looking for alternative to my favorite APC

builthatch

builthatch

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i have been using OPC (Power Clean) for years, but, it's pretty expensive. but awesome. i tried an orange degreaser from another detailing brand and it was useless.

for those who have tried OPC - is there an alternative out there that is more affordable? I am looking for something that I can safely use to clean painted stuff, tires and tar/greasy type stuff but also dilute for use elsewhere, like leather.

i was looking a Meguiar's, but Megs has an APC and a Super Degreaser, whereas OPC does both w/ one product.

i found someone on here who recommended the McKee's Hi-Intensity APC but in the same sentence they also recommended the other orange stuff i used and hated. but i am taking a hard look at the McKee's anyway.

thanks.
 
megs d101 works very well from anything in the interior to exterior. also very inexpensive...
 
La awesome is pretty good for a otc product.The megs stuff is pretty good,when I can't meet up with my vendor I use the green apc from megs.The super degreaser is pretty strong and you can cut it 50/50.stick with the green it's versatile on everything.
 
VISITOR said:
megs d101 works very well from anything in the interior to exterior. also very inexpensive...
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thanks. is it good w/ truly greasy/sticky stuff too? and tires?

GSKR said:
La awesome is pretty good for a otc product.The megs stuff is pretty good,when I can't meet up with my vendor I use the green apc from megs.The super degreaser is pretty strong and you can cut it 50/50.stick with the green it's versatile on everything.
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haha yeah i know TA has been recommended for a while but it appears to be the same active ingredient as the other orange stuff i tried so i'm good there. nice to see two votes for the megs though. thanks.
 
OPC costs a few more bucks for a reason. I use it on interior leather without fear of it staining or pulling dye out. You have some nice rides so I don't know why you'd want to risk a product that is probably inferior to save literally a few dollars. If I was you, I'd order a few gallons while AG has this 20% off sale goin on.
 
fly07sti said:
OPC costs a few more bucks for a reason. I use it on interior leather without fear of it staining or pulling dye out. You have some nice rides so I don't know why you'd want to risk a product that is probably inferior to save literally a few dollars. If I was you, I'd order a few gallons while AG has this 20% off sale goin on.
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thanks. i agree that it's awesome and flexible but i end up using it everywhere, not just for detailing, and i mow through it. i use it in the house, in the garage - everywhere. if i could find something close to it and then cut my OPC use back to situations where i really need that specific product, i'd feel better about things.
 
+1 For Megs 101. I use this stuff on everything from my dirt on my kids sneakers to tar and tree sap on my truck.
 
Gotcha. If you're going to use for other things then I'd agree with D101.
 
i looked at the Mothers Pro APC before and saw potash in the msds so i steered clear.
 
builthatch said:
thanks. i agree that it's awesome and flexible but i end up using it everywhere, not just for detailing, and i mow through it. i use it in the house, in the garage - everywhere. if i could find something close to it and then cut my OPC use back to situations where i really need that specific product, i'd feel better about things.
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Zep 505 in HD is not bad and cheap.
 
builthatch said:
i found someone on here who recommended the McKee's Hi-Intensity APC but in the same sentence they also recommended the other orange stuff i used and hated. but i am taking a hard look at the McKee's anyway.
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If I were you I'd steer clear of the McKee's Hi Intensity APC. I followed the high praise by someone who said it had more cleaning power than Megs D101 and was even safer to boot... Pfft... 1st off, this does not clean better than Megs D101, period.

View attachment 50712

2nd of all, after having used D101 and D180 to clean my interior for 2.5 years without a hitch this all of sudden happens to my steering wheel after 2-3 test runs using it to wipe down my interior the same exact way I always have.. I know there's a small chance this was bound to eventually happen, but what are the odds it just so happens when I begin to use this new APC?

I think there's a reason why this APC gets almost no mention by anyone on this forum...

This is really starting to bug me because it's all I see everytime I drive my car..

View attachment 50713

This stuff is flat out weak @ 10:1, yet somehow manages to not feel safe on leather & vinyl... I finally found a way to put it to some use by diluting it @4:1 and using it as a carpet & matt cleaner. It did well at that. Plus it claims to not leave a residue behind so there's no worry of having to rinse/neutralize after using it to clean carpets. But other than that, it doesn't compare to Megs D101, which is a champ at just about any task you throw at it. Cleaning carpets, leather interior, vinyl, plastic & rubber trim, exterior pre wash & scrub [on lower panels that are extra dirty] cleans wheels, works around the house, does all that and more @10:1 dilution. Great value. Get some, you won't be disappointed.
 
@Eldorado. I have been using Mckees Hi Intensity the past while on interiors and have been happy with it. Never gave me any issues and cleans good IMO/IME. Looks like I should give Megs a shot though.
 
I have Meg's 101 and I love it. I use it on the leather and almost anything interior besides for glass. I have a 10:1 and a 4:1 for the really tricky stuff. I am still a rookie compared to many on this forum. I probably don't use it to half of its potential

Not to hijack but what is everyone using their Meg's 101 on? Is it safe on PVC Chrome wheels? Paint? Etc?
 
builthatch said:
thanks. is it good w/ truly greasy/sticky stuff too? and tires?
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like anything other apc, agitation (several appliactions) plays a role and i've cleaned some nasty stuff with it (engines, wells, etc,). i use it at 4:1...
 
7.3powerstroke said:
@Eldorado. I have been using Mckees Hi Intensity the past while on interiors and have been happy with it. Never gave me any issues and cleans good IMO/IME. Looks like I should give Megs a shot though.
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Howdy👋🏼 Nice to hear from someone who has experience with the same product. I'm glad to hear you haven't experienced any issues with it.

As far as the cleaning power, I feel I've given it several legit and equal test runs to come to my conclusion.

Case and point: Today was the 1st time in a while [because I'd used the McKee's APC for the previous 3 times] I used Megs D181 Leather Cleaner to wipe down my interior. [after a thorough vacuum] It had been between 2-3 weeks since I had last gone through this same normal process.

This is the towel I used to wipe down my daily driver this morning. [this is typical of what it Always looks like after using either D181 or D101] FYI, I love to keep my car clean, both inside and out, but I also go to work full time and being a blue collar man there's always going to be dirt to clean...

Both sides of the towel:

View attachment 50715

Dirty side of towel: [most of the heavy marks come from the steering wheel and center console. This is normal for 2-3 weeks]

View attachment 50716

During the 3 times I gave the McKee's APC a try at this same job I honestly saw maybe half of that level of dirt come off onto the towel.. All 3 times. It was like Bud Light compared to the usual Budweiser. Very noticeable, and that's what I've used to judge the cleaning power.
 
Correction: In 1 of my previous posts, I mistakenly referred to D180 [which is Leather Cleaner & Conditioner] I meant to say D181 RTU Leather Cleaner.
 
7.3powerstroke said:
Here is a review giving high praise to Mckees Hi Intensity. I hope Mark sees this and lets us know if he is still using this product or not. Or maybe his opinion changed on it?

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/product-reviews/89896-dp-hi-intensity-apc-review.html
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Thanks for the link to that review. I hadn't seen that before. Here's my opinion on what I read.

He says he uses the High Intensity @4:1 to clean both wheels & tires.
I've used D101@4:1 to clean tires and while it's effective, I prefer to use another dedicated tire cleaner. As far as using D101 to clean wheels? I've used it @10:1 and have never considered using it any stronger than that for wheels. But regardless, I use a dedicated wheel cleaner as it always works better than an APC.

He says he uses the High Intensity @10:1 for interior plastics and lets it dwell on the surface for 30secs.-1min. before scrubbing with a nylon brush.. Is it any surprise the surface would come clean after this level of attack?

I normally try the least aggressive method 1st. That means spraying it onto a towel and then wiping the leather/vinyl. D101 works very effective most times with just doing that. I have never let D101 dwell on leather for any amount of time, nor have I needed to. And when I tested them equally McKee's simply didn't measure up when it came to lifting dirt off the surface.

"Nasty" cloth seats came up nearly perfect with just a damp microfiber towel @10:1... Cool story. Lol.

He says nav screens clean up with High Intensity @10:1.

Same thing happens with Megs QID. Very light duty task...

He says High Intensity @4:1 And a 30sec. dwell time is effective for nasty bottom bumper areas as a pre wash...

As I stated in my previous post, Megs D101 does that effectively @10:1 without dwell time. I've never felt the need to go as heavy as 4:1 on paint and probably never would..

He says High intensity is slightly better than Megs D103 APC+
Why compare it to a product that's no longer available? Seems kinda convenient that the majority of us will never actually get to see for ourselves... Why not compare it to Megs D101 since it is available? Is the difference between D103 and D101 so great that D101 doesn't even get remembered in the same sentence? I find it odd...

A+ rating? Alrighty then...
 
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