Comprehensive top detailing products list

So with all the information I've already gathered from this site I figured I would try to give back. I "own" my own auto detailing business,but it isn't my full time gig. I can tell you I've spent more money on detailing products than I care to think about. My hopes with this list are that you get to save the money and time of trying certain products and get to skip to the good stuff.

Disclaimer: all of this is essentially opinion, but my favorite products have met certain criteria of mine to make them my favorite.

Utensils:

Wheels:
Wheel whoolies (all sizes)
Boars hair brush 1.5"+

Wash mitts:

#1 Microfiber madness Incredimit

Best soap transfer and durability. What it lacks for in overall softness it makes up for in durability.

2# Merino Whool Mitt

Excellent softness, but
Has to be hand washed.
Not very durable.

Polishing Pads:
*Notes: I prefer microfiber pads for the saftey from dust getting under the pad.

#1 Buff and Shine Cutting/Polishing Pads

Very easy to use, machine washable, durable. Not as heavy of a cut as some others, but still the easiest to use.

#2 Rupes Foam/Microfiber Pads

Great pads, just not as easy to clean.

Towels:
All purpose towel:
#1 Microfiber madness crazy pile.

Only slightly better than my second favorite, But the pile is thicker and I honestly think it takes away wax and sealant better.

#2 rag company eagle edgeless.

Almost as good as the microfiber maddness, and honestly the best value towel. This is my go to for my customers cars. Picks up wax and sealant well and has a nice pile to it.

#3 Zaino borderless blonde

Just go with one of the first two damn..

Drying Towels:

#1 Air
This is the most sure fire way to make sure you don't scratch your paint period. The drying process is the only time were a lubricant will not be present on the paint whether it be water, soap, spray etc. So the only thing between your paint and a scratch is a good enough pile on your microfiber to collect contaminants.

#2 Microfiber madness dry me crazy

No contest as to the best actual towel. I've used waffle weaves, giant microfiber and a ton of other stuff. If you use the pooling rinse method beforehand this towel is perfect.

Glass towel:
* note cleaning glass without leaving streaks is more about technique and proper cleaner than the towel itself. Though you do want minimal pile with a glass towel.
#1 Microfiber maddness cloud buster

Really just an excellent towel. If you switch to a clean side for initial clean and final wipe you won't leave streaks.

#2 rag company all purpose Terry towel

Awesome towels for super cheap. Can really be used for a ton of different things interior, glass, tires, undercarriage etc.


SOAPS!!!!

Car soap:

#1 Ammo Foam Paint Cleanser

The best soap I've ever used. Awesome lubrication, leaves minimal suds behind for a easy rinse and holds its suds in the bucket for a very long time.

#2 Car Pro Reset

A great option. The only thing that makes this number two is it leaves more suds behind to rinse off. Most won't care and it doesn't strip waxes or sealants if you don't have a coating. It has the added benefit of restoring the beading property of your waxes if it's about time for another coat.

#3 Optimum Car Wash

Was once my favorite, now it's honestly a distant third. Still good lubrication, but the suds holding and ease of rinse are not as good as the other two.

Foam Gun Soaps:

#1 Surf City Garage Pro Grade Extreme Suds Balanced Wash

Good cling, great lubrication, easy to use.

#2 Chemical Guys Maxi Suds

Good cling. Good lubrication, my number one pick for a foam Lance.
Cling is not as good in the foam gun though.

Wheel SOAPS

*Note: You will never need a wheel cleaner if the wheels are appropriately cleaned with every wash. Paint soaps have better lubrication. Properties so get your wheels clean once and just clean them with car soap from then on.

#1 Ammo Plum Wheel Cleaner

Great at removing grime and break dust. Leaves the dirtiest wheel squeaky clean.

#2 Optimum Power Cleaner

Technically an all purpose cleaner, but diluted appropriately and it works great. Not as much lubrication as the ammo though.

Rinse less Washes:

#1 Optimum No Rinse

By far and away my number one, can be used as detail spray, clay lube, drying lube, start and rinse less washing. It's just awesome.

#2 Adam's Rinse less Wash

Not as good as onr in any way really, I've stopped looking for others.

All Purpose Cleaners:

#1 Meguires D120/123

Makes a ton of product for very minimal money. Buy the 16oz bottle and be set for a year. Honestly not worth mentioning a number 2 with the value present.

Glass cleaner:

#1 Meguires d12001 Glass Cleaner Concentrate
The same situation as above amazing value for a product that works just as good as any other product. No contest for value and effectiveness.

COATINGS!!!!!!

#-1000 Carpro hydro02/Hydrofoam

Without a doubt my favorite product I've tried for a very very long time. It is a spray able glass coating that's super easy to use and beads water insanely good. Pooling rinse basically dries the whole vehicle. Can be sprayed or foam on any surface of the car to provide protection. Undercarriage for salt protection, glass, trim, wheels, calipers. ANYTHING.

...buy some... seriously...

Most other coatings that last 2+ years really need a professional installation to make paint perfect prior to install and to not make it streaky, and drive yourself insane.

SEALANTS:

#1 Blackfire Wet Diamond

Very easy to remove, which is the name of the game for sealants. Lasts 6+ months on vehicles stored inside. Insane water beading, great value.

#2 Ammo Skin

Same level of durability as the Blackfire, just a mother to remove.

WAXES!!!

This is where stuff gets crazy. WAX DOES NOT MAKE PAINT SHINIER.
The only wax an product you put on your paint will make it look better is by filling in swirls/imperfections. So when a wax makes your paint "glossy" it really just has good filling properties. So water beading and longevity should be your two concerns with wax if your paint is in good condition.

#1 Blackfire Midnight Sun Paste wax

Almost the level of coatings when freshly applied in reference to water beading. Easy on and off. Good longevity.

#2 Chemical Guys Pete's 53

Water beading/sheeting just not quite as good as the Blackfire, everything else is on par.


INTERIOR:

I hate to be boring with this one, but with the exception of the Adam's interior cleaner being just as good, car pros line of interior cleaners/perl are really just the best.

POLISHERS:
Really just start out with a random orbital Porter cable or griot garage. You will never need more, but if you want more you can step up to a flex or Rupes at some point.

COMPOUNDS/POLISHES:

Really not even getting into this. Everyone has there favorite. My personal favorite is menzerna fg400(which I think has been renamed). It truly is a one step product for all but the softest paint. It takes out swirls and leaves a great finish. M105/205 are good as well.

CLAY BARS:

#1 Speedy Surface Prep Towel.

I went from 1+ hours to clay a vehicle to 20 minutes with this. Best thing to happen for detailer since microfiber. If you don't want to splurge, a Meguires clay kit is also fine.
Clay only when needed.
IRON DECONTAIMINATION:

#1 Car Pro IRONx

Great at removing the iron shavings from the freight transport when first reviewing the vehicle. Only needs to be done every 1-2 years.

 

I don't believe Carpro hydro02/Hydrofoam is a true coating like Cquartz, Wolfgang Uber Ceramic coating, McKee's Paint Coating and
Optimum Gloss Coat is it?

 

It is not, but instead of using polymer or wax it uses silica glass molecules to provide protection. Similar to coatings.

 

Not trying to hijack your thread but I've always wondered if this would work as a decent undercoating for the winter months in my area. How long does it seem to last on the undercarriage?

 

Awesome stuff OP. I'm purchasing a 17' TRD OR, and want to do it right from the start.

Do you recommend doing a good wax to apply to the new paint to protect it, and just washes afterwards?

I've also heard of folks getting a ceramic coating? I have no experience with auto detailing. Thanks!

 

Hey I want the questions, that's what the thread is for! I have no expierience with salt, but one of my friends off of L2D that owns a detailing shop in Michigan says it doesn't do a ton for the exhaust pipe. It does however keep all other components much cleaner (hydrophobic properties) in between and make it much easier to clean off. He says he reapplies once a month. His method is spraying a high dilution of apc underneath rinsing with as hard of water pressure as he can. Using hydrofoam all underneath and letting sit for 10 mins. Then throughly rinsing.

 

If you just want protection a sealant will be your best way to go. It will last longer on the paint. If you want to pay a professional, a coating is a great option. Most coatings last 2 years. It's up to you whether you want to spend that much money though.

 

Some coating are fairly easy to apply. I just started detailing my vehicles this summer and though I haven't used a paint coating yet I have used coatings on my wheels, all trim including grill, wiper cowl, bumpers, window trim and headlights and windshield. I had trouble with one headlight but that was operator error. Just bought some rims for the wife's Rav4 and have them in the house coating them with McKee's wheel coating since it's 20 degrees outside. I think I may be ready for paint coating next summer. McKee's paint coating is fairly reasonable at $39, I think, and they say one of the easiest to work with.

 

It honestly depends on the coating. Ammo reflex is technically a "coating". But if we are talking Cquartz then it is much more finicky. Not to mention if the paint underneath isn't perfect beforehand you'll just be sealing in swirls/scratches.

 

Just adding that this product works great for maintenance to an already coated car. I corrected, polished and coated my Tacoma with 22PLE almost 2 years ago. I've also used carpro's reload as another maintenance product. This spring I'm going to do it all over and try dr. Beasley's coatings this go around.

 

Looks like you have everything down pad! Clay barring and hydro 02 really does restore a coatings awesome beading properties.

 

303 cleaner and protectant for the interior. Works great on all plastic, latex, rubber etc.

 

Great product.

I've heard of people using that on raptors. Never have personally though.

 

They use it on boats and planes

 

Too much butt hurt to post what I use... I will say that I use car wash, not dawn dish soap. Use two buckets, rinse out the mitt then go back to the soap. Don't make a dirt concentrate that you rub into your paint. Any wax is better than no wax. And 303 is hands down my favorite interior stuff. Clay bar is a great tool and is worth the time. I also use wizards or some other spray wax after a good wash. There are tons of great products out there. You don't need to spend a fortune to get great results.

 

Longevity and ease of use come with more expensive products. Also there are quite a few items listed in Concentrates that are super cheap when diluted.

 

Fyi, dawn removes wax, I only use dawn before rewaxing.

 

I agree... I use many products such as collonites 845 insulator wax, McGuires carnuba paste, and many other high end compounds etc... every time I post anymore some one gets a huge case of butt hurt and ruins the thread. There are tons of great products available even from Walmart that yield great results. I think the process is as important as the product. For beginners a clay bar kit and a high quality wax will yield great results

 

No doubt. Stuff like onr and the concentrates are still great for beginners, but I started out with Walmart products on my jeep as a teenager just as everyone else.

 

And I still use products purchased at Walmart.

Hard to beat Eagle One Wax As U-Dry after washing your truck.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Eagle-One-Wax-As-U-Dry-23-oz/36172600