Those who want more. The basics for exterior cleaning.

[WhiteShadow89]

The basics for those who want more

Hi Everyone,
I wanted to do a write up of the basics for exterior car cleaning and care from higher tier product standpoint without breaking the bank. Why something top tier instead of something truly cost effective/economical? I have found that cost effective/economical and truly good results typically don’t go hand in hand. Having truly good basic car care products aid in many areas. Some examples are below:
-How your car looks immediately
-How your car looks as the years go by
-Greater effect and less elbow grease
-Aid in being more paint safe and less fine scratches
I hope this review will help the novices out there who are unfamiliar with products outside of what can be found at AutoZone and those who are either open to better products than what they have or want better results. Everything here is completely coating safe if you have a long term coating applied. The prices stated are normal/non sale prices, you can easily find these products for cheaper at autogeek or detailed image with their frequent sales. With that said let’s get onto the break down.

Wash/Shampoo

I have 3 top products I would recommend here. Adams and CarPro both make great pH neutral wash products for your car that work well, but my personal favorite would be Gtechniq’s G Wash shampoo. Simply put it is the best pH neutral shampoo/wash I have used, period. It differentiates itself by being one of the smoothest feeling wash products I have used with my mitts on car paint while making quick work of every day dirt/grime that used to take me more elbow grease. It isn’t cheap as it starts at $9 for a 250ml bottle, $15 for a 500ml bottle and $25 for a 1000ml. Thankfully you only need 2-4 caps per bucket (pending how dirty your car is) so a 500ml bottle will go a long way.

Price: $25

Wheel Cleaner

Wheels today are getting expensive and needless to say you will want to treat them right. Having a good pH neutral wheel cleaner is not only safe for your wheels with or without a coating, but goes a further than just using a mitt and soap. I personally recommend Shine Supply Cool Guy Wheel Cleaner. This cleaner is worth its weight in gold in my book and I have yet to use a better consumer available product without spending tons more. It smells good and does a fantastic job of removing harmful deposits on your rims. Just a deeper clean than using solely soap.

Price: $15 for a 16 oz bottle.

Bucket

The bare minimum that I would recommend is a 5 gallon bucket with a grit guard. Realistically you will want 2 5 gallon buckets with grit guards. Why? Well there are 2 reasons. Having 2 buckets means you have a wash and a rinse bucket. Pair the two buckets with grit guards and you are minimizing the risk of taking a wash mitt that is littered with grime back onto your cars paint which can produce fine scratches. Finally, I find 3.5 gallon buckets to be just not enough for most full size vehicles. Spend an extra few buckets for the 5 gallon buckets, it’s worth it. You don’t need a specific brand of bucket so long as it is 5 gallons and has a grit guard. I personally use detailed image 2 pack 5 gallon buckets with grit guards.

Price: $36

Wash Mitt

Having a high quality mitt goes a long way. I don’t believe in sponges as I just don’t think they do as good a job and certainly aren’t as easy to work with. When it comes to wash mitts there are two main designs that you see circulating a lot.

Design 1 is the super noodle shaggy design as I call it. These are the Chenille Microfiber wash mitts if you want to say it right.
Design 2 is a finer looking microfiber wash mitt. Something like Shine Supply or Getechniq`s wash mitt style.

Having used both designs I prefer design 2. I think it glides better on paint and does a better job of removing dirt with less elbow grease. I personally recommend the Gtecdhniq WM2 wash mitt. It does a fantastic job and is very durable. Sure the mitt isn’t cheap at $17 when not on sale, but you get what you pay for.
While not necessary, I would also recommend get two wash mitts for whatever you decide on. Save one mitt for the bottom quarter to third of your car where heavier dirt deposits are and your wheels. The second mitt will be for the remainder. Idea here is trying to minimize fine scratches on your car.

Price: $34

Tire Shine

This is an area I am less picky in as there are so many good tire shine products out there. Gtechniq, Meguair`s, Griot’s, Optimum and etc. They all do a good job. Still my two personal favorites are both Gtechniq products. Gtechniq T1 and T2 to me stand out in their respective areas. T2 is cheaper at $8 a bottle. It is meant to last as long as many basic tire shines. The advantage here is it one of the easiest to apply tire dressings (provided you have a sponge or applicator of sorts). The main drawback here is life span. Gtechniq wanted a quicker application than T1 and made T2 to be just that but at the cost of requiring an application every 1-1.5 weeks. T1 on the other hand takes longer to apply (still easy to apply though) and is significantly more expensive at $23 a bottle. Still it is in my opinion the best tire shine on the market. This tire shine is more long term and extremely durable. I have had T1 survive rain storms and even car washings with shine to it still. To me $23 is a small price to pay for a long lasting tire shine as tire shine is one key area that really makes your car pop.

Price $8-$23

Protective Coating

Having a protective coating goes a long way in sheltering your car from every day dirt and grime. I won’t mention long term coatings like Gtechniq Crystal Serum light or Ultra. This is just cheap and easy to apply products that suites the basics. I still use waxes and if you are a wax person I would recommend Zymol or Gtechniq P1 nano composite polish. I like Meguair’s M105 and M205 as well, but that is best served with a buffer which not all people have. A quick note about the P1 polish by Gtechniq is that it takes the cutting power of the pad used. If you use an aggressive pad it will remove some scratches, but if you use a fine pad it acts as a great gloss/finishing polish. The results of P1 are only amplified with the use of a buffer.

If you aren’t into breaking your back over waxes like I have become, I highly recommend Gtechniq C2 spray. This spray provides 4-8 months protection in a single application from dirt, grime, UV rays and beads well when hit with water. C2 adds instantly noticeable gloss and reflection to your paint. The more of C2 you use the more gloss and reflection you will get. C2 can be used with a wax, ceramic coatings, or on its own and can be layered as much as you would like. It does such a good job and is so quick to apply that I only use waxes now for removing scratches/prep for a coating on my cars. As always if using a sealant or wax a microfiber buffing towel is highly recommended. For microfiber buffing towels you can look to the rag company, Gtechniq, Shine supply, Ammo NYC and many others. If using C2 I would recommend about 4 to do a normal size vehicle.

Price C2: $16-$30 pending size

Drying Towels

Having good exterior cleaning products is important, but having good quality drying towels will also go a long way in minimizing fine scratches. Like the buffing towels I previously mentioned, there are many options to choose from, but I exclusively use Gtechniq towels at this point. Specifically Gtechniq’s MF2 and MF4 towels. Both towels have good water absorption and are paint safe. Both Gtechniq towels also have great longevity and last longer than generic microfiber drying towels. I would recommend 2 MF2 towels and 2 MF4’s to start as having spares is a good idea in case you drop a towel on the ground or into a bucket. I use the MF4`s for bulk water absorption and the MF2 as a finishing towel. To be clear though, both towels are primary drying towels.

MF2 price: $12
MF4 Price: $14

Cleaning
Cleaning your dirty towels, mitts and applicators with a good microfiber detergent may sound a bit silly, but it makes a difference. A good microfiber detergent made for auto detailing will do the following:
1. It prolongs the life of your towels and mitts.
2. It is specifically designed to remove waxes, dirt and grime from you towels.
3. The results after a washing are more impressive than standard detergent.

Personally I use Shine Supply’s Micro Detergent. At $14 for a 32 oz bottle or $24 for a full gallon this is an expense but it does a fantastic job.

There you have it, my break down of the basic areas of exterior car care while using top tier products. I hope this write up will help some people and maybe even spark interest into trying some of these products out. This isn’t a sponsor write up, just a list of darn good products in basic exterior care fields. The price may shock some of you but this doesn’t include the frequent discounts, and the price will vary pending the size you buy.

[Bill D]

I’d personally use more than two mitts and I’m using a foam gun with them. Only two mitts could collect dirt and grime in no time depending on how dirty your car is. Three times the amount of mitts so you have enough for both sides of the car and can ensure you can pick a fresh, clean one as you go on with your wash regimen isn’t unheard of.

[Mike lambert]

So , how long have you worked for G Tech? LOL!

[WhiteShadow89]

So , how long have you worked for G Tech? LOL!

Hey! It is not all Gtechniq lol. Just like a good portion of their products for exterior cleaning.

[Mike lambert]

No offense meant, I hear the same thing about all the Griot’s I use!

[Coatings=crack]

Hey! It is not all Gtechniq lol. Just like a good portion of their products for exterior cleaning.

Beat me to it. Lol. I have and use a lot of griots, I live in Washington and root for the home team. I just used gtechnic fabric in my vert top. Ordered wheel armor for coating my wheels. I have my faves in other categories I feel are amazing but maybe I’ll give some of their others a try. Looking at their glass coating. Would you have a friends and family discount?


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[WhiteShadow89]

No offense meant, I hear the same thing about all the Griot’s I use!

Lol no offense was taken.

Beat me to it. Lol. I have and use a lot of griots, I live in Washington and root for the home team. I just used gtechnic fabric in my vert top. Ordered wheel armor for coating my wheels. I have my faves in other categories I feel are amazing but maybe I’ll give some of their others a try. Looking at their glass coating. Would you have a friends and family discount?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I actually haven`t used their fabric protectant, good to know! Yea I hear you. Lol I wish I had a family and friends discount. Gtechniq is usually a favorite of mine for exterior care. Which glass coating? They have the G4&G5 combo, then the big boy G1. I have heard great things about the G1, but having used G4&G5 I haven`t been impressed. Eager to try G1 though.

[Coatings=crack]

Lol no offense was taken.



I actually haven`t used their fabric protectant, good to know! Yea I hear you. Lol I wish I had a family and friends discount. Gtechniq is usually a favorite of mine for exterior care. Which glass coating? They have the G4&G5 combo, then the big boy G1. I have heard great things about the G1, but having used G4&G5 I haven`t been impressed. Eager to try G1 though.

Thinking g1, g2 combo. Will leave review if I do


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[Dan]

Some good info, but you missed some critical areas. Shiny paint looks like crap if you don`t have good looking trim. Greasy tires look great but you gotta have super clean wheel wells. Panel gaps need to be super clean as well or they`ll stand out with otherwise perfect paint. They don`t call it a detail for nothin, and so many people just focus on paint.

[WhiteShadow89]

Thinking g1, g2 combo. Will leave review if I do


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Awesome, I look forward to seeing that review!

Some good info, but you missed some critical areas. Shiny paint looks like crap if you don`t have good looking trim. Greasy tires look great but you gotta have super clean wheel wells. Panel gaps need to be super clean as well or they`ll stand out with otherwise perfect paint. They don`t call it a detail for nothin, and so many people just focus on paint.

I appreciate the input! I am unsure how I forgot about products for trim. I will add that in. As far as the wheels go I chose not to include a polish/coating. I am still conflicted on this choice because a good metal polish can be used to help your wheels and exhaust pop. The main reason why I left a good metal polish out is two fold. One, working with metal polish can take some time to apply and buff out fully, especially if you have some complex wheel designs. Two, the wheel cleaner I recommended with a solid tire dressing will certainly look clean and pop very well. I may end up creating an "optional" section for items that are recommended, but not necessarily a basic product to have. Obviously the definition of "basic" will vary, but I was trying to keep a green novice in mind when doing this as the minimum to get them buy from an elite product standpoint.

[Accumulator]

Be very, *very* cautious about using a Metal Polish on wheels as hardly any are bare metal these days and many have fragile finishes.

WhiteShadow89- Welcome to Autopia! Sorry to chime in with a caveat on one of your first threads, don`t intend to sound like a [jerk] and maybe you didn`t mean to use a Metal Polish on wheels at all..just don`t want somebody to take one to a painted/powdercoated/etc. wheel and trash it and then blame you.

[WhiteShadow89]

Be very, *very* cautious about using a Metal Polish on wheels as hardly any are bare metal these days and many have fragile finishes.

WhiteShadow89- Welcome to Autopia! Sorry to chime in with a caveat on one of your first threads, don`t intend to sound like a [jerk] and maybe you didn`t mean to use a Metal Polish on wheels at all..just don`t want somebody to take one to a painted/powdercoated/etc. wheel and trash it and then blame you.

Oh no, completely fair point! I would not have thought about powder coated wheels so it is good you mentioned and it is something for me to think about in the future when doing a write up. All of this information will get added to my original post. By metal polish I meant something safe that doesn`t burn and can be used on a variety of wheel surfaces (though probably not powdercoat or painted) like M1.

EDIT: So I can`t actually edit my main post to include information so I will add things here.

Basic items continued:
As a continuation to the products I mentioned in my first post I wanted to include a couple other items to this list, some of which were kindly mentioned by the members here.

Trim dressing
Knowing your car`s trim is important. Some trim pieces out there can easily be maintained and protected by the same products you use for your cars paint, others you will want to find something more specific. Trim pieces can range all over the place in materials they are made from and what to use to maintain them. I will try to cover the top 3 trim pieces on the road, or at least I feel is a top 3, but knowing your trims materials (flat plastic, gloss plastic, carbon fiber, aluminum and etc) is rather important.

-Gloss plastic trim- For this example I will use something like a black optic RS3 with its gloss black trim pieces. Generally speaking, not always, these types of trim pieces can be cleaned and maintained using the products mentioned above in my original post. A good wash, and once dry using a good protective spray like Gtechniq C2 will go a long way into how it looks as well as protecting it. You can also use a good quick detailer as well if you wanted to go the extra mile as they can boost gloss and remove any light water marks with it.

-Flat plastic trim- Lets look at something like a Ford Escape, or a Honda element. For this I will only give two options, a long term option and a short term option. Obviously the trade off is going to be obvious. A more long term product is going to require more effort but at the benefit of not needing to be applied as often. A short term product will be cheap and easy to use at the cost of the results fading quickly.
Short term: I personally like Stoner Trim Shine Vinyl & Plastic coating. At $4.49 a can this spray is the gold standard in my book for cheap products that punch above their price tag. Sure it isn`t a long term product, but the results are great while it lasts. While the product lasts, which is subject to driving conditions as well as how the car is kept, the exterior flat plastic bits will look like new again. Another cool tidbit about this product is that it works wonders under the hood of your car with the plastic bits.

Price: Stoner Trim Shine Vinyl & Plastic coating spray can $4.49


Long term: Gtechniq C4 Permanent Trim Restorer. This product comes in different sizes, 15ml and 30ml bottles, and it really comes down to how much plastic you really need to cover. Unlike many products that just sit on top of your trim pieces, C4 is designed to bond to the applied surface. If done correctly this can last you 2 years per application. For cleaning purposes you will want to use a ph neutral cleaning wash (which we have already gone over), but this is a great long term way to make your trim look like new and keep it looking like new. The downfall of this product is price and prep. This isn`t difficult prep wise like a ceramic coating, but it still will require a good all purpose cleaner (Gtechniq recommends W2) to be diluted properly and for the applied surfaces to be cleaned thoroughly prior to applying C4. Not only this with C4 you will work in smaller sections as the product needs to be removed within 5 minutes and you can`t apply this in direct sunlight.
Price: C4 15ml bottle $40. C4 30ml bottle $65



-Foe aluminum trim- This is a very iffy area for me at least as some cars are more finicky than others. Some cars, like the Audi S3 have foe aluminum trim bits around the windows and mirror caps that can stain easily. The products I use for cleaning these bits are a good Wash/Shampoo (already listed), Gtechniq Quick detailer (when the car is freshly dried), and the C2 spray I had mentioned earlier. A quick note about the C2 spray is that don`t apply it in sunlight light for these bits and obviously test in a small area first to see how it works for you. Some cars will behave differently than others and the C2 spray is just if you want to provide a little protection to it from the elements. In situations where these trim bits are extra dirty and your regular wash/shampoo isn`t getting the job done try using Shine Supply`s Solution all purpose cleaner then wash again with you shampoo.

Brushes
A good set of boar’s hair brushes can go a very long way for your interior and exterior. Exterior wise these brushes are useful for lug nuts, getting around badges and other various tough to get areas. Personally I use the brush set on amazon that has the red rings on it. Comes in a set of brushes in various sizes and they seem to be made of good quality.

All purpose cleaner
A good all-purpose cleaner can go a long way. They will never perform as good as a standalone product, but things can get very costly when using specific products for everything. From an all-purpose cleaner standpoint I have used a few different ones and have settled on a couple that are both coating safe. If you want something that does not require any dilution that can be used on virtually anything than look no further than Shine Supply’s Solution. This can be used on leather, vinyl, carpeting, paint, plastic, carbon fiber, aluminum, bug and tar etc etc. The only thing I can knock Solution for is the smell. It doesn’t smell very strong, but it does have an somewhat unpleasant smell to it for me. Thankfully the odor of Solution doesn’t stick around. If you don’t mind diluting products I would also Gtechniq’s W5 as another solid choice. When diluted correctly it can do one heck of a job on a variety of surfaces without causing harm to any coatings applied.

Price- Shine Supply “Ready to use” Solution 32oz bottle $14.
Price- Gtechniq W5 500ml bottle $9


Optional items:
These items will help build your detailing arsenal, but aren`t necessarily something you will need from the get go nor are they something I would consider to be a basic item to have.

Fallout remover
Having a good fallout remover while not a basic need in the detailing world is still something that is recommended. Iron in general is jagged and can oxidize itself to your car so it is not surprising that it can be harmful if left unchecked for too long. A good Iron/Fallout remover spray can go a long way. Personally I use Gtechniq W6. It does a great job of removing iron deposits from your car and is coating safe. The only drawback here is that it smells bad, really bad. It isn’t a smell that stays with the cars body as you will be washing it away with your shampoo, but while you are using W6 it smells like sewage.

Price- $8 for 250ml bottle and $14 for a 500ml bottle.

Metal Polish
A good polish for your exhaust and wheels can go a long way in making them pop a little more than usual. Sounds good, but I don’t consider this a need for a couple reasons. Simply put it is a pain to work with at times, takes time and given the effort required the gains may not be as noticeable for some compared to the wheel cleaner I recommended. Still, if you wish to enter this world of detailing I would recommend thinking about what materials your wheel is made out of. If you are dealing with a metal, allow, aluminum, brass, copper, silver, chrome or stainless steel I would recommend Gtechniq M1 will be a good option for you. I used to use Optimum’s metal polish, but I find M1 gives a bit more pop to the applied area. Not only this but it is relatively easy to work with for a polish like this and it doesn’t burn.

Price- $13 for a 100ml bottle.

Bug Remover

Bug removers in my book are becoming more of an optional item these days with how good some of these all-purpose cleaners and shampoos are getting. Not only this but most bug removers are not ph neutral/coating safe and will require the right ratio to be diluted to. If you pick up a coating safe bug remover you can expect the power of the product to be cut down to ensure it is “safe”.

Coating safe- Gtechniq W8 bug remover. This is a product that does work quite well given it is coating safe IF you follow the instructions. Do not let this dwell in direct sun light, if you let it dwell make sure it is not hot paint and in the garage. If you are working in heat reduce the dwell time to instant agistation and rinse. With this product you simply spray, let dwell IF you meet the requirements on the bottle, agitate with a soft microfiber towel/extra mitt, and rinse completely away. I usually work with this will I am cleaning my car so I have the ability to hit the areas with wash/shampoo again.

Price- W8 will cost you $7 and $10 dollars for a 250ml and 500ml bottle.

Non-coating safe- Shine Supply Bug Off. This is not advertised as a coating safe product and it will require dilution. This is not to say you can’t use it on a coating or wax, but it will be at your own risk. Still, this product can do a fantastic job.

Tar Remover
I am not a fan of using a “Bug & Tar Remover” if you are going to the point of getting specific products for this area of car care, do it right and buy these products separately. There are two products in this area that I really like. One is coating safe they other is….well…I will neither confirm nor deny it being coating/wax safe.

Coating safe- If you want a surprisingly capable tar and adhesive remover that will not damage your car’s coating look no further than Gtechniq’s W8. It has good cleaning power for tar and adhesive marks. The only thing I will knock this product on is that it has a potent smell. It smells like paint thinner to me so be warned it has a strong smell to it and you will want to not bring any buffing towels used with this product inside your house until you are ready to clean them. Overall great product.
Price- $500ml bottle $12

Non-coating safe- Stoner Tarminator. There is some grey area here as to whether or not it is coating safe or if it will strip wax some. Still this product is not listed as coating safe and if used incorrectly/allowed to dwell for too long it can cause some damage so I am just going to say for purposes of this post that it is not a coating safe product. Now that we got that out of the way, bang for your buck you can’t beat this product in my book. It is cheap and does a great job of removing stubborn tar spots.
Price- $6 a can.

I am sure I missing some stuff here, but my brain is friend between long work days and being under the weather. Still I feel like this is more than enough to get someone started in the detailing world with solid product choices that i use myself. Goal here isn`t to provide instructions, just good product recommendations at this point.

[Accumulator]

Oh no, completely fair point! I would not have thought about powder coated wheels so it is good you mentioned and it is something for me to think about in the future when doing a write up. All of this information will get added to my original post. By metal polish I meant something safe that doesn`t burn and can be used on a variety of wheel surfaces (though probably not powdercoat or painted) like M1.

Glad I apparently didn`t give offense.

Note that powdercoated wheels (and what many oe wheels are these days) are probably the least vulnerable to inappropriate abrasives (or most anything else), powdercoat is pretty tough. Painted, let alone anodized, wheels OTOH, are *VERY* sensitive to Metal Polishes...generally, unless it`s bare aluminum or chrome plated (regular chrome, not "black chrome") I would never use a Metal Polish on it.