Do you professionals use big named products?

I

imported_kgb

New member
I am just wondering if you guys use big named products when you are doing customers cars or do you use those products that come in bulk fairly cheap?



We use a majority of Poorboy's products and I visted a shop that this guy I know runs for a dealer and all of their products were stuff I have never heard of before. And he was showing me prices and it was dirt cheap for gallons and stuff. Are these products any good or just the basic cheap stuff for production detailing?
 
Although I’m not a detailing professional, I’ll chip in my thoughts. A lot of times, it depends on the environment and the goals. I use a variety of products. The only "Professional" stuff I use id Meg's Body Shop Professional Line. However, I do also use Poorboy's, Clearkote, S100 etc.



Many shops that specialize in quick once-overs like dealer prep or Shine's R Us will use the cheap stuff because they concentrate on volume.
 
All products I use are "big name" enthusiast products. I strive for the best results on my customer's vehicle.....even though some bulk products do very well. The only bulk products I use are from Ardex which are normally fragrance products or their wheel cleaner. :xyxthumbs
 
Cujo31 said:
Megs and Poorboys here and my clients LOVE it!



Cujo
Click to expand...



Just so everyone knows, John (Cujo) is a Poorboys distributor.







Originally posted by Scott P

Although I’m not a detailing professional, I’ll chip in my thoughts. A lot of times, it depends on the environment and the goals. I use a variety of products. The only "Professional" stuff I use id Meg's Body Shop Professional Line. However, I do also use Poorboy's, Clearkote, S100 etc.
Click to expand...



Scott P is a distributor for both Clearkote and Poorboys.
 
I'm not a distributer for anyone, but I use a combination of Meguiars Body Shop Pro products, Clearkote, Poorboys, S100 and recently, Klasse (although I like AIO more than SG). I'm not a big fan of bulk 'assembly line' detailing products like Automagic and others. I use the products I use on my own car on my customer's cars.
 
I love poorboy's and that is what we use on all of our customer cars as well. Just was curious to see what you all used. Thanks!
 
PrecisionOnline said:
Professional use professional grade products: Auto Magic, Stoner, Meguairs, etc.
Click to expand...



Other than their clay, I don't consider Automagic to be professional level. Assembly line prep for tote the note dealer details, yes, but not something I'd use on any high end car.



Since I use Poorboys and Clearkote and to a lesser extent, Klasse and I have been a professional full time for 10 years, then that makes PB and CK products professional level in my opinion.
 
I can't comment on Poorboy or ClearKote since I haven't tried them. But yes, Auto Magic is professional level. I've been using them now for 8 years and find them to give excellent results. Auto Magic's New Car Glaze isn't just for dealers. It produces the deepest depth of gloss on black cars. Tested and tried at my Ferrari dealership and the owner loved the results.



Stoner's Speed Beed is another great spray polish/wax for those quick spruce up jobs.



When we talk about professional products, we can't just talk about the paint perfection products. You have to take into consideration: wheel cleaner; spotters, APCs, glass cleaner, clay, shampoos, etc.



For glass cleaning, I've tried everything off the shelf and from distributors and haven't seen any results as good as Invisible Glass by Stoner.



I can go on and on about products so I'll leave it at this.



Auto Magic has been rated #1 by professionals. Meguair's as well. No I'm not an AM distributor, just a user.
 
I will aggre that Stoner's is professional grade. I would not think of using anything other than their Invisible Glass, Tarminator, and Tire Shine.
 
We are comparing apples and oranges here with many of these products.



Auto Magic does cater to the pros but they also deal with mainly dealers and body shops, so they are dealers - body shops first, pros second.



Auto Magic makes some very good products and a few of them I buy in 5 gallon buckets, like their Super Dress It which out performs Armor All IMHO.



Companies like Poorboys, ClearKote, FourStar and Pinnacle serve or cater to the car enthusiast and high end detailers because they are more approachable. Meguairs, Ardex, Pro and Auto Magic will sell gallons here and there but they really need to push large volumes of product because they have a high overhead. Small mom and pop type product companies work or sell off the internet, car shows and rely heavily on word of mouth and IMHO are generally nicer and easier to work with AND you are almost always able to talk with the owner and/or the chemist, so that earns extra brownie points!:xyxthumbs



As far as who is a "pro"? Well I believe a professional is not deemed a pro by their choice in products but rather what they can do with their products, whether they be bought from a supplier or WalMart.



Anthony
 
Anthony,



You make a great point. However, I am a high-end detailer and use Auto Magic's polishes and sealants and have seen better results with using New Car Glaze, GS-1, and their paint sealant, than using PS-1. My friend gave me this PS-1 to use that he got from his father at the Mercedes dealership and I must say, I did not find it all that it was made out to be.



Yes, Super Dress-It is by far more superior than Armor All. Ever try the Magic Dressing? It's solvent based but outperforms Super Dress-It on tires.



I'll try posting a pic which I used New Car Glaze on.
 
Precision,



Yes I have tried the Magic Dressing but prefer a water based over a solvent. My clients, myself included, prefer a nice sheen to the tire rather than a glossy finish. I have also used the New Car Glaze but if I am not mistaken it contains fillers, correct? I shy away from products that hide and fill and if I need one I usually go for 3M's Imperial Hand Glaze.



Auto Magic has a nice Motor Degreaser and carpet spot cleaner also.



Thanks,



Anthony
 
Magic Dressing needs to be wiped down to, just like water based to give the satin look. I know what you mean, glossy tires are tacky. But water-based does that as well. The solvent base gives the durability, while water-based is economical and safe to use in the engine and interior.



As for New Car Glaze, it has same abrasion as GS-1 but not sure about the fillers. I do know it's oil based for deeper gloss and no dusting. GS-1 is the same exact thing as Meguiar's Show Car Glaze.



What motor degreaser do you use, 421 or plain Motor Degreaser?



What happened to Meguiar's "Detailer's Solution" line that was supposed to come out years ago?
 
Like I said, other than Auto Magic's clay, I just haven't found any of their other stuff I really like. Personally, I think Meguiars BSP line are the best pro level paint correction products out there. For final glazes though, I prefer Clearkote's Vanilla Moose or Poorboy's Polish w/carnauba. Extremely easy to use and outstanding results. I just wish they were available in gallons.



PrecisionOnline-Meguiars Detailing line is out. Some pretty good stuff, too. The Citri Gel is a great engine degreaser at full strength and carpet spotter at 1:1 dilution. W-Dressing is a decent tire dressing too.
 
Just saw the Meguiar's detailing line. Same stuff I read about YEARS ago. When did it come out? Is it called Detailer's Solution? I called Meguiars maybe 6 years ago asking about when they're putting this out. The guy asked me how did I hear of it and I told him, I have the catalog right in front of me. He seemed in shock asking, "How did you get that?" Said they weren't releasing it.



But from what I see, its the same label as the catalog I have.
 
Also, how are they on delivery charges?



Prices seem to be expensive. I wonder if they give bulk discounts. $63 for 4 gallons of wash & wax, ouch. Auto Magic wash & wax is $35 for 5 gallons.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top