"The Best Thing For Cleaning" Thread

[colincoon]

A friend of mine used to detail yachts and the yacht owners' cars and he sent me a list of all the things he uses. They are all pretty high end stuff, and he reccommends using a DA polisher by Porter. Anyway, here is the list:

Ok, here's a rundown of what I use. I get almost everything from Classic Motoring Accessories - Car Buffers, Car Waxes, Car Polishes, Auto Detailing Supplies, Car Covers, Car Accessories They're an excellent site full of very informative detailing articles, how-to's, and behind the scenes product articles.





WASH & DRY



- Natural Sea sponge - $19.95

- P21s Body Conditioning Shampoo - $10.95

- Blackfire Polyclay Bar II - $24.95 (This makes a HUGE difference in the surface of the car. I wouldn't bother buying the special lube though. It's pointless. I just take the hose, and continuously rinse down the surface as I'm claying the paint. It's absolutely the same thing as the lube. The key is to just keep the paint wet as you're claying.

- Big Blue Towel III - $17.95 (This might be a little much to spend on a towel, but I LOVE it. Truthfully, any good microfiber towel or an Absorber will work since you're not looking for perfection.



As far as washing goes, I use two buckets. One filled with soap and water, and one filled with just water for rinsing. The reason is that you don't want the dirt carried right back onto the car with your next handful of suds. It's good to take the dirty sponge and wring it out to let the dirt settle in the water bucket. Most people don't realize that all those swirls you see in when the sun reflects of the car's surface are simply microscopic grooves from washing your car with a dirty mitt, sponge, etc. The two bucket method is not perfect, but it definitely helps cut back the swirls on darker color cars.



WHEELS & TIRES



- Menzerna Gel 7.5 Tire & Wheel Cleaner - $13.95 (This stuff is the shiznit!! You can use it on both the tires and wheels. The best thing to do is go to your local hobby shop and buy a bag of those small foam paint brushes to get in between the small places on the rims, etc. This stuff really works well against the brake dust.

- Tire & wheel brush – It doesn't really matter which brand you chose, just as long as it's one from this site.

- Wheel wax kit with Extreme Black - $22.95 (okay, I LOVE this stuff too! I haven't used the EB yet, but the Wheel Wax is unreal. If the wheel cleaner don't remove the brake dust, then I hit it hard with this stuff. Sometimes it takes a little elbow grease, but most times, it really cuts into it strong. The wax also really protects against pitting, and makes the subsequent cleanings much easier. The dust just rolls off when brushed.

- Tire dressings – I'd suggest reading through and picking your favorite. Dressings are a matter of personal taste. Some are shinier than others, last longer, etc. etc.



COMPOUNDS & WAXES



Okay, here's the meat of the detail. This all depends on how hardcore you wanna get. I'll tell you what I use, and you can decide if that's the route you wanna go. For a car that's never been detailed thoroughly before, I give it the full treatment.



- Menzerna "Get Acquainted Kit" - $29.95

- Orange Pads (2) - $11.97

- White Pads (2) - $11.97

- Klasse Concours Kit - $49.95



I'll describe the best way to apply all this stuff later.



LEATHER



- Deluxe Lexol 303 Kit - $39.95



GLASS



- Sprayway Glass Cleaner - $3.99 (This stuff rocks!)

- Dragon Fibre Glass Cleaning Cloth - $5.95 (This is the only time you need a specific microfibre cloth for something. This combo works wonders.)

[SixSpeed]

He uses great products! Sounds like he knows what hes doing.

I bet he shops at the same place I do as well.

[colincoon]

He was in Miami before he moved to Atlanta. Says he used to do everything from Focus' to Ferrari's. Real nice guy too. Now if I only had $500 to buy all of this stuff haha.

[stcyrjoe]

Guys I wholesale cars for a living and the only thing I would ever use to clean a car is either purple power from advanced auto or deep purple from walmart etc. Use purple power directly on your wheels and or under your hood and make sure that anything with paint on it has water on it and that your car is in the shade. I have sprayed this under a hood and some got on the window and I was in the sun and it actually pitted the window. Also do one wheel at a time and make sure you have a stiff bristled brush to get into all the tight spots. Same goes for under the hood just spray and brush and use a light mist of water to rinse and have a air hose with a blower attachment to blow off all excess water or you will have a cylindar misfire!!!!! As for the interior mix half water and half purple power in a spray bottle and mist it on to all interior pieces a little at a time and wipe away quickly. And bad stains spray directly onto stain and scrub. For all the little cracks spray directly onto a toothbrush or detailers brush and get in there!!! You will be amazed...

[stcyrjoe]

PS Do not use directly on paint it will remove all your wax and if that is what your trying to do then pour it into your bucket with your normal carwash and wash it that way.