Calling all Chemical Guys Aficionados

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kosoku

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After much research on this forum and elsewhere online (to the point my wife asked "Why on earth do you need to spend this much time reading about wax?!" - clearly she doesn't understand the bond between man & machine), I have ...almost... decided on going with CG for my new regimen.

As I mentioned in another post, I am on my last bit of Zaino and Griot's Garage polish & best of show wax, so I'm looking for a new regimen for polish/seal/wax. I'm not a pro - I just wash and detail my own cars & family member's cars because I love shiney cars.

I have a Griot's DA (I think y'alls preferred acronym is the GG6) and need new pads for it. I've decided on the Lake Country 6.5" with the dimples in them, but am not sure how many and which colors I need just yet.

I have some self-induced swirling (I only recently learned of the two-bucket method and today ordered grit guards) on my black DD CR-Z and silver Mazda 6. I need a minor paint correction on those and from then on basically maintenance sealant & wax.

So here's my tentative game plan -

Wash: CG Citrus Wash & Gloss for heavily soiled cars, ONR for simply dusty cars. Both using a two-bucket method with grit guards!

Polish: CG V38 (I plan to get their tester kit with V34 & V36 in case the 38 doesn't cut deep enough)

Sealant: CG Jet Seal 109

Wax: CG Butter Wet Wax


I contemplated the Blacklight / V7 combo, but am a bit weary of AIO type products. Basically I really enjoy piddling with my cars so AIO isn't marketed to me. I am attracted to the reputed ease-of-use with CG products, however.

I considered heavily going with other brands but from what I can tell the above products all provide great bang for the buck.
I don't necessarily need the best products on the market but want the best products on a reasonable budget. I do want to go fancier than OTC products but not over the top with $100 per product stuff.

So my questions -

1) What LC pads (color) do I need for the above regimen?
2) Anyone want to further muddy up my decision making by offering other suggestions, given my above requirements?

Feed back please
 
I would go with an LC orange pad for cutting and an LC white pad for polishing. Some paint systems are very soft and I've followed the white pad with an LC blue pad with great results.

As for products, I highly recommend Menzerna FG400 and Menzerna Super Intensive polish. As for sealant, I've heard good things about Jetseal 109 but I haven't tried it. Sonax Polymer NetShield is supposed to be very good. As for wax, Collinite 845 in my opinion is better than the Butter Wet Wax.

Good luck!
 
I am kinda in the same boat.

I have a GG6. I am looking at pad combos is too right now .

The choices are dizzying.

CG offers MicroFiber pads too now....... so does LC
 
Quiksilver5882 said:
I would go with an LC orange pad for cutting and an LC white pad for polishing. Some paint systems are very soft and I've followed the white pad with an LC blue pad with great results.
Click to expand...

Thanks! So the blue pad you use for waxes and sealants? You don't bother with the black or red?

Menzerna gets a lot of love on here too. They seem a bit pricier than the CG stuff, though. Now Collinite on the other hand is priced about the same as Butter Wet Wax. Would Collinite give the deep wet look as well? That's the look I like.
 
What is the difference between the CG pads break down to?

I mean the Hex logic vs. The dimpled ones vs. The flat ones?
 
One thing I have learned lately is don't stick to one car care manufacturer. Do research and determine what will be the best options for certain things.
 
kosoku said:
So my questions -

1) What LC pads (color) do I need for the above regimen?
2) Anyone want to further muddy up my decision making by offering other suggestions, given my above requirements?

Feed back please
Click to expand...

I just emailed them and Ill share the responce from Eric Dunn [email protected] :

Scott, You are on track with the yellow and orange (I asked if 2 yellow 4 of orange was a good starter kit). I would suggest white (4) and black (2) to finish it out. Black has a mechanical ability compared to red, but black is chemical dependent, meaning you could use it for wax or light swirl remover. (and I am getting 2 red for jewling)

Hope that helps ya.
 
Cool beans. wdmaccord put it like this in another pad-specific thread I started - Orange for light cut, white for polish, blue for sealant, and red for wax.

I'm leaning towards that mix - but if I'm buying 4 I might as well get 6 for the price of 4 1/2. I guess I'll do 1 orange, 2 white, 2 blue and 1 red.
 
JHL88 said:
One thing I have learned lately is don't stick to one car care manufacturer. Do research and determine what will be the best options for certain things.
Click to expand...

That's what I've seen as a general consensus around here. The problem is that makes the combinations limitless, and my feeble mind just can't handle it. The way I see it each manufacturer makes their lines of products specifically to be used in conjunction with one another - like CG Blacklight and V7.

Mixing combos just seems a bit more advanced for my taste - I was using a single wash bucket with no guard up until recently you know. :nomore: Yeah, I'm a noob.
 
kosoku said:
Thanks! So the blue pad you use for waxes and sealants? You don't bother with the black or red?

Menzerna gets a lot of love on here too. They seem a bit pricier than the CG stuff, though. Now Collinite on the other hand is priced about the same as Butter Wet Wax. Would Collinite give the deep wet look as well? That's the look I like.
Click to expand...

I use the blue pad with Menzerna 4500 on my black car to bring out additional gloss. I seal and wax by hand, but you could use a black or red pad for this. As for Collinite producing a certain "look", I cannot say. Wax and sealants are for protection. You get the shine from polishing.
 
I haven't used Menzerna or Zaino but I've heard great things about both. From MY experience the CG "V" line is extremely good. You might want to start with V36 and an orange hexlogic and see how that goes. V38 doesn't have much cut- I'd say finish with or Blacklight with a black pad. Then seal it with JetSeal109. Works pretty well for me.
 
Ive become a Chemical Guys fan and have just finished completing my CG shelf for both the weekly wash, and the monthly detail.

Everything will be applied by hand though, as I do not have DA.

Here will be my weekly and monthly routines broken down. (Not every product is CG but close enough)...

Monthly:

Wheels:
Amazing Roll Off + Wheel brush
Microfiber for the spokes
Spray with CG V7 sealant

Tires:
Amazing Roll Off
Apply CG G6 Hyper Coat Sealant

Trim:
Clean with CG All Clean+ Citrus Cleaner
Apply CG G6 Hyper Coat Sealant

Body:
Maguiars Gold Class wash
Nanoskin Speedy Surface Prep Fine wipe down w/ CG Luber
CG Phase 5 Dual Action Compound
CG Nano 3n Polish
CG Black Light Radient Finish 2x
Wipe down with V7 Sealant
CG Butter Wet Wax

Done!
 
If you want value (good bang for the buck) and you already have a Griot 6" polisher, I would consider the Harbor Freight line of pads. You can buy them at the store for three or four dollars. They are six inch foam pads and I have used the blue for polish and the black for finish. Maybe they are not constructed as well as the high price pads but they work fine for a single use. Consider them throw aways, which saves you time and money on pad cleaners. I find they work as well as Griot's own pads and the Uber 5.5" pads.

As far as wax/sealants go, the value lines for me are Duragloss and Collinite. Wash with Duragloss car wash (one of the best shampoos at any price), polish and seal with any of the following according to you needs: 501/101/111/or Track Claw - each mixed with 601 bonding agent. Top with Collinite 845 and maintain with Duragloss AquaWax as a drying aid after a wash, or as a "topper" on a dry car. Use the Duragloss Fast Clean and Shine QD for touch ups and light cleaning.

You might spend a thousand dollars on other products but dollar for dollar you won't do better than this for looks and durability.
 
Not sure if this has been mentioned, nor what your plans are, to just maintain these two vehicles, or if you detail other's vehicles?

In any case, you seem to steer towards 6.5" pads, and now might be a good time to consider two new LC backing plates in 5", and 3.5", and to have on hand 5.5" , and 4" Pads?

After using 5.5" Pads, I couldn't see myself ever wanting to use larger than this on main panels. The smaller plate and pads work well on smaller, and tighter areas, and switching plates-pads takes just a couple minutes.

As for pad types, if you're mostly going to deal with minor paint correction, and not too many basket cases, then I would say the orange and white pads will be the ones to have. That you may rarely ever have a need for the most aggressive yellow ones. Of course blue and red are nice to have if you wish to apply ultra fine polishes, or waxes-sealants.

I know Chemical Guys makes a extremely vast array of products, and if you've ever seen the video tour of their wharehouse business (probably on youtube) they have it all, and do make some great products. But the amount of products they have can get confusing, and might be unnecessary.

Polishes? Like Mike Phillips has once said, he has yet to see a paint system where the Wolfgang Twins haven't worked perfectly.

As for more conventional wax type products, I doubt you'll come across a more easier, inexpensive, and durable product like Collinite 845 Insulator Wax. Many folks here like this product as a topper over a sealant, and two exceptional sealants that are wipe on wioe off would be Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant 3.0, Menzerna Powerlock, or an offering from the Duragloss folks such as 501 Marine-RV Polish, 105, and 111 work really nice and are also relatively inexpensive.

Now exterior trim products...... This is an area where many don't like short lived products, or lack high performance. Products like Ultima UTTG, and Carpro CQuartz DLX are great products.

CQuartz DLX might seem expensive, but after one sees the results, and how long the trim pieces stay protected, you'll say the product was worth the money spent. I don't think I've ever read any negatives here about the DLX coating on trim.
Hope this helps.
Mark
 
I'm a big CG fan. Besides the wheel brushes I have never been unsatisfied with any product. Just a heads up CG gets knocked around on this site a lot with negative reviews.
I'm a V series polish fan. Water based and ZERO dusting. They are loaded with polishing oils so be prepared to do a IPA wipe down after polishing or your LSP will fail. You can pick up the sample pack of all 4 polishes for $20.
I use there Hex-Logic pads and Black Optics MF pads. I love them both. you can get the Black Optic pads from Car Pro cheaper. ( They are made by Sure Buff.)
BlackLight does have abrasives in it and acts like and AIO. So you may want to go with a pure sealant like Jetseal or MSeal which I prefer.
As far as waxes goes there are so many good one's out there in different price ranges. Collinte are excellent for the price. The 845 insulator wax is great and so is the Marque paste. I currently have on hand CG Pete's 53, 50/50, P21s 100% and will be adding a Bouncers wax.
With Vinyl and rubber protection I go with CG VRP. There is a big learning curve with it. It's a cream that can be difficult to work with so I cut mine 50/50 with distilled water. Blend it with a kitchen emulsifier let it sit for a few days and it's ready to go spray form with a couple of shakes of the bottle. I find it easier to work with and have not seen any drop off in performance. I like it because it's interior, exterior, engine and tire dressing all in one. The trick is to apply one coat let it sit and buff to a satin finish. Go back and touch up any streaking.
Good Luck
 
I have used alot of CG products and have numerous of their products in my deatail shop. If your interested in a good CG poish I use Blacklight on the majority of my details. I also really like P40. If I had to choose between the two I woud go with the Blacklight. As far as a good wax the XXX paste is great for the price. I really looks good and last a long time. I would suggest that you at least try the V-7. I use it between waxes and it's one of the best spray sealants that I've used. It is well worth the price. I have tried the V-34 and V-36 and really ike both of those. Never used the buter wax though. I don't think that you will go wrong with CG products. If you decide to try another product line you might look at Poorboys products. You really can't beat their price and quality either.
 
I started out using adams stuff, overpriced then I switched to chemical guys overall I am pleased with their products. I just tried the butter wet wax not bad, I love the blacklight I use the v7 after every wash on my own vehicle it's really good stuff.
 
Lots of good products one can use after a wash, or even during.

DG Aquawax, Pinnacle Crystal Mist Detailing Spray, or a plethora of WOWA products which really don't take much longer than a detailer spray product.

Such products are quite abundant right now, and they are really great products which can offer a little bit better protection, and help maintain a finish's protection, and luster.

Love the WOWA's on Door Jambs, and hard to get areas. Even if your Trunk Jambs don't have the gloss of the exterior panels, and you don't wish to spend forever and a day polishing them, they still can be protected with such sealants lickety split.

Let's face it, vehicles, or their upkeep aren't get any cheaper as the days go by. I have some personal regrets, that I didn't just cut to the chase, and use Opti-Coat, Cquartz, 22ple and be done with it!
MArk
 
Can't live with regrets man!

Im in the process of doing my car right now.

So far today ive:

Wash - Maguars Gold Class
Clay - Used Nano Speedy Prep Towel fine grade (impressed me)
Polish - CG Nano 3n
Left to do:
Glaze - CG Black Light
Sealant - CG V7
Wax - CG Butter Wet
 
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