Croftgate Products

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rk0601

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Hello, Autogeek Community. I'm relatively new to detailing, and I don't even have a tremendous car to detail (a 2002 VW Passat with a botched up paintjob that I try to protect as much as possible). I was gifted a Porter Cable for X-Mas, with pads and some Pinnacle stuff. I'm very excited about using it, possibly this weekend.

Anyways, my real question was whether anyone's used Croftgate products. I just came upon its website for the waterless car wash. I was curious whether anyone's tried this stuff, and have any thoughts on it. Thanks in advance!
 
rk0601 said:
Hello, Autogeek Community. I'm relatively new to detailing, and I don't even have a tremendous car to detail (a 2002 VW Passat with a botched up paint job that I try to protect as much as possible). I was gifted a Porter Cable for X-Mas, with pads and some Pinnacle stuff. I'm very excited about using it, possibly this weekend.
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Be sure to watch these before starting...

***New Videos***
Video: How-To do a "Section Pass" when Machine Buffing
How to Remove Swirls with the Porter Cable 7424XP



rk0601 said:
Anyways, my real question was whether anyone's used Croftgate products. I just came upon its website for the waterless car wash. I was curious whether anyone's tried this stuff, and have any thoughts on it. Thanks in advance!
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Never heard of them before, I've heard of Colgate,

colgate.jpg



their stuff works pretty good with a toothbrush to clean your teeth but never heard of Croftgate.


:)
 
I tried the Croftsgate Aqua-nil stuff once, now its sitting in my junk cabinet just collecting dust. I'd just pick up some ONR over the stuff I used. It uses water but Owell it works betters.
 
rk0601 said:
Anyways, my real question was whether anyone's used Croftgate products. I just came upon its website for the waterless car wash. I was curious whether anyone's tried this stuff, and have any thoughts on it. Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

So after posting that I used it and then put the aqua-nil away for a while, I got a call from one of Croftgate's representatives asking me what I didn't like about it and he challenged me to find something better than what they have for a waterless carwash.

I decided that this stuff must be at least decent if he can make that challenge and pulled it out to do an express detail on a friend/customer's white car. It worked well with a nice cobra microfiber and using a heavy spray of product. It gave a great shine and didn't leave any residue behind.

My initial experience was with a black ceramiclear finish from mercedes and I got more of a dull appearance probably either due to my method or the fact it was 100 degrees outside and I did it in the mid day sun.

If you try Aqua-nil "X" I would recommend using it in the shade and soaking the surface then cleaning with a nice plush microfiber. Overall, I retract my previous statement because it does work very well if you use it in the garage and use just a little more product.

I am actually very impressed that the company called me and gave me a challenge, they asked for details on the experience and asked me to try it again. The "bald guy" lol from the site was the one who called and he was very confident in his product providing I did everything correctly. He said "the head trainer from Meguiars didn't do it right the first time, but when he did he was impressed by the results"...this is coming from Frank Defeo the Technical Applications Manager at CroftgateUSA.
 
That's funny! As many times as people have posted bad reviews of products, that's the first time I have heard of a company doing that.
 
rwright said:
That's funny! As many times as people have posted bad reviews of products, that's the first time I have heard of a company doing that.
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lol...it was the coolest thing a car care company has ever done to me. Most the time if I say I don't like something it goes unheard by the company and this time they took it to heart and wanted to learn from my experience. I really respect the company for doing that.

I guess I learned something today, if something doesn't work the way it is advertised I probably did something wrong or something wasn't compatible.
 
JonMiles said:
lol...it was the coolest thing a car care company has ever done to me. Most the time if I say I don't like something it goes unheard by the company and this time they took it to heart and wanted to learn from my experience. I really respect the company for doing that.

I guess I learned something today, if something doesn't work the way it is advertised I probably did something wrong or something wasn't compatible.
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It's all in the details...

At first I didn't like Dodo Juice Supernatural soap and was upset because it's so expensive. Like you I started thinking one day and it hit me, maybe it was the cold weather that caused a problem? The rinse water was freezing as I sprayed the car! So when it warmed up a little I got out the bottle again and much to my surprise, I actually liked it! I still don't agree with the price or the directions that 1 pump per 3 liters of water is good enough, but when I want to just clean the car without any boosters that's what I use.
 
I got the sample pack from croftgate. Liked the aquanil x. Still testing the durability of the quick-n-slick.
 
I love Croftgate! I use it in my business and in fact may become a full time distributor of Croftgate products very soon!
 
Ive looked at Croftgate Products a couple times now. I just happen to run accross their site by accident honestly... That Quick N Slick looks interesting along with a couple others.....

I always look to the lil guys products or the "home grown" products(example is dodo juice) and seeing what they have to offer that do not have big name and big advertising budgets.... To ME a product doesnt have to be "pushed" or "sold".... If its good, itll sell itself!! If not it wont!!

Superior Shine- Seen a couple of your vids. Great Job!! You have a PM
 
DGS said:
Ive looked at Croftgate Products a couple times now. I just happen to run accross their site by accident honestly... That Quick N Slick looks interesting along with a couple others.....

I always look to the lil guys products or the "home grown" products(example is dodo juice) and seeing what they have to offer that do not have big name and big advertising budgets.... To ME a product doesnt have to be "pushed" or "sold".... If its good, itll sell itself!! If not it wont!!

Superior Shine- Seen a couple of your vids. Great Job!! You have a PM
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No PM ????
 
There is a small company called Envy Care that has a superior waterless wash and wax product. I used it on a 96 dark green Malibu that had been spent it's life in AZ and FL. The product not only cleans and waxes, but polishes. they also make a paint restore product that I used on a late 90s red Tacoma. It was super dull. In one process it renewed the dull paint and polished. Check them out at Welcome to Envy Care The owners name is Bob and he is very knowledgeable and easy to talk to.
 
I bought a sample kit from Croftgate sometime last year. I was generally impressed with their products. (Aquinil X, tire shine, QuikNSlick, and cleaner). I was thoroughly impressed with QuikNSlick. You use so little product and when it sets up, QuikNSlick really imparted a nice shine. As an aside, they are really easy to deal with and very passionate about their products.

Would I buy from them again? Absolutely. However, there is a plethora of great products (waterless/rinseless) out there and many of them are in my garage right now. I currently am using Griot's Garage waterless wash ( I bought their kit as well) or ONR.
 
JonMiles said:
So after posting that I used it and then put the aqua-nil away for a while, I got a call from one of Croftgate's representatives asking me what I didn't like about it and he challenged me to find something better than what they have for a waterless carwash.

I decided that this stuff must be at least decent if he can make that challenge and pulled it out to do an express detail on a friend/customer's white car. It worked well with a nice cobra microfiber and using a heavy spray of product. It gave a great shine and didn't leave any residue behind.

My initial experience was with a black ceramiclear finish from mercedes and I got more of a dull appearance probably either due to my method or the fact it was 100 degrees outside and I did it in the mid day sun.

If you try Aqua-nil "X" I would recommend using it in the shade and soaking the surface then cleaning with a nice plush microfiber. Overall, I retract my previous statement because it does work very well if you use it in the garage and use just a little more product.

I am actually very impressed that the company called me and gave me a challenge, they asked for details on the experience and asked me to try it again. The "bald guy" lol from the site was the one who called and he was very confident in his product providing I did everything correctly. He said "the head trainer from Meguiars didn't do it right the first time, but when he did he was impressed by the results"...this is coming from Frank Defeo the Technical Applications Manager at CroftgateUSA.
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I would be glad to take that challenge. I will put Optimum and Black Fire waterless up against his product. Those are the two I have used with great success but I will be willing to bet that there are two or three others actually sold by the company that provides this forum that will blow Aqui Nil out of the water (pun intended).
 
Hi guys,

I know this is an older thread, but it might be better to use this thread after using the search function, especially since Mike, Joe and Superior Shine, and some other guys had joined in the discussion.

I was directed to Croftgate products Waterless Car Wash | Car Cleaning Products | Dry Car Wash | Hot Rod Cleaning by the owner of a vehicle wrap company that is handling the visual portion of my GT500 project underway right now. He said it would be ideal for maintaining the 3M vinyl, since obviously it cannot be washed... so I was wondering if I could gather some insight?
-->Note: I could be TOTALLY wrong in my assumptions, but I believe the owner of the wrap business was only directing me to a waterless product, rather than something specifically formulated FOR VINYL (I know Chemical Guys makes one, but that's for matte, and there are TONS of vinyl varieties out there, mine being a brushed metal, the rarest and hardest to maintain of all perhaps).

My thoughts: I believe, much like 99% of other information floating around, that his help in directing me toward Croftgate was simply because this is all he knows (being a company owner of a wrap company, not an obsessive detailer, like myself and so many others here) and that in all actuality, ANY waterless wash like the one I've been using for so long now and love, would work flawlessly (WW+)

PS: I MAY START A NEW DEDICATED THREAD FOR THIS... BUT ANY OTHER SPECIFIC THOUGHTS OR ADVICE ON RESOURCES/LINKS on how to properly care for different vinyl wrap materials would be helpful. I read through 3M's suggested products, but they were really generic and surface-layer advice.
 
To add to my post above...

3M suggests on their FAQ Solutions website (HERE) for the 1080 Scotch Brite vinyl wrap:
"For the carbon fibre and brushed metal films in 3M™ Scotchprint® Wrap Film Series 1080, a polishing product such as 3M™ Tire Restorer or Meguiars® Natural Shine Protectant may be used. No polish is recommended for matte or textured films, and no wax-based product is recommended for any of film series 1080. In these instances, the product tends to fill in the inherent texture of the film's surface and can cause the film to develop a haze."
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So, according to them, either
1) Meguiars Natural Shine Protectant Wipes, Natural finish protectant, rubber and vinyl protectant, interior dressing wipes
or
2) 3M Tire Restorer Tire Dressing, 3m 39042, tire protectant, rubber dressing, tire shine

If these would work just fine and dandee... here's the obvious question: What would work/be MUCH better along these same products lines to use on my new vinyl wrap? After chatting online with a 3M rep, I have to avoid something with wax or an abrasive of any kind that could blur the texture and generate a haze (not something I want to do after spending thousands on the wrap) and this isn't paint of course.

SO, something to enhance both appearance and protection/longevity of the vinyl... hmmm... Wolfgang Vinyl/Rubber Protectant 64 oz. ??? Something satin-to-shiny would be OK, preferably not bland-matte or TOO obnoxiously glossy (can't believe 3M actually suggested 3M Tire Restorer, seems like that would be shine-city and make my vinyl wrap look like a Vaseline covered blurry mirror?)

Thanks for any help and thoughts! :)
 
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