Newbie here..need thoughts on my starter products list please?

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lithnights

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I'm a newbie here am looking to get back into detailing my 2 family cars, a minivan and an SUV. The minivan is brand new so I want to keep it nice for as long as I can. The SUV is 3 years old but it's still in very nice shape. After finding this site, I'm tossing the Windex, Armorall, blue rags etc. that I used to use, so now I need new products. I put together a list of things to buy and wanted to get some thoughts from you experts. I have spent the last couple days perusing tons of autogeek.net articles and postings and here is what I've come up with. Remember this is just for my 2 family cars (not some of the sweet cars I've seen on this site!!), and it's not a business, so I don't want to go too crazy. :)

So here's my list...

1. Autobahn Max Vac Garage Vacuum (already purchased here on autogeek.net). Got it yesterday..this thing, especially the expandable hose, seems awesome.

2. 2 Blue Cobra Waffle Weave Glass Towel for windows
Invisible Glass aerosol can

3. 3 pack of 530 gray microfiber towels for cleaning inside of cars

4. Detailer's Pro Series Interior Surface Protectant to clean inside. This can be used on vinyl, leather etc. so I figure an all in one would be ideal.

5. 2 way detailing brush

6. A couple microfiber buff pads for vinyl. Are these really needed if I have the grey microfiber towels?

7. Meguiar's X3002 microfiber wash mitt

8. Some type of exterior wash shampoo

9. 2 Green guzzler waffle weave for drying
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Again, this is for me to give my cars a good monthly cleaning and keep them fairly nice, not showroom. I won't have time to do a weekly/monthly claying/waxing etc. I have 2 little ones four and under and a newborn on the way, so quite simply I don't have the time I used to. :laughing:

Again feedback would be appreciated. Great site!!

Thanks in advance,
 
First of all: :welcome: to the AGO forum!!

Then: To go along with your list....Have you considered: wax, sealant, and QD Spray...plenty choices here and OTC, for budget-conscientiousness concerns...and good for your vehicles.

:)

Bob
 
Welcome :)
My input on interior products is
1) buy some optimum power clean...works great and is safe for cleaning all interior surfaces.
You'll find DOZENS of uses for this product and never be dissatisfied.
2) 303 interior protectant...one of the "forum favorites" and mine as well
 
good value shampoo is duragloss 901 or Meg's gold class which you can get on clearance sometimes OTC

get some grit guards and home depot buckets too...

There are some good spray waxes on bogo right now.

Rinseless or waterless washes are also good for many things (QD, clay lube, add to wash water, etc)
 
How'd I forget the rinseless wash!
Great input!
I'd be lost without my ONR. And I'd have 5 other products laying around instead of just 1
 
ONR or Ultima Waterless Wash+ Concentrate. I prefer the UWW+, but the ONR is a little less expensive if you use it primarily for waterless or rinseless wash.

Another great one-product-does-lots is Klasse All-in-One. Cleans, good sealant, easy on/off, go over your windows after you do all the paint, safe for paint, plastic, trim, chrome...
 
lithnights said:
Again, this is for me to give my cars a good monthly cleaning and keep them fairly nice, not showroom. I won't have time to do a weekly/monthly claying/waxing etc. I have 2 little ones four and under and a newborn on the way, so quite simply I don't have the time I used to. :laughing:

Again feedback would be appreciated. Great site!!

Thanks in advance,
Click to expand...

You don't need to clay/wax weekly or monthly. That would be total overkill lol. Twice a year or even just once a year if you're really pressed for time is fine and better than nothing. For waxing you could just grab a spray wax that you can spray on and wipe/buff off pretty quickly.
 
Wow, thanks for the replies. Here is what I'm gathering so far.

1. Optimum power clean as an interior cleaner was mentioned. Is this suggested instead of the Detailer's Pro Series Interior Surface Protectant? Is it also an all in one that I can use on vinyl, plastic, leather seats etc.?

2. 303 interior protectant as a interior protectant. Would this also be used in lieu of the DP product above?

3. duragloss 901 or Meg's gold class as a shampoo. These are basically what I'd use to wash the exterior, right?

4. A rinseless wash was mentioned twice but I don't know what that is. What exactly is it?

5. ONR was mentioned twice. I assume this is some kind of rinseless wash?

6. I assume my ideas for the various towels are OK?

Sorry if these questions seem silly or basic..

Thanks!
 
Onr is optimum no rinse seems forum fav for rinseless washing, would highly recomend grit guards... never knew how much i needed them until i bought them, towels most of mine are from chemical guys but i also have some meguiars supreme shine.... not very fond of megs towels but they work.depending on your budget there are other towels you can get more of for less money... or wait for bogo on towels. I also like meguiars apc+ (all purpose cleaner plus) to clean a variety of surfaces plus its very inexpensive, sometimes you can find it for under 15$ a gallon and being able to dilute it 10:1 will last you forever. I use that to clean my interior and 303 to dress and it comes out great... http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show-n-shine/43841-finally-thank-you-all-help.html there are much better places to get an actial review but that was my detail a few weeks ago any questions just shout
 
lithnights said:
Wow, thanks for the replies. Here is what I'm gathering so far.

1. Optimum power clean as an interior cleaner was mentioned. Is this suggested instead of the Detailer's Pro Series Interior Surface Protectant? Is it also an all in one that I can use on vinyl, plastic, leather seats etc.?

Yes you can use it the clean everything in the interior. No it's not a protectant, just a cleaner.

2. 303 interior protectant as a interior protectant. Would this also be used in lieu of the DP product above?

3. duragloss 901 or Meg's gold class as a shampoo. These are basically what I'd use to wash the exterior, right?

4. A rinseless wash was mentioned twice but I don't know what that is. What exactly is it?

Rinseless means you mix up a bucket of about 3 gallons of water plus the proper ratio of rinseless wash (like shampoo but formulated to not need rinsing). You simply gently clean a panel on the car and then directly dry it with a soft microfiber towel and move on to the next panel. Works well as long as you do not have caked on grime/etc.

5. ONR was mentioned twice. I assume this is some kind of rinseless wash?

Yep, can be used for the wash you ask about in 4 above

6. I assume my ideas for the various towels are OK?

Sorry if these questions seem silly or basic..

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Answered a few. Hope it helps some.
 
Welcome man.
- Car Wash - Poorboy's World Super Slick & Suds 128oz or Optimum Car wash 128oz. When washing your car use the 2 bucket method with a grit guard. and Yes Duragloss 901 and Meg's Gold class are wash products
- If you have some type of blower I would use that to blow dry the car.
- Interior Cleaner - Optimum Power Clean. As for your DP protectant question, you can use that after you use the OPC because the OPC cleans the interior and the DP protects it.
- You have a good idea on the microfibers judging by your original post. You can use various Cobra microfibers for different things.
- Glass - Invisible Glass and a Waffle Weave Microfiber
- Those 2 way brushes are awesome. I have 3 of them and use them for various things like dusting out the vents and hard to reach places. I also use them for inside where the lug nuts are.

A rinse-less wash is like a spray bottle or a bucket with the rinseless wash mixed with water and you wipe different panels with the microfiber. Pretty much the point of this is your not using a hose to rinse the suds off from a normal car wash. I would only suggest this for a car that has a light coating of dust or rarely any dirt on it. Yes ONR is optimum no rinse wash.

Depending on your budget for microfibers I would get a couple of nice ones for the use on Paint like washing, removing waxes, compounds and polishes, etc. Then for like plastics, interior, leather, etc. I would just go to Costco and get the 32 pack for 12.99 and use those

Hope this helps a little.
 
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OK, back from a break from Christmas craziness... Hope everyone had a great holiday.

Anyway, thanks for the other replies. After reading all of them I was wondering.. 303 seems to be more of a degreaser item, and needs to be diluted for what I'd use it for. Is that right?

Regarding the DP products, the "How to..Detail the Interior" page here on autogeek.net quoted a good cleaning product would be "Detailer's Pro Series Total Interior Cleaner. Many rubber and vinyl protectants have some cleaning ability so, unless you have major dressing build-up or stains, you can go straight to the Detailer's Pro Series Interior Surface Protectant." I figured with my brand new vehicle, there would be no build up or stains, so that's why I was at first leaning towards the DP Protectant. But based on what I'm reading, the suggestions are to instead use the 303 instead of the DP Protectant or even the DP total interior cleaner? But the description basically says the 303 is a protectant, not a cleaner of any sort. Am I reading that right? Just want to clarify the preferences here, and why.

Basically I figured the interior product I need would be used to clean the dash, plastic pieces, vinyl pieces, and leather surfaces. Is the 303 the best product for that, even though I'd have to dilute it?

Another quick question, what about rubber areas? Can I still use my old bottle of Armor All to use on all the rubber gaskets between doors, trunk etc to keep them from drying out over the years? Or is that a bad practice?

I'll be adding ONR to my list as well.

Thanks!
 
lithnights said:
OK, back from a break from Christmas craziness... Hope everyone had a great holiday.

Anyway, thanks for the other replies. After reading all of them I was wondering.. 303 seems to be more of a degreaser item, and needs to be diluted for what I'd use it for. Is that right?

Regarding the DP products, the "How to..Detail the Interior" page here on autogeek.net quoted a good cleaning product would be "Detailer's Pro Series Total Interior Cleaner. Many rubber and vinyl protectants have some cleaning ability so, unless you have major dressing build-up or stains, you can go straight to the Detailer's Pro Series Interior Surface Protectant." I figured with my brand new vehicle, there would be no build up or stains, so that's why I was at first leaning towards the DP Protectant. But based on what I'm reading, the suggestions are to instead use the 303 instead of the DP Protectant or even the DP total interior cleaner? But the description basically says the 303 is a protectant, not a cleaner of any sort. Am I reading that right? Just want to clarify the preferences here, and why.

Basically I figured the interior product I need would be used to clean the dash, plastic pieces, vinyl pieces, and leather surfaces. Is the 303 the best product for that, even though I'd have to dilute it?

Another quick question, what about rubber areas? Can I still use my old bottle of Armor All to use on all the rubber gaskets between doors, trunk etc to keep them from drying out over the years? Or is that a bad practice?

I'll be adding ONR to my list as well.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Autogeek owns DP, Wolfgang, and Pinnacle. So they push their in-house products, even though there are better products out there sometimes IMO. You don't have to clean your dash every time you re-apply your protectant. But some areas just get dirty like steering wheel, arm rests, ect. so you'll probably need a dedicated cleaner for those. My two favorites are Optimum Power Clean and Meguiar's APC+.

You do not have to dilute 303. It has very mild cleaners in it but not enough to replace a dedicated cleaner IMO. You could use 303 on your rubber seals.
 
I switched to 303 protectant over the summer and have not looked back. I was previously using TW ice protectant, which was better than armor all, but 303 is much better IMO.
It will clean as others have said, but you have to use more. I have some Megs APC+ on the way to use before 303.

I really like megs ultimate liquid wax and spray wax. They aren't expensive and available OTC. I am hoping to try other products out soon though.
 
shoeless89 said:
Autogeek owns DP, Wolfgang, and Pinnacle. So they push their in-house products, even though there are better products out there sometimes IMO. You don't have to clean your dash every time you re-apply your protectant. But some areas just get dirty like steering wheel, arm rests, ect. so you'll probably need a dedicated cleaner for those. My two favorites are Optimum Power Clean and Meguiar's APC+.

You do not have to dilute 303. It has very mild cleaners in it but not enough to replace a dedicated cleaner IMO. You could use 303 on your rubber seals.
Click to expand...

Whoops, I meant..do you have to dilute the Optimum Power Clean? It mentions 3:1? Seems you use it full strength for tough areas like engine, tires etc. yet dilute it 3:1 for inside the vehicle. Do I have that right?

I guess I'll be looking at Optimum Power Clean as a cleaner, and 303 as a protectant (and to use on those rubber gaskets). Sound like a plan?

I promise..my questions are coming to an end.. :laughing:
 
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