New guy looking for product recommendations

Nick370z

Nick370z

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Hello, AGO!

I've been lurking on the forum for a while now and finally decided to register so I could ask a few questions of my own, so let's go through the usual first-post backstory.

I decided to pick up detailing as a way to keep myself busy and make some extra cash on weekends, while being able to market my services to my car enthusiast friends and other members of the local different car clubs/communities that I'm a part of. Since I know several other people who have their own little side-business inside the community, I wanted to be a part of that so that we could all work together and refer people to one another for our different services. For instance, one of my friends does paint and body work, and one does mechanical work. Mainly, I've just been doing work for friends and family (and one neighbor with a McLaren 650S) as opposed to trying to market to a lot of people that I don't personally know. It's only been several months since I've really started getting paid to do this, and so far it's going well. I haven't had too much trouble finding people who want some detailing done, but decent weather in the Houston area has been like an urban legend lately, and nobody wants their car cleaned when it's going to be rained on two days later.

Anyway, I started out how I imagine most amateur detailers start out nowadays, watching YouTube videos. I had heard a lot of my car friends mention that they use Chemical Guys products, so I looked into them first, and by now I must have watched 150 of their videos. So I started buying the CG products instead of the cheaper stuff from the local part stores and honestly, I can't say that I've been disappointed. But as I started using more and more of their products, I noticed that a lot of it is over-hyped (though most still work reasonably well), so I started searching for 3rd-party reviews that weren't directly from the CG website. It didn't take long for me to start reading some reviews here on AGO, and then reading more things, and more, and then I found myself downloading the app, and creating an account, and spending half (or more) of my work day reading up on more tips and tricks for things I should try when I get home.

Finally getting to the point of the thread, I would like some opinions on which of my CG products (if any) I should continue to use, or if there are any products that may work better for me. I like Chemical Guys' products and videos (despite all the hyperbole and buzzwords), but I want to make sure that I'm not missing out on any potentially superior products by sticking only to one brand. That said, I'm going to continue to use what I have until it's gone, because I don't get paid nearly enough to waste that kind of money, but I would like to have an idea of which products should be next on my list to try out.

What my "arsenal" currently consists of (note: all Chemical Guys products)
Wash: Mr. Pink or Citrus Wash & Gloss
Clay: Light/Medium "OG" clay bar with Clay Luber
Polish: V32/34/36/38, which haven't gotten much use yet other than for headlight restoration
Glaze: Black Light, Glossworkz
Sealant: Jet Seal
Wax: Butter Wet Wax
QD: V07
Wheels/tires: Signature series wheel cleaner to clean, Silk Shine as tire dressing
Engine bay: Signature series orange degreaser to clean, Silk Shine to dress
Glass: Glassworks
APC: Nonsense
Stain removal: Lightning Fast
Also using their "workhorse" series MF towels and a few of the fluffy edgeless MF towels.

Hopefully I've managed to post this in an acceptable subforum, this is a lot different than posting in a Facebook group.

Thank you in advance for any recommendations!
 
Welcome to the forum. Of the CG products you listed, I only have two of them...Mr Pink and Butter Wet Wax...both of which I like. Mr Pink makes good suds, and seems to clean well with good lubricity. Its not better (or worse) than Meguiars Gold Class, which is cheaper and available at WalMart.,,,but still a decent soap. Butter Wet Wax works as advertised....easy on/easy off, and I've been able to get 3-4 weeks out of an application.

CG stuff gets a bad rap on some forums, but like any other line, there's good and bad in it. Silk Shine gets some good reviews, and I like VRP as my tire dressing.
 
I used a bunch of sealants and I still think Jetseal is the best. It gets through rough winters with ease,so durable. And HV07 is always my go to qd. Both underrated
 
Welcome to AGO!

I use Mr. Pink in my foam gun, and absolutely love the amount of suds that it makes, has a great smell, and really has a nice slick and "cushiony" feel when washing. I've compared it to other soaps in my foam gun and it still comes out on top.

The biggest thing you'll realize is that everyone will have a preference of products for a specific job and it might not be right for you. Typically a general consensus will be noticeable, but don't be surprised if you get a lot of mixed opinions. Once you find something you like for a particular task, just stick with it even if it's not what some consider as the "standard." All that being said here is what I use as my go-to's for each particular category you mentioned:

Wash: Mr. Pink for foam gun & Megs Gold Class in the bucket.
Clay: I use Mother's clay bar or Pinnacle Ultra Poly Clay
Polish: Depending on what is needed I will use a mix of Pinnacle Advanced Swirl Removed, Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish, or Megs 205 & 105 combo
Glaze: Never used one
Sealant: I use Collinite 845 & BlackFire Crystal Seal
Wax: Usually Pinnacle Souveran on darker cars & Dodo Home Brew on light colors
QD: ONR Dilution
Wheels/Tires: Dodo Juice Supernatural Wheel Cleaner & Megs Gold Class from the bucket with various brushes. I then coat with DP Tire Gloss (Now Mckee's 37 Gloss Tire Gel)
Engine Bay: Poorboys Bio-Degradable APC
Glass: Invisible Glass
Microfiber: Depending on the job I will use guzzler waffle weaves, supreme 530's, or Shine & Buff
AIO: XMT 360
Rinseless Wash: ONR, but will be trying Mckee's 37 Rinse Free Wash & Wax

Hope this helps!
 
briarpatch said:
Welcome to the forum. Of the CG products you listed, I only have two of them...Mr Pink and Butter Wet Wax...both of which I like. Mr Pink makes good suds, and seems to clean well with good lubricity. Its not better (or worse) than Meguiars Gold Class, which is cheaper and available at WalMart.,,,but still a decent soap. Butter Wet Wax works as advertised....easy on/easy off, and I've been able to get 3-4 weeks out of an application.

CG stuff gets a bad rap on some forums, but like any other line, there's good and bad in it. Silk Shine gets some good reviews, and I like VRP as my tire dressing.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I actually just ordered some of the VRP the other day to see how it is, as the Silk Shine isn't just a little too dull for my taste on the tires. I like a bit of shine, but not greasy-looking. Hoping VRP does the trick.

idriveblackcars said:
I used a bunch of sealants and I still think Jetseal is the best. It gets through rough winters with ease,so durable. And HV07 is always my go to qd. Both underrated
Click to expand...

I agree, it would be hard for me to replace those. I try to use the V07 somewhat sparingly though as it's pretty expensive compared to a normal QD.

natewood70 said:
Welcome to AGO!

I use Mr. Pink in my foam gun, and absolutely love the amount of suds that it makes, has a great smell, and really has a nice slick and "cushiony" feel when washing. I've compared it to other soaps in my foam gun and it still comes out on top.

The biggest thing you'll realize is that everyone will have a preference of products for a specific job and it might not be right for you. Typically a general consensus will be noticeable, but don't be surprised if you get a lot of mixed opinions. Once you find something you like for a particular task, just stick with it even if it's not what some consider as the "standard." All that being said here is what I use as my go-to's for each particular category you mentioned:

Wash: Mr. Pink for foam gun & Megs Gold Class in the bucket.
Clay: I use Mother's clay bar or Pinnacle Ultra Poly Clay
Polish: Depending on what is needed I will use a mix of Pinnacle Advanced Swirl Removed, Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish, or Megs 205 & 105 combo
Glaze: Never used one
Sealant: I use Collinite 845 & BlackFire Crystal Seal
Wax: Usually Pinnacle Souveran on darker cars & Dodo Home Brew on light colors
QD: ONR Dilution
Wheels/Tires: Dodo Juice Supernatural Wheel Cleaner & Megs Gold Class from the bucket with various brushes. I then coat with DP Tire Gloss (Now Mckee's 37 Gloss Tire Gel)
Engine Bay: Poorboys Bio-Degradable APC
Glass: Invisible Glass
Microfiber: Depending on the job I will use guzzler waffle weaves, supreme 530's, or Shine & Buff
AIO: XMT 360
Rinseless Wash: ONR, but will be trying Mckee's 37 Rinse Free Wash & Wax

Hope this helps!
Click to expand...

Thanks! You're absolutely right that a lot comes down to personal preference. I just don't want to shut myself out of trying other products simply because what I have right now works. I'll never know if I like something else better if I always use the same stuff.

I'll definitely try that XMT 360. It seems that a lot of people use an AIO as sort of their bread-and-butter, but it's not something I've done yet.
Are those paste waxes or liquid? How long do they typically last?

I appreciate the suggestions and feedback.
 
Nick370z said:
Thanks! You're absolutely right that a lot comes down to personal preference. I just don't want to shut myself out of trying other products simply because what I have right now works. I'll never know if I like something else better if I always use the same stuff.

I'll definitely try that XMT 360. It seems that a lot of people use an AIO as sort of their bread-and-butter, but it's not something I've done yet.
Are those paste waxes or liquid? How long do they typically last?

I appreciate the suggestions and feedback.
Click to expand...

If you want, a great way to experience different products without shelling out a lot of money is to subscribe to something like detail box. I can't remember forum rules for posting external links so I won't, but just google "the detail box" and it will come up. When I was a part of it it was $10/month and I would get at least 4 different samples of products as well as a towel of some kind in each box. You can also purchase small samples from AG directly if something peaks your interest.

AIO's are typically in the form of liquid that is usually thick from what I've experienced. I don't know of any paste AIO's. XMT 360 has been reformulated as Mckee's 37 360 so it will be under that name now with a longer time of protection (6 months) according to Nick from AG. AIO's are great because you can get a light clean, mild abrasives, and protection in one step. The cutting power can be changed depending on the pad that it is used with. I will bust out an AIO maybe twice a year for mine and my wife's car and it will last about a month in terms of protection (speaking specifically about XMT 360). I usually put Collinite 845 on top of it once I start to notice a lack of beading. I've been wanting to try HD SPEED since so many people speak highly of that AIO, but I'll give it a shot once I run out of XMT 360.

On another note, with all these new products you have, have you invested in a polisher yet?
 
natewood70 said:
If you want, a great way to experience different products without shelling out a lot of money is to subscribe to something like detail box. I can't remember forum rules for posting external links so I won't, but just google "the detail box" and it will come up. When I was a part of it it was $10/month and I would get at least 4 different samples of products as well as a towel of some kind in each box. You can also purchase small samples from AG directly if something peaks your interest.

AIO's are typically in the form of liquid that is usually thick from what I've experienced. I don't know of any paste AIO's. XMT 360 has been reformulated as Mckee's 37 360 so it will be under that name now with a longer time of protection (6 months) according to Nick from AG. AIO's are great because you can get a light clean, mild abrasives, and protection in one step. The cutting power can be changed depending on the pad that it is used with. I will bust out an AIO maybe twice a year for mine and my wife's car and it will last about a month in terms of protection (speaking specifically about XMT 360). I usually put Collinite 845 on top of it once I start to notice a lack of beading. I've been wanting to try HD SPEED since so many people speak highly of that AIO, but I'll give it a shot once I run out of XMT 360.

On another note, with all these new products you have, have you invested in a polisher yet?
Click to expand...

My apologies, bad wording on my part. I was trying to ask about the actual waxes you had mentioned (Pinnacle Souveran & Dodo Home Brew).

I haven't gotten a polisher of my own yet, but my friend has let me borrow his PC on the few occasions where I've needed one. I'm leaning toward the GG6 when I do get around to buying one of my own.
 
VRP is easy to use and control the shine......you will like it
 
Nick370z said:
Hello, AGO!

I've been lurking on the forum for a while now and finally decided to register so I could ask a few questions of my own, so let's go through the usual first-post backstory.

I decided to pick up detailing as a way to keep myself busy and make some extra cash on weekends, while being able to market my services to my car enthusiast friends and other members of the local different car clubs/communities that I'm a part of. Since I know several other people who have their own little side-business inside the community, I wanted to be a part of that so that we could all work together and refer people to one another for our different services. For instance, one of my friends does paint and body work, and one does mechanical work. Mainly, I've just been doing work for friends and family (and one neighbor with a McLaren 650S) as opposed to trying to market to a lot of people that I don't personally know. It's only been several months since I've really started getting paid to do this, and so far it's going well. I haven't had too much trouble finding people who want some detailing done, but decent weather in the Houston area has been like an urban legend lately, and nobody wants their car cleaned when it's going to be rained on two days later.

Anyway, I started out how I imagine most amateur detailers start out nowadays, watching YouTube videos. I had heard a lot of my car friends mention that they use Chemical Guys products, so I looked into them first, and by now I must have watched 150 of their videos. So I started buying the CG products instead of the cheaper stuff from the local part stores and honestly, I can't say that I've been disappointed. But as I started using more and more of their products, I noticed that a lot of it is over-hyped (though most still work reasonably well), so I started searching for 3rd-party reviews that weren't directly from the CG website. It didn't take long for me to start reading some reviews here on AGO, and then reading more things, and more, and then I found myself downloading the app, and creating an account, and spending half (or more) of my work day reading up on more tips and tricks for things I should try when I get home.

Finally getting to the point of the thread, I would like some opinions on which of my CG products (if any) I should continue to use, or if there are any products that may work better for me. I like Chemical Guys' products and videos (despite all the hyperbole and buzzwords), but I want to make sure that I'm not missing out on any potentially superior products by sticking only to one brand. That said, I'm going to continue to use what I have until it's gone, because I don't get paid nearly enough to waste that kind of money, but I would like to have an idea of which products should be next on my list to try out.

What my "arsenal" currently consists of (note: all Chemical Guys products)
Wash: Mr. Pink or Citrus Wash & Gloss - OK products but much better available such as Optimum Car Wash
Clay: Light/Medium "OG" clay bar with Clay Luber - garbage, try the Nanoskin sponges, wash mitt or towel
Polish: V32/34/36/38, which haven't gotten much use yet other than for headlight restoration. Garbage, once you try Griots, CarPro, Menzerna or HD polishes you'll never look back
Glaze: Black Light, Glossworkz - I don't use glazes anymore but if I did I'd use Poorboys Blackhole
Sealant: Jet Seal - way overpriced garbage. Try Menzerna Powerlock or CarPro (Hydr02, HydroFoam or Reload)
Wax: Butter Wet Wax - I rarely use wax with the available sealants and coatings available now
QD: V07 - ok product but attracts dust like crazy. A lot of other solid options available such as WG Uber which can be used as a RW also, Kenotek Showroom Shine, and Menz Paint Refresh
Wheels/tires: Signature series wheel cleaner to clean, Silk Shine as tire dressing - Tires I use Megs Super Degreaser or APC and CarPro Perl to dress. A lot of other good options available also.
Engine bay: Signature series orange degreaser to clean, Silk Shine to dress - Megs APC or Super Degreaser and CarPro Perl diluted properly
Glass: Glassworks
APC: Nonsense - a lot of good APC products available. I tried Nonsense but it isn't as powerful as Megs, Optimum, McKee's... too many to list
Stain removal: Lightning Fast
Also using their "workhorse" series MF towels and a few of the fluffy edgeless MF towels.

Hopefully I've managed to post this in an acceptable subforum, this is a lot different than posting in a Facebook group.

Thank you in advance for any recommendations!
Click to expand...

Great story and welcome to AGO! This is how a lot of us start out. I also bought into the CG hype several years ago and shelled out way to much on their products. I've commented above what my thoughts are on their products and what I'd recommend.
 
Nick370z said:
My apologies, bad wording on my part. I was trying to ask about the actual waxes you had mentioned (Pinnacle Souveran & Dodo Home Brew).

I haven't gotten a polisher of my own yet, but my friend has let me borrow his PC on the few occasions where I've needed one. I'm leaning toward the GG6 when I do get around to buying one of my own.
Click to expand...

No worries.

Pinnacle Souveran lasts for me at most 1 month in terms of noticeable beading. My car lives in a very harsh climate in South Florida being outside all the time. I never purchased Souveran for the "protection" so to speak as it has always provided the intense, deep, wet shine that I want out of my darker paints. I've put it on Black Yukon XL's, Black Mercedes SLS, Blue 350z's, Red Lincoln Mark VIII"s, and now my Chrysler 300S with a graphite metallic finish. The paint looks insanely wet and the reflections are intense! Underneath that I typically have Collinite 845 for longer term protection. Some people turn away at the price of the product, but I will typically get 25-30 applications out of the tub and you can sometimes catch it on sale for $59.99 instead of the regular $95. Here's a link:Pinnacle Souveran Paste Carnauba Wax is Brilliant on Red- Awesome on Black! Souvern is hand poured, one container at a time, and boxed with an

Dodo Home Brew used to be sold on AG's site, but I don't see it anymore. A few years ago I got it as a Christmas gift out of pure desire to make a wax at home. I followed the instructions, and honestly didn't expect much out of it in terms of gloss and protection... Boy I was wrong. I used that on all the light vehicle I touch specifically my wife's 2012 Pearl White Optima. The paint shimmers and noticeable beading lasts for about 3 months. I've also used Dodo's Supernatural Wax on white's and it looks great. Here is a link to their product line: Dodo Juice Carnauba Car Waxes, dodojuice wax, carnauba wax, dodo wax, dodo car care, rainforest rub, supernatural wax, purple haze wax

You can't go wrong with a PC or GG6. My PC just died on me after 12 years of service and I decided to order the GG6. I made that decision because I do occasionally correct friends vehicles and it has more power. More power will typically mean getting corrections done in a quicker time frame. I should be receiving it today and this weekend I'll turn her on for the first time :xyxthumbs:
 
lane5515 said:
Great story and welcome to AGO! This is how a lot of us start out. I also bought into the CG hype several years ago and shelled out way to much on their products. I've commented above what my thoughts are on their products and what I'd recommend.
Click to expand...

Thanks, glad to be here!



I've heard that Nanoskin can induce some slight marring. While that might not be an issue when you're planning to polish afterwards, most of my jobs don't involve any compounding/polishing, since I'm still new to the concept and don't want to over-promise anything. Is that something you've experienced, or is that possibly due to user error/misuse?

As for the compounds/polishes, I haven't used them too much yet. I hear that there are many options available that are better than what CG offers. I'll be sure to look into those when the time comes, but I'd be willing to bet that I'll have my current ones around for quite a while before I run out. I think what I really need to look into is an AIO for the time being. Do you have any recommendations for that?

How does the Menzerna PowerLock compare to Jet Seal? Does it give better protection, or last longer? I'm not very familiar with it, although I do see it recommended a lot here on AGO.
 
Nick370z said:
Thanks, glad to be here!



I've heard that Nanoskin can induce some slight marring. While that might not be an issue when you're planning to polish afterwards, most of my jobs don't involve any compounding/polishing, since I'm still new to the concept and don't want to over-promise anything. Is that something you've experienced, or is that possibly due to user error/misuse?

As for the compounds/polishes, I haven't used them too much yet. I hear that there are many options available that are better than what CG offers. I'll be sure to look into those when the time comes, but I'd be willing to bet that I'll have my current ones around for quite a while before I run out. I think what I really need to look into is an AIO for the time being. Do you have any recommendations for that?

How does the Menzerna PowerLock compare to Jet Seal? Does it give better protection, or last longer? I'm not very familiar with it, although I do see it recommended a lot here on AGO.
Click to expand...

I haven't experienced any marring issues different than what you can get from traditional clay. The Nanoskin products and others similar to it are a huge time saver. It is best to polish after claying to remove any marring or imperfections left from the clay. I'm not a huge fan of the AIO products if you are looking for long lasting protection. Most AIO products will only give a month or two of protection so you'd follow up with a dedicated LSP anyway. If I was in production or fleet detailing I'd probably use an AIO but that's not what I do. A lot of today's polishes finish down to an acceptable LSP ready finish for most people so you are looking at the same amount of steps and time as an AIO - plus you will probably get better polishing results and longer duration from your LSP using a dedicated polish and sealant. IMO Power Lock gives a better look and several more months of protection compared to JetSeal. JetSeal sure sounds good coming from the guy who does the CG videos and girls dancing around in bikini's. CG knows how to sell and draw attention to their products but I've found that a majority of their stuff just doesn't compare to other readily available products from AG.
 
Like many others, I have tried a few of the CG's stuff. Some are good enough to use again, but, it's a hit a miss proposition with CG products IMO.

Lots of more reliable products out there. Meguiar's, Griot's Garage, Mother's, et al.

I don't do much of the very expensive high-end products as I haven't found the need to pay $200 for 8 oz. of wax :)..... but I digress.

The Meguiar's Ultimate line is an overall a very good hobbyist line, some as good as the pro-level "Detailer" line.

Best of luck.
 
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