Best bang-for-the-buck / budget products

L

ls1dreams

New member
Ok all,

I've just joined here, and have browsed through some of the basic sticky's and topics.

One of the bigger issues for me is that I'm becoming overwhelmed by the sheer number of products available for keeping a car clean.

I'd like some advice on picking out the minimum amount of products necessary, and the ones that provide the best bang-for-the-buck.

That is, I don't want to spend $15 on a car wash solution if one for $6 is 90% as good. The same applies to other items.

The car: A 3 year old Legacy GT, red in color. Overall in pretty good shape, with some very light swirling on the hood. Paint is known to be fairly thin and fragile on these cars, so something to protect it would be nice.

What products are MUST haves, and which are unnecessary? So far my list looks like this:

- a quality car wash solution ( meguiar's NXT suggested )
- some kind of mitt for cleaning ( not sure )
- polish/sealant - necessary?
- drying materials - california water blade / waffle-weave towel

The car wash and mitt are no-brainers and a must-haves.

As far as the polish & sealant - I'm not sure I'm entirely comfortable doing this myself, and I really don't want to spend $100+ on a PC dual-action. What options are reasonable for hand-washed vehicles?

Total estimated costs so far:

Meguiar's NXT - $8-$9
or
Eagle 1 - $5-$6 .... is this just as good?

Mitt (???) - $10

California Water Blade - $10 (necessary?)
Waffle Weave Towel (???) - $13

Polish/Sealant - please advise.
 
Added question:

If you apply a polish/sealant by hand...what do you use to apply it? Just another microfiber type towel?
 
Ok, I'll give you my opinions using only stuff you can get at the local store - to keep it simple and keep the cost down. Keep in mind that all you're doing is keeping a car clean. It's not rocket science, as much as some people on the detailing boards would have you to believe. I will say there is something to be said for learning proper technique, but it's not something out of anyone's reach to learn to do things the proper way.

Wash: Meg's NXT is a very good wash. Available locally, and it's not too expensive for a big container of the soap.

Mitt: Locally, I'd either recommend the softest, most plush sheepskin mitt (the natural NOT the synthetic) or one of those microfiber "dreadlock" style mitts.

Polish: Meguiars ColorX. I seem to be pushing this product a lot here lately, but it's pretty darn good product to be cheap and on the shelf. In a "tight" you can also use it as an all in one type product - i.e. it has some synthetic protection properties.

Sealant: Meg's NXT2.0. It's the best OTC LSP I've used to date. (excluding Duragloss products, which are not as widely available depending on your locale)

Drying materials: Microfiber towels would be my first choice. I know the parts places and WalMart carry some large ones specifically for auto drying. If you can't find any of those, new cotton towels would do the trick, but I'd try to remove any sewing on the edges, etc to remove anything that's not cotton. I probably wouldn't use a water blade.

Application by hand for the sealant: I use the Meg's round yellow applicator foam pads.

Application by hand for polish: Terry cloth towel or the yellow foam pad.
 
Arrr, I'm with the pirate matey! (Edit: Just in case JaredPointer changes his avatar, it's a pirate now. Just don't want everyone thinking I'm too weird. lol)

Hit your local Target store, you should be able to find everything there. If they don't have NXT wash, Gold Class is good too. I like the Vroom brand trying towels they carry as well. They are the huge yellow fluffy ones.
 
The paint on the Subies aren't that fragile I have a Baja from 05 and it's not a problem.

the above advise will get you started..and will keep you car looking fine for a long time..
 
BlueZero said:
Arrr, I'm with the pirate matey! (Edit: Just in case JaredPointer changes his avatar, it's a pirate now. Just don't want everyone thinking I'm too weird. lol)

Hit your local Target store, you should be able to find everything there. If they don't have NXT wash, Gold Class is good too. I like the Vroom brand trying towels they carry as well. They are the huge yellow fluffy ones.
Click to expand...

i have those vroom orange detailing microfiber towels, i think i got them in a pack of 6 or 8, they are a must have for buffing and wax removal or drying . Currently I think i have about 20 microfiber towels for all different types of jobs

im not gonna make a long story just list some OTC stuff i use and like

-Meguiars Gold Class Car Wash Jug
-Simple Green Cleaner with anti bacterial agents from canadian tire here
-a couple microfiber applicators
- glass cleaner, i use windex auto but ive heard very good things about 3M as well as Stoners Invisible Glass (both aerosols)
-303 Aerospace Protectant is pricy but its worth it trust me
-sponges, various brushes for wheel cleaning and paint brushes for interior crevaces
-Mothers Showtime Instant Detailer (goes with clay bar kit) im on my third bottle, good cinnamon scent and gives paint gloss and shine after washing and removes smudges and minor post wash imperfections
-Eagle One wax as you dry is OK for use on an already previously waxed and paint treated car but as a stand alone has almost 0 durability past 24 hours, Im going to maybe try the nanowax spray and see how much more potent that compares to it, unless i get another spray wax to pair with my showtime !
-tire shine or gel cant go wrong with meguiars hot shine spray or endurance gel, i also like armor all extreme tire gel but two coats is suggested of this stuff

theres some suggestions

but basically target will have all the basics you need !
 
RyansAutoDetail said:
i have those vroom orange detailing microfiber towels, i think i got them in a pack of 6 or 8, they are a must have for buffing and wax removal or drying . Currently I think i have about 20 microfiber towels for all different types of jobs
Click to expand...

The orange ones are nice too. The big yellow ones aren't sold in multipacks. They have a longer nap on one side and shorter on the other. They are super soft. I also use the small white ones and just picked up some white and blue striped ones last time I was there. I really like the Target detailing section, one of the best IMO for a non specialty store.
 
Duragloss products by far the best bang for the buck, great products, I got my order
today. Best products I've use so far, and I've been at this over 25 years.
#105 polish, aqua wax, fast clean & shine. all 3 work great, nice deep wet gloss.
check these products out ls1 dreams, I use them on my LT1 camaro.
 
Viking MF from K mart or Vroom from Target for drying, quick detailing and MF mit.
Wash Meguiars gold Class or NXT
polish Meg color X
paint cleaning Duragloss 501
sealant Meg NXT 2.0 or DG 105
DG AW for maintence
Meguiars Ultimate quick detailer
Armor All for tires and wheel wells
NXT tire cleaner
An APC
 
Duragloss 501 (the TPP in the black bottle) has amazing endurance and gives great shine. Is NXT 2.0 better than DG 501?

- Vikas
 
sontakke said:
Duragloss 501 (the TPP in the black bottle) has amazing endurance and gives great shine. Is NXT 2.0 better than DG 501?

- Vikas
Click to expand...

DG 501 is in a white bottle with a blue label and a boat. I use this as a cleaner (gives about 3 months protection by itself) but I always top it. I like NXT 2.0, DG Track Claw, DG 105 and DG 111 on top of it.
105 comes in a black bottle
 
It seems to be hit or miss on who carries DG. I have tried most of the majors chains for a few months and none of them seem to carry it.

"J"
 
It seems to be hit or miss on who carries DG. I have tried most of the majors chains for a few months and none of them seem to carry it.

"J"
 
cheapshot said:
what retail stores carry DG?
Click to expand...
Car Quest auto parts stores have it. There may be others, but since I can usually get it at Car Quest, I haven't bothered to look any further.

FWIW, It is available from several vendors, including Dura Gloss, on-line.

I know everyone begrudges paying shipping charges, but running all over town to find something isn't cheap.
 
blk45 said:
DG has a flat $4.95 shipping fee also, which is a great price.
Click to expand...
The Dura Gloss flat rate shipping is now $5.00. Still a good deal, but……

As it is quite often, you need to look at the total picture.

Dura Gloss direct:
#101 Cleaner Polish - $9.89
#601 Bonding Agent - $8.29
#105 TPP - $10.99
#951 Aqua Wax - $8.89
Shipping - $5.00
Total - $43.06

Detail City Store:
#101 - $8.99
#601 - $5.99
#105 - $9.99
#951 - $7.99
Sub Total - $32.96
Less 10% - $ 3.29
Item total - $29.67
Shipping - $8.99
Grand Total - $38.66

The DC store is actually $4.40 less for the total purchase.

Not knocking Dura Gloss at all, but like I said, you need to look at the total picture, not just something that catches your eye.
 
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