Reining it in a bit on the products - it`s getting silly. You?

It’s good to see I’m not the only one with excess products. I have run out of space to store my products. I’ve got them in my closet and stacked in the garage. I’m going to slow down buying stuff unless I run out of a certain product. I would like to try some of the Griots creams but I’ve got plenty of Menzerma and Rupes polishes. I’m good on spray toppers from my side by side experiments, although if I run out of Overcoat I will definitely invest in another bottle (it’s that good). I’ve got enough rinseless wash media to last many years so I’m good and I can’t see any major improvements in technology coming soon.

I bought $900 worth of gift certificates from AG (glad I didn’t wait for Autopia this year) and I used $300 to buy an indoor cover and some miscellaneous supplies. The other $600 will be used for a mixture of microfiber towels and various pads, I need more Rupes yellow and Rupes new wool pads. Pads and towels will eat up $600 real fast. I’ve also thought about the new Lake Country UDO polisher now that it is going to have a rotary function, but I won’t be an early adopter on this one, too many moving parts to tear up.

I’m glad I didn’t jump on the Beadmaker hype train. I took a lot of will power, I still would like to mix some with BSD to see if it’s better than V7. Detailing is an addiction, but as long as you are not spending your next mortgage payment on waxes their is no harm in it. Enjoy life while you can because you never know what will happen in the future. Now if Autopia starts up a new Connect program all bets are off and I will go back to spending the GNP of Lithuania on Detailing supplies (lol), Connect is where the majority of my supplies came from to begin with, those were the days. I bet Ron still has some unopened boxes from Connect.
 
Detail sprays, interior detailer and metal polish are mine....
M




oh, and hard waxes and glazes


and the glass cleaners

almost forgot carpet cleaners

oh yeah the drying towels, pluffles, PFM, twistresses, waffles..... so many towels

But other than that, nope notta one

well except the various AIO`s
And of course the countless tire dressings
and trim coatings/restorers/dressings...

and oh never mind.....
 
Yeah, count me in and here`s a recent example of how bad it is. A couple of weeks ago I went to a local (highly regarded) detailer` shop/candy store and bought a bunch of various products, one of which is Nanolex Wheel Cleaner % Iron Remover, because I wanted to start doing my spring decon thing soon and wanted some Iron Remover so I bought a bottle ( I have been using GG wheel cleaner for some time). Got home and I took a look around and I already had a half used bottle of that same product - bought it a while ago and simply used it on the wheels not the paint.

So of course as part of the decon project, I needed tar remover --- and Autopia was running a sale last week, so besides the Gyeon tar remover and Car Pro Eraser, well I bought some Beadmaker too. This is of course after buying a bottle of Nextzett Perfect Shine Detail Spray when at the the detailer`s shop.

I think I`m pretty done for while and can`t wait for some time off and some nice weather and actually use these products!
 
TheMeanGreen said:
If there is one rinseless/waterless/QD product to have, it would be the trio of DPC Armor, Revive, and Reflect.
Click to expand...

Loach has a video out and wasn’t too impressed with armor.... Meg’s HCW our performed. How has your experience been so far and how do you use it.


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I can relate to most of your stories... Wife informed me if I place another order she is moving me out to the garage.
It`s hard to convince her that I am just stocking up on the 5-6 products I use every week to maintain our vehicles.
 
For the most part I seemed dialed.

Rinseless: N-914 (will be buying griots cuz 12.99?)

Waterless: Ammo frothe in IK foamer

QD and dry aid: Ech20 mixed with Clutch

Wheels: Meguiars ultimate wheel cleaner

Tires: use griots that I have, then sticking with 303T/R

Tire shine: So far Tac Tirecoat and Perl if needed.

Soap: optimum car wash and Reset

Polishes: Haven’t gone crazy and will use what I have, Adams polish, essence, clear cut if needed. Once done 2 cars won’t have need for year or 2.

MF’s: creature edgeless, Everest 800’s, PFM’s

Coating: bought CQUK2, CP sent CQUK3 last summer but didn’t get around to coating. Getting deeper into the hole resisted buying kamikaze, GTwchnic and 22ple. Was gonna switch but The Guz and Loach seem to have good things and hoping with not to harsh winters will get 2 yrs outta 2 coats. Proud of myself in this one. Was tempted several times especially buy zipang.

Toppers: AAAANNND here’s where I got stupid. Get RELOAD cuz synergy. What’s this wonder spritz, HYDROSILEX? Well buy it and find out. Well reload sucks. SHINE SUPPLY CLUTCH is reviews well. Buy a gallon for $160 and be done.....Let’s join Autogeek since I do a lot of research there. What’s this, Gyeon cancoat you say.... gloss you say? Well need a can of that. Polish COSMIC SPRITZ $130 for 16 ozs. That’s stupid.... what’s these video about. .... well I do deserve to buy myself a Christmas present... Wait, buy PLASMACOAT at 25% off and you’ll throw in ADVANCEDCOAT GLOSS? Tac systems quartzmax.... aww I don’t need it, just bought a gallon of CLUTCH. What’s this MOONLIGHT stuff. Don’t need it, wait you’ll give 25% off? OK last one. All the while kamikaze is calling me.... must.... resist.... OVERCOAT.... Budget was the man and sent me some V1. Awesome stuff and I will not buy v2 till half this stuff is gone. Best thing is only have two cars to work on and only use the Hydrosilex (gave 40% bottle away), Using clutch to make Merlin’s so far. Tried overcoat on my hood.... I HAVENT APPLIED ANYTHING YET! What’s wrong with me? Also now I find out about this DRIVE hybrid ceramic/titanium nano coating lite! I don’t need it but has titanium and ceramic! It’s a nano coating! And for gosh sakes it’s a hybrid! I don’t have a hybrid......


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Timely topic. Watched a few episodes of Marie Kondo on Netflix. Tried to think of how it would apply to my stuff (tools, detailing products, etc).

Couldn`t quite figure out a way, so this weekend I will most likely pile all of my products into one spot and go through each one. My problem is I hate just throwing stuff away... I always have a suspicion I will need it just days after getting rid of it. And of course most of the stuff I have is not over the counter so it would take time and money to replace.

Marie`s idea works great for clothes though lol

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Don’t throw stuff away! I tried giving it away but what works better for me is a silly low price in the Craigslist auto parts section. Usually $5 or $10 for a big box. Usually have some bargain (hack) detailer pick it up.
 
chris03tl said:
Timely topic. Watched a few episodes of Marie Kondo on Netflix. Tried to think of how it would apply to my stuff (tools, detailing products, etc).

Couldn`t quite figure out a way, so this weekend I will most likely pile all of my products into one spot and go through each one. My problem is I hate just throwing stuff away... I always have a suspicion I will need it just days after getting rid of it. And of course most of the stuff I have is not over the counter so it would take time and money to replace.

Marie`s idea works great for clothes though lol
Click to expand...

I think her approach works great for when you`re short on space, or for those people on the show where they`re pretty far past having any kind of organizational skills. My wife and I just did a bit of a house refresh and implemented some of her approach.

My wife commented on how she hadn`t gone through 100% of her clothes because there were some that she wanted to get back to - To me, just like with the detailing supplies, as long as you`re not dying for the space (or they`ve got a shelf life), there`s no harm in having some stuff hang around.

If you really want to part ways with stuff, folks have mentioned great options. I`d try to watch for someone in your neighborhood out cleaning their car and offer up whatever it is you`ve moved on from. Then you can still feel like you`ve gotten some value out of it by helping out a neighbor.

And the clothes folding/storage thing is legit. :D All of our drawers are now waaay easier for accessing clothes (instead of whatever 2 things are on top).
 
Oneheadlite, Thank you for the praise. Hours at work have been nuts the last several months. But I have vacation time of course. This year I am really thinking of hitting it with BF one. One and done. Then my go to products for the trim,wheels etc..
 
Heh heh, I wondered if Marie Kondo would get mentioned in this thread :D She`s almost enough for me to subscribe to Netflix. Eh, I suspect most of you are still young and immortal...but after ya deal with enough estates, and get old enough, you can start to think about such stuff. Last thing anybody needs is to deal with all my [crap] when I`m gone.

Also wondered about the opinions of spouses/significant others factoring in...gotta say that Accumulatorette has *never* said word one about such stuff, or rather..nothing negative. She`s bought me a lot of stuff that I was on the fence about spending for (e.g., polishers) and simply *LOVES* having her A8 well-detailed. Well, I bet she`d kinda like for me to go back to using Souveran on it, but she understands that`s not really practical.

finick- Heh heh, I still remember how people who know from PERsonal SECurity matters implored me to just stay off internet forums period! I suspect they never imagined just how ubiquitous such stuff would become. I still keep a very low cyber-profile, you just never know and *not* oversharing has never turned around and bitten me.
 
Went old school last weekend and used durogloss 601/105 combo on my old daily driver. Weather was nice and thinking about adding 601/111 tomorrow morning. Will see how long it last in Florida heat.
 
Lots of interesting stories that parallel my own. I once was a "wax collector" with multiple varieties of Dodo Juice and the fringe stuff like Rubbish Boy, Mitchell & King, Waxaddict (no relation), and the like. They were all SO GOOD that it became just silly eye candy on the shelf because I had no idea what to use next. Just reach for something. Those kind of waxes have a decent resale value on eBay. Counting my waxes just now, I have 11, so not too scary.

Lonnie said:
Could you pick your top three (3) QD products that you like and then your top three (3) spray waxes ?
Just curious.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the question Lonnie. I like QDs that flash quickly and look nice. This leaves a lot of "favorites" out - things like PB QD+ and FK425 are great, but don`t flash quickly. I have like 10 QDs I like but these come to mind:

Griots Best Of Show QD (a recent new fave)
Adams QD
ECH20 (cheating a bit there, but it is a stellar QD)

Spray waxes that have impressed are:
Pinnacle Souveran spray wax
PA Presto (I know they say it`s a QD but no, it`s a spray wax, and a phenomenal one)
OCW, for good value + performance

​
 
Coatings=crack said:
......
Coating: bought CQUK2, CP sent CQUK3 last summer but didn’t get around to coating. Getting deeper into the hole resisted buying kamikaze, GTwchnic and 22ple. Was gonna switch but The Guz and Loach seem to have good things and hoping with not to harsh winters will get 2 yrs outta 2 coats. Proud of myself in this one. Was tempted several times especially buy zipang.

Toppers: AAAANNND here’s where I got stupid. Get RELOAD cuz synergy. What’s this wonder spritz, HYDROSILEX? Well buy it and find out. Well reload sucks. SHINE SUPPLY CLUTCH is reviews well. Buy a gallon for $160 and be done.....Let’s join Autogeek since I do a lot of research there. What’s this, Gyeon cancoat you say.... gloss you say? Well need a can of that. Polish COSMIC SPRITZ $130 for 16 ozs. That’s stupid.... what’s these video about. .... well I do deserve to buy myself a Christmas present... Wait, buy PLASMACOAT at 25% off and you’ll throw in ADVANCEDCOAT GLOSS? Tac systems quartzmax.... aww I don’t need it, just bought a gallon of CLUTCH. What’s this MOONLIGHT stuff. Don’t need it, wait you’ll give 25% off? OK last one. All the while kamikaze is calling me.... must.... resist.... OVERCOAT.... Budget was the man and sent me some V1. Awesome stuff and I will not buy v2 till half this stuff is gone. Best thing is only have two cars to work on and only use the Hydrosilex (gave 40% bottle away), Using clutch to make Merlin’s so far. Tried overcoat on my hood.... I HAVENT APPLIED ANYTHING YET! What’s wrong with me? Also now I find out about this DRIVE hybrid ceramic/titanium nano coating lite! I don’t need it but has titanium and ceramic! It’s a nano coating! And for gosh sakes it’s a hybrid! I don’t have a hybrid......
Click to expand...
Coatings=crack:
While most Autopians will laugh at your above "product buying decision process", any serious hobbyist detailer will have thousands of dollars tied up in detailing car-care chemicals/products and supplies/equipment. While many will cringe at vehicle detailing and think of it as a waste of time and money, there are many who engage in "other" hobbies that have that much or more tied up in their hobby/recreation of choice. Hunters with their guns, clothes, and licenses; golfers with their clubs, clothes, and green fees; fisherpersons with their boats, tackle, and licenses; woodworkers with their power and hand tools and wood materials; even scrap-bookers with their myriad of ink block patterns/designs, paper cutters, and fancy papers. You get the picture....
For me detailing is a recreation but also a way of taking care of and preserving a major investment: automotive vehicles, along with boats, bicycles, and mowers/snow blowers/tractors. PLUS, some of those products and equipment can also be used for house and home furnishing cleaning and maintenance as a bonus (which cannot be said about guns, fishing tackle, or golf clubs!) So when someone disses ANY of you serious Autopians about how much you spend on car detailing products and equipment, ask them about how much time and money they spend on THEIR hobby/activity of choice. That new Remington deer rifle and Nikon scope setup they bought was the same price as the Vapor Systems VX 5000 steam cleaning system you bought. See, I just "justified" it for you to your significant other. (What, now you want me to steam-clean the bathroom after I`ve steamed out the van interior? One thing leads to another. Just sayin`!...)
 
Don’t forget watch collecting: you could spend mega money on just the pieces alone not even factoring in servicing them.
 
WaxAddict said:
A few weeks back I counted my QD`s and Spray Waxes. I had 20. Many of them are so good and overlap in performance that I just randomly reach for one when detailing. This got me thinking. Sh!t`s outa hand.

I can`t (couldn`t) resist a QD or spray wax or WW that I never heard of, so I`d instinctively buy. I`ve probably had 35 or more over the years.

It`s not really the money, it`s just the whole silliness of the whole thing. The redundant factor.

Anybody have similar feelings about their hoard?
Click to expand...

I’ve been working my way towards this. I’ve got a few things to give away then I’ll start using up product I have and only order what I run out of. So chemicals are about there, still working on machines and pads.

I need a good go to pad for long throws, forced rotation/oscillation, and rotary, any suggestions for a good pad that works well on all three would be helpful. Foam pads are rarely used on the rotary, but once in a while they are.

I have about 7 polishers. Really need to sell a couple. Have a 21 Mark II with about 20 minutes on it going on eBay or the FB selling area so I can get the Mark III.
 
Lonnie said:
Coatings=crack:
While most Autopians will laugh at your above "product buying decision process", any serious hobbyist detailer will have thousands of dollars tied up in detailing car-care chemicals/products and supplies/equipment. While many will cringe at vehicle detailing and think of it as a waste of time and money, there are many who engage in "other" hobbies that have that much or more tied up in their hobby/recreation of choice. Hunters with their guns, clothes, and licenses; golfers with their clubs, clothes, and green fees; fisherpersons with their boats, tackle, and licenses; woodworkers with their power and hand tools and wood materials; even scrap-bookers with their myriad of ink block patterns/designs, paper cutters, and fancy papers. You get the picture....
For me detailing is a recreation but also a way of taking care of and preserving a major investment: automotive vehicles, along with boats, bicycles, and mowers/snow blowers/tractors. PLUS, some of those products and equipment can also be used for house and home furnishing cleaning and maintenance as a bonus (which cannot be said about guns, fishing tackle, or golf clubs!) So when someone disses ANY of you serious Autopians about how much you spend on car detailing products and equipment, ask them about how much time and money they spend on THEIR hobby/activity of choice. That new Remington deer rifle and Nikon scope setup they bought was the same price as the Vapor Systems VX 5000 steam cleaning system you bought. See, I just "justified" it for you to your significant other. (What, now you want me to steam-clean the bathroom after I`ve steamed out the van interior? One thing leads to another. Just sayin`!...)
Click to expand...

Do you use any products to clean your guns (pistols). If so what do you use? Never thought about this


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Lonnie - I feel the same way. Sure, I’m collecting a stash of supplies that I may not exercise nearly as much as I’d like, but it’s also pretty much my sole recreational expenditure. I’m not spending all my spare cash on movies, music, non-daily fun cars (anymore), etc; and I’m not hurting my financial state with the little bit of supplies I buy on sale.

My other justification for the detailing supplies is that other, um, (sane and reasonable? Uninformed?) folks will spend $8-$12 a pop 1-multiple times a month to drive their car through an automatic wash for sub par results. Instead, I invest that money into quality supplies for superior results and much more personal satisfaction.

Accumulator - If you’re curious to watch the Marie Kondo shows, you could always just subscribe for a month or two, watch them, and cancel your subscription. I know people do that with other tv services to catch the one or two shows they want to see. If you haven’t seen any of her stuff before, you’ll feel much better about the state of your home for sure, regardless of how much “extra stuff” you might have...

For others who are wondering Marie who? She’s a Japanese woman that has this 5 step approach for going through your stuff and simplifying down to keeping the things that “give you joy”. She’s also got a pretty dang efficient way of folding clothes that takes advantage of your space.

Before having seen her show, I’d heard of the “brown bag approach”; if you have stuff you’re debating getting rid of, you put it in a brown bag (or whatever) in a closet or out of the way space- if you don’t open that bag for 6 months, then you probably don’t need what’s in there. Had a big eye opener when my wife and I got married. I emptied my house to prep it for sale, putting the majority of it in a storage unit as we lived in her smaller townhouse until we got our current house. I’d go to the unit, slide the door open, and realize: Wow, I don’t miss virtually any of this stuff...
To me, there are genres of stuff that don’t fit for that approach though. Cleaning/detailing supplies are one. Just because you haven’t needed a carpet cleaner for 8 months doesn’t mean there won’t be a time you might. Again the luxury of not being super pressed for space helps here.
 
Oneheadlite- Yeah, I have considered a brief Netflix membership. I`d like to see a few things on there and just might do it some time.

I`m quite familiar with M. Kondo`s approach and do like her enough to not be put off by the stuff that makes me :rolleyes: and/but I`d still like to watch it (assuming I can deal with the interpreter factor). The whole "does it spark joy?" and the "respect your stuff" aspect of mottainai do really resonate with me. Heh heh, with all the [stuff] I`ve, uhm...accumulated...I gotta keep everything organized or I`d go nuts, and the Responsibility of Ownership has always been a big deal to me.

BUT, I hesitate to pitch things; I have lots of stuff (like in your Extractor example) that doesn`t get used/worn for years, but then it`s *exactly* what`s called for and I`m sure glad I have it.

We did the "label box, if not open in X years just pitch it", but I`m a lot more ruthless about enforcing that than my wife is. And I simply hate throwing away stuff that somebody might use. "How to dispose of things that still have utility" can be a real challenge for me.

Pressed for space...having now spent 18 years in The House we just *had* to have built :o well..watch what you wish for. [Stuff] really does seem to multiply to fill the available space.
 
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