recommend me some products

[573]

My last car was an old blueish gray Lincoln Town Car that required very little to keep it looking good. All I really ever did with that was hit it with the power wash and dry it off with some old rags. Because of this, I know nothing about proper paint care.



My new car is a black 2007 Subaru WRX and as you can imagine, its a pain to keep clean. I`ve adapted my old method and quit using the power wash and started using cheap hair shampoo. I`m really not satisfied with the results and I`m afraid that I could damage my paint if I continue with this same method.



I`d like to get some proper car washing products that will make my car look great and keep it looking good for years. I`d like to get some soap, polish, clay bar, wax, wheel cleaner, a wash mitt, and some microfiber.(let me know if I missed anything) I don`t know what brands to get or how to properly use the stuff so any info/ recommendations would be appreciated.



I`d like to get good stuff but price does matter so don`t recommend anything overly extravagant.



Here are some pictures I took after one of my ghetto washes. It looks better in the pictures than it does in person. There are some minor swirls and blemishes that aren`t really visible in the pic.







Thanks

[573]

bump for answers

[howareb]

I`ve adapted my old method and quit using the power wash and started using cheap hair shampoo



I`d like to get some proper car washing products that will make my car look great and keep it looking good for years. I`d like to get some soap, polish, clay bar, wax, wheel cleaner, a wash mitt, and some microfiber.(let me know if I missed anything) I don`t know what brands to get or how to properly use the stuff so any info/ recommendations would be appreciated.



I`d like to get good stuff but price does matter so don`t recommend anything overly extravagant.

You are kidding about the hair shampoo right. I hope that it was baby shampoo, "no more tears"



Serioulsy you will need to purchase a DA of some type such as a UDM, Flex or PC. Ther are many good packages with polish and pads available on various sites(autogeek.net, properautocare.com, autopia-carcare.com, etc.). As far as polishes are concerned; Mezerna, Optimum, and Meguairs come to mind. Depending upon the severity of the scratches will ultimatly determine how aggressive a polish you will need. You will also will need a halogen light.



Auto detailing requires many different types of tools and products. If you search here you can find lists of products that people recommend for newbees.

[GatorJ]

Start here:



http://autopia.org/forum/guide-detailing/

[Jscort98]

Welcome to autopia! Definitely start here

http://autopia.org/forum/guide-detailing/



Some good OTC products that are cheap are:

Megs Gold class car soap $8

NXT tech wax 2.0 $15

Stoners invisible glass $4

Megs smooth surface clay kit $18

Any tire shine/foam is good $5

Soap and water is usually good for cleaning wheels

Get some good microfiber towels for drying and quick detailing (vroom from target or viking from kmart)

some yellow proline grout sponges from lowes ($2 each)



Seems like most of the basics besides polishes and a machine.

[TTWAGN]

good shampoo microfibres and a spray wax such as aquawax.



Then look at a a claybar kit and a nice glaze like colorX to hide/reduce ur swirls then spraywax over the top.



Then look at a buffer and pads. Apply and work in colorX as its abrasive and will remove swirls.



A lot of people go buy dozens of products to do a multiple steps but after the first few details they cant be bothered any more and look for products that do an ok job in one or two steps. Meguiars colorX is a great one step product though you can get better results doing individual polish and waxing steps.

[Mark77]

If you don`t want to spend too much, use a claybar kit, Then clean the paint with color X. As a wax I would recommend NXT 2.0, very userfriendly and makes black look awsome.

As a wash tool a grout sponge is very popular here, cheap too. Use shampoo for cars not hair, first time I heard about that, but it`s probably safer than dish soap

[scott2314]

Jscort98 has a good otc list. I`d add Eagle One Nano Protectant $6. I used some BLACK MAGIC Engine Shine Degreaser this weekend on wifes car, and it worked well.

[johnson]

Here`s a list ive compiled over the last few days. Ive been out of the loop for at least a year so I started researching on what`s new, what works, etc. Im still adding and moving stuff around but it should get you started.



Clay Bar:

Clay Magic Red

Clay Magic Blue

Zaino

Sonus SFX Ultra-Fine Detailing Clay



Shampoo:

1Z Einszett Perls Shampoo

Duragloss 901

Meguiar`s Gold Class (GC)

Ultima Paint Guard Wash (UPGW)

Optimum No Rinse (ONR)

Optimum Wash

Detailer`s Pride Extreme Foam

Chemical Guys Citrus Wash and Gloss (CG CW&G)

Zaino Z-7



Cleaners/Compounds and Swirl Removers:

Meguiar’s Mirror Glaze #105 Ultra-Cut Compound

Meguiar’s Mirror Glaze #83 Dual Action Cleaner/Polish (DACP)

Menzerna Power Gloss (PG)

Menzerna Super Intensive Polish (SIP)

Optimum Compound

Optimum Hyper Compound (OHC)

Sonus SFX-1 Restore Polish

1Z Einszett Extra Paint Cleaner Compound

1Z Einszett Intensive Paste



Polishes and Glazes:

Danase Wet Glaze (DWG)

Optimum Poli-Seal (PS)

Optimum Opti-Seal (OS)

Klasse All-In-One (AIO)

Sonus SFX-2 Enhance Swirl Remover

Sonus SFX-3 Final Finish Polish

Meguiar’s Mirror Glaze #80 Professional Speed Glaze

1Z Einszett Metallic PolishWax

1Z Einszett Paint Polish Lack-Politur

1Z Einszett High Gloss Polish

3M Perfect-It 3000 Ultrafina SE (UF)

Menzerna PO106FF

Menzerna PO85RD

P21S Paintwork Cleansing Lotion

Optimum Polish (OP)



Wax:

Pinnacle Souveran (PS)

P21S Concours Carnauba Wax

P21S 100% Carnauba Wax

Meguiars Mirror Glaze #26 Hi-Tech Liquid Car Wax

Natty`s Blue Paste Wax

Chemical Guys 50/50

Clearkote Carnauba Moose Wax

1Z Einszett Glanz Wax `Hart-Glanz`

Swissvax Zuffenhausen



Sealant:

Poorboy’s EX-P

Poorboy’s EX w/carnauba

Klasse Sealant Glaze (SG)

Optimum Opti-Seal (OS)

Ultima Paint Guard Plus (UPGP)



Tire and Wheel:

Eagle 1 A2Z Tire and Wheel Cleaner

Optimum Tire Shine

Optimum Opti-Bond

Ultima Tire & Trim Guard Plus (UT&TGP)

Meguiar’s Hyper Dressing @ 3:1

Armor All Tire Foam (AA)

Chemical Guys V.R.P. @ 2:1

Sonus Tire & Bumper Dressing Gel

Four Stars Ultimate Tire Gel

P21S Wheel Gel

Super Green Stuff



Glass and Plastic:

Stoner Invisible Glass (IG)

Eagle One 20/20

Plexus Plastic Cleaner & Polish



Interior:

Woolite & Water 15:1

1Z Lederpflege

Sonus Leather Conditioner

Leather Masters

BioKleen Traffic Lane Cleaner

Meguiar’s Mirror Glaze #40 Vinyl & Rubber Cleaner / Conditioner

FK1 #108 Top Kote

1Z Einszett Cockpit Premium



Tar Remover:

AutoGlym Intensive Tar Remover

WD-40

Mineral Spirits

Goof Off

Malco Citra-clean full-strength



Quick Detailer:

Meguiar’s Mirror Glaze #34 Final Inspection (FI)

Optimum Instant Detailer & Gloss Enhancer

FK1 #425 Ultra Slick Poly Wipe Spray Detailer - Anti-Static

Clearkote Quikshine

-------------------------------------------------------------------------



You can find these OTC.



Clay Magic Blue @ AutoZone for $11.99

Meguiar`s Gold Class shampoo

Meguiar’s Mirror Glaze #83 Dual Action Cleaner/Polish @ a body shop supply store. Can only buy in quarts or larger.

Meguiars Mirror Glaze #26 Hi-Tech Liquid Car Wax

S100 Carnauba Wax @ Harley Davidson dealer

S100 Shine Enhancing Paint Cleanser (SEPC) @ Harley Davidson dealer

Eagle 1 A2Z Tire and Wheel Cleaner

Meguiar`s High Endurance Tire Gel

Meguiar`s Hot Shine High Gloss Tire Coating

Stoner Invisible Glass

Eagle One 20/20

Plexus Plastic Cleaner & Polish

CD-2 Engine Detailer @ AutoZone for $4.99 a can

Woolite

Meguiar’s Mirror Glaze #40 Vinyl & Rubber Cleaner / Conditioner

Meguiar’s Mirror Glaze #34 Final Inspection

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser



Here`s a good thread by Scottwax.

http://autopia.org/forum/car-detaili...here-mine.html

[573]

Thanks for the information.



Yes, I did use hair shampoo. I haven`t had the car for long so it has only had to endure hair shampoo once. I knew that it wasn`t the best but I didn`t think it could harm the paint.



I`ll probably go shopping this weekend. I`ll update the thread with what I end up getting.



Thanks again for the help.