I'm looking for some HIGH quality detailing products for my cars. I've read the reviews and seen the videos, but I trust the expert panel here over some yahoo that got the products for free and maybe got paid to say it was great.

So... Please, let me know what you think works best and for what. I've used Meguire's Solid Gold as a general soap and they're leather products for years... I know 303 has a strong following, and have heard good things about Chemical Guys. I'm also REALLY curious about AMMO NYC, which looks really pricey buy might be worth the money.

I'm also shopping for the right buffing/polishing tool, so I'll take rec's on tools and pads, compounds, you name it. Thanks, as always, in advance for your time and expertise.

 

many opinions and folks with good intentions abound..
there is plenty of internet stuff out there but let me give my thoughts.
my background a LONG time ago was a master autobody man and painter. At that time brazing and lead were tought and laquer paints. I have been in the coatings business all my life. Still am with the worlds largest
the first thing i suggest is to identify what you have and are trying to do.
for example my 79 has laquer paint..no clearcoat..my research and speaking with original owner is left front fender was patched and i think they gave the whole car a light coat of laquer to blend...you can do that without sanding with laquer, just with compounding prior.
Last weekend i decided to color sand 2000 grit (wet) and hit with 3m finess it compound and a slowspeed 9 inch foam pad also 3m.
get an old ebay usa made polisher with slow variable speed. You can do it with a dual action but will take time. Those 2 steps are all you need to bring back the distinctness of image by flattening the coating and polishing out the scratches. I finish with flitz spray on waxx...done..you are simply trying to increase the refection and or repair the exposed scratched or oxidized layer...anyone can do it..but your back will feel it
this is my car but the principle is the same on all coatings..
of course you must always be concerned with cut through, rotation of pad near edges..i tape off jambs and edges.. and what you are dealing with and use common sense..

what do you have and what do you want to do?
a few pics this week..just did top and top sides..it takes a twenty footer to a 5 footer...you can kinda get an idea of before orange peel under the black vinyl covering some 1980 flames on hood..bumpers original paint...

you can do everything with materials in the one picture..all you need, any car, any correction needed.period. Pic with original color standard is before color sanding, you can kinda see in the bulb reflection scratches and peel.
use the spray on waxx while drying after washing or periodically..when washing just dont scratch it..keep grit off washing mitt or rag...use just water if you like but almost all sudsing safe for clearcoat label will help float and lubricate the surface..but so will lots of water..degreasers like dish soaps tend to remove some petroleum products in some protectants,,












Tried to find a before pic..this is a few weeks after i got it 2019 the headlight doors were especially bad

 

I have never been a wax snob for normal day to day shine just try to use a top shelf product like Maguire's, Chemical Guys etc. For paint maintenance I have to second what interpon recommended, the 3M Finesse-It product line is hard to beat. I use this with 3M Trizact P3000 sanding discs. A good 6" orbital air sander and 7" 600-3000 RPM Polisher will do wonders to an old paint job as well as new.

Grab an old fender at the junk yard and clamp it to a sawhorse and get some OJT with the above products before you jump on your car.

 

Amateur Butcher Here
The car care discussion forum has a ton of info in it, (granted a lot is directed towards more newer cars) Another good place for info that's fairly open to different products is the autogeek and autopia forums. The meguiars forum has a lot of excellent methods and process info but is of course using their products (most or at least a lot of which are great and still have some excellent product for single stage paint btw)
CG is fairly good stuff but they spend a lot more on marketing than product development (take a look at how many different versions of basically the same product they have) Their interior detailers are pretty good as with some of the mat-detail spray. Soap etc is all decent. Microfiber is ok but not great compared to what's out there
I use a fair amount of Adams products, it's good stuff but I think a little overpriced (best glass cleaner I've ever used though and I also use it in the house, buy it by the gallon) also like their detail spray, interior cleaner, super-vrt tire dressing (but it's the same as OPT which is cheaper) rinseless wash (again Optimum is better and a little cheaper) Correcting compounds are all decent but there's better ones out there (megs, 3M, menzerna,3D/HD, etc etc etc) I've used a fair amount of different ones they all have their pros/cons
Microfiber, the Ragg co is hard to beat, good product, good prices (down there, shipping to here is comical) and for general purpose - metal polishing the costco brand are great for the price
For a polisher, the Porter cable 7424 is an great little machine that's hard to screw up (dual actual RO you almost can't burn through paint with it and yet it'll do a decent job... just takes a bit
I've got a Rupes clone the PC both using 6" pads, Adams mini (for smaller areas, 4" pad) and a cyclo (twin 4" pads) and I use the cyclo and the PC unless whatever I'm working on is a complete mess and I need the faster cutting of the bigger one.
I don't trust myself with a direct drive polisher
Try not to overthink the processes, more $$$ doesn't always make the product better (a lot of the mid level lower-high end come from the same vat. Adams doesn't have their own chemist or factory...) Turtlewax spray hybrid ceramic is incredible and available everywhere for a few bucks.
Find something that works for you and your technique, that's why you'll read one person saying something is the best and then the next saying if was crap, different people all have a different expectation

Starting from scratch I'd say get a PC and 3 or 4 levels of pads, 2 of each to start but if I'm not cleaning I typically use a pad per panel for correcting and about 2 for polishing (lake country or whoever, heavy, medium, finishing and wax, you can skip the wax and maybe the medium) a bottle of the meguiars retail correcting and polishing compounds. A bottle of all purpose cleaner (APC) chemical guys is fine) a spray detailer (whoever, Megs or mothers will do, neither is my favorite but they work) and then a good wax (personal choice I like megs gold on my vette, FK1000 on my daily drivers) and a roll of blue painter tape and way more microfiber 16x16 than you imagine. Grab a couple of waffle weaves for drying

Anyway, have fun
M

 

I checked out the AMMO NYC website and a couple of their YouTube videos, what I see is a lot of marketing hype and fancy names for product. Detailing a car is not rocket science, it's 80% labor and 20% product. All the name brand products will do a good job in the hands of someone who knows how to apply them and has the proper tools to use them.

 

303 and Nu-Vinyl for interior. Have used Zaino products for exterior for 10+ years and I am happy enough with the product line to continue with them for cleaners, polish, wax, and sealer.

Can't offer any first-hand advice on buffing / polishing but just passing along Groits Garage as another option to look at. They have a large offering of buffers, pads, and products.

 

I have used Zaino wash and wax in the past on my 66, good stuff and had forgot about them. Will have to look them up again.

 

Leaf blowers make excellent blow-dryers for cars. I use a 80V rechargeable fro Greenworks. The wire wheels especially appreciate it. If you don’t mind the dust storm you can also open both doors and blow most of the dust out of the inside! Microfiber wash towels are cheap; use a new one every time.

 

I like Mothers products. Their 3 part California Gold system works very well but is very labour intensive.

The one product I recommend every chance I get is Vengeance Bug Remover. Only bug remover I've ever tried that actually works.

 

I can tell you exactly what i use and get fantastic results

6 inch griots garage polisher, i have the old version from about 4-5 years ago and its still a really great machine, but the newer model will be even better, they retail for like $200 or so , come with a lifetime warantee and a 25 foot cord.

I use meguirs 105 and 205 for the polish, probably the most tried and true combo out there, although newer products are available you cant go wrong with these two.

Buy 3 pads, a heavy cut pad, a polishing pad and a final stage pad

 

+1. What he says, except I match the Griots polishes and waxes with their applicators. They make a nice 3” machine too, which is very nice for reaching small/tight areas.

 

Thanks everyone for the input. Especially good to hear from you Mooser. Hope all is well in the snowy North.

 

After you wash, don't touch the car with polish ,wax or whatever until you use a clay bar on the surface. A clay bar is used to remove contaminants and pollutants from the surface of your car's paint, glass, fiberglass, and metal. There are different grades but most that you would buy ie. Mothers, Meguires, etc at Walmart or a parts store would work. This is not a polish or wax so you then continue to detail the car. I usually only clay bar the car once in the spring to get ready for the season and complete detail. I also have the Porter cable 7424.

 

Thanks, BKarol. Lotta people forget that step. I've done some detailing, but being the complete amateur who used up his supplies this past summer, I wanted to start fresh with the best this spring. Thanks all.

My big remaining question is about which brand for a polisher... Dewalt? I'm still researching that one.

 

Be careful with a forced rotation polisher, there's a lot of edges to burn through on a c3
M

 

I have to edit this post with. I am not an expert, just an average cruiser and I want my car to look good going down the road.
I bought a Bauer from Harbor Freight. It is a 7 inch rotary variable speed polisher. 600-3300 rpm with a slow start feature. I did a 6 level paint correction on my GM A body over the winter starting with 2 courses of #7 brand rubbing compound, #7 brand polishing compound, Meguires Ultimate polish and 2 coats of Finish First polish. Once the weather man lets the temperature go above 60 for more than a day at a time I will seal the whole thing with Mothers CMX ceramic coating. What I have done so far has changed my 20 footer to a 5 footer which is good enough for the girls I go out with.

PS.. The Finish First was done by hand, they recommend application in a straight line and not rotary. Also the last coat of FF has been sitting on the car for 5 days now and it will come off with a light t-shirt buff. The first coat sat for 8 days before buffing.

Good luck and enjoy the ride.
Jerry

 

I’ve owned and built many custom motorcycles over the years and I found that the best car care products on the market are the Harley Davidson products.
Their seat and leather products are the best on any interior and their wax and polishing products are awesome.
I don’t know if they truly make their own products or if they re-label someone’s but they work well and are simple to use.
Another avenue to consider are any marine cleaners, buffers and waxes for fiberglass hulls.
I’ve tried them on my 73 with great results.

 

I've been detailing my own toys for decades. I have used a number of random orbitals and have been with the setup I have now for about 6 years. I have used Porter Cable, Griot's, Flex and now my latest.

I use Rupes polishers. A couple of reasons. First, they have a polisher that they have marketed as "Bigfoot 21". It is a 6" polisher but it's "orbit" is 21mm which makes for very good polishing of large areas. The other aspect of the Rupes is the balance. You feel far less vibration on it vs. what you feel with the other polishers. In short, it is less fatiguing to use. It helps dramatically.



I also use the Rupes iBrid Nano long neck for the tight spots. It's a 2" or 3" pad and is either battery powered or corded. The long neck version is easier for me and allows me to get into some places I normally could not get into.



In the end, a good polisher is your best friend. Something that is easy to handle, and has a 6" pad is your best bet. If you don't want to pay higher prices, a Griot or Porter Cable random orbit polisher is good.

You will be using foam pads. They will be in different densities and/or textures. This will give you the ability to remove small swirls or spider lines in the clear coat and range you until you get to the finer polishes and finishes to get the wet glass look. In my case, I use Rupes pads as well because its easier to match pads to polishes on a color system they have. In the end though, there are plenty of good foam pads out there.

As for the polishes themselves. Again, I use Rupes polishes. Just a real good product with 4 levels of "cut". They work very well and when you get your car to a certain point and maintain it yourself, you will only be using a medium and finishing pads and polishes. I would hope you don't have to go full correction more than once every two or three years. It depends on how much you drive/use the car. I drive my toys so I tend to work on the paint a bit.

Besides the Rupes, I have used Meguiars 105 and 205 with great success. I use the Meguiars sealant and a good Carnauba wax to finish.

In the end, it all depends on what you plan to spend and how much effort you would put into it.

Since I am currently in the restomod process of my 1977 Vette, you'll have to excuse my using another car as a sample of the finish work. These are my other two toys and the condition of the paint. Both cars are driven and both are original paint cars. The red is an 18 year old paint job from factory. The yellow is a 2013 so the paint is newer.

 

LOL .... Mine exactly. I remember the old "air-dry" enamels that you sprayed water on to speed up the drying process.

 

I am now a really huge fan of the 3M Perfect-It line of products. They have been around for years and there is a reason they are, THEY WORK! As far as buffers, get a quality 6" buffer and you will never regret it. Get an electric buffer (or air), not battery powered. Also get a 3" buffer while you are at it. They are great for small places and small hick ups you may encounter. One thing to stress is get enough buffer pads of the same cut. Being new you will load up a pad and it will begin to dust and sling product everywhere. When you do you can simply change it out for a fresh one. Also get plenty of towels. You will use a lot so having tons of them does not hurt. If you don't use all of them, great. You will use them later.