Knowing What You Know Now...

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Kappy

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What would you have done differently when starting out?

I'm brand new to this level of car care, and literally starting from scratch (no pun intended) equipment-wise. I've been reading and researching, almost to the point of obsession, and either the novelty will wear off, or I'm in big trouble. :)

At first I was interested in trying the 2 bucket method of car washing. I watched several videos; read all sorts of posts about this, and as I was compiling a list of things I would need - buckets, grid guards, possibly a foam gun, car shampoo, mitts, good quality towels, etc. - i came across the no rinse way of washing a car, and specifically the Garry Dean method. Other than needing a product like Optimum No Rinse, or Garry Dean's Ultimate, one bucket and lots of towels, this seems like something I'd like to try, especially living in Dallas where it can be 100 degrees for days, and isn't always much cooler in the morning.

My car needs some work, all of it caused by the dealer's prep, because I haven't washed it yet. While I don't want to add to the problems, I thought I could experiment on it while in this condition, before I attempt any type of scratch removal, buffing or polishing.

I've read about ONR and Garry Dean's Ultimate, and these two products appear to be very similar in what they do, but very different in cost, unless I'm not accurately taking into consideration the way they're measured. What's more confusing to me is the huge selection of towels that are available, and it's hard for me jump in and spend money on 10 or 12 towels that I know nothing about. I've read multiple towel reviews, and everyone has a favorite, as well as several they don't like or recommend.

Has anyone used the towels sold by Garry Dean? I would assume that what's he's using in his own videos, and at $2.50 each, they're some of the least expensive I've seen. I've skimmed the forum but haven't found any posts where these towels are mentioned. AG has the Arctic White on BOGO, and I thought those might be something good to start with. Or not.

Anyway, this is my first post, other than the introduction, and I hope to be able to contribute someday as well as ask questions.

Thanks.

Ron
 
Well welcome aboard!

Great question too

Me personally I would choose a shampoo over a waterless wash if I had the choice and option to do so. The shampoo to me offers better protection from scratching. I use Duragloss 901 and add some ONR also. This works for me and my car and offer great results.

I recently bought some cobra waffle weave HD's, the ones with the foam core, and hate them. They don't "soak" up like a sponge like I thought they would. The regular waffle weaves are more effective with my setup.

I'm planning on getting some of the arctic white's asap. I've heard good things about them and I need some less plush towels.

I did a ton of research just like yourself so I could spend my money on the right things and not have any regrets. So far so good minus the waffle weave hd's. So if you've done the homework, and it sound like it, you should be good to go with what you know...rymed lol.

As long as you trust what you know and ask what you have questions about you should do just fine. Hope ou have a great experience with everything and, again, Welcome.
 
For me:

Working backwards, least aggressive to more aggressive.

Clay > light swirl remover > medium > compound (in that order, probably missing things, but i'm always learning)
 
BradsDetailing said:
Well welcome aboard!

Great question too

Me personally I would choose a shampoo over a waterless wash if I had the choice and option to do so. The shampoo to me offers better protection from scratching. I use Duragloss 901 and add some ONR also. This works for me and my car and offer great results.

I recently bought some cobra waffle weave HD's, the ones with the foam core, and hate them. They don't "soak" up like a sponge like I thought they would. The regular waffle weaves are more effective with my setup.

I'm planning on getting some of the arctic white's asap. I've heard good things about them and I need some less plush towels.

I did a ton of research just like yourself so I could spend my money on the right things and not have any regrets. So far so good minus the waffle weave hd's. So if you've done the homework, and it sound like it, you should be good to go with what you know...rymed lol.

As long as you trust what you know and ask what you have questions about you should do just fine. Hope ou have a great experience with everything and, again, Welcome.
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Thanks for the feedback.

I don't remember if the watering restrictions actually went into affect for a brief period, or they were still in the planning stages,
but two years ago the city of Dallas was going to restrict car washing. It's still possible that they could do something like this at any time, so I thought it might be a good idea to be proactive and adopt a rinseless, not a waterless system, that I could continue to use, regardless of what the city decides to do.

Ron
 
I was in your shoes a year ago, and bought just about every product and towel available. If I could start over I wouldn't of wasted my money on many things, however here is what I would recommend to you, keeping in mind your looking to do waterless washes + a few other things...

Waterless Wash = Ultima Waterless Wash + . Get a handheld pressure sprayer from Home Depot to apply the waterless wash.

Towels = Supreme 530s for waterless wash. Miracle Towel for wax/sealant/polish removal and instant detail/spray wax application and removal. Arctic whites are ok for spray wax application and removal.

Polisher = Griots Garage 6" Random Orbital + Lake Country Flat pads ( Orange, white, black )

Compounds/Polishes = Wolfgang TSR and Finishing Glaze

AIO = Klasse AIO

Sealant: Wolfgang Deep Gloss Sealant or Collinite 845

Wax: Pinnacle Souvern or Wolfgang Fuzion

Spray Wax: Pinnacle Liquid Souvern or Optimum Car Wax

Instant Detailer: UWW+ or Wolfgang Instant Detail Sprtiz if you want some insane slickness.

Tire Shine = Tuff Shine

If I would of just bought the above products I would have everything I need and saved a lot of money trying out so many other ones.

Of all the things the most impressive products to me are the Wolfgang detail sprtiz for it's insane slickness it leaves behind and Tuff Shine for its 'just applied' shine and durability.
 
:iagree:

I bought way too much stuff, duplication of effort, and still have lots. Narrow down your preferences and don't fall down the slippery slope of feeling you gotta get on board with a whole variety of similar products.
 
sears4976 said:
I was in your shoes a year ago, and bought just about every product and towel available. If I could start over I wouldn't of wasted my money on many things, however here is what I would recommend to you, keeping in mind your looking to do waterless washes + a few other things...

Waterless Wash = Ultima Waterless Wash + . Get a handheld pressure sprayer from Home Depot to apply the waterless wash.

Towels = Supreme 530s for waterless wash. Miracle Towel for wax/sealant/polish removal and instant detail/spray wax application and removal. Arctic whites are ok for spray wax application and removal.

Polisher = Griots Garage 6" Random Orbital + Lake Country Flat pads ( Orange, white, black )

Compounds/Polishes = Wolfgang TSR and Finishing Glaze

AIO = Klasse AIO

Sealant: Wolfgang Deep Gloss Sealant or Collinite 845

Wax: Pinnacle Souvern or Wolfgang Fuzion

Spray Wax: Pinnacle Liquid Souvern or Optimum Car Wax

Instant Detailer: UWW+ or Wolfgang Instant Detail Sprtiz if you want some insane slickness.

Tire Shine = Tuff Shine

If I would of just bought the above products I would have everything I need and saved a lot of money trying out so many other ones.

Of all the things the most impressive products to me are the Wolfgang detail sprtiz for it's insane slickness it leaves behind and Tuff Shine for its 'just applied' shine and durability.
Click to expand...

Thanks for all the suggestions! I'm going to need a Detailer's to English translator for some of this, but I'll look it up.

Would any of the product recommendations change if doing a No Rinse wash, which is my plan, verse a waterless wash? Specifically the towels and the UWW+. My initial plan was to use ONR and I'm still researching towels.

Thanks.

Ron
 
Yes UWW+ can be used for rinseless also. Dilution ratio is 1oz per 3 gallons water. Waterless, spray detailer, clay lube dilution is 1/2 oz per 22oz bottle.

ONR would work also obviously, and is a fantastic product. I have it and use it often on my Tundra that has Opticoat on it. I will mix in 1oz with my shampoo to add lubricity to the mix when doing a conventional 2 bucket wash. The main reason for picking UWW+ to me is price.

Towels would remain the same.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
 
1. The AG towels are much more heavier (high gsm) and nicer. The best towel deals come from Microfiber Tech. They sell a lot of the towels other places do for 1/2 the price

2. Never tasted Gary's juice, but I have ONR & many other rinseless washes. ONR is OK, but UWW+ and Pinnacle are just nicer IMO.

3. As for what I would have done differently:

- buy the good stuff first. Don't try and save money buying something less expensive thinking its just the same if your serious about this hobby. You will just end up buying the better stuff later and the cheap stuff will gather dust.

- if you find a product you like a lot, get it buy the gallon instead of just keep buying small bottle

- follow all the correct steps even if you think you can skip it
 
civdiv99 said:
:iagree:

I bought way too much stuff, duplication of effort, and still have lots.
Click to expand...
+1

Wish I had of done a bit more research. Ended up getting a better product which means I now have duplicates.
 
I wish I would of purchased a flex instead of my PC, or a griots if you're not willing to spend that much.

My 11 month old PC has recently crapped out. :/

Sent from my SCH-I535 using AG Online
 
Chase.Barnett said:
I wish I would of purchased a flex instead of my PC, or a griots if you're not willing to spend that much.

My 11 month old PC has recently crapped out. :/

Sent from my SCH-I535 using AG Online
Click to expand...

Man I hope that doesn't happen to mine. What are you planning to do with it? Fix/Sell?


Oh and do they sell a shampoo concentrate? That'd be nice 😎
 
I did all my research first and foremost. My only regret is not finding Gary Deans earlier. 1 gallon makes 50 gallons of product. That's insane money saving. You are getting one product to use as an onr, clay lube, interior detailer, and a QD. That's 4 bottles of product that I could have not purchased. Just in clay lube and QD alone would have paid for enough Gary Dean's to make 6.4 gallons of product.
 
inDetail said:
I did all my research first and foremost. My only regret is not finding Gary Deans earlier. 1 gallon makes 50 gallons of product. That's insane money saving. You are getting one product to use as an onr, clay lube, interior detailer, and a QD. That's 4 bottles of product that I could have not purchased. Just in clay lube and QD alone would have paid for enough Gary Dean's to make 6.4 gallons of product.
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Thanks for the reply.

I was initially considering this, and still can't find info on the towels used on his site. His method requires quite a few towels and I wondered if either of these would be good choices, even if used with something like ONR or UWW+:

Super Soft Deluxe Microfiber Towels, microfiber detailing towels, microfiber buffing towels, detail cloth, micro fiber

6 Pack Miracle Towels

Ron
 
Welcome aboard!

I wish I had bought the 6" GG ASAP and not been so scared of using a wheel, it makes life a lot easier and the way the machine works, along with the free dvd, makes using it a breeze!

Sent from my SPH-M930 using AG Online
 
Kappy said:
Thanks for the reply.

I was initially considering this, and still can't find info on the towels used on his site. His method requires quite a few towels and I wondered if either of these would be good choices, even if used with something like ONR or UWW+:

Super Soft Deluxe Microfiber Towels, microfiber detailing towels, microfiber buffing towels, detail cloth, micro fiber

6 Pack Miracle Towels

Ron
Click to expand...

I've used these with onr before and although it works I have swirls on my soft paint. Not sure if it's from waterless washing or going to pdq all winter long. But they are very nice towels for the money.
 
hernandez.art13 said:
Man I hope that doesn't happen to mine. What are you planning to do with it? Fix/Sell?


Oh and do they sell a shampoo concentrate? That'd be nice 😎
Click to expand...

Fix for now Then either put on the shelf or sell. There is a PC service center 15 minutes from my house in the Houston suburbs.

A flex or rupes is on my list, I just can't decide on which. If I buy a cheaper DA in the mean time then I'm definitely getting the griots.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using AG Online
 
To Chase: Yeah if I would have known, I would have gotten the Griots, especially because of the life time warranty.

I am going with the Rupes because it works smooth as butter.

Junkman says the Flex works better with smooth pads. I don't know because when I used the Flex, it had hex pads. Maybe that's why I felt the pull. (Don't know the name)

In the end any machine can do the job with the right skill/technique
 
I see a lot of people mentioning MFTech in threads the past few weeks and I wonder if there's any towels in specific they can compare to AG brands? Is their yellow equivalent to the cobra? The weights look a lot different in most cases.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2
 
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