Just wanted to say hello to my fellow detailing enthusists out there! I, like you, enjoy detailing their ride. I'd like to start off saying that I used to own a 2000 Contour SVT (my first new car) and owned it for 5 years. In those 5 years I can safely say I detailed the car 150 times. It was my daily driver for the first 3 years, so it saw every Michigan winter through 2003. I have small propane heater that I used to keep it clean/detailed/waxed throught the winter. For the first 4 years I was using only Mequiars, but my Mom of all people sent me a catalog for Griots Garage. After speaking to Ben on the phone for 45 mintues, mind you this was after I placed my first order, I was hooked. For over a year and half I've used their products and find them to be a high quality, resonably priced ugrade to Meguiars. Whats everyones take on their products?
Newbie here...I like/use Griots Garage!
- Thread starter Roger R
- Start date
First of all, welcome to Autopia 
I know their car wash is pretty highly regarded among some users here, but I do not hear much talk about their other products. I think the general consensus is that they're okay products, but other options are just as good/better for less money. As long as they work well for ya, that's all that matters. Their customer service sure does seem to be top notch.
I know their car wash is pretty highly regarded among some users here, but I do not hear much talk about their other products. I think the general consensus is that they're okay products, but other options are just as good/better for less money. As long as they work well for ya, that's all that matters. Their customer service sure does seem to be top notch.imported_kgb
New member
Hey Roger! I am also a Michigan fella. I used to use Griot's all of the time but found other, more user friendly products. Using Poorboy's is what made me switch from Griot's.
Accumulator
Well-known member
Roger R- Welcome to Autopia!
Parents must do a lot for Griot's. My father loved the one-stop shopping and didn't mind the prices. Who was I to argue? I got a lot of stuff like the hose nozzles, buckets, etc. etc. as gifts and I'm still using them many years later.
I give Griot's plenty of business (have since the days when Richard was answering the phone himself), but for most things like polishes/wax/clay/etc., I've found stuff that works better and easier, often much so.
I'm one of the guys here who uses Griot's Car Wash, I buy it four or more gallons at a time.
I don't want to do any product-bashing, but with a *lot* of Griot's products on my shelves I gotta say that I seldom reach for them. Seems like there's always a better alternative.
But for those things you just can't get elsewhere, sure, I don't mind paying his prices.
Heh heh, watch what you do with product returns though
When, at their rep's insistence, I sent back over $300 worth of stuff that didn't work well for me (complete with detailed field-test documentation, I really did give the stuff a fair shake and I took a merchandise credit instead of a refund) they quit sending me catalogs! Even though I still spend hundreds with them on a regular basis I never get a single catalog in the mail, and neither does my wife. We used to get scads of them but now I must be on their $#!^list. I've even asked about it, they say they'll send catalogs but they never do 
KGB- So you're no longer using Griot's stuff, huh? You used to get some good results with it, even with that BOS wax.
Parents must do a lot for Griot's. My father loved the one-stop shopping and didn't mind the prices. Who was I to argue? I got a lot of stuff like the hose nozzles, buckets, etc. etc. as gifts and I'm still using them many years later.
I give Griot's plenty of business (have since the days when Richard was answering the phone himself), but for most things like polishes/wax/clay/etc., I've found stuff that works better and easier, often much so.
I'm one of the guys here who uses Griot's Car Wash, I buy it four or more gallons at a time.
I don't want to do any product-bashing, but with a *lot* of Griot's products on my shelves I gotta say that I seldom reach for them. Seems like there's always a better alternative.
But for those things you just can't get elsewhere, sure, I don't mind paying his prices.
Heh heh, watch what you do with product returns though
When, at their rep's insistence, I sent back over $300 worth of stuff that didn't work well for me (complete with detailed field-test documentation, I really did give the stuff a fair shake and I took a merchandise credit instead of a refund) they quit sending me catalogs! Even though I still spend hundreds with them on a regular basis I never get a single catalog in the mail, and neither does my wife. We used to get scads of them but now I must be on their $#!^list. I've even asked about it, they say they'll send catalogs but they never do KGB- So you're no longer using Griot's stuff, huh? You used to get some good results with it, even with that BOS wax.
imported_kgb
New member
Accumulator said:
I think the only thing I have left from Griot's is the three step polishes. Once in a great while I will reach for those. I did like the Best of Show wax but it was always a pain to get off for me. I used to use the paint prep all the time but just started using a car soap that will strip the wax off before I wax. I also noticed that some of their stuff stained trim which I did not like. I hate taping of trim. LOL And I do a lot outside in the sun and found Griot's to not be as sun friendly as other brands. But I am by far not knocking them. They do carry tons of sweet stuff.
White95Max
New member
:welcome to Autopia Roger! :wavey
I have not tried any of the Griots stuff myself. I get the catalogs regularly, and I've never even ordered anything from them. The prices for that stuff seem pretty high. They certainly do have some neat things in the catalog though.
Accumulator, do you want my catalog next time?
I have not tried any of the Griots stuff myself. I get the catalogs regularly, and I've never even ordered anything from them. The prices for that stuff seem pretty high. They certainly do have some neat things in the catalog though.
Accumulator, do you want my catalog next time?
superstring
New member
Greetings, Roger R, and welcome to Autopia!
I used to use a lot of Griot's products, eg. Best of Show Wax, Machine Polishes 1 & 2, Speed Shine, Car Wash etc.
I always found BOS wax hard to remove, no, make that VERY hard! But, after the elbow grease I thought it looked really good and the durability seemed pretty respectable for a carnauba. (Before BOS I used Zymol (their "entry level" waxes, NOT the $1500 ones!!) and, although I loved the look, the durability was the sh*ts IMHO.)
Griot's machine polishes are pretty mild and, also hard to remove, in my experience. There are other polishes out there that do a much better job and are much more user friendly. However I still use their Car Wash, Speed Shine, Interior Cleaner and Wheel Cleaner (among others).
When I "discovered" Autopia I embarked on a detailing journey that hasn't ended yet! So many products, so little time, so little money :grinno:
BTW my car is a metallic black Subaru.
I used to use a lot of Griot's products, eg. Best of Show Wax, Machine Polishes 1 & 2, Speed Shine, Car Wash etc.
I always found BOS wax hard to remove, no, make that VERY hard! But, after the elbow grease I thought it looked really good and the durability seemed pretty respectable for a carnauba. (Before BOS I used Zymol (their "entry level" waxes, NOT the $1500 ones!!
) and, although I loved the look, the durability was the sh*ts IMHO.) Griot's machine polishes are pretty mild and, also hard to remove, in my experience. There are other polishes out there that do a much better job and are much more user friendly. However I still use their Car Wash, Speed Shine, Interior Cleaner and Wheel Cleaner (among others).
When I "discovered" Autopia I embarked on a detailing journey that hasn't ended yet! So many products, so little time, so little money :grinno:
BTW my car is a metallic black Subaru.
They have several products that I find superior.
1)The Interior Cleaner is an excellent APC.
2)Speed Shine is every bit as good as Pinnacle Crystal Mist.
3)The Leather Cleaner & Conditioner is excellent, and I love the Leather Scent Spray.
4)The Carpet Brush is a pretty cool tool that works very well.
I was disappointed by the Glass Cleaner.
Otherwise, the basic tenet of Autopia is that there's no such thing as one product best, or better than another, in an absolute sense; there are only products that work best for you. (Above I listed Griot's products that work well for me, and one that doesn't). So you'll get one guy (like you) getting his great results from Griot's, and another (like me) getting my great results from Meguiar's. And a third guy (like MANY here) getting his great results from Zaino. In reality what we use doesn't matter; what matters is, does the car shine, or doesn't the car shine? Because that's the goal. Everything else is posturing, everything else is Yankees/RedSox type arguing.
There's lots of information here. As you post and look around and learn, you'll start finding not really better products, but better ways of working your products. If your experience with what you're using doesn't match what you see others writing about, you might get curious about another brand and decide to see what it's all about, or you might be happy with what you're using and the way it works for you. Or you might do both! You might get curious about new tools like the PC (if you don't already have the Griot's version), the Cyclo, and the many different rotaries out there.
Another nice thing is that you'll find a lot of sharing. If you want to try something but don't want to commitfor $20, ask if someone will send you a couple ounces to try. MANY of us have benefitted from and contributed to each others' experience here that way.
Enjoy your time, and WELCOME!
Tom
1)The Interior Cleaner is an excellent APC.
2)Speed Shine is every bit as good as Pinnacle Crystal Mist.
3)The Leather Cleaner & Conditioner is excellent, and I love the Leather Scent Spray.
4)The Carpet Brush is a pretty cool tool that works very well.
I was disappointed by the Glass Cleaner.
Otherwise, the basic tenet of Autopia is that there's no such thing as one product best, or better than another, in an absolute sense; there are only products that work best for you. (Above I listed Griot's products that work well for me, and one that doesn't). So you'll get one guy (like you) getting his great results from Griot's, and another (like me) getting my great results from Meguiar's. And a third guy (like MANY here) getting his great results from Zaino. In reality what we use doesn't matter; what matters is, does the car shine, or doesn't the car shine? Because that's the goal. Everything else is posturing, everything else is Yankees/RedSox type arguing.
There's lots of information here. As you post and look around and learn, you'll start finding not really better products, but better ways of working your products. If your experience with what you're using doesn't match what you see others writing about, you might get curious about another brand and decide to see what it's all about, or you might be happy with what you're using and the way it works for you. Or you might do both! You might get curious about new tools like the PC (if you don't already have the Griot's version), the Cyclo, and the many different rotaries out there.
Another nice thing is that you'll find a lot of sharing. If you want to try something but don't want to commitfor $20, ask if someone will send you a couple ounces to try. MANY of us have benefitted from and contributed to each others' experience here that way.
Enjoy your time, and WELCOME!
Tom
Thanks for the warm welcome guys, its much appreciated. I think the best post here was the guy who said its all about how you apply it and the fact that theres so many products out there to try/use. As far as Griots BOS being hard to remove, I don't get that at all. I mean it doesn't come off like Mequiars NXT, but then again, it is a caranuba wax. I also use Griots new paint sealant which is 100% synthetic and it comes off VERY, VERY IMO! Its supposed to last a year, but who here is not going to touch their car for one year :LOLOL
Has anyone tried Griots Caranuba Wax in paste form? I ask this because the guy on phone told me its the highest grade caranuba on the market (33%)
Also has anyone tried their Paint Sealant? Its VERY easy to use, applying and especially taking it off.
In closing, being new here, I don't understand the cost thing? It seems that people say that Griots waxes are expensive. Now for $5.00 you could buy the Mequiars in the burgandy bottle, but I really want to use something with some "ingredients", so that why I spend $20.00 for the Griots BOS, their Caranuba paste or the $17.00 for their Paint Sealant, none of which I'd call "expensive". Those of you who have Griots products that your not using and don't want to attempt to send them back, drop me an email USMondeo@aol.com and I'm sure we can strike up a fair deal/trade of some kind.
Has anyone tried Griots Caranuba Wax in paste form? I ask this because the guy on phone told me its the highest grade caranuba on the market (33%)
Also has anyone tried their Paint Sealant? Its VERY easy to use, applying and especially taking it off.
In closing, being new here, I don't understand the cost thing? It seems that people say that Griots waxes are expensive. Now for $5.00 you could buy the Mequiars in the burgandy bottle, but I really want to use something with some "ingredients", so that why I spend $20.00 for the Griots BOS, their Caranuba paste or the $17.00 for their Paint Sealant, none of which I'd call "expensive". Those of you who have Griots products that your not using and don't want to attempt to send them back, drop me an email USMondeo@aol.com and I'm sure we can strike up a fair deal/trade of some kind.
imported_rfinkle21
New member
like mosca - i like the speed shine
Accumulator
Well-known member
White95Max- Isn't that weird about their catalogs? I must be the only detailer in the US who never gets one. At least their shipping dept. puts one in with my orders.
Guess I mentioned the cost factor out of defensiveness, as many people have made a big deal out of Griot's prices in the past. I'm sure not gonna quibble about a few bucks when it comes to a container of wax. Actually, I don't see anything awfully high about the costs of the GG's products I use, but some things (their wash buckets come to mind) are available at other places for a fraction of the cost. And the shipping charges *do* add up. Still, if they have what I want I usually just order it from them when I'm stocking up on Car Wash and other staples.
Never tried any of their current LSPs other than the BOS, but I'd be leery of *anybody's* claims about carnauba content/etc. There are just *so* many different factors that determine how "good" a wax is...the carnauba content/quality never seems to be all that significant in real life. Whatever you're after in a past wax, somebody probably sells *just* the product and who knows, maybe the Griot's is what you want.
Mosca- Yeah, I agree about how great the Interior Cleaner is :xyxthumbs My Speed Shine/Crystal Mist comparisons worked out differently from yours, but hey, there are a lot of variables when it comes to QD and I still use Speed Shine quite a bit.
I'll also say that Griot's machine pads (the current orange and red ones) wear like iron. Seems like they never wear out and I can't remember ever having any velcro failures. And I recommend the little BHBs so often that I've memorized the part number (15520). Don't know how I'd wash nooks and crannies without them.
Roger R said:
Guess I mentioned the cost factor out of defensiveness, as many people have made a big deal out of Griot's prices in the past. I'm sure not gonna quibble about a few bucks when it comes to a container of wax. Actually, I don't see anything awfully high about the costs of the GG's products I use, but some things (their wash buckets come to mind) are available at other places for a fraction of the cost. And the shipping charges *do* add up. Still, if they have what I want I usually just order it from them when I'm stocking up on Car Wash and other staples.
Never tried any of their current LSPs other than the BOS, but I'd be leery of *anybody's* claims about carnauba content/etc. There are just *so* many different factors that determine how "good" a wax is...the carnauba content/quality never seems to be all that significant in real life. Whatever you're after in a past wax, somebody probably sells *just* the product and who knows, maybe the Griot's is what you want.
Mosca- Yeah, I agree about how great the Interior Cleaner is :xyxthumbs My Speed Shine/Crystal Mist comparisons worked out differently from yours, but hey, there are a lot of variables when it comes to QD and I still use Speed Shine quite a bit.
I'll also say that Griot's machine pads (the current orange and red ones) wear like iron. Seems like they never wear out and I can't remember ever having any velcro failures. And I recommend the little BHBs so often that I've memorized the part number (15520). Don't know how I'd wash nooks and crannies without them.
Bill D
Hooked For Life
Accumulator,
I recall your issue with not being able to get their catalogs any more. Have you tried using an alias when requesting one? Regarding catalog requests, I've done a little experiment and you might be surprised what kind of names one can come up with and still have the catalogs sent. :chuckle: Some were even addressed by hand. Give a different name a shot, you might be able to receive them again.
I think the latest Griot's catalog reached here on Friday. I'm certain holiday editions will start arriving in about a day or so.
I recall your issue with not being able to get their catalogs any more. Have you tried using an alias when requesting one? Regarding catalog requests, I've done a little experiment and you might be surprised what kind of names one can come up with and still have the catalogs sent. :chuckle: Some were even addressed by hand. Give a different name a shot, you might be able to receive them again.
I think the latest Griot's catalog reached here on Friday. I'm certain holiday editions will start arriving in about a day or so.
superstring
New member
Roger R said:
Yes, I've tried it and I like it. Easy to apply and remove and looks good. When you say the guy told you it's the "highest grade carnauba on the market", I guess he meant it has the most carnauba (33% by weight/volume?) that you can put in a wax without it being impossible to work with. There are other waxes, such as the high end "estate" waxes from Zymol, that claim to contain up to 60% carnauba, so who knows?? :nixweiss
Accumulator
Well-known member
Bill D said:
Well, I did think about requesting one in one of the dogs' names, but since they figured out Accumulatorette (different last name, same address, hers quit coming too) I dunno...I'll need some more Car Wash soon anyhow, so I'll get the Holiday catalog then.
Roger R said:
Hey, you won't hear it from me. You're reading from a guy who's had to go out and buy more shelves because he didn't have any place to put stuff! And I've spent a heck of a lot more than $20 on a jar of wax, and I've done it more than once....
You'll find that quality can be quite independent from price, and that a product that might not have a place in your arsenal is perfect for another guy (like that Meguiar's maroon bottle
). There are hundreds of people here who are getting great results from products that didn't fit for me (don't wanna name any, it's not the point). And there are a lot of people who order bulk products from the manufacturer, who also get great results! In the end, it's all good. If you're looking for a change of product, and something is getting mentioned over and over again, it's a good bet that it will give great results and be easy to use.
Oh; and don't forget to post some pictures of your ride!
Tom
