FromZto5

I am SOOOOO happy Marc is the one responding to all these questions. Thanks buddy!!! You're doing all the work for us detailer's

CCTking

When it comes to cleaning windows i like to go old school and use brown paper towels and newspaper stuff. Works awesome

phiggs54

Newspaper works great for the final polishing

Automatic 5.0

I really have trouble cleaning my inside windows. They want to streak and streak and streak. Tried newspaper this weekend and it worked a little better until the newspaper got to wet and started coming apart. And that back window is a pain, period.

2011 Kona Blue

Here is a 1991 5.0 my wife and I just compounded and cleaner wax this weekend for a local mustang club member. I used Meguiar's ultimate compound on the hood first because of lots of scratches along with my Porter Cable and yellow cutting pad.

Then followed up with Meguiar's all
professional mirror glaze 6 cleaner wax on the hood again and rest of the car.

phiggs54

Very nice results. Beautiful car. Are the chalk diagrams on the driveway detailing instructions?

2011 Kona Blue

Lmao. That's not my house. Ba ha ha ha. Thanks bro. The owner told me I had long surpassed his expectations for the results. Lol

AlsCobra

So detailers, one my biggest issues with ordering all these wonderful products you guys like is the actual ordering products. I don't like to order a bunch of stuff only to be unsatisfied or have to order more. I would really prefer to stop at a local paint shop or auto parts store and just pick it up as needed. Unfortunately you can't find many of these brands over a counter. So what easily accessible products do you guys recommend? PPG and 3M products I can get through paint stores and of course the auto parts chain stores you can get most of Meg's stuff and a few more. Lately I've been using the Meg's ultimate series products and they are just ok. I've got a couple different 3M polishes also. Honestly is just ain't ordering all these wild products over the net. So what do you guys recommend?

CCTking

My local advanced auto parts store has started carrying Griots garage products so if you have one you could check there. Meguiars and mothers are pretty common everywhere else and are dependable products that work perfectly fine

2011 Kona Blue

When I first got my Porter Cable DA polisher a few months ago I had completed a three step correction process on my pony and our second vehicle ( mini van). I had used Meguiar's Ultimate Compound, Ultimate Polish and Ultimate Wax which is fully synthetic and actually a sealant not a wax. I was thrilled with the results and personally a fan of Meguiar's products especially these 3 Meguiar's products. I really liked how the Ultimate Wax can be administered in direct sunlight if need be and will not stain any plastic or vinyl should it come in contact with it.

I noticed you had mentioned that you tried the ultimate products and thought they were just okay. I was just curious on why just okay and if you had a bad experiences with those three products? I also use Meguiar's professional mirror glaze 6 cleaner wax on a few other cars I had detailed for customers of mine and stuff worked excellent.

I purchase many of my detailing products online from Auto Geek which is my new crack ( ha ha ha) however the biggest issue with auto geek is they hit you with shipping charges unless you spend 150 dollars or more then its free shipping. I really like the detailing pads Auto Geek carries by Lake County and needed about 100 dollars worth detailing items including various 6.5 inch pads.

Auto Geek was like 18 dollars to ship..I was able to get 10% off order so I saved like 8 bucks off my order which shipping was really 10 bucks but I love Auto Geek. Its like a freaking drug those rat bastards at Auto Geek for making such good products. I also purchase majority of my Meguiar's detail products at Wally World. Great prices that are cheaper than ordering directly from Meguiar's and most stuff is carried in stock.

Joeywhat

Are there any compressed air attachments suitable for drying a car? I use a leaf blower right now, but it's loud and a PITA the get started, and doesn't really work that well. The "normal" blower tip on there right now just doesn't seem to work that well either, I think it's too concentrated. We have a decent size air compressor, is there anything I can use for this?

Also, just how well do products like Hydro2 work? I mean any of the "touchless" sealers. Do they offer the same shine/protection as a "typical" sealant that requires buffing? There has to be a catch somewhere...

AlsCobra

I don't have the best luck with Meg's products although the ultimate series is a lot better. Still get the occasional hazy areas or even sometimes an almost oily residue. I'm really thinking the very high humidity around here may be causing some of it. Dunno. The ultimate polish seems to be a great product though. I'm just pretty particular and I'm also kinda lazy when it comes to keeping up the finish on my car. My car has a very high gloss black finish and it's not factory paint. It's really like a deep black mirror that will show the slightest haze or imperfection. It's probably not going to be my problem much longer since I will be selling her soon but this paint job has taught me a lot about caring for a finish.

Herbert, I will definitely check out the griots. Thanks.

2011 Kona Blue

When drying off, I always use my leaf blower and does an excellent job. Lol

Joeywhat

It works OK, it's just super loud and a PITA to use (heavy). I wish I had a backpack blower...

I'll see if my shop vac is up to the task.

AlsCobra

I have an electric leaf blower I use for that. Light and does the job well.

DaGonz

Detailed Image.com is reasonably priced carries a wide variety of brands, and also offers freebies and free shipping if your order is over certain amount.

Posted by Joeywhat
Don't use a backback blower... being gas powered, if they run a little rich, you could end up blowing products of combustion all over your nice clean paint.

I have a friend who bought a Metro Vac MasterBlaster to dry his cars. It is pricey at about $350, but he swears by it. Like AlsCobra and Kona, I use an electric leaf blower along with microfiber drying towels to dry my vehicles.

My drying regimen is as follows: I take the nozzle of the end of the hose and allow the water to free flow over the surface, let the run off, then use the microfiber drying towels, then the leaf blower and then another drying microfiber to get what's left. My presernt LSP is Meguiar's #21 Synthetic Sealant topped with S100 Carnauba wax, so water literally rolls right of the finish using the open hose technique.

I have no experience with Car Pro's Hydro2, but I have read a lot of rave reviews of it on the Detalier Buddies page on Facebook and on Autopia. I am tempted to try it out in my detailing venture aloong with their IronX.

MarcHarris

What you're doing is highly limiting what you'll have to work with. It's the same as only buying a car a dealer has on a lot. If you're not willing to order a vehicle or make a dealer trade to get the car you want, you're stuck with what the dealership ordered/what they think most of the general public would like. If you want generic; that's fine. If you want something special, then don't get your hope's up. Don't think you're going to find a car in a manual in a rare color with rare options right down the street. In the same way, you can't expect high-end products catered to the .1% of car enthusiasts at your local parts store where they likely wouldn't sell well.


Nothing I know of for air attachments. It's not about PSI, but rather about volume of air, and a small nozzle is going to limit cubic feet/minute. An eletric leaf blower really is the best way for the money IMO.
Yes, HydrO2 truly does work. I don't know how, but I'm pretty sure it's witchcraft. Stuff isn't cheap though...

AlsCobra

You make a great point Marc. Although there's a big market for these products around enthusiasts, the majority are not enthusiasts. Might just have to bite the bullet and order the good stuff.

MarcHarris

Don't get me wrong: I understand the hesitation. Cost, shipping, the wait... eh.

Make a list of everything you're interested in, sign up for email notification from DetailedImage.com / follow them on facebook, and wait for a sale. You can always get 10% off at any time, but if you're paying attention, you can likely get 15%, 20%, or even 25% off. There are many 15% + free shipping deals which helps. Having a list makes sure you research products and keeps you from buying things without good reason.

Buying during a sale also saves you on shipping overall so you're not shipping out one or two things at a time.

2011 Kona Blue

Also, Auto Geek is another amazing detailing online store that sells everything detail related. It seems too me that the products Auto Geek or Chemical Boys are selling are top quality products that work and not crap. I personally think for the price of the detailing products, Meguiar's is a home run. Meguiar's makes excellent quality products for less than many other similar products.

Are there better detailing products on the market over Meguiar's? I'm sure there are however for the money I use as much Meguiar's detailing products I can find that I need. Meguiar's is typically my first go to detailing product line.