Ok.. so I'm on vacation now and the thing I hate most is when I come back to dirty cars. Both my rides are nasty.. haven't been waxed in a long long long time!

So.., I wanted to buy products but there are so many out there. And to the beginner, there are way too many products for similiar applications that it just confuses me.

Question is, what would you get for a nice 'exterior' detail of the car? Does the cheap stuff work as good as the spendy stuff. Is there a brand that is cost effective and what are the minimal items to get. I'd like to actually put some effort in this detail, but don't want to go overboard.

Thanks guys!

Bojan

 

YEs,

autopia has a guide written up. It is more process specific than product specific.

http://www.autopia.org/forum/guide-d...detailing.html

 

Thanks.. not a bad read, useful stuff there.

Wondering though, can a generic thing at the local "Als Auto Supply" be considered just as good as Zymol or others. Can you achieve the same look for lower cost?

I guess I know the answer, but I'm curious what others recommend.

 

Or if you want to save yourself time and energy, just hire Aaron (Grouse) to do the job for you... You'll learn tons and have fun chatting with this guy...

 

You've got over $100k worth of machinery and you're worried about spending a couple extra bucks on supplies?

I'd be willing to bet that technique and skill has more to do with your results than the products used though. You might get marginally better results if you used higher quality products. But a pro with cheaper products could probably get better results than you could ever hope for. (Just like an expensive camera doesn't automatically make you a great photographer)

If you're going to commit to keeping your cars regularly detailed, then I think it's worth it to buy the better products. Otherwise, you can get by with OTC stuff at the local parts store, or hire a pro.

 

I agree, it's more about technique and knowledge then products. However having better products doesn't hurt.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to higher a top quality pro detailer to do a car for you and teach you as you go along. I've had a few literally taking notes with pen and paper as I polish and detail there cars.

Josh

 

Pay a pro to get the car up to speed, then learn how to maintain it.

IMHO, the "best" "cheap" detailing products are Einszett/1Z. Very easy to use, last & are not over the top expensive.

 

[quote=Rob in KC;1920018]You've got over $100k worth of machinery and you're worried about spending a couple extra bucks on supplies?quote]

If I wasn't worried about the little money, I probably wouldn't here at this age w/ both these beauties

But I follow what your saying.., nice car means using nice products. But I know over the years, that a lot of the stuff out there is blown out of proportion due to good marketing and hype. I'm sure most of the high end stuff is great, but as mentioned its mainly technique and patience.

I'll take a look at that Einszett/1Z stuff.., where you get it?

Thanks gents,

Bojan

 

I get mine from phil at detailers domain. Moe carries a lot of their product line also. I tend to buy things in multiple 10L at a time. That being said. Start with The flex machine from phil, orange, green, white 6.5" ccs pads, (2-4 each) Phil's 1z starter kit, Phil's wash kit with grit gaurd and his sheepskin mitt.

m2c

 

Autopia may have the poor man's guide to detailing, but a poor man can't afford to detail. High quality detailing products are very expensive these days. That being said, high quality products don't necessarily create a high quality detail. It takes several years to master the art of detailing.


John

 

You can definitely detail on a budget and you don't have to spend an arm and a leg. The higher end stuff is great because it's an excellent value. There's a difference between great value and being cheap. Cheap products tend to not last, use up too much products, and the results aren't as good as using a mid-line prosumer product such as einszett. I have always preached how underrated einszett is and what a tremendous value the products are. So as a starter, spend a little money, get some soap, clay, polish, and wax. That'll get you started. You'll need some high quality microfibers and wash mitts. Take your time, don't be afraid to ask questions, and most important of all, HAVE FUN

 

I totally agree with Moe! You get what you pay for! I have own and operated a detail business for the past 20 yrs. This is what led me to developing gloss-it my own line of detail products. We tested many well known products on the market some good some bad. Being an owner of a detail shop I was very frustrated with buying many different detail products from very expensive to mid-line to cheap. What I did was take the best from what I liked and spent the last 10 years tweaking and testing our product formula's on ten's of thousands of clients vehicles to produce the best detail and final finish.

Gloss-it is proud to announce we are now an official sponsor of 6speedonline.com. We will be posting write ups and technical info on gloss-it polishes and detail products. Please feel free to e-mail or call with any questions