The "What Do You Use To Clean Your Car" Thread

[razrman8]

Hey guys,
I am curious as to what other people use to wash, clean, and detail their car with. So that is the question. What do you use to clean your car. Different waxes, spray waxes, detail spray, soap? I know that I am always open to different cleaning ideas. The last time that I fully detailed my car, I used
-Mothers soap
-Dish soap for my wheels
-Mothers Interior spray fot the seats, dash, plastics,( I highly recommend this stuff, puts a nice finish and smells GREAT!)
-If I want the tires to stay "shiny" for a while, I will use Amror All Tire Gel. Stuff lasts for a long time
-The Wax Shop wax ~Easy application and removal, not thick
**And in between washes Turtle Ice Synthetic Wax! This stuff works amazing! A bottle of that and a microfiber cloth go a long way
-And to top it off, Black Ice air freshner

 

[standard235]

Lucky me works for BMW doing detail right now so I use Malco products.

When I really get into detail personally, I'm going to buy a rotary buffer, pads, and compound. Not until the Talon gets fresh paint though.

I like the Meguiars stuff for parts store products

 

[snowborder714]

In order of steps performed.

Exterior
Wash – Meguiar's Gold Class
Clay – Sonus SFX clay and lubricant (didn't like, maybe because it was old, but will be trying something else next time)
Wash – Meguiar's Gold Class
Compound – Meguiars #105 with yellow or orange pads
Finishing Polish – Meguiars #205 with white pads
IPA wipedown - (91% IPA)
Glaze/Seal - Four Star Ultimate Paint Protection with gray pads
Wax – Meguiar's NXT Generation Tech Wax 2.0 with blue or red pads
Detail spray – Finish Kare 425

Wheels
Clean – Eagle One A2Z All Wheel and Tire Cleaner
Dress Tires – Armor All Extreme Tire Shine Gel

Interior
Clean – 303 Aerospace Protectant


Hardware
Flex XC 3401
Variety of Lake Country pads
- Flat
- Hydro-Tech
- CCS
2 bucket method, both have Grit Guards
Lambs wool and microfiber wash mits
Microfiber waffle weave drying towels

 

[Imback]

I wash my car with the tears of noob's

 

[knochgoon24]

I work at a place that does car washes and detailing. I use whatever we have in stock. It's all Autosmart products.

 

[Silver99OZ]

I have a bunch of cleaning stuff that I have picked up over the years. This is what I can think of off the top of my head.

Mothers soap
Mothers pre wax cleaner
Mothers sealer/glaze
Mothers liquid carnuba wax
Mothers clay bar kit
Mothers metal polish
Meguires clay bar kit
Meguires detail spray
Meguires Plastic X polish
Autoglym HD wax (my favorite wax)
Grease Lightning degreaser (dilluted 4-1)
2 bucket method
various microfiber products (wash mits, all different towels, dash dusters, etc)

 

[agarc023]

i wash my car with the tears of noob's

rofl

 

[yukiz]

I used LOVE.......

 

[ncampos92562]

Meguiars stuff from start to finish. Me and a buddy will try out new stuff every so often and see if it compares. Usually doesn't but Turtle Wax has a good quick detailer like Meguiars that we really like though.

 

[1eviltsi91]

When i worked for subaru/mazda dealership they used some product called zak tek i think good stuff now that i got fired i borrows some but i have to go back soon for more

 

[EC17PSE]

I always use turtle wax ice products! There very good I have no bad things to say about them I've got over $200+ worth of there products including cloths and extras I changed from autoglym about 3 years ago and the difference is so damn clear! It looks like water after and I can leave it for a few months and just detail it with just a spray and wipe then it looks freshly washed! A normal wash clay and polish takes me about 5-6 hours! Every 6 months I take off the wheels and do the brakes and under the car! Then it takes me a whole day! Well worth it though.

@ snowborder 714

In order of steps performed.

Exterior
Wash – Meguiar’s Gold Class
Clay – Sonus SFX clay and lubricant (didn't like, maybe because it was old, but will be trying something else next time)
Wash – Meguiar’s Gold Class
Compound – Meguiars #105 with yellow or orange pads
Finishing Polish – Meguiars #205 with white pads
IPA wipedown - (91% IPA)
Glaze/Seal - Four Star Ultimate Paint Protection with gray pads
Wax – Meguiar’s NXT Generation Tech Wax 2.0 with blue or red pads
Detail spray – Finish Kare 425


Hmmmmmmm so you don't pre wash your car with water to get rid of all the lint and grit on the surface??? I won't wash mine with out picking all the bits off and pre wash it

 

[razrman8]

Thanks for posting guys! Lets keep this going, I like seeing the variety of different things that people use. Makes me want to explore.

In order of steps performed.

Exterior
Wash – Meguiar’s Gold Class
Clay – Sonus SFX clay and lubricant (didn't like, maybe because it was old, but will be trying something else next time)
Wash – Meguiar’s Gold Class
Compound – Meguiars #105 with yellow or orange pads
Finishing Polish – Meguiars #205 with white pads
IPA wipedown - (91% IPA)
Glaze/Seal - Four Star Ultimate Paint Protection with gray pads
Wax – Meguiar’s NXT Generation Tech Wax 2.0 with blue or red pads
Detail spray – Finish Kare 425

Wheels
Clean – Eagle One A2Z All Wheel and Tire Cleaner
Dress Tires – Armor All Extreme Tire Shine Gel

Interior
Clean – 303 Aerospace Protectant


Hardware
Flex XC 3401
Variety of Lake Country pads
- Flat
- Hydro-Tech
- CCS
2 bucket method, both have Grit Guards
Lambs wool and microfiber wash mits
Microfiber waffle weave drying towels

Where do you get your detail spray?

 

[gusu]

I've tried different products and like the shine from Blue Coral car wash and for a car finish I LOVE the way Nu Finish works. It's great, I had a spot on my car that really needed to be buffed and that it worked good enough to make it look acceptable to trade it off.

I have also used black magic tire shine and a few others the others were meh and the black magic seems to work alright for a week but at least I can just spray it on and forget about it.

I've never really tried cleaning my interior but I'd love to know what they use at some detailing places. My friend had TERRIBLE beat down carpeting and used that and after the first use it looked 100% clean and the carpeting really looked like it was returned to new.

My dad has some expensive products but while there IS a difference I can't tell much of a difference between them and the more expensive products from just Autozone or Wal-Mart.

 

[snowborder714]

Hmmmmmmm so you don't pre wash your car with water to get rid of all the lint and grit on the surface??? I won't wash mine with out picking all the bits off and pre wash it

Nope, I've never done that. I hose the panels that I plan to wash off really well before actually doing so - that's about it. I'd really love to get a foam gun to prewash the car, but at this point it's an unnecessary expense.

Where do you get your detail spray?

AutoGeek is where I've purchased a lot of my stuff.



I've been debating on switching to the Autoglym HD wax and it sounds like the general consensus in here is to do so

 

[razrman8]

I've tried different products and like the shine from Blue Coral car wash and for a car finish I LOVE the way Nu Finish works. It's great, I had a spot on my car that really needed to be buffed and that it worked good enough to make it look acceptable to trade it off.

I have also used black magic tire shine and a few others the others were meh and the black magic seems to work alright for a week but at least I can just spray it on and forget about it.

I've never really tried cleaning my interior but I'd love to know what they use at some detailing places. My friend had TERRIBLE beat down carpeting and used that and after the first use it looked 100% clean and the carpeting really looked like it was returned to new.

My dad has some expensive products but while there IS a difference I can't tell much of a difference between them and the more expensive products from just Autozone or Wal-Mart.

I'm more of I kind of guy that just pulls the carpet and powerwash it. Makes them look new, and makes them smell good

That wax must be some good stuff.!

I have a bad feeling that Autogeek will be taking some of my money , Haha

 

[snowborder714]

^Just make sure to look for their discounts as they're always running some good deals or have coupons.

And I think the Autoglym can be found at WalMart if I remember correctly.




For my carpet, I will pull it and use a steam cleaner with about 3-5 passes on it, or until the water in the machine is still clean.

 

[razrman8]

^^Alrighty , thanks for the heads up. I can't say that I have ever steam cleaned anything. But I bet it works. I just can't wait till it warms up so my car can be clean everyday of its life!

 

[snowborder714]

You say that now until you actually start cleaning it I can't detail my car that often as it just takes forever. Thankfully it sits under a cover most of the time when not in use which helps a lot.

 

[Tanro]

My car gets less dirty when it rains. Otherwise I wait until tuesday when I get a free drive through wash with a fill-up.

If I can find a car with good paint, or when I do paint my car I might actually detail it.

 

[razrman8]

Anybody else!

 

[mezzio]

Octopus car wash ultra package (or whatever it is), wash, wax, under body blast, clean the interior, and get a $2 off coupon for your next wash, all for only $30

 

[cbarr0288]

Everything Meguiars..

Turtle Ice clay bar kit cause it was $10 at Walmart
Megs Ultimate Compound
Megs SwirlX
Megs m205
Megs mirror glaze
Megs gold class paste wax
Megs quik detailer

Check my photo uploads for results

 

[razrman8]

Any other input?

 

[sag1441]

yeah, always use the LEAST product to get the job done. start with a cap full of car wash and add more if it doesnt get the dirt off during washing.

always use two wash buckets, one for rinsing your mitt one for soap. (pros also use grit guards in the bottom)

experiment with different level glazes and polishes to find what works best for how often you detail and the condition of your paint. once again use the least abrasive product that gets it done.

claying is like a 9 out of 10 for abrasiveness right behind rubbing compound , most people clay way too much or when its unnecessary. the rear hatch of my wagon gets clayed once a year after ski season because it gets so jacked up. the rest of my car doesnt get clayed ever. clay makes things so smooth because it just takes off so much.

wash, wipe and buff in two directions only following how air flows over the car. it will give you less visible scratches. make scratches going in circles and youll be able to see them at ANY angle.

those are just some of the simple things to remember without getting too hardcore.

i use a lot of different products i read about online but mostly meguairs glazes/polishes.

one product i absolutely love is the mothers all wheel cleaner, works amazing but costs alot and youll go through it very fast

 

[Silver99OZ]

Anyone using the Porter Cable 7424xp?