Car wash products

[Dmustang82]

For those who enjoy washing their own car, what products do you use? Someone recommended Adam’s, but curious what other favorites you guys are using.

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[Rock&Roll]

I wash the car with Mequiars Gold Class Wash. I've never tried anything else because they have that at the Advance Auto close to my house and the thing lasts forever.

I dry the car with a leaf blower and a Squeegie. Then I use Chemical Guys Micro Fiber towels I got on Amazon for cheap. They all work great and a must have IMO.

Every time I wash the car I use a quick spray wax afterwards with the Micro fiber towels or I have spots all over the car. Maybe it's a black car thing with spots or bad water IDK but the car looks great after a quickie spray wax I never do a proper wax job. Car always looks fine with a quick spray wax.

 

[VIPR01]

Cruise over to the cosmetic upkeep section, there’s some great info & product discussion.

 

[atticuskid35]

Honestly to do a basic good wash you don’t need many products. I use chemical guys and carpro products. I use a foam cannon and the 2 bucket method. I’m about to buy a ego 615 leaf blower for drying the car since mine is ceramic coated.

CG Diablo gel (diluted) -wheels & tires
CG watermelon snow foam soap
Carpro Reload

 

[atticuskid35]

I wash the car with Mequiars Gold Class Wash. I've never tried anything else because they have that at the Advance Auto close to my house and the thing lasts forever.

I dry the car with a leaf blower and a Squeegie. Then I use Chemical Guys Micro Fiber towels I got on Amazon for cheap. They all work great and a must have IMO.

Every time I wash the car I use a quick spray wax afterwards with the Micro fiber towels or I have spots all over the car. Maybe it's a black car thing with spots or bad water IDK but the car looks great after a quickie spray wax I never do a proper wax job. Car always looks fine with a quick spray wax.

To help with water spots buy a camco 40055 rv water filter and hook it up to your hose. It will eliminate that.

 

[NeedForGreen]

I use Iron X and a clay bar if needed. I use a foaming wash (chemical guys, meguairs, turtle wax, ec.), Turtle Wax 3 in 1 ceramic for detailing and Turtle Wax Graphene products for polish/compound/wax.

 

[boB]

Griot's products may or may not be the best but they are all good. Our water is nasty so I do a final rinse with distilled water, costs about $1 and leaves no spots!

 

[FreePenguin]

12 bucks costco. I use it on motorcycles and bikes.

 

[m3incorp]

OP, I say pick something, give it a try and if it works that is the product for you. There are way too many out there...plus watching a couple of the YouTubes out there. Just be aware, that after you watch them you will think you have always done it wrong and need the products in the video.

 

[lizardrko]

You can really go crazy with different products. It also depends what your end goal is in a detail. Do you want best of the best or something more bang for your buck? Here is the list I use for different tasks:

car shampoo: turtle was ice snow foam (bang for your buck) or Carpro Reset (more expensive, but one of the best neutral shampoos).

Iron remover: carpro iron x or adams iron remover

Clay: nanoskin clay towel with carpro immolube

polish: TW One and done or sonax perfect finish

wash mit: microfiber madness mit

drying towel: rag company double twistress

tire shine: 303 tire coating (satin finish)

wheel and tire cleaner: P&S brake buster

detail factory detail brushes with tuff shine tire brush

and thats just the start....

Happy detailing!

 

[Boostamoose]

You have to ask yourself what kind of maintenance you want to do in keeping up with your cars appearance.

You can fall down a very deep rabbit hole depending on how you feel on the matter. lizardrko listed some very good options.

If you want to keep it at weekend warrior, any pH neutral soap will work. Adams / Carpro are more boutique brands, but sometimes they're worth the extra penny depending on the product. Meguiars and Turtle wax will by far give you the best bang for your dollar.

Two bucket method with some pH neutral soap followed up with some ceramic spray coating is the modern equivalent to a traditional wash and wax these days.

 

[FreePenguin]

You have to ask yourself what kind of maintenance you want to do in keeping up with your cars appearance.

You can fall down a very deep rabbit hole depending on how you feel on the matter. lizardrko listed some very good options.

If you want to keep it at weekend warrior, any pH neutral soap will work. Adams / Carpro are more boutique brands, but sometimes they're worth the extra penny depending on the product. Meguiars and Turtle wax will by far give you the best bang for your dollar.

Two bucket method with some pH neutral soap followed up with some ceramic spray coating is the modern equivalent to a traditional wash and wax these days.

can you comment on the stuff I use? I mean I know its cheap, but it seems to work well, gets dirt off and leaves a nice enough shine. I can use extra too and not feel bad due to price.

 

[Boostamoose]

can you comment on the stuff I use? I mean I know its cheap, but it seems to work well, gets dirt off and leaves a nice enough shine. I can use extra too and not feel bad due to price.

I've never used that soap personally.

When I went to the Rupes detailing classes, I was always told to stay away from any soap with sealant or protection built in unless you've waxed your car. This is why you see pH neutral soaps without any other additives pushed more and more.

The best way to think about it is "jack of all trades master of none". The protection part of that soap will help to revitalize the wax, but it will do almost nothing to unprotected clear coat except maybe a week of protection. It really does nothing if your car is ceramic coated. If you're a wax kind of guy then that soap is perfect for you.

The shine you see is whatever polymers they put into that soap. If you've ever used beadmaker, I'd akin it to that. It looks awesome, but it only protects the car for maybe a week.

 

[m3incorp]

I know those are used in RVs to filter water to make it drinkable. Do they really have any effect on the things in the water that causes water spots...ie hard water?

To help with water spots buy a camco 40055 rv water filter and hook it up to your hose. It will eliminate that.

 

[ice445]

After detailing for a few years I've learned products matter less than the methods, with the exception of quality microfiber towels (I use the rag company). I use Meguiars Ultimate Wash and Wax as my soap, which works super well. Then I use hybrid solutions ceramic wet wax as a drying aid (and as extra lubrication for any dirt you may have missed or contaminants in the water). For tires and plastics, either 303 Aerospace or Chemical guys VRP.

For long term wax/sealant, Turtle Wax Seal N Shine is GODLY for how much it costs. It will bead water for months. It's been tested on Youtube by a couple of detailers if you don't believe me. I also like Rain-X glass cleaner for glass, it works well with minimal streaking and beads water as well. For interiors I use Meguiars D10101 APC diluted 10:1. Cheap by the gallon and works well. I don't like greasy or matte finishes for interior plastics and leather. Chemical guys citrus fabric cleaner is also great for cloth seats or other cloth items. CarPro water spot remover for those unfortunate sprinkler instances (don't let it bake in the sun though). That's about it.

I also don't believe that foam cannons have any actual purpose, which I know is an unpopular opinion. Agitation is still required to truly remove dirt, and the pre rinse step already gets most of the dust and dirt that might overwhelm your mitt/towel. It sure is fun to do and looks nice, but I'm not a fan.

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