Chemical Guys products?

[RitzGT]

Thanks all that have commented...great info.

I have limited detailing experience but so far of the items I have bought I really like them.

The Butter Wet Wax is awesome. Super easy to apply and remove and doesn't go white on plastics. I even used it on my Windows and water comes right off.

The Butter Wet Wax is the same as Adams Buttery Wax at a much lower price point. Great stuff, but it doesn't last much more than a month or so. I've been using Menzerna Powerlock Sealant (which lasts about 6 months) as a base. I give that 24 hours to harden and THEN do the Butter Wet Wax on top. That gives you the 10ft deep shine and you just need to periodically reapply the Butter Wet Wax on top. Twice a year, I'll clay, polish, and do it all over again. It makes a huge difference down here in the south where neglected paint will quickly get damaged by the sun.

As for their other products, I get all my clay, lubricant, and polisher pads from them. They've usually got the best prices or pretty close to it and have a wide selection.

For microfiber polishing towels, I just pick up the cheap ones at my local Walmart. Haven't seen any real benefit to buying the more expensive ones.

Best,

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[b00sted]

I'm a huge fan of Chemical Guys. I've used these:

Honeydew Wash: I use this on my truck and daily driver. It's not near as slick feeling when done but does a great job cleaning and has a lot of suds.

V7 Wash: This stuff is the cats ass! Slick, and leaves the car shining great!
V7 Detailer: I use this after every couple washes and it leaves the car feeling like glass. A little goes a long way!
Pete's 53: This stuff is awesome. Easy to apply, easy to wipe off.

 

[krt22]

I just tried a suite of CG stuff for my GT350s first detail

-Honeydew Wash/Foam Gun
-V36 Orange pad
-V38 white pad
-jet seal black pad

Its white so perhaps its not a huge deal to polish, but the car looks good!

 

[cirrus1ag]

sub

 

[jdysart]

I just purchased some CG's products to try on my Mustang and Sierra. I have only detailed the Mustang so far and I am very happy with the reults. I used:

V34 w/ Orange Pad
V38 w/ White Pad
Black Light w/ Black Pad
Extreme Shine w/ Black Pad

Also used V07, Silk Shine, Glass Cleaner, and Wheel Cleaner.

 

[Crossfaced]

So far I'm digging the CG stuff. The only product I'm not really impressed with is the Diablo wheel cleaner. On my GT it works fine, but that cars clean. On my wife's 2013 Fusion DD..well that car is pretty dirty and it didn't do a great job. So I'm gonna look for a different wheel cleaner for tougher jobs.

 

[RitzGT]

So far I'm digging the CG stuff. The only product I'm not really impressed with is the Diablo wheel cleaner. On my GT it works fine, but that cars clean. On my wife's 2013 Fusion DD..well that car is pretty dirty and it didn't do a great job. So I'm gonna look for a different wheel cleaner for tougher jobs.

I'm reluctant to put those acids on my rims. I've had pretty good luck with straight Simple Green in a spray bottle and these:

http://www.brillo.com/sponges_WE.asp

I spray the rim down, let it sit for 2-3 minutes (preferably on a hot day) and then hit it with the non-scratch brillo. That takes even the stubborn stuff off.

Once you've got a clean set of rims, you might want to hit them with some synthetic paint sealant when they're dry and buff them. It will dramatically reduce how much crap sticks to them and make it easier to rinse the filth off in the future.

Best,

 

[plc268]

I'm reluctant to put those acids on my rims. I've had pretty good luck with straight Simple Green in a spray bottle and these:

http://www.brillo.com/sponges_WE.asp

I spray the rim down, let it sit for 2-3 minutes (preferably on a hot day) and then hit it with the non-scratch brillo. That takes even the stubborn stuff off.

Once you've got a clean set of rims, you might want to hit them with some synthetic paint sealant when they're dry and buff them. It will dramatically reduce how much crap sticks to them and make it easier to rinse the filth off in the future.

Best,

FYI, simple green is corrosive to aluminum. I understand the wheels are painted, but I wouldn't risk it.

The iron decontaminating sprays like the Sonax wheel cleaner (where they turn purple as they sit) are pretty good and safe. If you want a wheel cleaner you can buy locally, you should be able to find the Meguiars Dub Wheel cleaner at a place like autozone or even walmart. Warning though, they smell awful. Chemical guys also makes their own version as well.

I use chemical guy's signature wheel cleaner though. It works well on my painted wheels, and is safe. Just make sure to dilute it though (I always found it weird when CG sends you a 16oz concentrated bottle with a sprayer. I feel like they should send you a second empty bottle so that you can dilute it).

Moral of the story though, leave the Simple Green for household use. For a safer all purpose cleaner that wont break the bank, buy a gallon of Meguiars D101 (~$21 shipped from autogeek), and dilute that 10:1.

 

[RitzGT]

FYI, simple green is corrosive to aluminum. I understand the wheels are painted, but I wouldn't risk it.

Acid is also corrosive to aluminum. I definitely wouldn't risk that.

I've been using the simple green method for years. On painted/clearcoated aluminum, it's fine. It's very inexpensive and available all over the place.

Best,

 

[Crossfaced]

Most of the higher quality wheel cleaners that I have seen advertise as being PH neutral. I'm no chemist but I think that means they are not an acid or a base.

Maybe the stronger ones are more acidic.

I'm not a fan of using simple green. I used it diluted to clean my garden tractor and it damaged the paint. My John Deere tractor is now 2 tone green.

 

[RitzGT]

Most of the higher quality wheel cleaners that I have seen advertise as being PH neutral. I'm no chemist but I think that means they are not an acid or a base.

Maybe the stronger ones are more acidic.

I'm not a fan of using simple green. I used it diluted to clean my garden tractor and it damaged the paint. My John Deere tractor is now 2 tone green.

Could be (I haven't purchased wheel cleaner in years since I use the SG method). I also use SG on my Deere. No issues to date. I'm pretty careful to limit exposure of full-strength SG to painted surfaces to no more than a couple of minutes and I never let it dry.

Best,

 

[Crossfaced]

It definately could have been operator error on my part!

 

[RitzGT]

It definately could have been operator error on my part!

It's pretty strong stuff. I like it because it's not caustic to me and it doesn't smell horrible.

Another good use for it at full strength is as an engine degreaser. I spray it on a warm engine, wait a minute or two and then hose it off. If there's any tough spots, I'll hit those with a nylon brush before the hosing.

Best,

 

[Notes]

I've been using their products for years, here is some info about them:

• Diablo Wheel Cleaner: Meh, I don't like it that much. I've tried better products (like the Malco wheel cleaner that is amazing).
• Silk Shine Dressing: Mild-shine, good smell, and it does not leave the surface oily. I've used in the interior and even in the engine bay and it holds great.

I think that's all that I tried from CG. I also have some washmits, with my favorite being the green microfiber one. If I remember something else, I will update the post.

Tried the diablo wheel cleaner this weekend, did 2 passes on each wheel and every that looks clean is actually clean but still in between there's a lot of rusty break dust spot's that won't come with it. Had better results with Iron X last time.

Silk Shine, tried it the wheel rims and looks good, but won't try it on the interior though.

 

[sonofoldcars]

I just bought about $150 worth of chemical guys products for the first time and will be buying more from them of other stuff I need. I got a foam cannon, mr. pink one gallon, grit guards microfiber mitt and clay block kit. will be buying 6.5 in pad kit and v36 and v38 polishes. I haven't been able to use what I bought because Minnesota wasn't done snowing yet.

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