what to recommend to non-Autopians?

J

jfeliot

New member
Questions for all the experts with lots of experience using different products........



A lot of people, after seeing my car ask for recommendations. 99% of them want the quickest, easiest, cheapest route to a good shine and freak when I tell them about Zaino, the cost and what's involved (especially the clay part).



Right now I recommend Meg's Soft Gel car wash, Gold Class once a month and Meg's detailer after washes (what I used before becoming obsessed with the Zaino shine :) ).



So my question is, what do you Autopians recommend to friends who want good results but don't share your passion for car detailing?



Also, anyone ever use NuFinish (the "once a year" car polish :) )? I think a lot of people would be happier with a cheap synthetic like this since it will last longer than wax but I've no experience with it.
 
I have used NuFinish. Good for beaters, use it twice a year, cleans the paint well. Smells like kerosene though.



Cheapest route

1. Meguiars GC Wash for $9.99 a gallon.

2. Meguiars #34 Final Inspection - $20 a gallon.

3. Gold Class every month (maybe every 3 weeks if outside 24/7) or Klasse AIO + 2 light coats of Klasse SG every 4-8 months (4 months for daily drivers, 8 for weekend warriors.) $30 for Klasse, $10 for GC.

4. Some Cannon bath towels from K-mart ($2.50 or so each on sale, get 8 for, $20 or so.)

5. A bottle of Eagle One 20/20 and some cheapo terry towel for cleaning glass. Then follow up with a Mf from an auto parts store ($10 or so for towels and glass cleaner.)

6. $6 for EO protectant (interiors.)

7. Wash mitt, bucket.



Total ~ $80 or $100 (Klasse), not so bad for spending $20-50K for a car.



or just get some stuff from Eagle One.



Premium Detailing Kit - $19.95 (wash, wax (4 oz.), tire shine, wheel cleaner, applicator for wax, tire swipe, and guide.)

Add on $9.99 for full size polish and wax, wax every 4-6 weeks or so. $3 for window cleaner, $20 for towels. $6 for interior protectant. Wash mitt bucket.



$65 for this kit.



Just some ideas I can think of off the top of my head. you can fine tune certain kits for certain cars.



Jason
 
<strong class='bbc'>quickest, easiest[/b] = Klasse, should last a long time, gives good results and does not sound as complicated as Zaino to a non-autopian (not meant to detract from ease of use of Zaino), top with P21S, Blitz etc

Steven
 
For non-OCD detailers, I would not recommend anything they cannot buy at retail. So that leaves out Klasse, Blackfire, 4 star Platinum, Zaino, and many others.

Still, there are plenty of decent products to choose. Typically I recommend that folks stick to a product <em class='bbc'>line[/i], like Meguiar's, Mothers, Eagle One, or 3M. Nice thing about those lines is that they make several excellent products that work well together and are easy to find. And they are a step or two above the NuFinish's of the world.

For one-step's, I like Meguiar's Medallion or Gold Class, or Eagle One Wet polish. Easy to find, inexpensive, easy to use. 3M and Mothers also make good one-step cleaner/waxes.

From there they can build up their inventory as their interest warrants. Or they can just stick with what they got and be happy. And you can feel like you did a good deed by suggesting a quality product line.
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by bretfraz [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>For non-OCD detailers, I would not recommend anything they cannot buy at retail. So that leaves out Klasse, Blackfire, 4 star Platinum, Zaino, and many others.
[/b]</blockquote>
That's the big problem, these guys want something you can pick up at the local Canadian Tire that's not too expensive. Most also want a one step product.

Anyone know a good, cheap, easily available cleaner/wax to recommend? I've heard the cheap Zymol (Turtle Wax) is pretty good for shine & longevity.
 
My friend uses it (and nothing else -- no follow up except occasional washing) and his new 'Stang always looks great. In a couple of months, I'm gonna do the whole 9 yards again (dawn, clay, polish, sealer, carnauba) but I'll be trying 2x NuFinish instead of Klasse A-I-O/SG.



E
 
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