runrun411
New member
- Oct 9, 2012
- 1,789
- 0
Hello fellow geeks,
I'm always gawking on the forum and may bark out something form the peanut gallery every now and then but never do any reviews. I am definitely one who understands the work, dedication and commitment that goes into doing reviews so please allow me this moment to say thanks to all of you for your knowledge and input on this forum. However I also understand that reviews and comments from other members is one of the components that makes the AG world go around.
So with that I guess it's way overdue to take my spin on the world about some of the products we all know and love.
I have a fairly large collection of products as I am a hobbyist and don't detail to earn money. I just do my own cars. I read all of your reviews, suggestion and recommendations and then make purchases based on what I've read (I'm so addicted to this). I'm a big fan of WW's, QD's, spray waxes and spray sealants. I have so many that I've decided to do reviews on my collection of products one at a time. I will do a test on a product every week and then post it on the forum in the early in morning before I start work.
The areas I will judge them on will be color, smell, application, slickness, beading and how well do they hold up after being frozen (this is because I've seen a few comments about how during the winter months people have left their products in a cold garage and hope their products are not ruined or maintained their chemical composition).
I will probably make a lot of errors (typo, grammatical and such) along the way so please forgive me and I will accept all suggestions and criticisms. Please keep in mind that whatever I post as a review on these products is not the gospel but just an opinion from a hobbyist and not necessarily factual.
Also, I am so appreciative of the AG staff and forum members here that in all my reviews I will shout one of you out and give props each review.
So hold on to your seat (in this case your monitor, LOL) and take a ride in my crazy AG head. RUN RUN is about to give you the 4 1 1 on some products.
First up: Meguiar's Final Inspection (#34)
Meguiar's is a name we all know and love for the great quality of their products. They have a long history, long list of products and an even longer list of customer loyalty. I've been using F.I. for a long time now and It's the second QD I've come to know. The first QD's I've come in contact with was from Megs. consumer line, Quik Detailer in the red bottle that you see in Auto Zone, Advanced Auto Parts, K-Mart and well you pick the retail store. I wanted to try something "professional" so I found Megs. F.I. #34.
When I first poured F.I. in my spray bottle I saw that is was pink in color and has a pleasant smell. I don't know what I can say it smells like but it smells like it has a purpose and has a good scent.
I used what I call the Mike Phillips method to spread it on the paint (hey, so many other people are putting their name on how they use products and calling it a method so why not you too Mike? LOL) by first spraying a little on a MF towel and then spraying some on the paint. I used it on my DD a 2009 grey Honda Accord after washing is with the foam lance, rinsing, drying and wiping it clean. After washing I didn't use an LSP because I want to test all these WWs, QD's, SSs, and SWs on their own to see how well they do. Megs. says F.I. has a lubricant that encapsulates dust and removes it when you wipe. Although that may be true I didn't feel any slickness on the paint as I wiped it dry or swiped my fingers across the paint after wiping it dry. The surface felt a slight bit tacky.
Since Meguires doesn't make any claims that F.I. will add a layer of protection or slickness I wanted to be fair. So I put a coat of Megs Hi Tech Yellow Wax on half the trunk lid to see how well it reacts with being on top of an LSP.
Here is the unprotected side.
Here is the LSP side.
As you can see we have beading on the LSP side obviously.
After wiping the surface clean the unprotected side smeared before drying while the LSP side dried faster and didn't feel tacky. It's appears as if F.I. does as expected which is maintain the gloss of a wax.
I poured 3oz in a glass jar and put it in the freezer for 2 days. When I took it out here's what it looked like.
Here it is after it thawed.
As you can see it now has gone from a bright pink to an orange kind of see through color meaning that it's composition has changed.
In conclusion I can't help but to think F.I. is some old school QD as it's been around for quite some time and could be one of the first QD's on the market (as far as I know at least more than 20 years). If you fast forward to the QD's today the market is full of QD's that not only encapsulate dust and maintain LSP's but also gives paint a layer of protection against UV rays, provide slickness and seal as well as provide the user with a pleasant aromatic experience.
It's pretty good as a clay lube but an expensive way to clay at $29.99 per gallon (on sale at AG). Especially when you think of so many other concentrates that will make so many gallons.
When it runs out will I buy it again? Possibly but unlikely. Again there are so many more advanced QD's in the market place that does so much more.
If I bought it again when would I use it? If I'm at a car show and want to wipe dust off the car just before judging. It does seem to enhance the gloss of an LSP just don't look for any added protection.
Mike Phillips, thanks for all your great information.
Run Run just gave you the 4 1 1 on Megs. Final Inspection (#34).
Next review: Griots Garage Waterless Spray-On Car Wash.
I'm always gawking on the forum and may bark out something form the peanut gallery every now and then but never do any reviews. I am definitely one who understands the work, dedication and commitment that goes into doing reviews so please allow me this moment to say thanks to all of you for your knowledge and input on this forum. However I also understand that reviews and comments from other members is one of the components that makes the AG world go around.
So with that I guess it's way overdue to take my spin on the world about some of the products we all know and love.
I have a fairly large collection of products as I am a hobbyist and don't detail to earn money. I just do my own cars. I read all of your reviews, suggestion and recommendations and then make purchases based on what I've read (I'm so addicted to this). I'm a big fan of WW's, QD's, spray waxes and spray sealants. I have so many that I've decided to do reviews on my collection of products one at a time. I will do a test on a product every week and then post it on the forum in the early in morning before I start work.
The areas I will judge them on will be color, smell, application, slickness, beading and how well do they hold up after being frozen (this is because I've seen a few comments about how during the winter months people have left their products in a cold garage and hope their products are not ruined or maintained their chemical composition).
I will probably make a lot of errors (typo, grammatical and such) along the way so please forgive me and I will accept all suggestions and criticisms. Please keep in mind that whatever I post as a review on these products is not the gospel but just an opinion from a hobbyist and not necessarily factual.
Also, I am so appreciative of the AG staff and forum members here that in all my reviews I will shout one of you out and give props each review.
So hold on to your seat (in this case your monitor, LOL) and take a ride in my crazy AG head. RUN RUN is about to give you the 4 1 1 on some products.
First up: Meguiar's Final Inspection (#34)
Meguiar's is a name we all know and love for the great quality of their products. They have a long history, long list of products and an even longer list of customer loyalty. I've been using F.I. for a long time now and It's the second QD I've come to know. The first QD's I've come in contact with was from Megs. consumer line, Quik Detailer in the red bottle that you see in Auto Zone, Advanced Auto Parts, K-Mart and well you pick the retail store. I wanted to try something "professional" so I found Megs. F.I. #34.
When I first poured F.I. in my spray bottle I saw that is was pink in color and has a pleasant smell. I don't know what I can say it smells like but it smells like it has a purpose and has a good scent.
I used what I call the Mike Phillips method to spread it on the paint (hey, so many other people are putting their name on how they use products and calling it a method so why not you too Mike? LOL) by first spraying a little on a MF towel and then spraying some on the paint. I used it on my DD a 2009 grey Honda Accord after washing is with the foam lance, rinsing, drying and wiping it clean. After washing I didn't use an LSP because I want to test all these WWs, QD's, SSs, and SWs on their own to see how well they do. Megs. says F.I. has a lubricant that encapsulates dust and removes it when you wipe. Although that may be true I didn't feel any slickness on the paint as I wiped it dry or swiped my fingers across the paint after wiping it dry. The surface felt a slight bit tacky.
Since Meguires doesn't make any claims that F.I. will add a layer of protection or slickness I wanted to be fair. So I put a coat of Megs Hi Tech Yellow Wax on half the trunk lid to see how well it reacts with being on top of an LSP.
Here is the unprotected side.
Here is the LSP side.
As you can see we have beading on the LSP side obviously.
After wiping the surface clean the unprotected side smeared before drying while the LSP side dried faster and didn't feel tacky. It's appears as if F.I. does as expected which is maintain the gloss of a wax.
I poured 3oz in a glass jar and put it in the freezer for 2 days. When I took it out here's what it looked like.
Here it is after it thawed.
As you can see it now has gone from a bright pink to an orange kind of see through color meaning that it's composition has changed.
In conclusion I can't help but to think F.I. is some old school QD as it's been around for quite some time and could be one of the first QD's on the market (as far as I know at least more than 20 years). If you fast forward to the QD's today the market is full of QD's that not only encapsulate dust and maintain LSP's but also gives paint a layer of protection against UV rays, provide slickness and seal as well as provide the user with a pleasant aromatic experience.
It's pretty good as a clay lube but an expensive way to clay at $29.99 per gallon (on sale at AG). Especially when you think of so many other concentrates that will make so many gallons.
When it runs out will I buy it again? Possibly but unlikely. Again there are so many more advanced QD's in the market place that does so much more.
If I bought it again when would I use it? If I'm at a car show and want to wipe dust off the car just before judging. It does seem to enhance the gloss of an LSP just don't look for any added protection.
Mike Phillips, thanks for all your great information.
Run Run just gave you the 4 1 1 on Megs. Final Inspection (#34).
Next review: Griots Garage Waterless Spray-On Car Wash.
