Washing and Detailing

[RUGER AT4]

I'm a fan of Chemical Guys products and have had success with them in the past. I have recently run out of supplies which is what made me curious as to what everyone else is using for washing and detailing? Why do you like what you are using? Is anyone using hoseless car washing stuff like AMMO NYC? Favorite sealant/wax? Have you ceramic coated your truck?

[Sotally Tober]

I use chemical guys also!

[sdkraemer]

When I bought my 2011 Camaro new I went with only Adams products as I perceived it to be the best. Their stuff always seems to work well. Lately I've been buying chemical guys because it's on Amazon and cheaper.

Attached are photos of my wife's 2009 Silverado. Last year I had to use Adams Haze and swirl remover on it and chemical guys v34 to remove pretty severe hard water etching. Took quite a few passes. The photos are of the truck a few weeks ago after I detailed it with Adams shampoo, nanoskin wash mitt as a clay bar and sealed it with what used to be Adams machine super sealant. I also used Adam's VRT on the plastic which turns it from a light grey to practically new looking.

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Edited April 24, 2019 by sdkraemer

[RUGER AT4]

17 minutes ago, sdkraemer said:

When I bought my 2011 Camaro new I went with only Adams products as I perceived it to be the best. Their stuff always seems to work well. Lately I've been buying chemical guys because it's on Amazon and cheaper.

Attached are photos of my wife's 2009 Silverado. Last year I had to use Adams Haze and swirl remover on it and chemical guys v34 to remove pretty severe hard water etching. Took quite a few passes. The photos are of the truck a few weeks ago after I detailed it with Adams shampoo, nanoskin wash mitt as a clay bar and sealed it with what used to be Adams machine super sealant. I also used Adam's VRT on the plastic which turns it from a light grey to practically new looking.

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VERY NICE! Looks really good. Never used Adam's products but will look into them now as well.

[sk]

Everybody will have an opinion but the majority of high-end detailers use these products:

https://optimumcarcare.com/

 

I actually buy them through the same place I buy all my microfiber towels and other cleaning supplies:

https://www.theragcompany.com/

 

Edited April 24, 2019 by sk

[cmatt]

For what it’s worth, my advice is to do your research. There’s a lot of marketing hype related to automotive detailing.

For me, Matt Moreman (Obsessed Garage) and Scott Bley (Dallas Paint Correction) among others have a good bit of content on YouTube that covers a broad range of products and their application. I’m not brand loyal, although I used to be.

[Likarok]

I will use anything that is proven to be good but I generally use Maguiers products. Porter Cable random polisher and pads from Auto Geek. I have really gotten into the detailing bit after having success compounding and polishing scratches out of various cars and trucks. Trouble is now all my friends think I should be doing theirs. lol 

[txrangersfan]

I use their Natural Shine product on my tires. Gives them a new tire look that isn’t glossy.  And it’s good for a couple of washes.  Their tire dressing applicator does a good job but starts to crumble and leave bits on the tire after 4 or 5 uses.

 

Using Adams Car Shampoo for now but my ceramic coat guy recommends Meguiar’s Gold Class car wash shampoo. So I’ll probably give that a try when I run out of Adams.

 

303 Aerospace Marine/Recreational Protectant revives my tonneau cover and is usually good for a couple washes too.  Invisible Glass applied and buffed with some Rag Company microfibers finishes the job.

Edited April 25, 2019 by txrangersfan

[Nasty]

I am extrememly into this.  And its taken me a few years to find out what works best

 

Chemical guys and adams to me is just water in a bottle

 

For soap i use nicks blue blue soap, wax doesnt last and ive found sonax polymer net sheild to be my favorite sealant. Wheel and tire cleaner i use iron x to decon the wheel and then mai chemical supply to clean the tires.   Tire and plastic dressing i really like sudzbox shadow

[dieselfan1]

I'm using the McGuire's Hyper Wash in my foam cannon on my ceramic coated black Silverado. A little goes a long way too. I like it.

[ajb39oh]

I use mostly Adam’s, Wolfgang,and Blackfire. It’s fun to experiment.

[Imcrazy]

For polish, sealant & pads I use Adam's Polishes... Reason being: they had the easiest to understand systems for a newbie when I was starting out... I use a porter cable DA polisher which is on my list of tools that need to be upgraded... For towels I mostly use: https://www.amazon.com/RAG-COMPANY-Professional-Microfiber-Detailing/dp/B00GXRG64I/ref=sr_1_3?crid=QDOP2XX4JTXP&keywords=the+rag+company&qid=1556471523&s=automotive&sprefix=the+rag%2Caps%2C216&sr=1-3

Although I do have quite a few Adams towels too, both seem to be equal quality...

 

Right now I'm using aerospace 303 on the tonneau cover, simple green to clean the tires, never use shine..

 

Car wash is Adams car shampoo and I use their H20 Guard and Gloss for a quick sealant about once every 6 weeks to keep things sealed up..