Overwhelmed with product selection...Please help!

B

BMW335i

New member
As a beginner to this whole detailing process, I can not find consitent and reputable advice. Therefore, I seek to ask you, the members of autopia, to ease my fears. As you see, I have just purchased a BMW335i. In order to protect this investment, I am seeking the best in car care, and I mean THE BEST regardless of cost. The vast selection is just overwhelming me. Some of my concerns include what brands reign superior, where to buy, and what methods to use. But most important, I would like a short list of the BEST in car care. Please include types of wash mitts, drying towels, and car wash soaps. I have already purchased a Meguiars Chenille Wash Mitt, Meguiars Super Suede Drying Towel. However, when I rubbed the chenille mitt on a CD, i noticed numerous scratches which scared me. I am just lost and need some advice. Thank you.
 
Yes, but the manual is vague. They only suggest BMW products, which are probably not the best. I need specifics on the best products, even a few suggestions is appreciated...
 
Hi BMW335i, :welcome to Autopia.



Here’s the easy answer: there is no such thing as “the best� of anything.



Everyone has their own favorite products that are “best� for them. I’m sorry that I can’t wrap it all up in a neat little package but that’s just not the nature of the beast. You’ll have to read a bit, experiment a bit and find your own way. Luckily, pretty much any advice you get around here will be a great starting place for your detailing “journey.�



Here’s an example: I was hanging out with a group of my waxhead buddies just last night and a newbie asked about waffle weave microfibers. Me and a couple other guys went off on how much we loved them then another guy chimed in that he didn’t like them. He loved his Absorber. Me, I hate the Absorber. Then somebody else said he didn’t like either and preferred terry weave microfibers. I dislike terry weave mf for drying. Yet another person said he likes old fashion animal hide chamois. And of course we had a leaf blower proponent in the crowd as well.



So who was right about which is best? Everyone was, for themselves.



So dive on in, read what others have to say about what products they like and why, then try something for yourself.



Enjoy the ride.





PC.
 
the other pc said:
Hi BMW335i, :welcome to Autopia.



Here’s the easy answer: there is no such thing as “the best� of anything.



Everyone has their own favorite products that are “best� for them. I’m sorry that I can’t wrap it all up in a neat little package but that’s just not the nature of the beast. You’ll have to read a bit, experiment a bit and find your own way. Luckily, pretty much any advice you get around here will be a great starting place for your detailing “journey.�



Here’s an example: I was hanging out with a group of my waxhead buddies just last night and a newbie asked about waffle weave microfibers. Me and a couple other guys went off on how much we loved them then another guy chimed in that he didn’t like them. He loved his Absorber. Me, I hate the Absorber. Then somebody else said he didn’t like either and preferred terry weave microfibers. I dislike terry weave mf for drying. Yet another person said he likes old fashion animal hide chamois. And of course we had a leaf blower proponent in the crowd as well.



So who was right about which is best? Everyone was, for themselves.



So dive on in, read what others have to say about what products they like and why, then try something for yourself.



Enjoy the ride.





PC.
Click to expand...



Good advice. So there isnt anything that is the most popular? Also, is the Meguiars Water Magnet towel a Microfiber Towel? I am looking into getting this but it doesnt say anywhere on the package that it is...Oh yeah and I drive a Titanium Silver 335i or TiAg as I like to call it being a biochemistry major hehe



I need a sort of "stepping stone", something to feel the waters. Really, ANY advice on product selection is appreciated. My only hope is you guys lol, nobody else I know is detail crazy.



Is Meguiars the best product that is locally available? (It seems to be the only name brand product locally available, along with Mothers).
 
Best is a very subjective term. Based on what is used a lot on here and what I have had some experience with, I will just quickly suggest the following;



Wash Mitt - Eurow Sheepskin

Soap - Most people around here use Megs Gold Class

Drying Towel - Any Waffle Weave as long as it a decent brand like Cobra

Porter Cable - 7424 or 7336

Pads - Lake Country are my personal favorites

Compound - Optimum Compound (incredibly user friendly while delivering outstanding results)

Polish - Optimum Polish (see above)

LSP - Zaino and Pinnacle Souveran are both VERY highly regarded
 
02ZTSfocus said:
Best is a very subjective term. Based on what is used a lot on here and what I have had some experience with, I will just quickly suggest the following;



Wash Mitt - Eurow Sheepskin

Soap - Most people around here use Megs Gold Class

Drying Towel - Any Waffle Weave as long as it a decent brand like Cobra

Porter Cable - 7424 or 7336

Pads - Lake Country are my personal favorites

Compound - Optimum Compound (incredibly user friendly while delivering outstanding results)

Polish - Optimum Polish (see above)

LSP - Zaino and Pinnacle Souveran are both VERY highly regarded
Click to expand...



For the drying towel, is Meguiars considered a "descent" brand? It seems that Cobra products are not available locally...Oh yea, sorry for using the word "best", what I meant was what is "popular" among detailers.



I heard that Eurow Sheepskin is available at Wal-Mart, is this true?
 
I’m sure if you took a pole of all Autopians you’d find products in each category that come out on top as far as number of fans. I have no idea what those products would be and I can guarantee you that no one person uses them all regularly. But that’s all hypothetical anyway.



My normal advice is to start with Meguiar’s. Their stuff is works great, it’s available everywhere and it’s inexpensive. Then you can go on from there to try other things or just stay there if you find you’re happy. If you buy on the internet rather than over-the-counter you can say the same thing for all the brands that are popular here (well, maybe not the inexpensive part for a couple). Just pick a reputable supplier and start with what they have.



Yes, Meguiar’s Water Magnet is a waffle weave microfiber. I like them a lot but if I were to buy another (I think I have three now) I’d get their Marine Water Magnet. It’s exactly the same but it’s larger (and blue). I also have Pakshak, Excel and some other wwmf’s. They’re all good.





PC.
 
the other pc said:
I’m sure if you took a pole of all Autopians you’d find products in each category that come out on top as far as number of fans. I have no idea what those products would be and I can guarantee you that no one person uses them all regularly. But that’s all hypothetical anyway.



My normal advice is to start with Meguiar’s. Their stuff is works great, it’s available everywhere and it’s inexpensive. Then you can go on from there to try other things or just stay there if you find you’re happy. If you buy on the internet rather than over-the-counter you can say the same thing for all the brands that are popular here (well, maybe not the inexpensive part for a couple). Just pick a reputable supplier and start with what they have.



Yes, Meguiar’s Water Magnet is a waffle weave microfiber. I like them a lot but if I were to buy another (I think I have three now) I’d get their Marine Water Magnet. It’s exactly the same but it’s larger (and blue). I also have Pakshak, Excel and some other wwmf’s. They’re all good.





PC.
Click to expand...



Thanks. One last question - Does Meguiars sell Sheepskin Wash Mitts? I looked but am inconclusive. Im weary of using this Chenille stuff.
 
well its not local, well not to me but this is the place I go to get my drying towels, polishing microfibers etc. His Waffle Weave towels are the best I've tried. Waynes Towels hope this helps. and I used to do the same thing and it would get on my nerves that no one could tell me what was the best polish or wax or any thing, but after countless hours of researching postings on forums researching products and testing I now know why. Just take your time and after a while you will start to notice the same brands popping up in the forums, theres a BUNCH of different products out there but if you pay attention theres only a select few that people speak highly of. good luck!
 
The Eurow Sheepskin mitts at Walmart are probably one of the best OTC wash items that you can get. Just make sure to feel out all of the mitts on the rack to find the softest since some can feel rather stiff. I think the consensus would be that Megs stuff is the best OTC products, but there is better stuff out there that you have to buy online. But you can't go wrong with Megs. It's just one of those personal preference things where you'll have to find out for yourself. Other than that, as someone else mentioned, hit the Search function and type in BMW and check out all the Click and Brag posts to see what everyone is using. That should give you a good start on what will work for your paint, since that is a big factor.
 
When I was in your position, what I eventually did in terms of product selection was to pick a favorite member here, and a few others, and accept their opinions, to get myself started. Many of them have posted their favorites in threads such as "favorite products", etc. As the other poster said, try "click and brag". (You can also look for results on vehicles the color of yours, too.)



I have a new white truck. Despite taking what I thought was sufficient care, I now have some tiny swirls. Also, despite trying many of the popular products discussed here, I'm having trouble discerning definite differences between some of them, and not only because my truck is white. Lastly is the problem of picking one even if you can see a difference.



I think an approach that would offer a chance to be "best", would be one that is as much as possible *Spray-On Only*, or at least, requires minimum rubbing. Given the small differences in appearance and other factors, one could use *this* as a top product-selection criterion. Such a system would duplicate the pretty-good-looking job a "laser wash"-style no-touch wash/wax does, but with better products.



I know such a system could be assembled from the products discussed here. And while it might not look the best by a tiny margin, it isn't going to swirl.
 
I agree with scout. There are so many varying opinions you can go crazy. Do some reading, check out the Click and Brag section, and decide who's advice you would trust. From what I've read, I would again stress looking to see who else has done BMW's and see what they use. Different cars have different kinds of paint that can react differently to polishes and wax, so I think a big step is to see what others have used with success on your particular car. As far as good sites, there seem to be many. Here are some I know of, with the top two being Autopia's store, and Danase a site sponsor.



www.autopia-carcare.com

www.danase.com

www.autogeek.com

www.exceldetail.com

www.ocdgarage.com

www.topoftheline.com

www.pakshak.com



I have only purchased from Autogeek so far, but they were great to deal with. Danase, Autogeek, Exceldetail, and OCDGarage seem to have the best variety of products.
 
Congrats on the car. Is it a coupe or sedan? I have a TiAg 330i and have been using the Euro sheepskin from WalMart as well as the Megs Chenille. So far no problems with either one. TiAg really hides any marring well but even in strong light the finish is holding up rather well. As far as shampoo, I've used Megs GC, NXT and DG. All perform well but IMO DG>GC>NXT. GC is better "bang for the buck" though. As far as wax/sealant, I really like the Duragloss products best on this color. Check out the C&B http://autopia.org/forum/showthread.php?t=75321&highlight=Duragloss
 
BMW335i said:
when I rubbed the chenille mitt on a CD, i noticed numerous scratches which scared me..
Click to expand...





I don't blame you, it's *easy* to get overwhelmed! Unfortunately, soliciting opinons can sometimes make that worse as everybody has their favorites.



When testing wash media, be sure to test it the way it'll be used- get the CD wet and soak the wash media in a shampoo solution. Some materials behave very differently when they're wet/dry and sometimes the lubrication from the wash solution alone is enough to make a big difference.



Also, [insert Accumulator's usual lecture on the benefits of a foamgun here]
 
BMW335i said:
Yes, but the manual is vague. They only suggest BMW products, which are probably not the best. I need specifics on the best products, even a few suggestions is appreciated...
Click to expand...



Couldn't get a chance to read the whole thread, so don't know if anyone pointed this out yet, but the Manual that member referred to isn't your car's manual, it is Autopia's Manual to Detailing. You will see the link on the main page.
 
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