DaveSpeed

I am planning on detailing my car for the spring and I"m thinking about ordering P21S cleaner and wax. What say yea all?

What do you use and what do you stay away from.

Dennis C

What kind of motor oil do you like?

I've heard of P21S, but never used it. Personally, I'm a fan of the Griot's Garage products. I've had good success with their polishes and waxes used with a random orbital waxer/polisher/buffer. I think your technique matters more than your product, for the most part. There are lots of good products out there.

DaveSpeed

I wouldn't start a oil thread for fear of being kicked off rennlist!

I have heard very good things about Griot's.

DaveSpeed

I am not a random orbital waxer/polisher/buffer kinda guy. Should I take it to a pro then and pass on the hand waxing?

Guido911

I'm not familiar with does products, but if your going to put on a cleaner and wax, it's is good thing to clay the car first. Then the wax will better attach to your paint.
(you think your car is clean but it's really not.)


I use Poorboys Claybar together with Poorboys Spray & Whipe.

For protection i use the Swissvax (Zuffenhausen) Cleaner and Wax.

dennis hiip

Go to Autogeeks.net. There are forums there that will give you tons of information on tons of really great products from users. I happen to use Einzett (German products) and Groits

911mike99

Zaino!

feds

It's actually www.autogeek.net and it's a great site. The forums provide alot of info too.

zman2002 C4S

Another vote for Zaino. I use the wash and all-in-one products.

Hardback

I owned and operated a detail shop for a few years. Unless your car has a lot of surface scratches or swirls I would stay away from an orbital polisher. Like Dennis said above, when using polishing tools, technique is as important as using the correct pads and product. If you decide to learn how to buff/polish with an orbital practice on an old car and read a few tutorials before working on your pcar. Clay bar and a few coats of hand applied wax (with a decent carnauba content) will give you great results. Stay clear of plastic and rubber surfaces. If you dont have a mechanic chair with rollers then certainly buy one.. The chair will allow you take your time on different sections of the car without breaking your back. Clay bar one section at a time until the paint is free of contaminents before moving to the next section.

Sue Esponte

I love P21S wheel gel for the (duh) wheels. It's gentle on the wheels and removes all but the harshest of dirt/tar/stains...which leads me to a question (not to hijack the thread) of what you guys recommend to use on hard to remove brake dust/tar remnants that sometimes cake on behind the wheels and leave little spots/stains here and there? I'm not a big fan of acids or anything harsh. Should a tar cleaner or maybe even clay do the job?

I also love Pinnacle Souveran wax for its brilliant shine and easy of use -- no caking/discoloration, etc. It goes on and, more importantly, comes off SO easily that I don't approach waxing like a chore. My first use made me a convert. It's pricey at about $100/tub but worth every penny in my opinion.

I also swear by Sonus Paint Sealant which I primarily use on my Sonett because (unlike my C4S) the car's 39 year old original paint is quickly approaching its end of life. It produces truly stunning results.

As for soaps, I've tried everything across the spectrum from Turtle Wax to Griots and other higher end products and I haven't found any big differences between them. In my experience, they're all similarly gentle on the paint and any wax.

-Eric

Dennis C

I don't use the random orbital buffer every time I wax the car. Unfortunately, my midnight blue car shows scratches and swirl marks very easily. When they become too much for me to stand, I use the buffer. I typically hand wax the car with Griot's Best In Show carnauba wax. I use spray-on wax after each washing. I only use the clay bar about once a year to remove stubborn deposits.

I've been considering trying Griot's paint sealer, but I haven't yet.

San Rensho

Meguiars NXT 2.0 PASTE is great. An unbelievable wet look shine that lasts quite a long time.

SSST

+1 on the clay bar. You will be amazed at what comes off your "clean" car. I either use Meguires or Mothers wax. I polish it by hand once every quarter or so, and usually have it professionally polished every other year.

LordVicious

Lexol leather conditioner. Not the cleaner (use whatever cleaner you want.) This is the correct answer! And Zaino ... with many cautions.