What products would you recommend me to get ?

[imported_dickie]

Hi,

Long time browser and have rarely posted as lost interest in detailing until I picked up my new Skoda Octavia vRS the other day. Don't laugh :nervous:



Anyway would like to get back into detailing. Has been a few years. And Irish weather and road conditions make it a nightmare to keep a car looking good. No such thing as garaged cars here. Daily driver all the way.



Traditionally I always bought my products online (Meguiars,Blitz,P21s,Klasse) over Irish shops being limited to mostly Turtle Wax brands (pants) and the occasional Autoglym product (good). But lately we have a shop stocking the complete Meguairs and Autoglym range nearby.



Anyway, I went onto Meguairs site and here is what they recommend for keeping a new car looking it's best. See below. Would be interested in comments. Seems like a lot of product to invest in, but will do it if it's worth it. One thing I notice with Meguairs is that they always recommend their all in one polishes/waxes. I would be more used to using something like Autoglym super resin, followed by Extra Gloss Protection to seal it, and then a couple of layers of Blitz if I had it handy.



Also - a noob question here, but really how long should I wait to polish/wax. I was thinking with the like of the Meguairs gold class and Autoglym super resin which have abrasives - at least a few months, and every 3 months after. But maybe if I went for a sealant like Autoglm Extra Gloss Protection, I could go with that straight away.



Anyway, would be interested in comments on the below :



Here is what Meguirs recommend when I put in my details. Biggest concerns for me are tar, bird dropping, rain marks, and of course light swirls. I would not be using any sort of buffer, just applicator pads and micro fibre cloths.



Washing

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Meguairs Cold Glass or NXT Generation Car Wash or Deep Crystal Car Wash





Paint Renewal - depending on paint condition after wash

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Surface prep - if finish not completely smooth after wash

= Meguairs Body Scrub Cleaner



Surface prep - only for light scratches and swirls

= Meguiars Scratch X (selective spot use)



or



= Meguairs Deep Crysal System Paint Cleaner (renew paint surface)



Surface prep - remove bonded contaminants if paint feels rough after washing

= Meguiars Quick Clay / Smooth Surface Clay Kit



Use Meguiars Applicator pad and Ultimate Wipe Cloth



Paint Protection

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Meguairs Gold Class Wax every 2 to 3 months or NXT Generation Tech Wax

Use Meguiars Applicator pad and Ultimate Wipe Cloth





Paint Maintenance

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Meguiars Quick Detailer plus NXT Generation Spray Wax

Use Meguiars Ultimate Wipe Cloth



Seats (partial leather)

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Meguairs Gold Class Rich Leather Wipes or Gold Class Rich Leather Spray (every two months)



Interior Carpet & Cloth

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Meguiars Heavy Duty Carpet and Interior Cleaner



Dashboard and Door Panel Care

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Meguairs NTXT Generation Tech Protect



Odor Elimination

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Meguiars Car Odor Eliminator





Instrument Panel Care

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Meguiars PlastX Clean Plastic Cleaner and Polish (remove light scratches)



Maintain all clear plastic surfaces & DVD Screen

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Meguairs Mirror Glaze Clear Plastic Detailer and Supreme Shine Microfibre towel



General interior use

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Meguairs Quick Interior Detailer Interior wipes ideal for touchups





Wheels

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Meguairs Hot Rims All Wheel Cleaner



or



Hot Rims Multi-Piece Wheel Wash (for anodised rims)



Tires

/////

Meguiars Hot Shine Tire Foam - normal shine



or



Meguiars NXT Generation Insane Shine Tire Coating or NXT Generation Insane Shine Spray - high gloss shine





Glass

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NXT Generation Glass Cleaner



Engine Bay

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Metal surfaces - use general purpose non corrosive cleaner

Polished metal - Meguairs NXT Generaltion all Metal Polish

Rubber Hoses - Meguiars NXT Generation Tech Protect

 

[SuperBuick]

Aside from your normal washing and waxing supplies supplies (good soap, good mitt, good microfibers, waxing pads, clay), there are really 3 basic things you need (and this is debatable, but this is how I see it)



Compound/Strong Polish (I like Menzerna Intensive Polish)



Finishing Polish (I like Menzerna Final Polish II)



Last Step Product (Pick a wax or sealant you like)



If I was going to add one more thing to that super-basic list, I'd add an all in one type product like Optimum Poli-Seal.



Of course all of the above are much petter if applied with a PC or a Rotary, but that considerably ups your expenditure....



Also note that using Quick&Easy Wash or Optimum No Rinse, you can eliminate regular car wash soaps.