Well, I've finally narrowed it down to the products I use on my car. After reading several threads and trying some new products, I have settled in on using Turtle Wax products based on the price and ease of application. All the others have been appropriately been recycled.

After each event ( car show / cruise / club meeting ) I hand wash my car. With the Covid this is about twice a month. I then apply TW ICE Seal n Shine. In between events I've added two or three coats of the TW ICE Spray Wax.

My question is, when I get to the car show I'm thinking I should use something different to wipe down my car rather than just put on another coat of spray wax. I want to be able to wipe down all areas of the car from glass, mirrors, fenderwheels, wheels, engine bay, and paint. What would be a good product to use to give my car that special pizzazz for a final wipe down and to get rid of road dust and little bugs?

 

Hi Ron I've talked about this "phenomenon" many times before in other posts here...

Many guys get to a show, park, set up, and immediately bust our the detail spray or wax or whatever before judging commences to get a "final show shine" on the car likely after spending the previous day detailing it to the nines. But here is the issue...when you drive the car to the show, especially if the ground is a bit wet or damp, or long drive, or dusty road, etc.... you are picking up grime and contaminants that will scratch the clear coat if you try to remove them with just a basic detail spray. The inherent problem is (in my opinion) most common detail sprays don't have and adequate amount of lubrication in them to wipe the grit off the car without leaving behind love marks. Sure, they make it pretty and glossy, but many dedicated detail sprays don't have what it takes to get the job done without marring to a certain extent. That in no way makes these products bad, but it's more of a right tool for the right job/situation at the time.

Here is an example. If you have a scan grip inspection light you can see for yourself. Walk a car show, look at the "shiniest" and cleanest cars. They are very clean and free from dirt and grime sure, but I suspect you will see a bunch of spider webbing, marring and love marks.

So before I commence with the LSP gloss bomb - which most likely these days is Shinee Wax, I will use a dedicated waterless wash that has a ton of lubrication and a multi MF towel technique to remove the grit without marring, THEN AND ONLY THEN does the "detail spray" or whatever LSP you want to use come out. My top two choices are Adams Ceramic Waterless Wash used neat and a potent dilution of Wolfgang Uber Rinseless wash. Since Feb of this year, I've been gravitating to the Adams. It is considerably more finicky to work with than the Uber, especially in hot SoFla direct sun, but when I learned how to mitigate that and some other compromising circumstances, the product really delivered.

I hope that helps sort you out. Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Loki6

These are my go to Waterless Washes: Adams Ceramic Waterless Wash, Wolfgang Uber, and the most amazing smelling ECH2O

 

Thanks for the response. I would have never thought of the waterless wash. I'm familiar with Adam's so I'll start there. I've watched a video on Apex Detailing for more information. I think that this is exactly what I was trying to get. I'm going to a Pistons at the Park event Sunday. I'll see how it goes.

 

I have tried multiple spray products in hopes of finding a good "arrive at a show" final wipe-down choice. My car is a fairly medium to dark shade of blue, so products that streak are no good. I won't use anything wax-based, which eliminates many of my favorite detail sprays. What works best for me is Wolfgang Uber Rinseless concentrate (as Loki has shown above) mixed in a detail spray dilution. It has lots of lubricity and cleaning power for removing dust and bugs, it doesn't streak in the hot sun (when applied to the towel), and it does add some gloss to the paint.

Bonus tip: Before I leave for a show, I give my car a quick wipe-down with Kenotek Showroom Shine. It does a nice job of reducing static, so less dust seems to accumulate on my car during the drive to a show. My car is covered in dust-magnet carnauba wax, so this is extra-helpful.

 

Loki 6 & FYRARMS,
Just a quick shout out to you both for how much helpful information you consistently add to this section of CF. Truly appreciate the time you both spend testing, assessing and then sharing your thoughts on different detailing products and techniques. I always learn something from your posts. Continue to be safe. Peace!

 

My Most sincere thank you Yaupon for your kind words. I suspect I can also speak for Fyr when I say it is a passion of ours that drives us to the extent we go to in order to experiment, learn and hone in our talents. I wish I had a bunch of guys around me like the talent we have here when I first started noodling around with car care products and the like.

Fyr is a truly a Jedi Master detailer and car polishing guru who's been at it way longer than I have been. Since I am relatively a new comer to this section of the forum, being linked with him, and held in high regards by folks here is a an honor for me. I'm flattered that a bunch of you will ask for my advice and that my incessant ramblings provide more than just mild amusement while folks sip their Highland Single Malt of choice and look at pictures of shiny cars.

It is a distinct pleasure to share my experiences and help others here expand their capabilities so that they can add to their pride and satisfaction of Corvette ownership.

My Warmest Regards to you and your family for a safe holiday season,
Loki6

 

LOKI 6 and FYRARMS always provide the best info on detailing products and methods. I agree using a good waterless wash instead of detailing spray to remove light surface contamination is best. I get great results from Chemical Guys Waterless Wash. I don't do shows since I got hooked on drag racing but I carry my race cars on an open trailer and need a touch up when I get to the track. The CG product does such a good job I don't need to follow with a detail spray.

 

I appreciate the kind words, sir! I am still a newbie myself, but have done quite a bit of side work over the past couple years. I have had a chance to try quite a few different products on a variety of different vehicles, and I am happy to share what I feel are good products with my Corvette brethren. I am a big fan of "bang for the buck" products, so you can always expect very affordable products in my reviews. Loki and BudgetPlan are the big spender ballers in here.

 

...and while I haven't achieved Jedi Master detailer status yet, I am happy with my "gun for hire" Mandalorian bounty hunter detailer status.



I actually gave my side gig a joke name on Facebook. because my friends know I am a Star Wars nerd. "The Dandalorian Detailing". Hahahaha!

 

😄 Irresponsibly impulsive perhaps, as long as it remains fun!

 

I sincerely try not purchase everything so my spending habits have been curtailed. I don’t mind spending, I do mind having an overwhelming amount of products....even if they were to be given to me for free.

I used to have everything and suffered from analysis paralysis. Now I try to keep to my comfort zone, and causally experiment with a few things and replace “go to products” only if the new stuff overtakes it.

Ive said it before, I try to never have more than two products designed to do the same thing, or in the same chemistry profile. I try to limit myself whilst still remaining open to try new compelling products.

it’s a tightrope walk for me many times

 

Well I ordered the Adam's Ceramic Waterless Wash in the 8oz size. It arrived yesterday (4 business days). I wanted to try the small size before ordering in bulk.

Of course I couldn't wait to try it so I used it on the spots that I would want to hit up after driving 50 or even 100 miles to a car event. My car was clean but the Adam's seems to be exactly what I was looking for. I especially like the way that product "spritzes" onto the surface so not a lot of product is used. It was easy to remove and did not streak.

My car is not ceramic coated but I think the Adam's will work well for me and even maybe add a "little" ceramic to the top coat.

Thanks again for the recommendation. I'll follow up when I attend the next car gathering.

 

That's Awesome Ron...congrats on finding something that works for you!

Here are some things about ACWW that I've noticed and needed to overcome:

• hot panels - it will streak and smear if used on hot panels in the sun. So what I do is try to work in 2x2 areas and work quickly. If I notice smearing, I can apply a drop more to reactivate BUT - make sure you have a good secondary buffing cloth for final buff before you move on to the next section. You might also want to have a small spray bottle of water and spray into an MF cloth to help alleviate any smudge marks.
• along those lines I noticed it want to flash quickly after atomized. so again, if it is sunny and especially hot, work quickly to avoid complications.
• this might be crazy; I don't know exactly what is in this stuff, but I find it works better if you shake the bottle before each panel. This could simply be an obsessive, stupid psychosomatic thing, but i find this product to be a bit on the "heavy and viscous" side as compared to other like products and that shaking the bottle helps redistribute all the goodness!

I've not used this on a non-coated car yet, but I can tell you as compared to other similar products, the slickness it leaves behind and the lower surface tension it imparts is above average. I suspect this will translate to your non coated car and you will see some cool water beading for a few days or so.

I've mentioned that this is the most finicky waterless wash I've used, but I am not knocking it at all. Once you figure out how it likes to be used, you will be quite satisfied with the results. I know I am!

Good Luck Ron, keep us posted!
Loki6