What essential tools or products...

[darkonion]

What essential tools or products do you bring with you when you travel for an exterior detail?



Dragging along a bunch of stuff is a hassle and burden. What are some of your essential or multi-purpose products or tools that you use in order to travel more conveniently??

[Wasatch]

QD and some MF towels. Only problem I ever had was I ran out of windsheild wiper fluid out in the backcountry and my windows were really bad and had nothing to clean them with. Since that day I put the QD and MFs, but have never had to use them since and that has been 11 years ago.

[Accumulator]

I take Glass Cleaner and some QD, though I virtually *never* use the latter.



I also take some small cotton towels, a few (very good) plush MFs, two MF Glass Towels, and a good number of Griot`s Polypropylene Window Wipes.



I clean my windshield a *lot* when I travel.



I basically never use the QD; I just let the car get dirty and clean it when I get home. Right off-hand, I can`t recall the last time I used it.



"But what about bird-bombs?!?"



On my recent trip to NJ, the car got hit by some *horrific* bird-bombs, real horror-show stuff that covered the roof, hood, "C" pillar, and trunk lid. I flushed the worst of it off with bottled water and then just let it go. The car baked in the sun for a few days after that. When I got home it cleaned up just fine...no etching from the bird-bombs and the bugs that were all over the front end came right off too. Didn`t even need to re-LSP it; the FK1000P did its job just fine.



When I travel the car is just my transportation medium; I`m all about other stuff until I get home.

[Accumulator]

... I ran out of windsheild wiper fluid out in the backcountry and my windows were really bad and had nothing to clean them with..

Besides doing a thorough pre-flight inspection before I leave, when I travel I`m pretty extreme about checking my fluids regularly. While I do really neglect the detailing stuff during my trips, I`m an absolute fanatic about all the functional things.

[darkonion]

I guess I meant to ask something else. Let me see if I can restate the question:



When you do a mobile detail, or a detail away from your home base, what essential products or tools do you bring along?

[brownbob06]

^^^ that was the way I read it.... Apparently others not so much lol. I was beginning to wonder what kind of details people were doing with just MF and QD lol.



I usually bring a milk crate of polishes, compounds and waxes. 2 buckets with soap, tire cleaner, tire dressing, glass cleaner and other exterior wash products as well. And a milwaukee tool bag that both my rotary and orbital fit in. I also bring about 3 wal mart bags of MF cloths and polishing pads.



So altogether I have 1 milk crate, 2 buckets and a few Wal Mart bags. It`s a lot of stuff but it`s packed up right and ready to go. I can fit more than I need in the buckets and crates so I usually have everything I need. Clean up is quick and easy since everything just goes right back into crates or buckets. When I get home I have very little to pull out of my car and put away.

[jose206]

Lol I was thinking I read the question wrong at first lol, too funny... I like to bring a nylon bristle brush Ive had for about a year. From wal mart, "suppose" to be for wheels but no way have I ever touched a wheels with it. This thing is awesome for brushing the carpet before vacumming on real nasty interiors that people just want vacummed. Reached in tighter areas pretty good, those annoying corners.

[Ron Ketcham]

No matter if one detail for the day or more, same should be there to be used as needed.

One each of a rotary and a DA, and at least two pads for compounding and polishing for each.

Compounds and polishes and final wax/sealant.

Towels for grunge work, polish work and final wipe downs.

Towels for glass work.

Brushes to clean wheels, tires, interiors, etc.

All purpose cleaner, some wheel cleaner, etc.

Dressing, one that is non-dimethal silicone that works on interiors and tires, trim.

A small air compressor.

A good, with power vac.

At least 50 feet of 12 gauge extention cord. Two is better than one.

Spray bottles and dispensor bottles for all products which require them.

Yes there are other small items, the point being that as posted, if you think ahead and use the "bottle crates", you can carry more than you think, "if truly organized" in the putting it all together.

[brownbob06]

Honestly, I think my uncle gave me the best tools I have, the crates and the Milwaukee bag lol. You have no idea how many bottles of polish, compound, wax, degreaser, window cleaner etc. etc. you can fit into just one of those things.i can fit way more into a crate than I can a bucket and it`s much more organized. Eventually you just start recognizing your products by the tops of the containers.

[Accumulator]

Woo-Hoo I certainly misread this one!