still stand by my suggestion of claying the car before you put any wax or sealant on. You can get Clay Magic at your local Napa/Checker/Auto Zone for $9.99 and you only really need about half the bar for your size car. That should also take care of your grime too. I have always tried to stay away from the acidic stuff if I could, trying clay first. It worked when I hit tire schrapnel on the freeway at 80, I think it will work for most of the stuff you could have on your car after a couple weeks.



If you`re just looking to make due for a week or 10 days until you can really detail, I would use the Megs shampoo (I do), clay (Clay Magic comes with Lube, that can be an OK last resort QD) and put on a coat of LSP that will get you through the next couple weeks (maybe an NXT). All of these can be bought on a Friday night...Again, I have :)

[velobard]

Welcome to Autopia. I also live in the St Louis area. Some of the stuff at Target is fine, I have a few of their gray MF towels in my stock. My recommendation for now is to give the car a good wash with a wool mitt and quality car soap. No hard scrubbing, just a gentle wash. If that doesn`t take off the stuff you`re talking about, try something a little more aggressive like Dawn detergent. It won`t hurt a thing to use dish detergent once in awhile. Dry it with a waffle weave MF towel if you can, you can find some decent Mequiar`s Water Magnet towels at Autozone sometimes and that`s about as good as I`ve seen OTC for WW towels. If you can`t find a WW, then use a few regular MF towels, never a bath towel. Then clay the entire car to remove contamination that can land on the paint during transport, such as rail dust. The Clay Magic kit at Autozone is good for that, but any of the clay kits you find at the auto part store will do fine. Follow the technique shown in the Learn section for claying. After that, since it`s a new car, you may well be ready to go straight to a nice wax and there you have a range of choices available. I`ll leave it to you to study here and make your own choice of wax or sealant.

[neonecko]

I went to Target yesterday and picked up some of the grey MF towels on sale. Great deal and they aren`t bad at all. Great buy for me cause I like coordinating my MF towels and I am yet to have any grey ones! :spot