OTC Products that are better than most boutique brands?

I've found Collinite at Harbor Freight before (I know 476, can't remember if they had 845). I've also seen it at Ace Hardware, along with 303 interior.
 
AA - Low Gloss Protectant Gel - O'Reilly's

Clay Magic - Auto Zone

Meg - GC Car Wash - almost anywhere

Meg - Endurance - almost anywhere

Meg - Ultimate Compound - almost anywhere

Meg - Water Magnet - Pep Boys (sometimes)
 
Anther vote for Clay Magic, its very good



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XRL said:
Meg's SwirlX and UC are both awesome, I agree.



Stoner's Invisible Glass quite simply just works great.



Mothers California Gold Carnauba Paste is a great wax, very comparable to entry level boutique waxes at a fraction of the price.



Surf City Garage Dash Away is my interior cleaner of choice.



Meguiar's NXT2 - Someone, please prove to my why Zaino is better than this stuff. Seriously.



Turtle Wax Platinum Paste - OK, this stuff isn't really out there as much anymore. But it was awesome stuff, a great blend of carnauba and polymers.



Carrand Brushes - These are actually very nice and pretty cheap, and can be found at Walmart.



Target MF Towels - Great cheap MF for those areas that don't require a super plush towel (door jambs, things like that)



Meg's Gold Class Wash - I've often referred to this as the gold standard. And it is. Awesome combo of quality, price, etc.



Eagle 1 Nano Wax Spray - Awesome booster wax, really brings out the pop in a lot of paints.



Eagle 1 A2Z Wheel Cleaner - Very good wheel cleaner. Not too strong, not too weak. Just right.



There's tons more. I'm a believer that if you tried hard you could get a full lineup OTC that works as good as boutique stuff.



A few I haven't tried but I've heard good things about:

Black Magic Titanium Matte Tire Stuff - It's water based and a nice dark matte finish

Meguiar's Endurance Tire Gel - This stuff is supposed to be slightly glossy, but its not water based.

303 Protectant - Supposed to be very good interior spray. Not super glossy.
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You have a great selection of OTC products. I can personally vouch for the ones I've highlighted in bold.
 
Megs Ultimate Compound- probably better than 95% of the boutique compounds



Kit Car wash- great lubricity, cheap and not overly harsh- nearly equal with the best



Mothers FX tire shine- inexpesnive and looks great, moderate durability
 
Meguiar's NXT2 - Someone, please prove to my why Zaino is better than this stuff. Seriously.>>



Ya know, I just got this sneaking little suspicion that Zaino uses better grade and longer lasting UV protection but then again Zaino may just be marketing BS and that long lasting beading might just be blowing smoke up my rear.
 
I don't think the Collinite can compare to boutique products. It has excellent durability, but the high end waxes like Zymol and Swissvax blow it away in terms of the look.





John
 
wfedwar said:
...and Zaino lasts about four times as long...
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The water beading does last forever, however for some of us the protection dies fast. I'd lose slickness after a few weeks. I had horrible paint etching problems with Zaino. It was no match for water spots or bird poo. I didn't have those problems with NXT.
 
JohnKleven said:
I don't think the Collinite can compare to boutique products. It has excellent durability, but the high end waxes like Zymol and Swissvax blow it away in terms of the look.





John
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Meh, looks are subjective. 845 looks better to me than any of the Zymols I have used.
 
yakky said:
The water beading does last forever, however for some of us the protection dies fast. I'd lose slickness after a few weeks. I had horrible paint etching problems with Zaino. It was no match for water spots or bird poo. I didn't have those problems with NXT.
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You too huh? I got water etching problems with Z5 on my Element, so I switched to Blackfire Wet Diamond...less BS (no ZFX needed), easy on and off, and no water spots.
 
yakky said:
The water beading does last forever, however for some of us the protection dies fast. I'd lose slickness after a few weeks. I had horrible paint etching problems with Zaino. It was no match for water spots or bird poo. I didn't have those problems with NXT.
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Same reason I switched from Zaino, but I'd argue the protection never really was there. It didn't seem to be a durability problem, just that it either didn't protect or maybe even contributed to water spotting.
 
thedetailer said:
What is a good OTC chrome polish?
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I use this the most. Better than Megs which can scratch chrome. It's also great as a glass polish and leaves polymer protection behind.



05208.jpg
 
NXT Car Wash, and Mother's Gold Car Wash.



Meg's UQW is nice, would like to have a gallon size of it.



Meg's Insane Tire Shine delivers a unique look. Pure Gloss!
 
XRL said:
Meg's SwirlX and UC are both awesome, I agree.



Stoner's Invisible Glass quite simply just works great.



Mothers California Gold Carnauba Paste is a great wax, very comparable to entry level boutique waxes at a fraction of the price.



Surf City Garage Dash Away is my interior cleaner of choice.



Meguiar's NXT2 - Someone, please prove to my why Zaino is better than this stuff. Seriously.



Turtle Wax Platinum Paste - OK, this stuff isn't really out there as much anymore. But it was awesome stuff, a great blend of carnauba and polymers.



Carrand Brushes - These are actually very nice and pretty cheap, and can be found at Walmart.



Target MF Towels - Great cheap MF for those areas that don't require a super plush towel (door jambs, things like that)



Meg's Gold Class Wash - I've often referred to this as the gold standard. And it is. Awesome combo of quality, price, etc.



Eagle 1 Nano Wax Spray - Awesome booster wax, really brings out the pop in a lot of paints.



Eagle 1 A2Z Wheel Cleaner - Very good wheel cleaner. Not too strong, not too weak. Just right.



There's tons more. I'm a believer that if you tried hard you could get a full lineup OTC that works as good as boutique stuff.



A few I haven't tried but I've heard good things about:

Black Magic Titanium Matte Tire Stuff - It's water based and a nice dark matte finish

Meguiar's Endurance Tire Gel - This stuff is supposed to be slightly glossy, but its not water based.

303 Protectant - Supposed to be very good interior spray. Not super glossy.
Click to expand...





XRL...I like them both but prefer Z-2. I've proven it to my own satisfaction but you'll have to try them both. Here are my comments: NXT2 is easy to use, looks great but isn't nearly as durable as Z-2.
 
I guess I'm not much on durability. I tend to keep a coat of wax on the car for a while, I like to keep the wax healthy with spray waxes after I wash or just use a wash with wax in it. I typically keep the NXT as a base coat under a layer of carnauba though. I dunno, I guess I can't see spending 15 bucks for 8 oz of Z2 when I can get 18oz of NXT (or 11oz in paste form) for around the same price.



Here's another great use for NXT, it makes an EXCELLENT wheel wax type sealant. brake dust does not like to stick to it, and your wheels will look great.



A few more OTC gems:



Surf City Garage Barrier Reef Liquid Wax - I had forgotten about this because I am obsessive about pastes. Then I decided to use it on my gf's black PT Cruiser. It looks fantastic. It's got some filling properties, but leaves a very deep and wet look to the paint. The great part is it seems to last very well as well. No trim staining, and very easy to wipe off. I think it would compare very favorably to something in a Liquid Souveran (I need to try my bottle of that out still...)



Dish Soap - If you're gonna wash your car with a dirty towel, you need this too. It's the law. Or, alternatively if you actually like keeping your car looking nice, it makes an awesome way to strip old coats of wax, sealants, etc.



Armor All Extreme Gloss Tire Gel - Water based, a bit shiny at first(not my style), comes with a foam pad applicator (which doesn't hold up very well), and cheap. This is a great tire shine if you like shines that last a decent bit, won't hurt your tires, and like the glossy shine. If you wipe the excess off the tire, it doesn't sling either



Eagle 1 NEVRDULL - This stuff is infinitely useful. It will polish exhaust tips, it will clean up oxidized headlights, it'll clean your metal faucets, it'll clean up chrome wheels. I'm sure you'd want to be careful with it on more delicate surfaces, but it works. Word of advice, don't use it on painted surfaces. Turns out, it eats paint up, and my old roomate didn't realize that when he used it on his white painted wheels. He later painted the wheels in question black, haha.



Eagle 1 Tire Swipes - Sure its just a tire swipe, but they're 2 for like 3 bucks, way cheaper than you find similar tire swipes online. And they work great.



I also like the Microfiber chenille wash sponges at Target, very soft, and they bring a lot of the nasty stuff inside the chenille. They make it in a mitt as well.
 
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