A topic for discussion... Do you like to stick with just one manufacturer?

M

MnRiverman

New member
......When you are detailing a car, or do you prefer to mix and match.



Example. When I detail a car, for some reason I keep wanting to use the same manufacturer throughout the process. 3M SMR, 3M Glaze, 3M Wax.



Does it make a difference though? In terms of bonding and working properly together? I would assume it would be best because of manufacturing processes of the products.



Now I could just be full of **** and have no idea what I am talking about, and honestly I don't. I'm merely going off a car tuning background, meaning if you get shocks, get springs to match the dampening, get rotors that will work will with your brake pads, match your intake and exhaust with a properly tuned chip, etc etc. I don't know if it makes a difference in the detailing world however.



I'm really tempted to try the Mothers Glaze, but if I'm going to use 3M SMR first, it's just natural instinct I guess that I want to follow with a 3M glaze not a Mothers glaze.



Anyways, I'll stop rambling and I am interested in hearing what you experts have to say. :)



- Anthony
 
Everyone uses different stuff.

Here's what I use to give an example:



GC Wash

Mother's Clay

Klasse AIO

Klasse SG



you could top that with S100, P21S, Blitz, Pinnacle - whatever carnauba you wanted



If I had swirls, I would used Meg #9 or 3M SMR, so it doesn't really matter - I think in the end most of the products for a certain stage in the detailing process have extremely similar chemical make ups, so switching manufacturers shouldn't make any difference.:xyxthumbs
 
Mixing and matching is no problem at all. Every product has its strengths and weaknesses. I have a whole closet full of products from different manufacturers!
 
Dude said:
Mixing and matching is no problem at all. Every product has its strengths and weaknesses. I have a whole closet full of products from different manufacturers!
Click to expand...



What He Said!

I Use The Product That Works Best For Me No Matter Who Makes It.



Example:

Gold Class Wash

Griots Clay

Menzerna Final Polish

P21s GEPC

Blackfire Paint Protectant
 
Thanks for the input!



I was mostly concernced with using seperate products and having to worry about bonding issues, but it seems like that isn't a problem.



I think I bought into the Zymol marketing that you have to use the HD-Cleanse for the wax to bond properly at first. ;) Blah.
 
I use what ever works best for the car I am working on. It matters on the make and also the color. so my answer is no :)
 
As I mentioned in another recent thread, something that is important to me is to know what each product contains and what it does. This is one of the reasons why. It makes it mentally easier (for me) to insert products into needed job slots or the other way around - to find a suitable product for the job. Sometimes products have muliple functions or attributes which make them a bit more complicated, but other products are really simple to figure out.



For example, IHG is a pure glaze. Mothers Sealer and Glaze is also a pure glaze (ignore the "sealer" part of the name - that used to confuse me :p). P21S is a pure wax, and so is 3M SC Wax. They do identical jobs and are the same type of product, so they're functionally interchangable AFAIK.



Of course if anything has some unknown "secret ingredient" or something it could throw a monkey wrench into things so I suppose it's up to the individual to just be sure. This hasn't happened yet I think.

HTH
 
I think the detailing bug is like watching or listening

to DVD's or CD's. We all like to check out new music

and new movies.
 
I'm sure some products are made to work together like Z1 and Z2/5. But for the most part, I think paint prep products are made to be used by themselves. They aren't really part of a system. I wouldn't worry about using Mothers glaze over SMR.



I do know what you mean, though. I am mainly a Meguiar's guy, but use other things when I feel the Meg's doesn't cut it. But I generally try out their stuff first because it tends to work as advertised, it is easy to get locally if necessary, and it isn't particularly pricey. Plus I've always gotten good service from them when I order stuff. I like that their shipping is low, and that they have great PC pads (especially the multi-pad deal), great foam hand pads, good tire applicators (they are cheap and work, but nothing amazing), and great wash mitts. So I can toss those all together with some soap or polish or whatever and the pricing is reasonable. I also like that when I order direct from them, the product is going to be very new, so its serviceable life should be longer since it hasn't sat around some warehouse of unknown temperature or some store shelf for a while.



But when there is something I feel will be better, I try it. I use other leather products, paint protectants, glass cleaners, MF towels, different QD's (though I really love Final Detail now), and so on. If you stick with one brand, do it because you like it, not because you are afraid there will be some negative reaction. I don't think that is too likely.
 
This is a good thread. Personally I find it really annoying when a manufacturer I love creates a new product which "overlaps" something I already love from another manufacturer. How would you feel if:



-303 came up with a paint sealant

-P21S came up with a vinyl treatment

-Plexus came out with a glass cleaner



Then you have to go out and get them and review them--and find that they all work about the same...which is to say GREAT! :o



I like using different manufacturers, if just from the ego boost that it looks more like I know what I'm doing! :)
 
IMO, similar to stereo equipment which also takes multiple pieces to make the "puzzle" whole, no one manufacturer does everything the best.

-Gold Class wash

-3M SMR

-Zaino rest.
 
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