I have read almost every thread in this forum.

I know each of you has a favorite and an opinion.

I left a message with Meguiars and was supposed to be contacted back in 24 hours... nothing back.

I called Zaino and got a man who was not very warm and frendly and didn't appear to want to talk to me about their products.

I called Groits and a nice lady answered a lot of my questions very nicely.

But none of this is directly related to which products are best. Or even it their is all that much difference.

I have read Octaneguy and Agranger and I'm sure both of them are experts and their cars look wonderful.

Which line should I go with, or does it matter as long as I use one of the top brands and do it properly?

I'm CR/W with rRed dash and door trim. Still on a boat righ now. I plan to tell my MA to do no detailing. Should I also tell him not to wash it? My plan is to get the car home and claybar it, then wax it with 'something' by hand and then keep it that way. Hopefully I won't have swirls to start wtih, but I may.

Which product should I use on the interor red dash and door trim?

YD

 

Where are you located? Many people use what is local to them or what people in there area use. I found this to be helpful when ordering because many people can get stuff shipped cheaper.

Also, if you are located near any of dealers, stop in, I know Griots was very happy to talk with me when I dropped in at there call center, thinking they had a store front. (this was years ago, now they do have a show room.)

I use Griots and have been very happy with their products and their customer service. Their stuff is pricey, but I find it is worth it for the customer service.

 

i like griot's, great service, awsome best of show wax, nice catalog every month. there towels are good(micro fiber). I have been using best of show wax for years now and found you use so little when doing a car that the bottle i have now i have had for 3 years. I use a porta cable DA machine. I also use some mequiars stuff both seem good. I am always open to try new things. But it seems i have stuck with griots because of there catalog is easy to read and understand what you want..

 

Oh yeah, I forgot...its almost idiot proof. Not much you can do to screw it up...and if you have questions, there is almost always someone ready to help you over the phone!

 

me too. They bascially custom taylor to your orders and requests.


I know Heather is very responsive over there at Detailers Paradise. I
will be buying and trying out their other Prima stuff down the road.
Im eye'ing that Slick detailer spray and their vinyl/rubber products.

The season for detailing is kinda quickly coming to an end for us
Chicagoans so next spring.

 

I'm in Knoxville. I don't care if I purchase locally or mail order. I also usually don't need customer service, but if they are in business (I am a wedding photograher and absolutely work myself to death trying to provide all the customer service I can to my clients), I think they should be willing to talk to their customers on the customer's level. Groits was the only company to even try to talk to me and answer my stupid questions. I don't like supporting companies or products when they really don't care if they get my business or not.

This obviously is causing me to lean toward Groits, assuming their products are "good stuff" and I'm sure they are.

I welcome anyone's comments, I'm just trying to learn.

YD

 

I like knoxville, maybe we should meet up next time I am headed to Maryville and I will let you test some of there stuff(I carry a moble kit too )

 

There is also a "zen issue" involved in your questions, Yo's'Dad. You should first ask yourself these questions:

What is the primary use of the vehicle? Primary commute vehicle or weekend pleasure drive?

What are the most common severe weather conditions where the vehicle is mostly located and driven? Snow, ice, road salt? Extreme heat and humidity? Sea air? Acid rain?

Will the vehicle be stored indoors or outdoors? Covered shelter or uncovered?

What effect would you like to achieve? Deep color? Glassy and wet?

Is you vehicle a dark or light color? Some will hide clear cost defects better than others.

What is readily available locally when I run out of polish, wax, protectant, etc., in the middle of a detail?

How much am I willing to invest in products?

Basically, I think, you need to develop a profile of how the vehicle will be used and what you would like to accomplish with your detailing. Once you have answered these questions, grasshopper then you can decide what is best for you.

Of course, we all try multiple products always looking for the perfect elixir that will leave our cars beautiful and impervious to the elements. Unfortunately, as of yet the perfect elixir for all conditions does not exist, or at least I have not found it. But that doesn't stop me from looking and my credit card bills are testimony to that fact!

 

I was a Meguiars man for years. I tried Zaino about 3-4 years ago and made the switch permanantly. I got to use some of the Detailers Paradise stuff at MITM. I will purchase some and test it out.

Then newer polish (vs. wax) products are really the way to go. I have been using the microfiber towels from Target (vroom) they have been working well and are very reasonable in price.

 

Your best support for Meguiar's is at www.Meguiarsonline.com. Don't forget that if you call Meguiar's customer support that they are based in Irvine California i.e PST. People are just getting into work right now.

My partner Mike Phillips was the one who created the forum around 3 years ago when all Meguiar's had was an 800 number, and now there are thousands of users as well as reps who will help answer your questions 24/7.

As far as your question is concerned, I say use an enthusiast brand of wax that you like.

Choose based on how easy it is to use. To me durability isn't all that important, IF you wax often. That is, if the product is easy to use, and you like waxing your car, a wax that lasts 4 weeks applied monthly will be more durable or atleast as durable as one that is waxed once every 6months.

Ease of use includes: Whether it turns the trim white. Most waxes do this except a few synthetics. That could come into your decision.

Most of all, any wax you use despite the brand or the cost will come down to one thing. How good is the paint you are applying the wax to?

If the paint needs to be claybarred and you don't do it, it'll never be smooth as glass, and it will never hold a wax as long as paint that has been prepped properly.

If the paint is all swirled out from using automatic car washes or bad washing technique, then a wax with fillers like Zaino will to a certain degree hide those swirls and make the car look better. That's great for people who don't want to invest in a machine tool, although personally, using a PC will make the polishing and waxing process many times faster as well as more thorough. And while some people willl argue that speed isn't an issue, it is if you like to do it often, since the next time it's time to wax, you won't be making excuses that it's too hot, or too cold, or I just don't have 5 hours to wax my car!

Sorry for the long winded answer, but I've polished out enough cars to know that just about any wax will make a well polished and prepped car look great, but some just do it a little bit better. But 90 or 90% of that great look comes from the prep and not the wax. So like I said, choose the wax based on what you will use often.



Not trying to diss wrx_xb9r, but remember that Meguiar's launched their first synthetic 3 years ago with the NXT line, so 3-4 years ago, I can see why Zaino (a synthetic polymer wax) would win you over Meguiar's more traditional carnuba based waxes. But times have changed, and Meguiar's M21 Sythetic Sealant and NXT Tech Wax are both very good products.

Richard

 

S100 is a nice easy to apply wax that leaves a nice shine. Doesn't last all that long but it goes on quick and is very easy to buff out/remove

 

Well to respond to trico who says I need to determine what I want, maybe this will define me a little bit

My MINI will be brand new CR/W

The paint will be whatever it is when I get it (going to tell the dealer not to detail it)

It will be garaged at home

I work from home right now, so it won't be sitting out at my work place.

In in Knoxville, TN, very little salt in the winter.

I enjoy hand washing to clean the car and for mental health for me.

I will wash it about twice per week

I will clay it as necessary

I will wax it at whatever interval is necessary, monthly, 6 months whatever depending upon what I select

I want the red to be slick and vibrant and intense... something that a person walking by the car will notice and think how good it looks.

I don't want to get totally consumed with it, afterall, it is only a car.... and I do have plenty to do.. but it will reflect my attention to detail to my clients. My brides will notice the car and I want it to look great.

The cost difference between some Walmart wax and the best is not an issue with me. For the results I want, a hundred bucks a year in supplies is not a concern. A few hours a week is also not a concern. My kids are grown and gone, this is my toy.

Zaino, Meguires, Groits, others will probably all be great if I use them properly. I know red has a tendency to fade if left in the sun. If one of these product will help me keep the red color longer, that is important.

Because the car is small, the time to do the detailing is a big problem for me... imagine detailing a Yukon or Suburban.

YD

 

Twice a week is way too often. Once a week and use a Quik Detailer to maintain between washes.

The paint slickness will be dependent on how you maintain it. Keep the dust off and the swirls away and it'll look "just polished" every day.

As far as Red fading in the sun, that's not true-atleast not for new MINIs. The clear coat will oxidize, bonded contaminants will stick to the clear, and the paint will turn a pink/orange color--but that's just the clear coat that needed cleaning. It's preventing you from seeing the true color beneath it.

Keep the clear coat clean, don't let dirt accumulate, QD often, and your paint will look great all the time.

 

In another thread I believe Detailer's Paradise felt that Klasse looked the wettest with the greatest depth of color on CR. It is a synthetic which generally will last longer than a carnuba based wax.

 

I'm sitting here thinking, if there was ever a time for Heather to step in and post.

 

I was just getting to like you, too.

 

would you please try this one and let us know?
You get free re-fills for life.



http://www.zymol.com/vintage2.htm

 

No problems there. I did switch before the NXT line came out. I have not tried these. What I like best is the ability to go a few months between rewaxing the car. With the carnuba waxes I was getting 4 weeks maximum before the water did not bead at all. Usually it was 2-3.

 

Oh I agree with that. I prefer straight synthetic or carnuba topped with synthetic for additional durability.

Of course, you gotta remember that Meguiar's doesn't formulate their products (well they are starting to change this now due to market perception) for high beading, instead they formulate for water sheeting. Beading isn't an accurate sign of whether wax protection still exists. It's entirely possible to formulate a high bead wax that offers very little protection, and it's also entirely possible for a wax to continue protecting even when it stops beading. But more imporantly, carnubas just don't have the durability of synthetics, though most people who swear by carnubas use it for looks over durability.

Richard

 

Octane,

I hope you mean straight synthetic or SYNTHETIC topped with CARNUBA...

I'm a Zaino guy, but there are lots of good products out there. The more products I try, the more I learn that BradB was right all those years ago when he told me that it isn't about the product but about the technique.

Find a product that you are comfortable with... I recommend Meguiars NXT to alot of people for ease of use and ease of purchase (Sprawl-mart, Target, etc). I recommend the cheapie "Nu Finish" as well (from K-Mart-like stores and grocery stores)... a synthetic w/ some abrasives for polishing action. If I had an old beater car, I'd buy a bottle of Nu Finish and be done with it!

The key to a good finish is much more in the preparation and skill / knowledge than in the product.

 

Nope, I meant exactly what I said. Carnuba topped with Synthetic. Have you ever tried it?

Take a product like ColorX or the similar M66 Quick Detailer (one step cleaner wax), and apply it to a dark paint. It will look great, but follow it with M21 Synthetic Sealant, and the paint will darken and become glossier, and look much better than just the single carnuba applied by itself...now if my objective was to use the durability of a synthetic and end with a carnuba--you would be right in that assumption--but for me what looks best is most important.

There are numerous ways to combine wax products, use what works for you and what you like. I prefer the wet, deep look of synthetics.

Also I would stay away from any product that contained abrasives UNLESS they used diminishing abrasives. Otherwise, might as well mix some sand in with your wax and apply if don't.

Richard

 

Wow... I never would have tried to top a carnuba with a synthetic. Since the synthetic wouldn't be able to bind to the paintwork, I would think that it would be very short lived.... and I thought that a carnuba topper over a synthetic was overkill for most folks. But, I guess I'm talking w/ the guy who detailed his dealer's loaner car, just for fun!

 

Put it this way. The synthetic over a Carnuba isn't something I do often--it's used in special case applications where you have no choice. I.e. on certain scratch sensitive paints that exhibit micromarring by simply wiping with a microfiber towel. This is common on black G35's where you can polish the paint to such a high degree that the simple act of wiping off a polish will mar the finish.

In situations like this, a wax that has some fillers is desirable to prevent the micromarring from being visible, and topping it off with a synthetic is desirable. Now, I can confuse the issue a bit more by saying that the Carnuba's I use are usually a combination of products--like the #26 High Tech Wax. Maybe this is the reason why it works for me.

Hi-Tech Yellow Wax is a premium yellow Carnauba wax blended with silicones, polymers and other waxes. Adds richness and depth of color. Provides ultimate high gloss protection to any previously cleaned and polished paint finish.

Richard

 

quick info:
IMO Griots has great service but nothing special in the LSP dept. I believe they have great marketing, and I do buy a few items from them (interior cleaner, wash, wheel cleaners on stick), but I believe they are over-priced and I can do better else where for most of my detailing supplies.

I have several Griot's MF towels and rank them as average or below average to the many other brands I have and use. The Griots have been put on wheel duty.

IMO, a poorly prepped finish with the world's most expensive wax will take a backseat to a well prepped finish with a much lesser brand. The LSP is just the last 5% of the detail.

Find a good process and do it often. The brands are fun to collect and compare but they aren't the whole story.
OK...off my rant now.

 

LSP dept... what is that again?