looking for alternative to my favorite APC

Mckee's 37 APC+ is the only all purpose cleaner I own that i NEVER have to worry about it damaging the surface....whether its clear plastic guages, glass, paint, or leather. OPC is far better at pretty much any dilution if you are trying to degrease tires and engine bays. D101 has pretty similar cleaning ability but the foaming action in D101 makes it more effective than Hi-Intensity APC+ for interior applications that require the use of a scrub brush. I just think of it as a mild APC that i can use in areas of a vehicle where I don't have much ventilation. Also, never having to worry about it doing damage is why it's what i reach for 90% of the time. I work at an auto museum during he week and when cleaning leather that isn't coated I know it will be 100% safe and it will do a decent job for a lot less than OPC or Blackfire APC. If you ever work on single stage paint, at the end of the day try massaging d101, Hi-intensity APC+ or even d108 super degreaser into your pads and rinsing with hot water... yes it will work okay but then if you try using OPC or BF APC on the pads you've already cleaned, you'll realized that those two cleaners/degreaser are in a league of their own and there really isn't anything else that comes close.
 
one other thing that i mean't to mention. After a closer inspection of both sides of that terry cloth towel that you used i really thing that the dirt you got off you're steering wheel and center console is a pretty excessive buildup for only 2-3 weeks. Even if i never washed my hands i just can't imagine transferring that much dirt and oil in such a short amount of time. To me (i could be completely wrong) but it seems like mckee's APC+ cleaned it without removing any color transfer. You would know better than me.

Also, you made a good point about comparing it to a product that is no longer available (I'm sure they developed this cleaner to get the guys that used d103+ and don't want/like the heavy foaming action of D101. You are definitely right though, it does seem rather convenient that isn't no longer a cleaner we can compare it to really.
 
mwoywod said:
one other thing that i mean't to mention. After a closer inspection of both sides of that terry cloth towel that you used i really thing that the dirt you got off you're steering wheel and center console is a pretty excessive buildup for only 2-3 weeks. Even if i never washed my hands i just can't imagine transferring that much dirt and oil in such a short amount of time. To me (i could be completely wrong) but it seems like mckee's APC+ cleaned it without removing any color transfer. You would know better than me.
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Being a 20 yr. old car, certain parts are on their last leg.. The steering wheel had been on thin skin ever since I acquired the car a couple years ago. But it does have the ability to come clean without totally abusing it/removing more color transfer than dirt. This is a close up pic I took the day before yesterday.

View attachment 50717

I'll take another pic tomorrow and hopefully it'll show the difference.

As far as the center console, that surface is sort of a lost cause.. I've attempted to deep clean it before, but it's too far gone and that area will definitely leech color transfer along with dirt for as long as you scrub it. I don't spend too much time trying to clean it.

My drivers seat takes a large brunt during the work week, and since the geniuses in charge provide pink lotion soap as the only option to wash your hands at work, you can begin to see how my steering wheel can turn out like that..

But don't get me wrong, I don't roll around in a dirty car by any means.. It may be hard to believe and that's unfortunate for me at the moment.. So in order to make myself feel a little better I'll show you a picture of what a real dirty interior looks like while cleaning it with D101@10:1 lol.

This seriously came off just the center console. No color transfer, this is pure grime from just the pleather armrest of a Camry.

View attachment 50719

That was the worst interior I've had to clean. It was wild.
 
lol. Thank you for the pics. Sometimes I think alot of us convince ourselves a product is better than it actually is because it was more expensive...or at least I'm pretty sure that is the case with myself and Mckee's APC+....so yeah, thanks for ruining my night
 
Meg's APC is awesome. I use it at 10:1 dilution for almost everything. At 4:1 dilution it makes a great tire and rim cleaner. I used to use Meg's Super Degreaser at 4:1 for tires but since I switched to the APC instead I find it actually cleans better. With SD I often had to clean twice, with APC the first time is usually perfect.

For the interior, works great on any surface including leather, fabric and carpet. Same goes for plastic or anything else inside the car except glass.
 
If you are conscious and sensitive about APC total cost of ownership; my recommendation would be Megs D101 for general use around the house with OPC for your boutique cleanings. Yeah you will have two products but your TCO should increase. I just noticed that AGO doesn't carry D103 anymore; hmpf. If you want even more aggressive TCO, then try Zep Citrus for general use. And certainly don't buy the spray bottles but go for the gallons.

What I do for general use APC is something on the order of a $9-$11 APC gallon...... combined with a disinfectant/sanitizer concentrate that could be used in hospitals. On the latter product I have the same Zep gallon going on 6 years now and probably have enough for 15 more years. One capful of the Zep disinfectant (per the directions) in a 32 oz bottle with an APC solution and I have something I believe is better and retail products on the market in terms of power and affordability.
 
Dereksdtail said:
3D citrus degreaser
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i tried it after reviewing the MSDS, seeing that it had some similarities in composition and didn't have some of the more offensive components that are in other APCs. unfortunately, it's not even close to OPC performance in any manner other than being orange. 10:1 OPC is more powerful/effective than full strength 3D 88, in my testing. my gallon has been sitting there. i can't figure out what it's actually good for. maybe i'm spoiled with OPC, i don't know.

i want to thank everyone for their input. i think the compromise for me will be to obviously stick for OPC where necessary and slot in 101 for some of the more mundane uses. i have come to the conclusion there is a reason OPC is so expensive and it probably has to do with what's in it and they know it works so well. 101 has such a strong following i can't imagine it won't help me out immensely.

thanks again.
 
builthatch said:
i tried it after reviewing the MSDS, seeing that it had some similarities in composition and didn't have some of the more offensive components that are in other APCs. unfortunately, it's not even close to OPC performance in any manner other than being orange. 10:1 OPC is more powerful/effective than full strength 3D 88, in my testing. my gallon has been sitting there. i can't figure out what it's actually good for. maybe i'm spoiled with OPC, i don't know.

i want to thank everyone for their input. i think the compromise for me will be to obviously stick for OPC where necessary and slot in 101 for some of the more mundane uses. i have come to the conclusion there is a reason OPC is so expensive and it probably has to do with what's in it and they know it works so well. 101 has such a strong following i can't imagine it won't help me out immensely.

thanks again.
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Couldn't agree more with your plan. I think you'll find that D101 at 10:1 is effective enough to handle most dirt (plus it can be used on carpets which unfortunately OPC isn't recommended for). The only benefit to having McKee's APC+ would be to have an apc that can be used on glass and gauges. But you could always just use whatever rinseless/waterless/spray wax you have on hand which is probably even better than McKee's APC for those purposes as well.

Why can't they just create an all purpose cleaner that cleans & degreases like OPC, can be use to clean all surfaces in and out of your car and doesn't need to be rinsed like d114/ONR, and can be found for $14....like D101.*Sigh*
 
mwoolfso said:
If you are conscious and sensitive about APC total cost of ownership; my recommendation would be Megs D101 for general use around the house with OPC for your boutique cleanings. Yeah you will have two products but your TCO should increase. I just noticed that AGO doesn't carry D103 anymore; hmpf. If you want even more aggressive TCO, then try Zep Citrus for general use. And certainly don't buy the spray bottles but go for the gallons.

What I do for general use APC is something on the order of a $9-$11 APC gallon...... combined with a disinfectant/sanitizer concentrate that could be used in hospitals. On the latter product I have the same Zep gallon going on 6 years now and probably have enough for 15 more years. One capful of the Zep disinfectant (per the directions) in a 32 oz bottle with an APC solution and I have something I believe is better and retail products on the market in terms of power and affordability.
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I have never been more intrigued in my life. I used zep quick clean disinfectant around my house and it's great. Is that the one you're talking about. What APC do you use when pouring in a capful?
 
mwoywod said:
I have never been more intrigued in my life. I used zep quick clean disinfectant around my house and it's great. Is that the one you're talking about. What APC do you use when pouring in a capful?
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Really? Never more intrigued? Dude you need to get out more. This is just an APC topic. :-) I'm just kidding as I do understand how TCO affects certain people (me being one of them).

I don't recall "quick clean" being on the label but it does say "disinfectant" in the product name. The product itself is dark gold colored and a little thick. Also, some corrections on my original statement....

1- I stated your TCO should "increase"; I misspoke as it should "decrease"
2- Last sentence should say "better than retail products on the market"

Right now I use Simple Green or Purple Power with Zep Disinfectant. These products will corrode aluminum if you let the product dwell and dry on them but in general whenever I have aluminum I will use another product that cleans the metal better than an APC so risks are very minimal. I have used these products on my Weber grills and never had an issue.

It has taken awhile to get my wife away from purchasing retail APC's but once she saw the difference between my products and hers she was sold on the concept itself, then it took awhile for the new behaviors to set in. I think I have her on her last bottle of Windex before she moves to a Meguiars Glass cleaning dilution. :-)
 
builthatch said:
i tried it after reviewing the MSDS, seeing that it had some similarities in composition and didn't have some of the more offensive components that are in other APCs. unfortunately, it's not even close to OPC performance in any manner other than being orange. 10:1 OPC is more powerful/effective than full strength 3D 88, in my testing. my gallon has been sitting there. i can't figure out what it's actually good for. maybe i'm spoiled with OPC, i don't know.

i want to thank everyone for their input. i think the compromise for me will be to obviously stick for OPC where necessary and slot in 101 for some of the more mundane uses. i have come to the conclusion there is a reason OPC is so expensive and it probably has to do with what's in it and they know it works so well. 101 has such a strong following i can't imagine it won't help me out immensely.

thanks again.
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Opc is awesome👍👍
 
mwoolfso said:
It has taken awhile to get my wife away from purchasing retail APC's but once she saw the difference between my products and hers she was sold on the concept itself, then it took awhile for the new behaviors to set in. I think I have her on her last bottle of Windex before she moves to a Meguiars Glass cleaning dilution. :-)
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nice! my wife uses a bottle of wash dilution ONR to dust w/ and the Megs D120 has worked out great around the house. she keeps it in a Windex bottle under the sink.
 
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