DFB'S LITTLE BLACK BOOK OF DETAILING - UPDATED MARCH 2024

[DFB5.0]

##UPDATED MARCH 2024#

By special request, this is a quick reference guide for the detailing products that I grab most often. The products in each category have been tested and trailed against several others, so you can buy with confidence.

I will try to keep each product listing brief to make it quick and easy to reference, however I’m happy to expand on where needed. I will also try to put the categories usage groups, as in wheels and tires, decontamination, paint protection ect. Some categories have two or maybe three options, this means I can’t definitively choose one over the other. By no means is this a be all and end all list, in fact it may even be fluid as I continue try new or different products. Hopefully I will be able to update this when something changes.

CHEMICALS –
You will notice a few common brands here, and for good reason. They work, and they work well!

Tire Cleaner –
P&S Brake Buster, at full strength. (For regular use)
Stoner's Tarminator (For occasional use or when preparing brand new tires) (Updated Mar-24)

Wheel Cleaner –
P&S Brake Buster (Dilute for regular use)
NV Purge (Iron removing ability, safe for regular use)

Wheel Protection –
Armour Detail Supply High Temp Wheel Coating (Long term) (Updated Mar-24)
Gyeon Wet Coat (Short term)

Tire Dressing –
Obsessed Garage Tire Dressing (Satin Finish) (Updated Mar-24)
Adam's Graphene Tire Dressing (Semi-gloss) (Updated Aug-23)
Carpro Perl (Dilutable for variable finish, gloss to matte)

Rinse-less / Water-less Wash –
Optimum No Rinse (ONR)
P&S Absolute
Carpro ECH2o (Best used as a Water-less) (Updated Sep-22)

Wash Soap –
Adam's Mega Foam (Updated Mar-24)
Carpro Reset
Koch Chemie GSF

All suitable for ceramic coatings or otherwise. All pH neutral. All can be used in a bucket wash or foam cannon.

Decontamination Soap –
Carpro Descale (Acidic, great for water-spots)
Carpro Lift (Alkaline) (Updated Aug-23)

Iron Decontamination –
Gyeon Iron (Updated Aug-22)

Tar Remover –
Carpro TarX, this doubles as an adhesive remover. Or Koch Chemie Eulex.

Bug Remover –
Carpro Bug Out (Updated Mar-24)

Water Spot Remover –
Gyeon Water Spot Remover (Updated Mar-24)

Drying Aid –
P&S Bead Maker
Obsessed Garage Drying Aid (OG Drying Aid is also sold as Adam’s Slick and Slide and Extreme Solutions Topper)
P&S Paint Gloss

Quick Detailer / Clay Lubricant –
Gyeon Clay Lube (Dilutable)(Updated Mar-24)
P&S Paint Gloss (Can also be a drying aid)

Glass Cleaner –
Stoners Invisible Glass

Glass Sealant –
Gyeon Q2 Quick View

Glass Polish –
P&S Clarity Creme with Lake Country HDO Blue Pad (Light/Medium Duty)
Carpro CeriGlass with Carpro Glass Pad (Heavy Duty)

Heavy Cut Polish –
Rupes DA Coarse (Updated Mar-24)

One-Step Polish –
Sonax Perfect Finish

Light / Finishing Polish –
Carpro Reflect (Very light finishing polish)
Rupes DA Fine (Finishing to moderate polishing) (Updated Mar-24)

Metal Polish (Exhaust tips) –
P21S Polishing Soap
Mother's Mag & Aluminum Polish (Updated Mar-24)

Panel Prep / IPA Wipe –
Carpro Eraser
Rupes Reveal Strong (Heavy Duty) (Updated Mar-24)

Wax –
Collinite 845

Sealant –
Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant

Ceramic Spray Sealant –
Koch Chemie S0.02 (Updated Aug-23)

Ceramic Coating –
Gyeon Can Coat EVO (Updated Aug-22)
Gyeon Pure EVO (Updated Jan-23)

Exterior Trim Protectant / Restorer –
Carpro DLUX (Long term)
303 Protectant (Short term)
Solution Finish (For heavily faded trim)

Engine Bay Dressing –
Meguiar’s Hyper Dressing (5:1 for natural finish)

All Purpose Cleaner (Engines, Heavy Interior Cleaning, Degreasing) –
Koch Chemie GS Green Star (Dilutable to suit needs)

Rubber Floor Mat Care -
McKee's 37 Floor Mat & Cargo Liner Rejuvenator (Cleaner) (Updated Mar-24)
Koch Chemie Guf (Non-slip dressing) (Updated Mar-24)

All-round Interior Cleaner –
P&S Express

Interior Quick Detailer (Mild cleaning/dusting) -
Carpro InnerQD
Optimum No Rinse
P&S Swift (Updated Aug-23)

Leather Cleaner –
Colour Lock Mild or Strong Leather Cleaner
P&S Express can also be used (Updated Mar-24)

Leather Protectant –
Colour Lock Leather Shield (for leather up to 3 years old)
Leather Protector (3 years and older)

Fabric Cleaner (Carpet, Alcantara, Cloth) –
Koch Chemie PO Pol Star (Dilutable).

Interior Dressing –
Koch Chemie TS Top Star (Updated Nov-22)

Interior Scent –
Angelwax Eden or Angelwax Bliss (Updated Sep-22)

MICROFIBER TOWELS –

Apart from a few odd bods, my microfiber collection is all from The Rag Company. To save writing The Rag Company several times, I will simply refer to them by their product names. You will notice a lot of duplication here, with colour used to differentiate towels into usages. I probably have a lot of unnecessary categories here, but I think it’s clear I do everything “overboard”!

Microfiber Cleaner / Detergent –
P&S Rags To Riches.

Wash Mitt / Pad -
Cyclone 6” x 8” (Available in mitt or pad)
QTY : At least 2, I have 6

Bug Sponge –
Jersey Bug Scrubber
QTY : 1, I have 2

Water-less / Rinse-less Washing –
Eagle Edgeless 500 16” x 16” (Updated Mar-24)
QTY – At least 10, I have 10

Drying Towel / Drying Aid Towel –

Larger Drying Towel –
The Gauntlet 15” x 24”
QTY : 1 per car, I have 4

Smaller Drying Towel –
Microfiber Madness Chipmunk Jr. (Updated Mar-24)
QTY : At least 1 per car, I have 4

Door Jamb Drying Towel –
Dry-Me-A-River Jr. 16” x 24” (Pale Blue)
QTY : At least 2 per car, I have 6

Glass Towels –
Dry-Me-A-River Jr. 16” x 24” (Dark Blue)
QTY : At least 2 per car, I have 6

Ceramic Coating Removal/Leveling Towel –
Edgeless 300 16” x 16”
QTY : At least 10, I have 15
(These towels are single use, they need to be binned or demoted once used for this task)

Polish/Wax/Sealant Removal Towels –
Creature Edgeless 16” x 16” (Grey)
QTY : At least 10, I have 15

Multi-Purpose Towels (Dirty jobs, tyres, wheel arches, bench cleaning) –
The Car Wash Terry 41” x 69” (Grey)
QTY : At least 10, I have 10

Wheel Towel -
The Gauntlet 12” x 12”
QTY : 2 per car, I have 6

Engine Bay Towel -
The Car Wash Terry 41” x 69” (Red)
QTY : At least 4, I have 10

Interior Towel (General interior cleaning, dressing ect) –
The Car Wash Terry 41” x 69” (Dark Green)
QTY : At least 6, I have 10

Interior Towel (Delicate surfaces) –
Creature Edgeless 16” x 16” (Green)
QTY : At least 2, I have 4

Applicator Sponges (For applying sealants, coatings, dressings ect on interior and exterior surfaces) –
Pearl Applicator Sponge (Orange)
QTY : At least 2, I have 6

Eagle Applicator Sponge (Blue)
QTY : At least 2, I have 4

TOOLS / BRUSHES -

These listings are more complex, a lot will be subjective.

Buckets –
To be brutally honest, a bucket is a bucket, although there are a few specifics. You need one for wheels, two for washing. All will have a grit guard and a gamma seal lid. I also use rolling bucket dollies. Buckets should ideally be 15 litres / 4 Gallons or bigger for sufficient water volume.

Tire Brush –
Detail Factory Tire Scrub Brush

Tire Applicator –
Maxshine Hydro-Tech / Speed Master Tire Applicator
Detail Factory Curveball Brush (Updated Mar-24)
Detail Factory Screwball Brush (Updated Mar-24)

Wheel Cleaning Brushes/Mitts –
Microfiber Madness Incredibrush Flat
EZ-Detail Brush Small (For where Incredibrush won’t fit)
EZ-Detail Brush Large (For where Incredibrush won’t fit)
EZ-Detail Brush GO (For wheel arches)(Updated Aug-23)
TRC Ultra Wheel Mitt (For wheel faces and back of spokes)(Updated Aug-23)
Lug Nut Brush – Detail Factory Boars Ultra Soft Synthetic (Long handle) (Updated Mar-24)

Interior Brushes –
Detail Factory Boars Hair Brush (Long handle) (Also suitable for exterior surfaces)
Detail Factory Ultra Soft Brush (Long handle) (Also suitable for exterior surfaces)
Lily Brush (Pet hair)
Detail Factory Progrip Interior Brush (Carpet) (Updated Mar-24)
Colour Lock Leather Cleaning Brush (Firm bristles)
Wheel Woolies 5-Piece Brush Set (Good for intricate work)

Bottles and Sprayers –
Kwazar Mercury Super 360 Pro 500ml (There is a larger size, 500ml is nicer to use)
Kwazar NIX (For heavy duty chemicals like strong APC or Tar Remover)
Carpro Dilute (Makes dilution ratios easy)
Chemical Guys / Adam’s EZ-Fill Funnel (Screw on funnel)

Lighting –
Scangrip iMatch 2 (Headlamp)
Scangrip SunMatch 3
Scangrip MultiMatch R

Clay Bar/Mitt/Block –
To be honest, all do a similar job. Just make sure to choose one for the level of decontamination you are dealing with, always use the least aggressive as possible to avoid unnecessary marring. Keep in mind a traditional clay bar will be more effective, a mitt or block less aggressive. At the moment, I'm liking the TRC Ultra Clay Scrubber. (Updated Mar-24)

Miscellaneous –
Big Boi Blower PRO 4 (Blow dryer)
Stoner Reach and Clean Tool (For easy windscreen cleaning)
Tornador Basic (Blowing out pads or cleaning engine bays)
Detail Guardz Wheel Guides (Prevents hoses snagging on tyres)
Fur-eel Vacuum Attachment (Helps lift pet hair)
Maxshine Detailing Cart (Don’t lock in a brand for this, but you will need one)
Karcher WD6 Premium Vacuum with Obsessed Garage Accessory Kit (Updated Mar-24)

Pressure Washing –
(Updated Aug-23)

This category is very complex, I will list what I use but this is not really universal and needs to matched to your specific pressure washer. Happy to advice if required.

Kranzle KHD-10/122 Pressure Washer
Cox Reel
MTM CobraJet Hose (Blue)
Mosmatic OG Spec Spray Gun
Mosmatic OG Spec Wand
Mosmatic OG Spec Rubber Tipped Nozzles (25deg and 40 deg)
MTM PF22.2 Foam Cannon
MTM Foam Cannon spare bottles

Paint Correction –

Again, a complex subject that should be matched to the sort of polishing you expect to do. For me, I don’t do polishing regularly, so my choice of machines reflects that. Scale up or down depending on budget and expected use. For polishing pads, I use Shine Mate or Rupes in appropriate sizes and grades.

Rupes Claw Pad Tool (For pad priming and cleaning)
Carpro Masking Tape (Various sizes)
Rupes Apron (Just good to have)
Door Jamb Prop Bar
Rupes iBrid Nano Kit (Long neck) (1 inch / 2 inch machine)
Rupes LHR75 Pneumatic (3 inch machine)
Shine Mate EB351-3/12 Cordless Polisher (3 inch machine)
Shine Mate EB351-5/15 Cordless Polisher (5 inch machine)
Shine Mate Battery Charger
Shine Mate Batteries x4

That list is only scratching the surface of what I use overall but, as mentioned, these are the ones I like to use the most or find easiest to use. Hopefully this makes shopping a bit easier, most of those product listings can be Google searched to find your preferred online supplier.

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[kilobravo]

I'm sure this would be unanymous were we to vote but...

MODERATORS...

PLEASE STICKY DBF's Black Book and TIA.

 

[MLO 351]

Wow, this post needs to be a Sticky Thread.

This will save a lot of time, effort and money, an enthusiasts guide to selecting the right detailing product for the job first time around.

All your detailing expertise DFB5.0 and real world experience in one post.

I'm going to need a bigger cabinet garage.

Great work!

 

[kilobravo]

D: Thank you so much for taking the time and making the effort to put that ENORMOUS amount of info together! MUCHAS GRACIAS!

 

[Bikeman315]

I'm sure this would be unanymous were we to vote but...

MODERATORS...

PLEASE STICKY DBF's Black Book and TIA.

Oh the hell with a sticky. Just give ”D” a separate tech sub forum.

 

[TrackMustang]

Amazing info as always, much appreciated

 

[2morrow]

Wow OP, impressive!

 

[daSNAK3]

Question, if you have shitty water at home, is there anything you can use with the pressure washer or hose to stop from getting horrible water spots?

 

[DFB5.0]

Question, if you have shitty water at home, is there anything you can use with the pressure washer or hose to stop from getting horrible water spots?

I must be lucky with our town water as I have not had issues with water spotting.

You can get inline DI filters that can give up to 20 rinses per unit -
Amazon.com: WaterSentinel SF-20W Spotless Car Wash Inline Deionized Water Garden Hose Water Filter & Extension Adapter for RV, Boat, Marine, Motorcycle, Home, Windows, Spot Free Wash, Solar Panels : Automotive

Otherwise you will need to go for something like the CR Spotless systems -
Water Filtration Systems – Obsessed Garage

Plenty of discussion here -
CR Spotless users, have you ever not dried off the car after washing it? | 2015+ S550 Mustang Forum (GT, EcoBoost, GT350, GT500, Bullitt, Mach 1) - Mustang6G.com

 

[Cobra Jet]

@DFB5.0

A "sticky" well deserved!!!

Congrats and your detailing tech/advice is much appreciated by all of us.

 

[FKE SNK]

The want for the Rupes Nano is strong. Why do those little things have to cost so much?

 

[DFB5.0]

The want for the Rupes Nano is strong. Why do those little things have to cost so much?

The "want" got the better of me! When I got mine, there were no other alternatives available in Australia. If you think $630 for the long neck kit is expensive, we pay $1260 for the same thing in Australia!

If you do go for one, you want the long neck version in kit form. These units can be had as a tool/battery/charger only, but the kit has everything you need to get started, including pads and polishes.

I have found it really handy to have and has eliminated a lot of hand polishing to get into area that the larger machines can't go. It's also brilliant for dealing with isolated blemishes.

Alternatives for you to look at in the US would be the Adam's SK Pro Micro Cordless Swirl Killer Polisher 2.0 -

Adam's SK Pro Micro Cordless Swirl Killer Polisher 2.0 - Adam's Polishes (adamspolishes.com)

And, depending on how you feel about this sort of thing, there is also the Rupes knockoff SPTA Micro Cordless Swirl Killer -

SPTA 12V Micro Cordless Swirl Killer Polisher RO/DA Mini Car Polisher for polishing, sanding and cleaning (sptatools.com)

As I said, I had no other option but to buy the Rupes at a massive markup, but it's changed the way I polish and really enjoying using it.

 

[GT 550]

@DFB5.0 I'm weighing up the purchase of a blower but the options are a bit too widespread for me to be sure about what to get.

Yours isn't mentioned in the list in Post #1 but IIRC you use a BigBoi Pro 4 (twin cam overhead foxtails etc). I don't have the demand for such a beast and found the following more modest options:

https://detailingshed.com.au/products/bigboi-blowr-buddi?_pos=5&_sid=9164aef6b&_ss=r

https://detailingshed.com.au/products/blo-air-s-blower?_pos=14&_sid=9164aef6b&_ss=r

I also don't want to get a toy and I think there's a chance these little jiggers could be good only for chasing water out of panel gaps.

In this thread:

https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/obsessed-garage-drying-aid.164665/#post-3374800

at Post #12 you wrote:

For me, every time I decide to take a "shortcut" and just grab my leaf blower, I always regret it. The dedicated blower is just more effective. Some of that will come down to the air output of my Stihl BGA 56 not being as forceful as some of the blowers posted above.

I also still use a towels after using my blower though. That is where the "drying aid" comes in. The difference for me is where I once needed large drying towels to fully dry a car, I now only need the smaller towel/s to get the job done.

I tried an 18V Makita out of curiosity and it struggled to do anything much beyond evacuating water from behind mirrors etc. The other option is a Makita 36V but it may not be much better:

https://www.bunnings.com.au/makita-18vx2-brushless-turbo-blower-skin-only_p3381078

and there's an intermediate BigBoi for about the same price but again it's not money well spend if it struggles (I'm assuming this model was around when you got yours but decided to go with the Big Kahuna).

https://detailingshed.com.au/products/bigboi-blowr-mini?_pos=3&_sid=9164aef6b&_ss=r

Notwithstanding that the Stihl you used might have been underpowered compared to others am I right in thinking that you found a leaf blower generally just wasn't up to the job?

Also can I ask please why you find towels necessary after a blower assuming your blower is the aforementioned beast and good enough to completely push the water off the car?

Your input is as always appreciated

 

[DFB5.0]

@DFB5.0 I'm weighing up the purchase of a blower but the options are a bit too widespread for me to be sure about what to get.

Yours isn't mentioned in the list in Post #1 but IIRC you use a BigBoi Pro 4 (twin cam overhead foxtails etc). I don't have the demand for such a beast and found the following more modest options:

https://detailingshed.com.au/products/bigboi-blowr-buddi?_pos=5&_sid=9164aef6b&_ss=r

https://detailingshed.com.au/products/blo-air-s-blower?_pos=14&_sid=9164aef6b&_ss=r

I also don't want to get a toy and I think there's a chance these little jiggers could be good only for chasing water out of panel gaps.

In this thread:

https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/obsessed-garage-drying-aid.164665/#post-3374800

at Post #12 you wrote:

For me, every time I decide to take a "shortcut" and just grab my leaf blower, I always regret it. The dedicated blower is just more effective. Some of that will come down to the air output of my Stihl BGA 56 not being as forceful as some of the blowers posted above.

I also still use a towels after using my blower though. That is where the "drying aid" comes in. The difference for me is where I once needed large drying towels to fully dry a car, I now only need the smaller towel/s to get the job done.

I tried an 18V Makita out of curiosity and it struggled to do anything much beyond evacuating water from behind mirrors etc. The other option is a Makita 36V but it may not be much better:

https://www.bunnings.com.au/makita-18vx2-brushless-turbo-blower-skin-only_p3381078

and there's an intermediate BigBoi for about the same price but again it's not money well spend if it struggles (I'm assuming this model was around when you got yours but decided to go with the Big Kahuna).

https://detailingshed.com.au/products/bigboi-blowr-mini?_pos=3&_sid=9164aef6b&_ss=r

Notwithstanding that the Stihl you used might have been underpowered compared to others am I right in thinking that you found a leaf blower generally just wasn't up to the job?

Also can I ask please why you find towels necessary after a blower assuming your blower is the aforementioned beast and good enough to completely push the water off the car?

Your input is as always appreciated

Addressing your last question first, I still use a towel after blowing the car down for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I just really like that step in the process, I love picking a product, a towel and then going to town. Secondly, using the towel and drying aid helps improve gloss and sometimes adds extra protection. Thirdly, even when being thorough, there is always some water residue remaining which the towel addresses. But mostly, it's because I enjoy this step.

Choosing a blower will come down to two considerations: a powerful and focused air flow from a corded dedicated blower, or the convenience of a cordless blower while losing some of the airflow focus.

I would not bother with the smaller handheld blowers like the Big Boi Buddy or Blow AIR S. I don't think you would see much improvement over a small handheld blower from Makita. I actually used the handheld Makita for a while, when used with the larger 5.0Ah battery, it wasn't too bad but not enough to be efficient.

I actually liked using the small Makita more than the Stihl as the air outlet is smaller and, again, focuses the air better. The Stihl blower is a BGA 56, a mid-spec battery system that I use for my business.

I'm the sort of person who doesn't like being left wondering, that's why I went from a small Makita to the very top of the Big Boi range in the form of the Pro 4. There is now an updated version with fingertip controls.

Old -
BIGBOI BLOWR PRO 4 Stage Twin Motor Air Blower Dryer - free upgrade to (detailingshed.com.au)

New-
BIGBOI BLOWR PRO+ Dryer with 9M hose (detailingshed.com.au)

If you don't want to go that far, I would seriously look at the smaller Mini models. I would however definitely recommend getting the wheel base for added practicality.

Mini (Single motor/5 mt hose) -
BIGBOI BlowR Mini - Touchless Car Dryer (detailingshed.com.au)

Mini+ (Twin motor/9 mt hose) -
BIGBOI BLOWR MINI+ (PLUS) Dryer (detailingshed.com.au)

Wheel base -
BIGBOI MINI+Wheel Base (detailingshed.com.au)

There are a couple of reasons why I prefer a dedicated blower. Firstly, it's the more focused airflow, this helps "drive" water from the paint more efficiently. Secondly, I can use it endlessly compared to a battery tool. I also like how these have a heating function, the warmer air helps dry a touch quicker and is also nicer to use in winter. There is also an element of the air being filtered, but I don't tend to worry about that.

If you want to go with a cordless leaf blower, you will want to lean towards one that has decent battery capacity to ensure enough working time. If it were me, I would be looking at EGO as they have the best battery system for these sort of tools. I actually plan to get into EGO stuff at some stage for my gardening business, so will probably end up with a blower as well.

(131) Which EGO Leaf Blower For Drying Car? - YouTube

EGO Blowers | Sydney Tools

The LB580 is apparently the one to get -
EGO LB5804E 56V 5.0Ah Lithium Ion Cordless Brushless Power+ 980m³/h Blower Combo Kit (sydneytools.com.au)

Hope that helps.

 

[GT 550]

@DFB5.0 that's great and helps a lot, thank you

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