Any OTC waxes/compounds recommended?

Ok, you go to the auto dept store and there's walls of different labels and banners all promising to remove scratches and smudges....Anyone out there found one that is tried and true, and actually does what it claims?

Thanks!

 

Most will do what they claim if used with a machine (dual action polisher). Working by hand, if you plan to actually correct paint, lower your expectations by... a lot.

So do you have a machine? That has a lot to do with what products i would recommend.

 

no. I've seen the orbiter type ones. would that be enough i wonder? The high speed buffer types might be a little to much power for me.

 

Yep the DA's are best for people like us. Fool proof (almost). Meguiars Ultimate Compound and Polish are good otc products.

 

General rule of thumb- if you can feel a scratch with your fingernail, it's too deep to remove. But with some compound and polish, you can improve them. For wash induced swirls and light scratches, you should be able to get rid of those with a DA polisher.

The Griots Garage 6" polisher fitted with a 5" backing plate and 5.5" pads is a great starter pack. The Griots Boss pads are great.

 

great! thanks for the information

 

Well I don’t buy my detailing products from an auto parts store. My first tip is that you don’t either.

I don’t buy anything MacQuires, Turtle Wax, Armor All, or any other of the super cheap brands. With the exception of Mothers Clay bars, I do like those.

Go with professional products from a reputable brand: Ammo, Chemical Guys, Adam’s Polishes, etc.

I have not experienced a professional level product that has caused harm or damage to my vehicles. I’ve only had some products work better than others. All do as advertized.

Is there something specific you are looking to do? We can make more specific recommendations.

 

Some input/feedback here.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/best-waxing-and-detailing-brands.270968/

 

Retired self employed independant auto, marine and aviation detailer for 30 years and I can tell you I have used Meguires for many applications and it rivals the so called "professional" compounds. My goto were 3M products but that's because I could buy compounds, waxes and sealants by the gallon from them. You specifically asked for over the counter and I would reccomend Meguires as they are "professional" grade. Mothers is also another quality OTC manufacturer of detailing products. Any of the other brands you see on the shelf should be dismissed as garbage.

 

Agreed. Meguiars puts out some top shelf products. They're kind of the Budweiser of detailing products. Just because they sell it in box box stores doesn't mean it's junk.

 

Applied Mothers Synthetic back in May - still doing its job.

 

Yeah mothers is a great OTC product as well but I can see by the size if the beads of water it's about time for a removal and a recoat. You will notice after your first wash after a fresh application of wax the beads of water are very large in general and roll off with ease. But as time goes on and the wax wears off the beads wil get smaller and smaller and stick to the paint rather than roll off. You're probably at the stage where I'd think about a new coat fairly soon still. And for some really great paint protection I reccomended a Polymer sealant durring the winter months. Stick with wax in the spring and summer and use a sealant in the fall and winter.

 

Getting ready to do just that soon. 2X per year works for me. Usually May & Nov.

 

I personally boycott the brand because I have had bad luck with the name.
I know they make some good stuff I’m too scared to try something and it causes thousands of dollars of damage to my car.
Bad experiences so I don’t trust the brand anymore.

And I will say this, most of the stuff they do sell at auto stores for cheap isn’t very good quality. You need to go online to get their better stuff.

 

What did you have bad luck with? I can't think of a single megs product at autozone that doesn't produce at least above average results compared to the rest of the otc pack of products.

 

There is ZERO reason to use a wax. More often than not it will melt off during summer heat.

 

Melt off? Good one

 

And I suppose if you use wax in the winter it will freeze and crack your paint ?

 

Their wheel cleaner and rubber cleaner stained my concrete driveway. I had to treat with muriatic acid to get off.

I don't want to know what that stuff will do to an aftermarket or high quality set of wheels. Luckily I only used it on the alloy stock set I had and not my current set of T4R TRD Pro wheels.

Their Ultimate Black also stains paint requiring paint correction to remove.

The wheel cleaner did it for me. Trust in their products is gone and I'm too scared to try anything out of fear it's going to do serious irreparable harm.

I have a bottle of their Stratch X 2.0 and that's all I've tried that I've cared for. I keep it for little by hand polishing I need to do. It's a poor product for use by machine because it's thin so it just flings everywhere.

 

Basically the wax evaporates off the car especially in warmer climates. Fact is unless it’s a show car there really is no reason to use a wax anymore. Between sealants, SIO2 sprays, coatings...wax is a dinosaur product.