Road trip in April - What detailing essentials should I bring?

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Nick McKees37

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My family and I are going on a road trip in April, and since we're taking my car (4 door Civic Si), there won't exactly be a ton of room for EVERY car care product I want to bring, so I need you guys to help me narrow it down to the must-have detailing essentials for a road trip. I'm expecting to put at least 2500 miles on the car over the course of 7 days.

So far my list consists of:
  • 5 Gallon Wash Bucket with Lid & Grit Guard
  • DP Rinseless Wash & Gloss
  • 12 Gold Plush JR. Towels
  • 20 x 40 Guzzler
  • 16 x 24 Guzzler
  • Meguiars Microfiber Wash Mitt
  • Pinnacle XMT Final Finish Instant Detailer
  • Pinnacle XMT 360 Spray Wax
  • Poorboy's Bold N Bright Tire Shine SPRAY
  • Pinnacle Safe Scrub Bug & Tar Sponge
  • Wolfgang Microfiber Cleaner & Rejuvenator - Thanks Mike@DedicatedPerfection!
  • DP Krystal Vision Glass Cleaner - Thanks Rich!
  • Black Nitrile Gloves - Thanks Ian!
I'm thinking I can cram most of that into the wash bucket, and the towels will all be packaged in zip lock baggies (easy to force into small cubby if it comes down to it). Since I won't be using a lot of the spray wax, I'll probably only bring a 4 oz. bottle. XMT Final Finish Instant Detailer is more lubricious than most quick detail sprays, so I can use it as a waterless wash (for light dirt accumulation). Poorboy's World Bold N Bright cleans and shines in one step, so that will make tire care easy. Rinseless wash is a no-brainer since I won't have access to a hose.

Worst case scenario if the bucket doesn't fit in the trunk I will buckle it in the back seat.

Any input is appreciated! :dblthumb2:
 
Put a hitch on the Honda and bring the store with you. lol

In all seriousness what you have laid out will be fine. Perhaps bring along some mf towel cleaner to wash the towels after use?
 
Nick, I'd bring some glass cleaner and a towel for it, its nice to do quick window cleaning when fueling up.
 
Mike@DedicatedPerfection said:
Put a hitch on the Honda and bring the store with you. lol

In all seriousness what you have laid out will be fine. Perhaps bring along some mf towel cleaner to wash the towels after use?
Click to expand...

Great idea Mike! I'll bring a 4 oz. bottle of microfiber cleaner. Part of the trip consists of going to Michigan to visit my mom. I'll do a load of towels while I'm there.

Thanks Mike. :dblthumb2:

Finemess said:
Nick, I'd bring some glass cleaner and a towel for it, its nice to do quick window cleaning when fueling up.
Click to expand...

Good point Rich! I haven't used glass cleaner on the exterior of my windows for months, since I wash the car at least once a week anyway.
 
Hey Nick. :dblthumb2:

What about a wheel brush of some sort? Maybe even a small bottle of cleaner too?

Ah - any interior stuff? Just in case theres some sticky finger prints somewhere along the way?

I see you have tyre shine - have you not coated your tyres Nick? Or is that an extra topper type deal? Maybe you have coated your rims too, hence why you may not need wheel cleaner?

2500+ miles - Hahaha, thats driving to one end of my country to the other a couple of times! Awesome! Have fun mate. :dblthumb2:

Aaryn.
 
Great idea for a thread Nick…

The wife and I will be attempting a 2700 mile road trip from Arizona to the Lake of the Ozarks here in June.

Was just thinking last weekend what detailing tools and products to bring.

And speaking of Microfiber towel cleaner, I personally like to recycle these particular MF bottles to refill with concentrated D114 or APC as well as Microfiber Cleaner of course.

The bottles have a measuring spout to allow me to know how much product i'm using.

BLACKFIRE Microfiber Cleaner & Restorer


..
 
Depending on where you're going...
April can be:
-Pollen month
-Farmers leaving muddy tire tracks on the roadways
-Fresh road-kill
-Birds a-flockin' & a-droppin'
-Bug guts galore
-Etc., etc.

In all honestly:
I'd pack a few more MF-towels---even if going commando
becomes necessary to make room for them.

Just a thought or two that came to my mind.
I hope you and your family have a safe trip: Enjoy!!


Bob
 
Very cool! My suggestions:

  • Black microfibers and nitrile gloves for wiping down your rims w QD
  • 1Z Einszett Kristallklar Premium Windshield Washer Fluid for mixing up fresh fluid on the go.
Are you going to keep a detailing travel log, Nick?
 
ONR, can do the job of many you have listed above. Bring the ONR with wax and you can leave the rinseless and spray wax home. 1 bottle instead of 2.
 
Chris@AutoCleanse said:
ONR, can do the job of many you have listed above. Bring the ONR with wax and you can leave the rinseless and spray wax home. 1 bottle instead of 2.
Click to expand...

This times 1000x.

It will clean wheels, wells, windows, paint, soften bugs, etc.
Bring spray bottle filled with ONR at rinseless solution to pre soak bugs and lowers.
No need for QD or spray wax.
Coat tires with DP tire coating so you can wipe them clean with rinseless solution.
All purpose towels to wipe down wheels, wells, & tires.
 
Micro fiber towels and some window cleaner. Maybe something to clean bug debris. Enjoy the trip with your family. Clean the car when you get back home. It's a car. It's for your benefit. Let it serve you.
 
You going on vacation, spend time with the family. Clean the car when you return
 
Aaryn NZ said:
Hey Nick. :dblthumb2:

What about a wheel brush of some sort? Maybe even a small bottle of cleaner too?

Ah - any interior stuff? Just in case theres some sticky finger prints somewhere along the way?

I see you have tyre shine - have you not coated your tyres Nick? Or is that an extra topper type deal? Maybe you have coated your rims too, hence why you may not need wheel cleaner?

2500+ miles - Hahaha, thats driving to one end of my country to the other a couple of times! Awesome! Have fun mate. :dblthumb2:

Aaryn.
Click to expand...

Aaryn,

Thanks for the input! I'll be limited to rinseless and waterless washes, so I'm not going to be able to clean the wheels with a brush (at least not conveniently). Plus, my wheels are always coated and/or waxed so clean up is a breeze anyway.

No tire coating on my car...I'm the minority that actually enjoys applying a tire protectant on a weekly basis.

FUNX725 said:
Depending on where you're going...
April can be:
-Pollen month
-Farmers leaving muddy tire tracks on the roadways
-Fresh road-kill
-Birds a-flockin' & a-droppin'
-Bug guts galore
-Etc., etc.

In all honestly:
I'd pack a few more MF-towels---even if going commando
becomes necessary to make room for them.

Just a thought or two that came to my mind.
I hope you and your family have a safe trip: Enjoy!!


Bob
Click to expand...

Bob,

Thanks for the input! You're probably right about the towels...I'm sure I can find more room for another dozen.

Angus said:
Very cool! My suggestions:

  • Black microfibers and nitrile gloves for wiping down your rims w QD
  • 1Z Einszett Kristallklar Premium Windshield Washer Fluid for mixing up fresh fluid on the go.
Are you going to keep a detailing travel log, Nick?
Click to expand...

Ian,

Great ideas! I never thought about the nitrile gloves. I'll be adding those to the list as well.

And yes I will be keeping a log. ;)

Chris@AutoCleanse said:
ONR, can do the job of many you have listed above. Bring the ONR with wax and you can leave the rinseless and spray wax home. 1 bottle instead of 2.
Click to expand...

If I have to mix up a solution for QD and Spray Wax, I won't actually be saving any room after all. While ONR (regular and with wax) is a great product, I don't think it compares to a dedicated detail spray or spray wax at the recommended dilution for each respectful application. This goes for all rinseless washes. Appreciate the input though! :xyxthumbs:

DaveT435 said:
What part of Michigan are you going to?
Click to expand...

Flint, where I was raised.

kb2ehj said:
You going on vacation, spend time with the family. Clean the car when you return
Click to expand...

I was waiting for that.....:)

My wife will not NOT let me touch the car, plus I'm an early morning riser so any cleaning will be completed while her and the kiddo are still asleep.
 
Nick, on the non-detailing side I'd also HIGHLY recommend using Waze as your main navigation aid. It's hands down the best navigation app I've ever used. Waze has saved me from countless traffic jams and speed traps. :dblthumb2:
 
Your wife must pack better than mine. There is no way we could go that far in a Civic with the way she packs.

Where would you put the clothes and the kitchen sink? :laughing:

Good luck with the trip. :xyxthumbs:

Randy
 
Nick, I agree I was just thinking to get you by for the week and do a good wash and so forth when you get home.
 
Why not take the Wifes Accord? More room and better fuel economy!
 
I know AG doesn't carry them (that would be cool)...but...collapsible buckets!! I take two with me on such trips and they're great to have along.

Also, I usually take along a few gallon-sized ziplock bags to put dirty microfibers in before I can get 'em washed.

Enjoy the trip! :xyxthumbs::xyxthumbs:
 
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