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Products for cheapskates?
I’m looking for the most economical way to maintain my car and I’d like to hear some brutally honest feedback from you fine folk.
My local store sells an environmentally friendly window cleaner that is actually cheaper than the brand name stuff. I tried a little on some water marks and it got them straight off but I’m wondering if it’s a terrible idea. ie would it remove wax or even be bad for paint? If it makes any difference the vehicles are recent VW Polo and Golf.
I also have a few cans of cheap engine degreaser. Is it safe to use on tyres and painted wheels? I assume not so I’m asking first.
Ben
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
Poorboys World has some excellent, no frills, no fancy packaging products.
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
To brutally honest, detailing is not cheap and is a expensive hobby. I would suggest hitting up your big box discount stores. You can usually find some decent products on sale. On the flip side, if you watch the forum store here, there are sometime sales of 25% off. I usually take advantage of one of them, and get everything I need for the spring/summer in one big order.
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
6`ish years ago I fell into the detailing trap. I have a storage cabinet I bought just for detailing stuff. It`s packed full of Polish Angel, Gyeon, Letherique, Sonax and whatever other uber boutique brands. What I`ve learned, spending money doesn`t always mean the best products. And, brick and mortar doesn`t always = crap. The wheel cleaner everyone`s talking about is Eagle One Wheel & Tire. It`s like $5 for a 24oz bottle and appears to work 95% as good, if not exactly the same as the Sonax Fallout I bought for like $119 for 5 liters. I`m pretty bad at math but 6x5 is like 4 times cheaper. One of the most popular sealant`s right now is Meguiar`s Fast Finish. Which costs $15`ish, and works close to as well as the Polish Angel stuff I use which was 5x as expensive. Don`t get caught up on brands, and don`t listen to people who poo all over stuff you can buy at a Walmart. While Walmart`s full of junk, they have some stuff that`s great. With all the products I currently own, my next trip will be to AutoZone to get some Eagle 1 wheel cleaner. No more Sonax Fallout for me.
Turtle Wax Ice Seal n Shine for example, works better than some of the $40-70 a bottle stuff I have. I`d say go to Walmart or Autozone and pick up some Eagle 1 Tire & Wheel and the Turtle Wax. If you`re going to buy the Eagle 1, the bottle says something about Plasti-Dip & Black on it. They have 2 products that look almost identical, but aren`t. I`d use this on your wheels over a degreaser, but that`s just me. And at $5 a bottle it`s priced good even for a frugal person like yourself. If you want to be a bit more spendy, Mothers CMX is getting a lot of praise. It`s a SIO2/TIO2 spray sealant that`s $15-20 for a 24oz bottle. Saw some YT videos where it performed awesome in torture tests. One of my all time favorite soap`s is Meguiar`s Gold Class. $8 for half a gallon at Target or Walmart. And honestly it probably works as good as the Gyeon Bathe I use. Which cost like $25 for a liter. So uh, more math.... yeah it`s a lot lot lot cheaper to buy the Meg`s. Even if Bathe is better, it`s not 6x the price better.
To Echo what PA DETAILER said, detailing can be an expensive hobby, but you said yourself you`re a cheapskate. So you won`t fall into the same patterns I did of wanting to buy and try everything. I wish I could figure out how to be cheap, because I sure don`t have money for Polish Angel & Gyeon lol.
You said you had cans of degreaser, I personally wouldn`t use a degreaser that`s not diluted on wheels or tires. Perhaps someone here with more experience can chime in. I know at full strength you can do some damage with them very quickly.
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
Ben,
Don`t believe we have met, so welcome to the forum !
The window cleaner you mention sounds like it will not be dangerous to use but it is always good to read what the ingredients are..
Anything labeled as a "degreaser" is usually very strong (to be able to remove baked on from heat, oil, grease, etc..) and I would never consider using this product on rubber tires for sure..
On painted wheels, do you really need to use a degreaser on them? Are they that dirty, greasy, etc.. ??
Usually, just the same car wash soap used for the vehicle works good on wheels, unless they are really, really, dirty and car wash soap is ineffective.. Which is it ?
Dan F
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
You aen`t buyin` no cheap stuff @ auto zone or walmart that is on the same planet as PA Cosmic V2 and that just a fact
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
re-tired
You aen`t buyin` no cheap stuff @ auto zone or walmart that is on the same planet as PA Cosmic V2 and that just a fact
Not a fair comparison, Cosmic V2`s a coating that will give you 2 applications for $70. Mother`s CMX is made up of SIO2/TIO2, probably much lower quantities. But for $20 you get a bottle that could do like a dozen cars. A more fair VS would be PA Cosmic Spritz. (which I own) Price difference taken into account it can`t be that much better than CMX. You`re compairing a spray sealant to a coating. Coatings will always win.
PA`s a great brand, but they don`t make magical products, SIO2/TIO2 based, like plenty of other brands. You`re paying for the label and the fact it`s hand made, oh and it comes from Germany. I`m probably $700 invested in PA products, I even bought their brushes. I love the brand, but I understand all but 1-2 of the products I bought from them I overpaid for lol.
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
quebert
...spending money doesn`t always mean the best products.
But sometimes the bottles are *really* cool [emoji38]
Every time I buy something non-essential (about 75% of the stuff i buy) I come a little closer to understanding why wife has/buys sooo many shoes that pretty much all look the same to me. She insists they`re all different in small ways that require the variety. It sounds very familiar when she says that.
Also makes me realize I should just keep my mouth shut and nod my head agreeably.
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
Personally, I wouldn`t use an engine degreaser near brakes due to the fact that there may be petroleum distillates in the can & make braking distances change, in a bad way. If the brake pads absorb the distillates, it may be difficult to remove.
Secondly, if you search the threads, plenty of OTC products are mentioned & two were mentioned here already.
Thirdly, as mentioned before, PoorBoy`s makes excellent performing products at a reasonable price, and wait for a sale.
Lastly, welcome to Autopia.
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
I will say that I was a bit surprised when I went into AutoZone last week( for the first time in ages) and they actually had a fantastic selection of quality products , they even had a Griots 6" DA for $149.
Still- if you folks knew how the Cosmic has performed on my wifes car- you would all stand amazed in silence and just shake your head-- I am still amazed myself.
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
Thanks for all the thoughts guys. Sadly here in Australia the Eagle 1 stuff is US$25/bottle and even the cheap stuff is $15. Any of the more respected name brands are $40+ and we don’t have any Walmarts or Targets selling generic stuff cheap. Economies of scale I guess.
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
BudgetPlan1
But sometimes the bottles are *really* cool [emoji38]
Every time I buy something non-essential (about 75% of the stuff i buy) I come a little closer to understanding why wife has/buys sooo many shoes that pretty much all look the same to me. She insists they`re all different in small ways that require the variety. It sounds very familiar when she says that.
Also makes me realize I should just keep my mouth shut and nod my head agreeably.
Don`t get me started on bottles and labels, that`s why I`m embarrassed to admit I`ve never used a poorboys product, they purposely made them look so cheap lol. I`ve bought Gyeon products I`ll never use simply because the bottle looks so good lol. I wish I could be one of those guys that is fine with random 16oz bottles that have hand written scotch tape labels. But for me, when I have a decent amount of a product line, and they redesign the bottle or logo, and I order something new. I feel the need to re-buy the rest of what I have just so all my bottles can be the new label and match. Adam`s did this to to me 3 years ago. Matching labels make the products work better, or something. I even went thru a faze where I was obsessed with those tiny PA bottles with the full sized sprayers on them.
Phatrs.... teach me how to be a cheapskate, please? I saw your last post, AUS huh? Yikes I know stuff`s eeeeeexpensive over there! All my suggestions are out the window hummmm. Well, at least you guys have Tim Tams, I`ve heard those are delicious
BudgetPlan1 - Just peaked at the Overcoat bottle you sent me right now *shudder* so pretty!
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
Duragloss is also an inexpensive line that works exactly as advertised. See if you can find them in the outback.
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
CMX is nice but doesn’t shed the water no where near as cosmic and cosmic looks a tad better.
If I was ballin on a budget:
Soap: optimum car wash.
Rims: Meguiars ultimate wheel cleaner.
Iron removal: Meguiars ultimate wheel cleaner.
Tires rubber and trim: CP Perl, not the cheapest but not expensive and can use everywhere even dress engine.
Protection Turtle wax seal and shine. CMX close second due to price difference.
Glass: Stoner foaming glass.
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
Don`t know if it`s a cheaper brand but hear a lot of it that want it tested against other brands. It`s Bowdens Own I think that it`s called. Could be worth to check out.
Since the detailing products is expensive in Australia like here in Sweden. I would look for products that you dilute. That way if a glass cleaner for an example is recommended to dilute to 1:20 or something like that. You will save a lot of money vs a RTU glass cleaner. The same for wheel cleaners and dressings and APC and many other products.
Then it`s comes down to the personal preferences as always. Would you use a good product or a great product. The cost can make you settle on the good product. While in some cases you find you want the great product. Then it`s not so much if it`s 6× better just that it`s better for you. And then a great product don`t necessary need to be expensive either.
Meguiars is up with the higher range of prices here in Sweden and also Australia and other countries. And say as compared to Carpro and Gyeon it can even be more expensive. So many times it`s not worth it as there are other products that is cheaper and better or cheaper and as good as Meguiars products. Meguiars Fast Finish for an example is around $32-$33 here in Sweden and very rarely on any sale. Ultimate Compound and also Polish each at $24 and Gold Class car soap the half gallon is $25 and Ultimate All Wheel Cleaner 24oz is $19 and a gallon of Hyper Dressing $143 and most M abrasives is $63 32oz. Sonax Wheel Cleaner Plus 24oz I get for around $12(I get it around $8) and Menzerna HC400 33oz is $45 and SF3800 is $38. Just some comparisons LOL. And if imported from the US the taxes and the customs cost and shipping will eat up the cheaper price sadly. Look at the prices of Angelwax in the UK vs the US prices. And you will see they have most of their products for half the price you get it at. It`s just the name of the game.
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
Detailing products are similar to wine. The most inexpensive are the absolute worst junk as a rule. The super expensive usually fail to deliver proportionally to their price. There are always exceptions if you do your homework.
I think you should find an Aussie specific forum as products are region specific. That said there are very few products over $20 that deliver IMO.
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
Quote:
Originally Posted by PA DETAILER
To brutally honest, detailing is not cheap and is a expensive hobby.
While it`s not as expensive as some I can think of, it does cost a bit. And if not doing it for pay it`s good to remember that it *is* a HOBBY. While maintaining the cosmetics of a vehicle can indeed help maintain its value (if only to a minimal extent, and that`s often all it amounts to), it`s primarily a discretionary expense that people indulge because they think it`s fun or it scratches some psych itch; it`s only as important as you let it be and it should never be an actual financial burden.
phatrs- I`d expect any good Glass Cleaner to be hard on wax, so IMO *any* Glass Cleaner oughta be kept on the glass and off other stuff. It`s pretty rare for limited contact to damage healthy autopaint, but I`d still just keep it off anything other than glass and chrome.
As Stokdgs and EXPDetailing implied, many of us only use Degreasers to remove....grease; for those jobs where emulsifying greasy stuff is the primary challenge. And it`s best to keep all harsh stuff off tires. Most wheels are powdercoated these days, and that`s pretty tough stuff, but if in doubt, just stick to Wheel Cleaners if a sorta-strong shampoo mix won`t do the job (it probably will if the wheels are waxed, probably won`t if they`re not).
I have zero knowledge about what is(n`t) available in Australia, so I can`t help with specific product recommendations. But I`d check out Autobody/Paint Supply Stores as some of `em have decent stuff at reasonable prices.
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
BudgetPlan1
But sometimes the bottles are *really* cool [emoji38]
Every time I buy something non-essential (about 75% of the stuff i buy) I come a little closer to understanding why wife has/buys sooo many shoes that pretty much all look the same to me. She insists they`re all different in small ways that require the variety. It sounds very familiar when she says that.
Also makes me realize I should just keep my mouth shut and nod my head agreeably.
The secret to a long happy marriage--IMHO and she said I could quote her!
Jay
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Coatings=crack
CMX is nice but doesn’t shed the water no where near as cosmic and cosmic looks a tad better.
If I was ballin on a budget:
Soap: optimum car wash.
Rims: Meguiars ultimate wheel cleaner.
Iron removal: Meguiars ultimate wheel cleaner.
Tires rubber and trim: CP Perl, not the cheapest but not expensive and can use everywhere even dress engine.
Protection Turtle wax seal and shine. CMX close second due to price difference.
Glass: Stoner foaming glass.
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He said he lives in Australia, over there Meguiar`s stuff is priced about what Gyeon sells for in the states. Since Meg`s has always been my go to reasonably priced brand. It just blows my mind to think about how different my product line up would be if I lived in Australia or somewhere that everything was imported. If Meguiars is that expensive over there, I can`t even imagine what Gyeon would cost.
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
quebert
He said he lives in Australia, over there Meguiar`s stuff is priced about what Gyeon sells for in the states. Since Meg`s has always been my go to reasonably priced brand. It just blows my mind to think about how different my product line up would be if I lived in Australia or somewhere that everything was imported. If Meguiars is that expensive over there, I can`t even imagine what Gyeon would cost.
Yeah didn’t state in his opening post but the vw Polo shoulda gave it away. Not gonna get much help here. Maybe try detail world?
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
quebert
He said he lives in Australia, over there Meguiar`s stuff is priced about what Gyeon sells for in the states. Since Meg`s has always been my go to reasonably priced brand. It just blows my mind to think about how different my product line up would be if I lived in Australia or somewhere that everything was imported. If Meguiars is that expensive over there, I can`t even imagine what Gyeon would cost.
Here in Sweden the prices for Gyeon products is about the same. And we have taxes included in the prices. Don`t remember if that`s something that`s added on the prices in the Autopia shop. It`s the same prices for Carpro and Polish Angel. Sonax many products is cheaper than the US prices. But the retail products from Sonax is OFC products and also some products from the Profiline here in Sweden. Meguiars is at autoshops and detailing shops. And compared to the whole Meguiars line we have very few products from them.
Talked to a swedish Meguiars rep at a car show about a month ago. I`m interested to get the #7 and try it out on an old SS paint. They could not order it for me or any else of the products they don`t have offered here. It can be that either there are chemicals in the products that are not allowed here or the sales is thought to not go well here and also the bottle descriptions needs to be written in swedish and gets an extra cost. So it`s not so easy with any imported products if they are not designed to be sold global. No fault or bash on Meguiars from me. Just how it is here in Sweden product wise.
Think when you order Meguiars products next if you where to pay at least the double of the price and also tripple of the price. Saw one product that where the fifth of the price here IIRC it is D115 rinse free and wax in the gallon. And also at the retail price these prices is compared to. I see many sales here and on AGO now days that makes the prices even lower. Sure we have some sales here and there but far away less than here.
And it is a little strange as I think that Meguiars has a manufacture plant in the UK. We have their ceramic coating topper Top Coat M699 which is the same price as Fast Finish and comes in a 16oz bottle. That I have thinking on buying and since the HCW is sold out every where and not even the Swedish Meguiars has it in stock. And would be fun to do a little review for you guys too. The Deep Crystal Ultra Paint Coating M688 I think is only for certified detailer here. It`s their second coating and the previous where the M188. So they have been in the SiO2 business for some time outside of the US strangely. TiO2 they use a small amount in the Ultimate liquid wax. Don`t know why they don`t offering the coating or at least the Top Coat in the US . Since they have the product and the coatings has been very popular. Just look at the HCW and how good that seems to be. They have also just released the Ultimate Snow Foam in the EU. And some discontinued products is offered here too as Meguiars Wash+.
Otherwise we don`t have so much of US brands. A few products from Poorboy`s the glazes and Adam`s have quite a good offering here with their own webshop and Collinite and Mothers and Chemical Guys has also good offerings from their lines. The same with them that the prices is around the double of the price. And also some of the Ultima line which I have a few products from and like them a lot. I have been on the shop where I buy it from why they don`t have the new versions of many of their products. It`s still the solvent based products as UPGP and Interior protectant and the Plastic and Trim protectant. Seems like they bought up the old versions when they switched to the water based ones. The Ultima Interior Schampo Gel is a top notch product which I like very much.
To the OP. Look up if you can get the Finish Kare 1000p Hi-temp paste wax. Fk1000p will get you many applications and has a good price here in Sweden so maybe you can get it at a good price too. That`s a little sad drawback with most SiO2 based products which you get many applications from but the shelf life is not so long if you only have a car or two. Solvent based products like paste waxes/sealants stay fresh for many years. So some products it`s more worth in the longrun to buy the smaller products. As coating lite products like Gyeon CanCoat and Carpro Lite where you get up to 10 applications plus minus some. And they last on the paint more than 6 months. With 4 applications you are up to 2 years and even longer many times and definitely with Gyeon Primer Polish and Carpro Essence as primers they last very long. CanCoat has quite a good shelf life as what I have heard and Carpro Lite is too new to know how it is. But if you only have 1 car I think that it`s getting too old before you use it up. The same is it with some liquid sealants. So you can go with a topper and use as often as possible and if it`s able to be used so. If you where to go with CQUK 3.0 and 2 layers and maybe Essence as primer. You will get over 2 years with good maintance. And a 30ml bottle will be great for your Polo and maybe even the wheels. Sure there are cheaper options but you use up all of the product and get an easy car to wash and it looks great. I have used Gyeon Wet Coat and Carpro Hydro2 lite and Sonax Spray and Seal on some cars as the only protection. With an off label use where you spray it on with a spray or two on wet paint per panel and wipe it in and PW rinsed off thoroughly or a strong water pressure from the hose. A 500ml bottle will reach you a year easy and a 1L bottle up to 2 years. So the jump up to the CQUK coating is not much more. Just a more thorough prep work with a coating. Then you always benefits with a thorough prep work. But sometimes it`s not works with time and all. So a decon wash and clay and use something like a spray on rinse off product is an easy way to go with.
The problem is often when get cought in the testing different kind of products. Then the budget gets easy blown away LOL. Also sometimes it can be worth to buy a knowned and tried product in the higher price range. Like polishes and pads where you can get products on the cheaper prices which dust a lot and are hard to remove and also don`t cut enough and finishing as good as you want to. Pads that shreds and wear out too fast. Here I would go with the more known products. Than if you get unlucky and gets you more work and you may be doing it once again and get new products that time.
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
I have been off work the entire summer from my "real" job. So, I`ve detailed a bunch of cars. In doing so, I`ve shopped around for some cheaper stuff that wouldn`t lack the quality. But would give me an advantage on saving money.
Glass cleaner: Sprayaway- Advanced Auto $4, currently $2 a can.
Degreaser: SuperClean-$5.99 at WalMart. I use it for carpets, wheels, engines.
Turtle Wax Ice Seal & Shine- $9.97 at WalMart. Best bang for your buck on a shine.
Meguiars Fast Finish- usually found for under $15 at WalMart and Advanced Auto.
Advanced Auto also has specials on most of their detailing brands. When you buy one at regular price you can get any one for 50% off.
Hope this helps.
Edit: I just saw you live in Australia. My suggestion would be to go on Amazon and look up these products and see how much they are.
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
WaxManRonnie
I have been off work the entire summer from my "real" job. So, I`ve detailed a bunch of cars. In doing so, I`ve shopped around for some cheaper stuff that wouldn`t lack the quality. But would give me an advantage on saving money.
Glass cleaner: Sprayaway- Advanced Auto $4, currently $2 a can.
Degreaser: SuperClean-$5.99 at WalMart. I use it for carpets, wheels, engines.
Turtle Wax Ice Seal & Shine- $9.97 at WalMart. Best bang for your buck on a shine.
Meguiars Fast Finish- usually found for under $15 at WalMart and Advanced Auto.
Advanced Auto also has specials on most of their detailing brands. When you buy one at regular price you can get any one for 50% off.
Hope this helps.
Edit: I just saw you live in Australia. My suggestion would be to go on Amazon and look up these products and see how much they are.
Thanks WaxManRonnie. The Meguairs Fast Finish sounds like a very interesting product: although they say it’s lasts up to a year and can be used instead of a wax or polymer sealant I’m thinking it would be great on top of a coating of wax.
Cheapest I can find locally is US$27 but I don’t mind spending that much on a once a year product.
Amazon recently launched in Australia but delivery fees make everything equal to or greater than the store prices.
What I don’t understand is why car cleaning products are 5 times more expensive than household cleaning products, taking APC as an example.
Ben
Current: ‘19 VW Golf R
Past: ‘05 RS 225 Cup
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
It must be the shipping cost to Australia that makes detailing products cost more than household cleaners. I too was going to suggest Meguires as a “budget” option. Shame it costs so much there. Australia does a lot of business with China so you may be able to buy on Alibaba and get a lower shipping rate as many decent detailing products are sold there. I don’t know if you have to pay customs charges or not, but it is worth looking in to.
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
phatrs
The Meguairs Fast Finish sounds like a very interesting product...they say it’s lasts up to a year and can be used instead of a wax or polymer sealant I’m thinking it would be great on top of a coating of wax...
DISCLAIMER: I don`t really know from Ultimate Fast Finish; I`ve never used it. That said..
Beware any durability claims that are worded "...lasts UP TO a year." Such a description is actually meaningless since even Souveran, or some leaves-stuff-behind QD, can last *up to* a year depending on circumstances (like a closed, climate-controlled garage).
And just from what I`ve read about UFF here at Autopia, I dunno about putting it *on top of* a wax. Lots of products don`t bond to waxes; it`s waxes that can usually be applied over top of other things (not the other way around).
OK, back to posts by people who know something about Ultimate Fast Finish!
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
Good point Accumulator. A timely reminder for me to read the description before applying any product.
Ben
Current: ‘19 VW Golf R
Past: ‘05 RS 225 Cup
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
After using boutique products for years, mostly Zaino I`ve decided to only buy locally or from Amazon for my new truck.
I`ve already bought TW S&S. Is the TW Ice detailer a good topper?
Is the Mothers clay bar a worthy local purchase. I`ve always used clay magic, but it`s gotten pricey. Any suggestions for a bar or even a mitt? Looking at the nanoskin mitt.
Eagle One all wheel and tire.
I`ve got some Zaino and Duragloss car wash. Probably go with gold wash or Gyeon Bathe and Geyon Prep to remove the dealer wax. Is 50/50 isoprop a worthy cheap alternative?
I`ve got a foam cannon on the way from Amazon.
What about cheap quality hand sprayers?
What am I missing?
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
tul9033
After using boutique products for years, mostly Zaino I`ve decided to only buy locally or from Amazon for my new truck.
I`ve already bought TW S&S. Is the TW Ice detailer a good topper?
Is the Mothers clay bar a worthy local purchase. I`ve always used clay magic, but it`s gotten pricey. Any suggestions for a bar or even a mitt? Looking at the nanoskin mitt.
Eagle One all wheel and tire.
I`ve got some Zaino and Duragloss car wash. Probably go with gold wash or Gyeon Bathe and Geyon Prep to remove the dealer wax. Is 50/50 isoprop a worthy cheap alternative?
I`ve got a foam cannon on the way from Amazon.
What about cheap quality hand sprayers?
What am I missing?
I used mothers clay (200mg kit) and work well. I’d guess a medium clay.... I’d recommend the Griots synthetic sponge. If you want to keep local I think AUto zone and advanced auto sell it. Worked awesome good size.
For wheels and also paint Decon... Meguiars ultimate wheel cleaner or eagle one black and plasti dip wheel cleaner. Both have iron removers that turn purple. And for interiors I love Meguiars interior quick detailer.
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
tul9033
After using boutique products for years, mostly Zaino I`ve decided to only buy locally or from Amazon for my new truck...
Note that Zaino has a definite "signature look" that might be hard to duplicate with something else.
Quote:
I`ve already bought TW S&S. Is the TW Ice detailer a good topper?
IIRC, others here have used both in combo with good results...or was it some other ICE product?!? Do the dreaded SEARCH and check out the big TW S&S thread, I bet that`ll answer all your Qs about the ICE lineup.
Quote:
Is the Mothers clay bar a worthy local purchase. I`ve always used clay magic, but it`s gotten pricey. Any suggestions for a bar or even a mitt? Looking at the nanoskin mitt.
I for one won`t use the mitts/towels, but others sure like `em. I found the Mother`s clay to be about the same as (at least one generation of) Griot`s, i.e., "medium", nothing wrong with it.
Quote:
I`ve got some Zaino and Duragloss car wash. Probably go with gold wash or Gyeon Bathe and Geyon Prep to remove the dealer wax. Is 50/50 isoprop a worthy cheap alternative?
I`d never expect IPA to strip LSPs and modern Car Wash stuff generally doesn`t affect it much either. FWIW I suspect you`ll find Meguiar`s Gold Class (which isn`t nearly good enough for me) pretty disappointing after the Zaino and DuraGloss. But yeah, I suspect that products from Geyon (which seem to please everyone who tries them) are a really pricey way to go.
Quote:
I`ve got a foam cannon on the way from Amazon.
Others seem to like them, but I do wonder what you`re planning to do with it and why.
Quote:
What about cheap quality hand sprayers?
Do you mean the kind you pump up then just press the trigger to spray? If on a budget, I dunno...(I don`t use those either, got one and/but use it for household stuff instead).
Quote:
What am I missing?
Got everything you need for Correction? How you gonna wash?
I guess the thing that has me scratching my head is why you`re buying some pretty pricey stuff that I`d have no use for/need of while considering the price diffs on Clay Bars to be significant. I`m not criticizing or tsk-tsking or anything, just thinking that if I were being extra-frugal about this stuff I`d probably do it differently (which sure doesn`t make some other approach wrong!).
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
tul9033
After using boutique products for years, mostly Zaino I`ve decided to only buy locally or from Amazon for my new truck.
I`ve already bought TW S&S. Is the TW Ice detailer a good topper?
Is the Mothers clay bar a worthy local purchase. I`ve always used clay magic, but it`s gotten pricey. Any suggestions for a bar or even a mitt? Looking at the nanoskin mitt.
Eagle One all wheel and tire.
I`ve got some Zaino and Duragloss car wash. Probably go with gold wash or Gyeon Bathe and Geyon Prep to remove the dealer wax. Is 50/50 isoprop a worthy cheap alternative?
I`ve got a foam cannon on the way from Amazon.
What about cheap quality hand sprayers?
What am I missing?
If you have a PW with lower than 1.6gpm. I would get a 1.1mm orifice in the foamcannon. This will make it produce a more even and thicker foam and less product used too.
If you getting a new car I would do a finishing polish step on it. That`s where you get the high gloss from. Then maintain it as good as possible. Turtle Wax Power Max wash or something like that. You can dilute from ph neutral to slightly alkaline as a prep wash soap. I`m wondering if they still use the transportation wax on new cars. Maybe some still does. Optimum Power Clean straight seems to be very effective to desolve some waxes and sealants and could be an option to spray on and wipe it in before rinse it off. Think that something like the IPA based Gyeon Prep would be to weak to desolve the wax. A wax and grease remover would be a price effective way to go. Gtechnic Panel Wipe is a strong one that are based on 2 petroleum destillates. But also at a higher cost than what a wax and grease remover already is based on useally. And the finishing polish will definitely remove any waxes remaining.
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
Having read through most all of this thread I am surprised no one appears to have mentioned Optimum ONR. While I don’t know the price in Australia here in the States it is extremely cost effective if you want to limit your products overall and costs.
It is one of the only products I know that is advertised by the manufacturer and proven to be used as a car wash, window cleaner, interior cleaner, QD, clay lube, basically almost all car cleaning tasks.
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
TroyScherer
Having read through most all of this thread I am surprised no one appears to have mentioned Optimum ONR...
It is one of the only products I know that is advertised by the manufacturer and proven to be used as a car wash, window cleaner, interior cleaner, QD, clay lube, basically almost all car cleaning tasks.
[original post DELETED]
I sometimes wonder if the current version of ONR is significantly (like...*extremely*) better than the earlier ones. The stuff I got was in the "jack-of-all-trades, master of none" category. It`s perfectly OK for a household dusting spray, so I have a lifetime supply of that. But it doesn`t go near my vehicles.
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
Duragloss Rinseless wash is the best I`ve used. Pretty cheap and leaves a nicely beading surface for a couple weeks. Use Mothers CMX or something similar and wash with Duragloss and that`s it. Simple.
I found the Optimum rinseless to leave a sticky type residue on the surface.
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
wannafbody- My ONR seemed to do that on my *vehicles* but it does *NOT* seem to do it in the house. I don`t really understand that, but OK, whatever works for me...
Ah, so you like the DuraGloss! Have you ever tried IUDJ? I`m just wondering how the two compare. I always think that IUDJ is the perfect RW for me, but I want to keep an open mind about it.
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Accumulator
I sometimes wonder if the current version of ONR is significantly (like...*extremely*) better than the earlier ones. The stuff I got was in the "jack-of-all-trades, master of none" category. It`s perfectly OK for a household dusting spray, so I have a lifetime supply of that. But it doesn`t go near my vehicles.
I have found uses for ONR. I like IUDJ better but for the cost ONR wins. I have been using the Duragloss Rinseless again and I like it as well.
I guess when I see someone want the cheapest thing possible I don`t believe they are normally up the Autopian level of craziness most times. Thus a suggestion like ONR that could be good for multiple uses but not the best in any one thing.
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
TroyScherer- Ah, OK...thanks, that was just what I was wondering (Re the current ONR vs. IUDJ). thanks for mentioning the DuraGloss too, I gather you`d put that in the ONR-category.
I gotta say (for the umpteenth time ;) ) that I`m *really* liking ONR as a household dusting product. So it`s not like I`m hating on the stuff, in fact, I can honestly say it`s the best new thing I`ve tried for household stuff since forever, really made a nice diff and it`s not like the place was bad before.
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Accumulator
thanks for mentioning the DuraGloss too, I gather you`d put that in the ONR-category.
Honestly I am only half way through my new bottle of DG Rinse-less wash. I feels slicker when washing and is a much better QD / Drying aid compared to ONR for me.
I haven`t compared DG Rinse-less side by side with IUDJ yet for me to speak to that. It will most likely happen in the next few weeks. I have been waiting the then washing my truck and 1 car back to back using different stuff to test them. My truck has an old OC pro application so ONR seems to work well on it.
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
One aspect of car-care detailing products that I have observed from this thread is how much money it costs to import products from other countries WITH the custom taxes, tariffs, and import fees (we in the USA refer to them as bribes to "expedite" them through the inspection and approval process of such government entities/personnel) added to them. That said, I am sure many of us have bought and used products made outside their country that they live in.
To the Original Poster (OP) who lives in Australia, I must apologize to you because myself, living in the USA, cannot identify with your economic pain of having to spend SOOO much on detailing products or having a limited choice of availability of products for detailing. I do not want to sound "better-than-you" or "that`s-your-problem-living-in-that-country", BUT here in the USA we take our consumer prices and wide product choices (AKA free-market economy and financial influence on the world economy) for granted. That`s a real challenge to myself trying to give you advice on detailing products that you simply do not have access through retail outlets/stores that do not exist in Australia or are just too cost prohibitive to buy or not available.
My suggestion? Look at buying from UK manufacturers like BriteMax, AutoGlym, and DoDo Juice. You might have a better opportunity to find what you are looking for at a reasonable price. Though I am not sure what kind of import relationship the Aussies and POMEs (Prisoner Of Mother England, for the "uninformed", and yes, those in England are the REAL prisoners!) have.
Speaking of bribes, it is funny (AKA, ironic) how we in the USA condemn other countries` government or business officials and employees for taking bribes and graft as a part of the "acceptable" government or business practices and procedures. Yet here in the USA they are called "campaign contributions/donations/fund-raisers" or ""business gifts or wine-and-dining (AKA, business expense tax deductions)" or "tipping gratuities". Just sayin`......
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
It’s funny that you mention AutoGlym.
I use their snow foam because it’s cheaper than the alternatives when on special. I also use their tyre dressing and vinyl protectant for the same reason.
Here’s the range available here in Oz:
https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/se...lym&lang=en_AU
The other more reasonably priced brand is Bowden’s Own which is an Aussie brand but still a lot more expensive than US prices.
https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/se...sz=12&start=12
I use their Lazy Wax spray, and Carnauba Body wax.
Ben
Current: ‘19 VW Golf R
Past: ‘05 RS 225 Cup
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Re: Products for cheapskates?
I have same problem buying just to buy but I have two additional problems which are using products for off label uses and being a garage chemist. Lucky the most damage I have done so far if crapped up my sons powerwheels with my rotary. And made the appearance of black plastic parts horrible with a homemade concoction