Do detail products have an expiration date??

Years ago, the standard meguires detail products were sold in a three step process: step 1, paint cleaner, step 2, polish, and step 3, wax. I still have paint cleaner and polish from those days and I imagine are at least 5 or so years old. Are they still effective and okay to use?

Also, if I use clay, is it still necessary to use the step 1 paint cleaner?

Lastly, can I buff polish by hand or is it necessary to use an electric buffer?

Thanks

 

5 years, I would say toss it. In the past, some of my older stuff turned a different color and it gets really watery. I can't imagine it is still going to do what the intended purpose was.

Those products worked great in their day. But there is easier ways to do it now.

Step 1. Wash with Dawn Dish soap. This will strip the paint of all waxes (and basically anything else).

Step 2. Clay bar with the recommended spray that comes with it.

Step 3. Use a good wax. I am really digging the Meguiars Ultimate liquid wax.


You can go more into more steps if you would like. But for me, this does the trick and makes my vehicle looking like new again. Good luck.

 

Awesome, thanks TRD for the advice, I'll go ahead and buy new products.

Couple other questions for you or anyone else:

How do I get rid of water marks after I wash, It seems everytime I wash and then dry with a microfiber towel, I still get watermarks.

When I clay bar, do I have to use a clean part of the clay every time I move onto a new panel?

Can I buff polish by hand? Also, what type of buff pad do you all recommend; terry cloth or microfiber?

 

Yea 5 years is a little to long unless they had never been openend and kept in a climate controlled place.

Similar to what TRD said. I'd wash with Dawn then clay the truck then wax.

If you have a local Harley Davidson dealer (or some metric bike dealers) call and ask them if they sell S100 wax. It's top notch, I've used it a few times. It is actually the same as P21S wax which is sold online yet much cheaper.

 

Most liquid detailing products are considered perishable. We generally don't allow anything in our inventory to get older than one year.

That said, they don't 'stop working' with age. They generally separate or become less effective over time. Many products that separate can be shaken vigorously to make them homogeneous again.

YMMV.

 

I've had detailing products go bad from getting too cold...

 

I just used a can of TRIM BLACK spray paint that has frozen and thawed in my garage for the last 20 years. After a good shake it worked perfectly. Go figure.