detailing arsenal

G

gben

New member
Interested in hearing what everyone SHOULD have as a minimum in their detailing arsenal (mf's brushes, pads) . If you want to add your favorite smr/polish/glaze/wax/dressing etc please do so. Do you buy less expensive mf's and sort by color and use say only yellow on glass, blue on interior?
 
I buy/like the better MFs for polish/wax/sealant removal. I also use the plushes MFs for QDing. I buy the cheaper MFs/rags for dirty work (door jambs, and wheels).
 
I own a detail shop and I have one wax, one polish, and one compound. I only use the Optimum brand for all my detailing needs. The stuff is super EZ to work with and will not Swiral. the wax is ok if it gets on the black trims and will even protect the trims from UV rays. then I have an aray of foam pads that I use as well as some wool for heavy cutting. they also make an intirior cleaner that is the best for leather and works on all door trims and dashes. I also use a dry vapor cleaner. hope this helps
 
towels- a couple of plush mf's for QDing, a couple of regular MF's for product removal, a few WW's for drying



washing- I feel that a foam gun is almost mandatory. It still amazes me how little marring I actually get by carefully washing with a foam gun. wheel/tire brushes. sheepskin wash mitts. a good wash soap.



a polish lineup from heavy-light cut. a chemical cleaner. a glaze. a sealant. a wax. clay. QD spray. trim protection item.



ya, it's almost 1 am. that should have your exterior pretty much covered. inside i dont feel like typing. just turn that into a lsit and start filling in products and you should be fine.
 
Right now I'm leaning towards:

1 ultimate drying towel

6 maybe more less expensive mf for door jambs, trunk and door edges, glass etc.

2 Concours buffing towels

Already have my pc so I plan on getting some sonus sfx pads / backing plate and quite possibly some lc pads and will add to this as time goes on and I see what works and what I need. Now if I could only figure out what product I'm going to go with. ARGHHH!!! Forgot to mention wheel/tire brush/wash mitt maybe even wash brush. Though a brush to wash my car scares me! I'm sure I forgot to mention some items but I'm getting a much better handle on what I want and need thanks to all the great ideas in this great forum!
 
gben said:
Do you buy less expensive mf's and sort by color and use say only yellow on glass, blue on interior?
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Yes. I have green MFs for QDing and washing with QEW. I have yellow MFs for interior use, blue MFs for exterior use. I have more green MFs marked with a black "G" in the corner, for use on glass and nothing else.

Then I have several colors of cheap MFs for dirty jobs. Those don't really get sorted for specific jobs though.



Essential products?



AIO

Nattys Blue

303

1Z Gummipflege
 
gben- Your locale and what you have to deal with will have some effect on what you need.



Absolute essentials for me:



-Foamgun

-BHBs, preferably the AutoGeek one for washing the vehicle, the Griot's Wheel Brush- and even if you don't get those, at least get the small ones for nooks and crannies (Griot's pn 15520 $30 )

-Quickee Sponge Mop for wheelwells (grocery stores, have-everything drug stores)

-Sheepskin mitts

-Good MFs including WWs for drying
 
Those sponge mops ( sometimes dollar stores have) work very well for wheel well cleaning. Speaking of those, I find a long handled sponge available at Walgreen's to be superb for dressing them ( using the old Meg's Engine Kote/Sonus Motor Kote)
 
gben- Your locale and what you have to deal with will have some effect on what you need.



I'm in Ne Ohio like you Accumulator. Cold and windy!!! Hoping for an early spring! I might add my my wifes car my sons car, (both black) not to mention my van (silver) will all be getting done but not before my vette! (millennium yellow)
 
a little OT: accumulator, do you use WW's for drying off the car? What do you do to lower the risk of the towel inducing some marring? besides of course having a clean towel, a high quality weave, etc etc...
 
i run my owm mobile and am still learning as well and in a very short time of coming here ive learned an awful lot, but i must say i need much more than 6 int mfs i mean i have about fifty high quility mfs and about 50 more decent dirty jobbers, i have a black g on all glass mfs and its pretty easy to distinguish between the flimsy cheap ones. as far as essential it really depends on what youre offering, i use to operate with a few waxes megs cleaner and cherry power soap. as far as dressing ive always been a 303 guy always will be. now i currently have two trucks on the road (one of them being operated by me) and i carry...



low cut leveller

high cut leveller

aio

klasse sg

Mnz ip

wheel wax

noxon metal polish

303

lexol clean and condition

trade secret carnuaba

tar and undercoating remover

various shampoos

stoners ig

MY BRAND NEW PC!!!

four*clay



sure im forgetting something, anyhow keep in mind i operate out of my bed not a trailer so if you dont think you have enough products youre probably right considering i normally have many bulk products along with a 240 gallon tank pw generator vacuum extractor all in the back of an older pickup. with most products i feel less is more with having products in general not the case!
 
Neothin said:
accumulator, do you use WW's for drying off the car? What do you do to lower the risk of the towel inducing some marring? besides of course having a clean towel, a high quality weave, etc etc...
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Technique: I blow most of the water off with an Air Wand and then I "prime" my so-so WWs (the BBTs and the gray ones from the Autopia store) by doing the glass first. That little bit of moisture makes them soft enough for most situations. I consciously work at not rubbing hard, just enough contact to absorb the water. Oh, and I make sure the vehicle is really *clean* before I dry it, so I'm not rubbing dirt into the finish ;)



Towels: On the good cars (some of which have soft paint) I only use my gray WWs from MicroFiberTech. They really are *that* much softer than any others I've tried. And they're absorbent enough that I don't have to do much rubbing. They do saturate sorta fast though, so I keep plenty on hand.



Maintenance: I wash my WWs in Micro-Restore/MicroPak type detergents. Keeps them softer than any other detergents I've tried, including Charlie's.
 
gben said:
Right now I'm leaning towards:

1 ultimate drying towel

6 maybe more less expensive mf for door jambs, trunk and door edges, glass etc.

2 Concours buffing towels
Click to expand...



I also purchased a concours buffing towel as one of my initial purchases. I hardly use it and I don't think it was really worth the money compared to any good quality mf polishing towel. Something to consider.
 
gben- To deal with Ohio winters, I'd consider the foamgun/BHB combo to be essential. Let alone with black cars in the stable! That's the only way I can avoid the springtime marring-removal ritual. Even with those tools, it takes a little work to avoid wash induced marring during the winter.



Reflections said:
I also purchased a concours buffing towel as one of my initial purchases. I hardly use it and I don't think it was really worth the money compared to any good quality mf polishing towel. Something to consider.
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Yeah, I agree. I like my CBTs and I use them fairly often, but in some ways that's just because I have them. IMO they're a luxury, not an essential. There are things I just couldn't get by without, but those aren't among them.
 
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