Took 10 years off - and finally back, where to start?

M

madflava

New member
To be honest, I`m a bit overwhelmed even with using the search function. It`s been about a decade since being "happily obsessed" with detailing my cars with just using my porter cable, Meguire`s line of everything & Sonus Das pads. Then I had a wife & kids and my attention was diverted.

Fast forward to this Friday, I have a Daytona Grey Pearl Audi R8 being delivered to my driveway and I want to prepare for its arrival with the latest and (not too expensive) greatest...everything. I am literally starting from zero and looking to set myself up with everything from buckets, pads to whatever I need to get back to that mirror shine & protection.

If I can get a "getting started" list, what are some suggestions to help me build my online shopping cart?
 
Madflava:
Welcome back. A lot has changed in ten years, detailing-wise.

Where to get started? My first question is, How much time are you going to spend detailing? And then, how much can you afford? Notice I did not say, "How much do you want to spend?" . I say that because the wife and kids may "occupy" your financial responsibilities, as it should.

Low budget:
Invest in some car-washing equipment and products. You are going to have to decide if you are doing a two-bucket wash method (my preference), or a rinse-less wash method.
Two bucket wash: (Assuming you have a Flexon 50-to-100 foot 3/4 inch-ID premium garden hose and Dramm 12721 to 12726 Colored Touch`N Flow Pistol-Grip Spray Nozzle or equivalent)
(3) new 5-gallon bucks or 3-1/2 gallon buckets: one for the sheet-metal/glass/trim soap, one for clear water rinse, and one for rim/tire & wheel-wells soap
(2) Grit guards (I do not use one in the sheet metal soap)
(3) Microfiber noodle wash pads; one for the car, one for the wheel wells, one for door jams
(1) Rim spoke crevice pad or finger pads
(1) Rim E-Z Detail brush OR Wheel Woolie (size to suite rim size)
(1) Tuff Shine Tire Brush
(1) Sonax Insect Sponge
Car Wash soap (depends on last-step product being used; if it is a coating, it may require a coating specific maintenance soap)
Soap for waxes and sealants: Meg`s Detailer Line D110 Hyper-Wash
Tires and Rims:Meg`s Detailer Line D143 Non-Acid Wheel & tire cleaner
Tire Dressing: Meg`s Detailer Line D170 Hyper Dressing or Optimum Opti-Bond Tire Gel
Tire Dressing Applicator: (4) Eagle One tire Sponges
Degreaser (for wheel wells and tires): Optimum Power Clean
Tar Remover: Stoner`s Tarminator
Glass Cleaner: Sprayway Glass Cleaner (inexpensive)
Bug Remover Wash: Poorboy`s World Bug Squash
Drying Aid/Exterior Detailing Spray: Renny Doyle`s Bead Maker
Microfibers:
After-Rinse Drying: (4) Griot`s Garage PFM Terry Weave 16 x 16" Towels
Glass: (4) Griot`s Garage Dual-Weave Glass Towels
General Purpose: (4) The Rag Company Eagle Edgeless 350 Towels (Color choice to suite needs)

Optional Equipment for blow drying:
Inexpensive: Toro Leaf Blower Model 51619
Expensive: Blackfire Car Dryer
More Expensive: Metro MasterBlaster 8hp

With the exceptions of the Toro Leaf blower, Sprayway glass cleaner and Eagle One tire applicator sponge , all of the above is available at the Autopian Store for purchase which supports this forum!

Mid-level budget:
Upgrade your Porter-Cable Dual-Action to either a Rupes 15mm Bigfoot MarkIII or Griot`s Garage G9 or revised Boss 15mm buffer.
You may need to upgrade your pad sizes and foam types for these as well.
Don`t forget about the compounds and polishes to go with these. Just as car-finishes have changed (think scratch-resistant clear coats OR very thin clear coats for cost-savings and emission standards) , so have abrasion technologies and formulations. Griot`s Garage BOSS line is a current forum-favorite. Sonus has some updated compounds and polishes. Jescar has taken over the Menzerna line in the USA. AND, some of the coating manufacturer`s listed below have their own lines of compounds and polishes.
Scholl`s Concepts is another European manufacturer of pads and polishes to consider.

"Bigger" budget:
Invest in coatings. In my own hypocrisy, I am still a carnauba-wax guy (Collinite 915), but I am behind the times and old-school.
Coating manufacturers to consider and research:
Polish Angel
Car-Pro
G-Techniq
IGL Coating
22ple
GYEON
Optimum Polymer Technology
Yes, there are others, and some are ONLY available to certified detailers and installers (manufacturer-trained application specialists).

I hate to say it, but it may be a better "economic decision" for you to consider having a professional detail your Audi R8 and you do the wash-maintenance thing. Coatings have a long life (2 or more years), but the key is surface preparation, and not everyone has the time, skill and experience, and equipment to achieve the stellar car-show, head-snapping results that you ultimately want.
 
madflava- Welcome back! Gee, swell car!

The big advances are in Coatings and Ceramic-based Protection in place of conventional LSPs (I stick with the latter myself, but that`s just me...and Stokdgs) and Polishers, primarily the newer long-throw ones that`ll vastly outperform the PC/etc.

I sincerely doubt you`d want to do your Maintenance Washes the way I (and a few others) do, but I encourage you to do a bit of research on today`s MFs as they`ve come a long ways too.

And for a vendor to check out, if you`ve been away for a while the current state of affairs at Griot`s Garage might come as a pleasant surprise, they`ve *REALLY* upped their game.
 
madflava said:
To be honest, I`m a bit overwhelmed even with using the search function. It`s been about a decade since being "happily obsessed" with detailing my cars with just using my porter cable, Meguire`s line of everything & Sonus Das pads. Then I had a wife & kids and my attention was diverted.

Fast forward to this Friday, I have a Daytona Grey Pearl Audi R8 being delivered to my driveway and I want to prepare for its arrival with the latest and (not too expensive) greatest...everything. I am literally starting from zero and looking to set myself up with everything from buckets, pads to whatever I need to get back to that mirror shine & protection.

If I can get a "getting started" list, what are some suggestions to help me build my online shopping cart?
Click to expand...


Does the R8 have Carbon Ceramics, or regular brakes?

If you will give me a few days, I can work on a spread sheet for "Starting from Scratch" Utilizing Rinseless Wash Methods.
 
Lonnie said:
Madflava:
Welcome back. A lot has changed in ten years, detailing-wise.

Where to get started? My first question is, How much time are you going to spend detailing? And then, how much can you afford? Notice I did not say, "How much do you want to spend?" . I say that because the wife and kids may "occupy" your financial responsibilities, as it should.

Low budget:
Invest in some car-washing equipment and products. You are going to have to decide if you are doing a two-bucket wash method (my preference), or a rinse-less wash method.
Two bucket wash: (Assuming you have a Flexon 50-to-100 foot 3/4 inch-ID premium garden hose and Dramm 12721 to 12726 Colored Touch`N Flow Pistol-Grip Spray Nozzle or equivalent)
(3) new 5-gallon bucks or 3-1/2 gallon buckets: one for the sheet-metal/glass/trim soap, one for clear water rinse, and one for rim/tire & wheel-wells soap
(2) Grit guards (I do not use one in the sheet metal soap)
(3) Microfiber noodle wash pads; one for the car, one for the wheel wells, one for door jams
(1) Rim spoke crevice pad or finger pads
(1) Rim E-Z Detail brush OR Wheel Woolie (size to suite rim size)
(1) Tuff Shine Tire Brush
(1) Sonax Insect Sponge
Car Wash soap (depends on last-step product being used; if it is a coating, it may require a coating specific maintenance soap)
Soap for waxes and sealants: Meg`s Detailer Line D110 Hyper-Wash
Tires and Rims:Meg`s Detailer Line D143 Non-Acid Wheel & tire cleaner
Tire Dressing: Meg`s Detailer Line D170 Hyper Dressing or Optimum Opti-Bond Tire Gel
Tire Dressing Applicator: (4) Eagle One tire Sponges
Degreaser (for wheel wells and tires): Optimum Power Clean
Tar Remover: Stoner`s Tarminator
Glass Cleaner: Sprayway Glass Cleaner (inexpensive)
Bug Remover Wash: Poorboy`s World Bug Squash
Drying Aid/Exterior Detailing Spray: Renny Doyle`s Bead Maker
Microfibers:
After-Rinse Drying: (4) Griot`s Garage PFM Terry Weave 16 x 16" Towels
Glass: (4) Griot`s Garage Dual-Weave Glass Towels
General Purpose: (4) The Rag Company Eagle Edgeless 350 Towels (Color choice to suite needs)

Optional Equipment for blow drying:
Inexpensive: Toro Leaf Blower Model 51619
Expensive: Blackfire Car Dryer
More Expensive: Metro MasterBlaster 8hp

With the exceptions of the Toro Leaf blower, Sprayway glass cleaner and Eagle One tire applicator sponge , all of the above is available at the Autopian Store for purchase which supports this forum!

Mid-level budget:
Upgrade your Porter-Cable Dual-Action to either a Rupes 15mm Bigfoot MarkIII or Griot`s Garage G9 or revised Boss 15mm buffer.
You may need to upgrade your pad sizes and foam types for these as well.
Don`t forget about the compounds and polishes to go with these. Just as car-finishes have changed (think scratch-resistant clear coats OR very thin clear coats for cost-savings and emission standards) , so have abrasion technologies and formulations. Griot`s Garage BOSS line is a current forum-favorite. Sonus has some updated compounds and polishes. Jescar has taken over the Menzerna line in the USA. AND, some of the coating manufacturer`s listed below have their own lines of compounds and polishes.
Scholl`s Concepts is another European manufacturer of pads and polishes to consider.

"Bigger" budget:
Invest in coatings. In my own hypocrisy, I am still a carnauba-wax guy (Collinite 915), but I am behind the times and old-school.
Coating manufacturers to consider and research:
Polish Angel
Car-Pro
G-Techniq
IGL Coating
22ple
GYEON
Optimum Polymer Technology
Yes, there are others, and some are ONLY available to certified detailers and installers (manufacturer-trained application specialists).

I hate to say it, but it may be a better "economic decision" for you to consider having a professional detail your Audi R8 and you do the wash-maintenance thing. Coatings have a long life (2 or more years), but the key is surface preparation, and not everyone has the time, skill and experience, and equipment to achieve the stellar car-show, head-snapping results that you ultimately want.
Click to expand...

Lonnie - thank you for the detailed and thoughtful reply. Exactly what I was looking for. You subsided my anxiety. :) As I start to pour through the details of each item and cherry pick the list, I hope you don`t mind if I PM you along the way with any questions. And regarding the professional detailer suggestion, a place in Seattle that comes highly recommended is charging around $2-$3K for a full paint correction & ceramic coating. So you`re right, a lot has changed in the past 10 years!! So, at that price point, I`ll fair better with your "bigger budget" suggestions.
 
Accumulator said:
madflava- Welcome back! Gee, swell car!

The big advances are in Coatings and Ceramic-based Protection in place of conventional LSPs (I stick with the latter myself, but that`s just me...and Stokdgs) and Polishers, primarily the newer long-throw ones that`ll vastly outperform the PC/etc.

I sincerely doubt you`d want to do your Maintenance Washes the way I (and a few others) do, but I encourage you to do a bit of research on today`s MFs as they`ve come a long ways too.

And for a vendor to check out, if you`ve been away for a while the current state of affairs at Griot`s Garage might come as a pleasant surprise, they`ve *REALLY* upped their game.
Click to expand...

Accumulator; thank you! It`s an 09 w/14k miles and manual 6sp <-- kids today don`t know what a manual is anymore. :)

Regarding research, I think I need to start with acronyms. LSP, MF`s.... And Griots Garage is not too far from where I live, I might check them out.
 
TheMeanGreen said:
Does the R8 have Carbon Ceramics, or regular brakes?

If you will give me a few days, I can work on a spread sheet for "Starting from Scratch" Utilizing Rinseless Wash Methods.
Click to expand...

Regular brakes. And, if you don`t mind, the more data points I can get, the better. Very much appreciated!
 
Madflava...
I`m a Griots fan. If you are close to Griots in Tacoma go check them out. Not only do they have a store with all of their products they have a garage that they will show/teach you how all their products work and give you a run down on what you need or want. Normally during the summer months they have car shows on the weekends as well.... As the saying goes "It`s not just a store... it`s an experience".
 
Yeah I live in Auburn and the griots team is Amazing at flagship store and can get you set up. I’d take your car their andcthey can assess your paint and make recommendations as the can judge your paint in real life. Even do a test spot.


I went the do it myself route do to cost and can say doing myself was fairly easy and fulfilling. Cquartz CQuK3.0 is doing well for me and would highly recommend with our weather.

Get your polishers from Griots. G8 mini and G9. As curvy as that car is won’t need a long throw. . Get the griots polish and fast correcting cream with their BOSS pads.

Also if money is not to big of a concern Polish angel rocks.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
madflava said:
To be honest, I`m a bit overwhelmed even with using the search function. It`s been about a decade since being "happily obsessed" with detailing my cars with just using my porter cable, Meguire`s line of everything & Sonus Das pads. Then I had a wife & kids and my attention was diverted.

Fast forward to this Friday, I have a Daytona Grey Pearl Audi R8 being delivered to my driveway and I want to prepare for its arrival with the latest and (not too expensive) greatest...everything. I am literally starting from zero and looking to set myself up with everything from buckets, pads to whatever I need to get back to that mirror shine & protection.

If I can get a "getting started" list, what are some suggestions to help me build my online shopping cart?
Click to expand...

I`m in a similar situation. I`ve started with Jescar Power Lock Plus topped with Collinite 845 as my go to
 
madflava said:
Regarding research, I think I need to start with acronyms. LSP, MF`s.... And Griots Garage is not too far from where I live, I might check them out.
Click to expand...

I`m awful about using acronyms as shorthand :o

Quick translation of those two:

-MF = MicroFiber. And FWIW, WWMF = Waffle Weave MF (drying towels), which many/most of us have quit using in favor of plush ones.

-LSP = Last Step Product, i.e.m "wax"/sealant/coating/etc.

And yeah..if you`re close to Griot`s that`s a no-brainer IMO. You simply won`t go wrong. Sure some other vendors have their strong suits too, but oh man would I just go GG!

And "yeah" on people today not knowing from Manuals. Give it another decade and Heel & Toe will be a lost art. I gather that "speed-matching" transmissions have even taken that whole aspect of driving a manual off the table :rolleyes: Not that, TBH... Yours Truly misses driving a stick :o Sounds like you still do though, and that`s a perfect car to do it in!
 
I would say CQUKlite or Gyeon can coat 1-2 times a year and megs ceramics detailer spray and hyper wash to start. Then do research and next year get polisher and pads

Also whoever said tuff shine tire brush is right on best $5 you can spend!
 
William_Wallace said:
I would say CQUKlite or Gyeon can coat 1-2 times a year and megs ceramics detailer spray and hyper wash to start...
Click to expand...

What about that WoWo Spray we were just intro`ed to in that other thread? That did sound intriguing if madflava doesn`t just go all-Griot`s (which is still what I myself would do).

Also whoever said tuff shine tire brush is right on best $5 you can spend!
Click to expand...

Ah, that`s good to know! I gather it`s OK on soft-compound tires though, right? My usual Tire Brush was too aggressive for a few sets I`ve had and that R8 might wear the same kinds (one of my problem children in that regard were the OE tires on the S8).
 
Accumulator said:
What about that WoWo Spray we were just intro`ed to in that other thread? That did sound intriguing if madflava doesn`t just go all-Griot`s (which is still what I myself would do).



Ah, that`s good to know! I gather it`s OK on soft-compound tires though, right? My usual Tire Brush was too aggressive for a few sets I`ve had and that R8 might wear the same kinds (one of my problem children in that regard were the OE tires on the S8).
Click to expand...

Thank you William_Wallace[/ for bringing up the Tuf-Shine Tire Brush - Have been using it since it first came out I think 15 years ago..
I have worn out several of them over that time but also use them for cleaning Interior carpets, floor mats, etc., so they get used a lot..
Their Clear Coat product is all I ever use on all my own vehicles, because I love that they are always so dirt-free, and very easy to clean when I wash the wheels and the tires.. Here it is -- https://www.autopia-carcare.com/tuf-shine-tire-clear-coat.html#.Xr2EPUSpH3g

Hermano Accumulator -- Hope you guys are safe and sound up there in NEOH..
Yes, this Tuf-Shine Tire Brush is just the right amount of stiffness to clean any type of tire, and as I said above, used with "care" as we do with all things Detailing, it rocks interior carpets, even cloth seats..
Dan F
 
Gentlemen, thanks to this thread, I have about $300 worth of "starter" products/tools ordered so far and haven`t even gotten to the polishes, coatings or applicators. I`ve already invoked an eyebrow raise from the wife. lol

For the interior, what products do you recommend I buy? It`s a black interior with some carbon fiber & brown leather. For the leather in particular, I`m hoping to protect the bolsters from wear.

Thank you very much and looking forward to showing the "first results" with ya`ll.
 
Stokdgs- We continue to do well here, hope you`re doing OK too.

Thanks for confirming that the Tuff Shine Tire Brush is OK on softer surfaces...one of these days, if I ever use up my current stuff....

madflava- A few more ideas if I may: for wheels, I like the Boar`s Hair Brushes (BHB) from Wheel Woolies, they`re *infinitely* better than any others I`ve tried. While I do like their regular products- the Wheel Woolies themselves, I still have to use a small mitt/sponge to get things truly clean (especially the back sides of the spokes).

I for one utterly *HATE* the EZ Brushes, but I gather I`m in the minority.

For my S8, I use stuff from The Leather Doctor, but he`s kinda, uhm...challenging...to work/do business with. FWIW, I only use his Cleaners, Rinse Agents (important IMO!), and Protectants. I fully understand if you don`t want to [mess] around with that line, but I honestly believe it`s the best on the market. Not that you won`t do pretty well with equivalent stuff from Leather Masters/Sonus/Ultima, but with those and others on the shelf, I still go with the Leather Doctor on the car I *really* get Autopian with.
 
So she arrived already detailed, just dusty from the transit from NM to WA. Took her for a quick 100 mile drive just 2 min off the truck lol and then parked her for my first "bonding" time with a hand wash. A typical overcast Seattle day with a slight drizzle helped slow my nervousness down.

First impressions after 10 years of hand-washing - I felt connected to a car again that i haven`t felt in a long time and it was immensely satisfying. As suggested, after a frother + bucket/grit gaurd+ Griot`s wash + mits + PFM Terry Weave + blower, it came out beautiful. Those Terry Weaves - WTF, all it took was ONE light "dragging" it to dry the entire car!! Then I used the Renny D Bead Maker on dry paint to give let it pop.....tjat stuff is legit!

Anyway, thanks for all the input so far - looking forward to the "next level" with polishes/sealants.
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madflava- So glad (but not at all surprised ;) ) that you`re off to a good start.

My first thought was "gee, those wheels look easy to clean".

And yeah...the plush MF Drying Towels are great, and everybody seems happy with the PFM version.
 
I am in the same boat, but looking for a lower dollar package. When I left the US it was grout sponges and ONR. Still use ONR, but haven`t had time to really detail. Can anyone recommend a budget setup for a big truck? Is optimum`s coating still the way to go with ONR?
 
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