Advice for first timer

[Bera]

Sorry if this is too long, hope I don't get too annoying with all my questions!

Hey guys,


So recently I purchased a used 2005 Hyper Blue MCS. I haven't cleaned it yet because its been a bit rainy but its still pretty clean.

I want to clean it for the first time sometime this week and I want to know exactly what products I need. I know there is tons of info here on how to apply them and which are the best.. but I just need some simple advice.

I'm going to buy all new products, I've been hearing of a lot of brands like: Zaino, Zymol, Clarity, Meguiar, 303. I'm the type of person that sticks to one brand and Zymol appealed to me most. Is it best to get the best product of each brand and mix or to just stick with one brand?

If you could give me the best product for these things, It would be awesome:
-Car wash soap.
-Window cleaner.
-Rim Cleaner
-The entire Dashboard/plastic sideskirt on the outside cleaner
-Leather cleaner ( I have blue leather)
-Wax
-Good mits/appliers/towels/chamois.. etc.
-An all around spray inbetween car washes? If there is one.

And if you guys think I need anything else, let me know!

Thanks so much!!

[mini_dreams]

Originally Posted by Bera

If you could give me the best product for these things, It would be awesome:
-Car wash soap.
-Window cleaner.
-Rim Cleaner
-The entire Dashboard/plastic sideskirt on the outside cleaner
-Leather cleaner ( I have blue leather)
-Wax
-Good mits/appliers/towels/chamois.. etc.
-An all around spray inbetween car washes? If there is one.

Welcome fellow Hyper Blue owner!

I'm pretty much a beginner too at this and I gave up on even trying the Zaino stuff just because I find their product naming annoying. I'm sure it is good stuff, I just didn't want to try to figure it out.

I've tried Meguiar's and it is pretty good and easy to find locally.

Then I tried the Prima line of products from Detailer's Paradise and it's great! I think you can't go wrong with this stuff if you are looking for products that are easy to use and give you good results. You can get a starter kit from DP (www.detailersparadise.com) or from Coopersport (http://www.coopersport.com/usa/Coope...o-p-16311.html) but here's a basic list:

-Car wash soap = Prima Mystique (I haven't used this yet, but just received some the other day and can't wait to try it)
-Window cleaner = Prima Clarity and DP's microfiber window cleaner towel — this product is incredible!
-Rim Cleaner - I can't help you here, but I think DP sells a Wheel Cleaner that is supposed to be pretty good
-The entire Dashboard/plastic sideskirt on the outside cleaner = Prima Nero for Dashboard and interior and for plastic outside trim. (You can also look at Wizard's Black Renew - I just got some and will try it soon)
-Leather cleaner ( I have blue leather) = Can't help you here... I have leatherette and use Nero on it
-Wax = Prima Epic
-Good mits/appliers/towels/chamois.. etc. = Monster Fluffy towel for buffing off wax and Waffle Weave towels for drying
-An all around spray inbetween car washes? If there is one. = Prima Hydro and Prima Slick. Slick is a quick detailer and Hydro has similar properties but also has some wax properties. Hydro can be used as a spray on wax while the car is still wet and you are drying it. Both give a very nice shine. Get a good sheepskin wash mit (100% wool) and get two buckets with grit guards for washing.

good luck! I'm sure more people will weigh in.

[edboyles]

the link does not work.....

[mini_dreams]

Originally Posted by edboyles

the link does not work.....

oops... fixed it!

[mcdbrendan]

Prima is the best product line out. As Mini_Dreams said, Clarity is incredible, easily the best glass cleaner out there. Mystique is an awesome shampoo that actually leaves behind a polymer that adds shine to your car (not jsut clean, but really really good looking) and Hydro is one of my favorite things in the whole wide world (next to skiing, rock climbing, driving itself, and cars.)

[Bera]

I'm almost convinced!

Any word on Zymol?
I heard one product from 303 is very good?

[Detailers Paradise]

Originally Posted by Bera

I'm almost convinced!

Any word on Zymol?

Zymol has some nice products, but definitely stick to the "enthusiast" line (ie, the stuff you can only buy from specialty stores and the Zymol website) and not the "consumer" line (ie, the stuff you can buy at Auto Parts stores, Wal-Mart, etc, most popular of which is the pale blue liquid cleaner-wax). The latter line is nothing compared to their enthusiast line. IMO, the former is super-premium while the latter is really the bottom of the barrel. So, everything I'll say herein is in reference to the good stuff.

Some say that Zymol is overpriced. I can't disagree but I also think that their raw ingredients and concentration levels are of the utmost quality. So it depends on what you want and want to pay. But are they worth that high price? IMO, it depends on 2 things: 1) what you're looking for and/or 2) if you need/want something unique.

We've tested every level of their carnauba paste waxes (they call them glazes and are listed under "feeding" on their website). Unfortunately, I think there are better carnaubas out there at the same and sometimes even better price points than most of the main Zymol waxes. Their main waxes go for anywhere between $40 and $100 per jar. I think, and I know many others agree, that P21S carnauba (or S100), Pinnacle, Swissol, and other carnaubas produce a nicer look and are easier to use. (my personal favorite carnauba is P21S, which is only $32 per jar!)

In addition to what I'm calling their main waxes, they also have super-premium waxes which range in price from $100 to $1,800 (also under "feeding" on the site)! I'm very sorry to say that the waxes in the $300+ range are phenomenal! But, most don't want to spend that much on wax.

Zymol does not make a non-carnauba wax. Go with carnauba if you want the ultimate in warmth and depth from your paint, AND you don't mind waxing every 30-45 days. Go with a non-carnauba (synthetic) wax if you would rather wax every several months. Different synthetics offer different looks, but most offer lots of shine, some offer gloss and some offer wetness (and often a combination of 2 or more traits). You will usually get stonger protection from a synthetic, especially if the car is in extreme environmental conditions (winter, sun, rain, salt, etc). Prima Epic is extremely durable and yields shine, gloss and lots of wetness. It's hard to beat. (bias note: I sell it, but it is true!)

As for Zymol's non-wax products, they again have high quality products but often at a high price. Some really cool products that are somewhat unique: Seal (for door seals) & Clear Auto Bathe (very expensive, though very concentrated car soap which really enhances the paint). Also, HD Cleanse is an excellent paint cleanser (non-abrasive pre-wax polish). There aren't too many others in the line which I personally find super impressive. My "worth it" list consists of just the Seal, Clear & HD Cleanse. The $300+ waxes are amazing, but again, perhaps cost more than wax should cost.

I hope that gives you some more info on Zymol. In summary:

Stay away from their junky consumer line (like the blue liquid stuff at WalMart)
Zymol tends to be very expensive and often more so than the value it adds, IMO (depends on which product though)
Zymol is made from extremely high quality ingredients
Zymol does not make a synthetic wax, which is the style many prefer these days

-Heather

[Bera]

That was very helpful!

I'm not looking to have a show case car, so I think it's a no to Zymol.

If you have time, I'd like to hear your opinion on Prima?

Thanks much,
Bijan

[MiniMaybee]

Originally Posted by Bera

That was very helpful!

I'm not looking to have a show case car, so I think it's a no to Zymol.

If you have time, I'd like to hear your opinion on Prima?

Thanks much,
Bijan

um ... Heather makes the Prima line in her bathtub.
Really though, Detailers Paradise is the manufacturer of the Prima line so they will know the ins-and-outs.
Pound for pound, my dollars (and lots of them) are on Prima. I did use Zaino for awhile, and I still like some of the qualities that Zaino offers (smell, ease, non-staining) but the results of Epic, Hydro and Slick are at this point unbeatable. Plus they're just a few miles from my house.
Great products, exceptional service, vast knowledge and funky dogs - Detailers Paradise has it all.

[mcdbrendan]

the 303 cleaner is awesome and so is the protectant.

[mcdbrendan]

Haha. Prima is an awesome product line. Heather will give you everything you need to know about Prima...

[El_Jefe]

you can go like old school and do what bahamut does and use klasse and ps21 on top of it. sounds like a great thing. theres also this car soap she uses that apparently has some sort of syth wax in it that shines while washing.

I personally use griot's paste wax. If i hadnt started with them and didnt havea huge amount of their stuff still, I would go ps21 for the months of march-october and prima epic for october through february. that would be the most fun and the most ideal for a deep metallic green that I have. ps21 from detailers paradise is kinda low in durability but its high in depth, protection and doesnt make white marks all over my black rubber parts. that wax from griots is 30% carnauba and seems to never ever come off my trim.

basically, stick with one line and call the place up you are buying from to ask about best product compatibility and usage.

oh, interior detailing is important for a fresh car look. For that I ahve one huge suggestion that I just tested to be true: keep one brand and one line. I just tried meguiars quik detailer as its so freakin cold I dont have time to use the very excellent griots interior cleaner/stripper then use the milky vinyl and rubber treatment that they make. well, I can say that both products, meguiars and griot's arent mixing that well and had a weird sticky effect for about an hour. just a tip there. I dont know if anyone else has noticed this. I still will use the meguiars stuff, but it seems to me that it reacts oddly at first when you mix some brands. I duno if octaneguy ever noticed this.

[kenchan]

car wash soap sounds like some kind of bar soap.

car shampoo and conditioner.

[Bera]

Where is detailers Paradise located?

Cause the only place I know of is Amazon.com :(

Prima's bottles look cool as well.

[mini_dreams]

^ Denver... available online at www.detailersparadise.com