Have not had much luck w/Autogeek's proprietary products - ie Pinnacle, Wolfgang etc.

My first & final order, at the beginning of this year, was around $500 in product based on their sales associate's recommendations. Wanted a one stop shopping spot.

Overall the quality was average (microfibre towels, special glass cleaning towels, trim sealant, tire dressings etc)- not bad, but overpriced compared to other vendors I've purchased from in the past + no better performance.

My biggest disappointment was their Souveran Paste wax ($90). Gives a great shine but after the 1st wash (using their car wash soap) was pretty much history.

Zymol Concours, although more expensive, is much better for me. They said their product was superior + cost less. Well theirs did cost less.

I called them to ask if I did something wrong & their reply was I
didn't use the proper amount of soap....hmmmmm

I purchased the sealant that the OP used, but have not used it . Initially when I asked for what would be best for our MDX's, was told it was best for SUV type applications.

Snake oil peddlers IMO.

 

From my unprofessional viewpoint waxing or polishing the Clear film is primarily for conditioning the film, keeping its sheen/gloss, and making its slippery and easy to remove debris and bugs. Come to think of it.... it's pretty much why I polish the rest of the car as well

 

My understanding is that you treat the clear bra as you would the paint, wash, wax, seal, etc. If you do not upkeep it, it will show spots and begin to look ugly.

 

Some of the quality of the finish depends on the environment. I wax my Porsche in the garage which has a saw dust/pollen filter overhead, and the finish is amazing. I waxed one of my other cars outside, and tree pollen got in the wax and the finish was awful. I use Wolgang paint sealant as the bottom layer, and either Wolfgang Fuzion or Zymol on top of that.

 

You're not alone: I wouldn't even want to calculate the money I'd wasted in search of the best products over the years.

The funny thing is that it finally came down to a few products that will get the job done properly:

Your "snake oil" is actually much of the retail crap that's being offered. This is a big money business for retailers such as Auto Geek and Auto Zone.

Here's what all my research finally boiled down to:

Dump all the retail crap and go with the same professional applications that the pro's make their livings with.

The most popular items with the people "in the know."

Meguiar's Ultra Finishing Polish (205)

Wash the car with Dawn detergent to remove all the previous retail wax, etc., then apply the 205.

Finish up with a professional sealant:
Menzerna Power Lock Polymer Sealant

You're done for at least a few months, but can spritz things up for the local car events with pure Carnauba wax, such as:

Mothers 05550 California Gold Pure Brazilian Carnauba Wax Paste - 12 oz (Ultimate Wax System, Step 3) : Amazon.com : Automotive

Mothers 05550 California Gold Pure Brazilian Carnauba Wax Paste - 12 oz (Ultimate Wax System, Step 3) : Amazon.com : Automotive

The Wolfgang is a good sealant, but it doesn't last as long as the Menzerna.

 

Anyone use the spray detailers in between waxes? They seem like a horrible idea.

 

Pete, Pete,.... but I've just spent time, money, and unquantifiable amounts of sweat on all this stuff including Wolfgang sealant!

All the times my wife has walked by my cabinet full of cleaners, potions, and cloths shaking her head. Her observing me frantically cleaning, wiping, and inspecting every nook and cranny (of the car) all the while thinking that this fellow has really lost the plot has just been justified by your comments!



You are of course right! It is time to dump a lot of stuff and go back to the drawing board. The journey to Enlightened Car Cleaning is a hard one and some of us will find Nirvana!... or should it be Carvana?

 

I do it all the time. If you know what you are doing, it's safe. What most people do is wrong, they spray and start wiping back and forth or in circles. This way, all the dirt on the car is just getting pushed back and forth, like sandpaper. What I do is I spray, wait a couple of seconds, the wipe once in one direction. Go to a clean section of the cloth and do again. Take another clean MF cloth and polish with the clean cloth. Trick is to use a lot of MF cloths and never use the same cloth to clean off the dirt and then polish the car.

 

yup this is it

 

If the car is washed first to remove any abrasive material and clean microfiber towels are used gently what horribles do you expect? Applied as directed they protect the wax and keep the car glossy. Way better than over polishing and laying on thick coats of wax.

 

I am no expert on products and I am not that much of a perfectionist. I live in the industrial NE and between pollution, pollen, street grim, birds, cicadas, etc., and an old detached garage that keeps out virtually nothing, car care is periodic professional detailing and periodic washing and waxing. The car is not often in the elements so mostly I am just trying to keep bugs and bird $hit off of it.

That said, there is a guy in Lodi New Jersey - Car Care Specailties and he has had great product advice. Ships anywhere. Website has great how to materials and he will answer questions. His background is chemical engineering and he seems to know what he is talking about. For example, he likes some of the Meguire's stuff, but not others - and he can explain why.

I have used the P21 line and it has worked ok. But my dad always used Turtle Wax and it worked. So who knows.

 

I'd subscribed to your thesis for many years ... until I purchased a black car. It's an entirely different world with black: the less wiping, the better.

I find that you may get away with carefully wiping normal dust that had gathered while the car was sitting in the garage, but once the car hits the street, there's now a lot more than normal dust sitting on the finish.

This is the main reason I now find the use of deionized water so important, as it allows me to rinse off the pollutants instead of trying to wipe them away with detail spray and a cloth.

I simply rinse and let dry, or use an electric leaf blower if time becomes a factor.

Black looks great, but it is a curse and I probably will pick another color next time around.

 

In the past I've had two lovely 911's in black and you're so right.... it's a whole different ball game. If you happen to have any sort of clean car syndrome you're well and truly stuffed with a black car. I love em but the car ends up owning you!

Deionized water really is the way to go even if you're in good quality water areas.

 

It finally stopped raining here and before I go downstairs to clean the black beast, I need to get motivated by looking at your beautifully clean car.

 

But Pete,
As much as I love PtAg, and I do, for those 5 minutes it is clean, there is nothing like a great black finish on a car like this. Make sure you have you camera ready and post the results!

Haku, I glad Pete reposted those shots. What a great looking car. Even if I have to special order it, my next car will likely be PtAg as well!