The Autopian Essentials

A

Artificial-I

New member
This might create a lot of input. But Im a new user, I just got a PC and want to know what everyone thinks is a good selection of products to have.



From towels and pads , to polishes and waxes. Maybe even some tips on how to apply things , what works best on certain finishes and any other attribute a product might have thats good to know.



What works best for you or what you know a lot of people use and agree upon.



Thanks.
 
I'm no expert but I love AIO, SG and then topped with P21S. P21S is a killer wax for a pretty good price. As far as MF, you really can't go wrong if you buy quality ones from David at Autopia

or Ranney at PakShak. Make sure you get a couple of WW, they dry great. Good luck and I hope you have alot of money. Wes
 
Sorry, no such thing exists. You'll find a WIDE range of users, all getting EXCELLENT results, sometimes from products that other users DESPISE. The key isn't product; it never was, and never will be. Learn proper technique. Once you have that, then there will be some products that work better with your particular technique, and those will be the ones that are right for you.





Tom
 
Poorboy's SSRs 1, 2, 2.5

Polishes - Adam's Revive, ClearKote's Vanilla Moose, Klasse AIO

Waxes/Sealants - ClearKote's Carnauba Moose Wax, Adam's Butter Wax, Poorboy's EX, Poorboy's EX-P, Four Star UPP, Tropi-Care TC-3

MFs - ExcelDetail
 
Mosca said:
Sorry, no such thing exists. You'll find a WIDE range of users, all getting EXCELLENT results, sometimes from products that other users DESPISE. The key isn't product; it never was, and never will be. Learn proper technique. Once you have that, then there will be some products that work better with your particular technique, and those will be the ones that are right for you.





Tom
Click to expand...



You can take this statement to the bank. It's more important to get the fundamentals down -- it's only then that you'll be able to maximize the benefits of everything from polishes to sealants.



For example....I'm happy with Lake Country pads. That won't mean that everyone is, but I like the results I get with them. It's a learning curve that you'll have to go through, but it will actually clarify things for you. Eventually you'll get to the point where you won't have to make a huge investment in 'the latest and greatest'.
 
some products that work better with your particular technique, and those will be the ones that are right for you.
Click to expand...

My take on product vs. technique....

As Mosca stated, technique plays a major role in success. Not to argue with that statement, its certainly true, however various products will require different techniques. You cant arrive at equal success with every product, without adjusting your techniques. Proper product selection will require trial and error. Proper product selection IMO plays an equally important role in attaining your desired results. The only way to arrive at that destination, is practice, practice, practice...Open your wallet my friend. The old cliche holds true here at Autopia, "If at first you dont succeed, open your wallet, and try, try again."
 
ntwrkguy1 said:
You can take this statement to the bank. It's more important to get the fundamentals down -- it's only then that you'll be able to maximize the benefits of everything from polishes to sealants.



For example....I'm happy with Lake Country pads. That won't mean that everyone is, but I like the results I get with them. It's a learning curve that you'll have to go through, but it will actually clarify things for you. Eventually you'll get to the point where you won't have to make a huge investment in 'the latest and greatest'.
Click to expand...



Amen to everything said by ntwrkguy1, Mosca and Lowejackson.



My best advice to you, is to take a little time and browse the Autopia forums, looking for posts that talk about process and technique, read others advice, then practice and evaluate for yourself.



In the process of browsing the forums, you will see some products being debated and discussed repeatedly. The truth is that if used correctly, most of these products will give you results which are better than most over the counter products available (we debate these products so often because they are better than most). Your choice of products will be related to how you balance, factors such as ease of use, durability and the 'look' you prefer. Just don't get hung up on product choices, you will find which products work best and impress YOU most, given a little time and trial and error.



Read the forums and then ask any specific questions you have regarding the process, best techique and any products you like the sound of, someone will always be happy to advise you on the pros and cons. Also, check out the Help link at the top of the page, it will take you to some of the best how to articles on detailing available on the web.



Good luck! :)
 
Artificial-I- While all the preceding posts make good points, I do think you can start out with a general selection of products that will give good results right off the bat.



Polishes: Pick a brand and you'll hear pros/cons. I can't think of any downside to just getting 3M PI-III RC and MG (pns 05933 and 05937). Two easy to use products that cover all the bases. They work well and don't leave fillers, so what you see is what you really have. IMO you don't really even need any tips on how to use these products, they're that easy. Use the RC to remove major marring and finish up with the MG on the whole vehicle.



Pads: Pick a brand (Meg's, Sonus, Lake) and see if you like them. Get more than you think you'll need.



Towels: Get good MFs from any of the reputable vendors here.



Then just have at it. Experience will do the rest.
 
A comfortable work seat



Plenty of cold beer



A highly understanding partner



Joking aside, you need to be able to absorb self criticism massively, engineer a fanatical level of attention to detail and never accept that "your" best is "the" best.



A sense of both humour and reality are also essential too.
 
Yeah I was hoping for more input. Not that things dont exsist. I understand what you said, but you kinda missed the point.



I guess to make this thread more kosher. Pretend I said "what works best for you." What process you take with certain products and basically what apps they work best with.



Also I have to agree one thing that stands out in my head is I see everyone say AIO. Im guessing this would be at least one of the products that the majority of people seem to like.



What mf towel you always goto etc. I guess we will have to take this on a more personal note and just grab what I can from each and every post and let people form their own opinion.



Thanks. Hope we get some good info on this thread.



-- Also links would be a major plus so I can go and buy this stuff from a good source. :up
 
what works best for me?

polishes: Poorboy's SSR line

pads: Lake Country cutting, polishing, finishing pads

MF towels: the ones from Costco (too poor right now to buy better ones)



i mainly buy my products from PakShak because i live in the same city (and island) as ranney. but other places where you can buy everything in one shot would be places like the autopia store, autogeek, classic motoring accessories, or one of the vendors here: http://autopia.org/modules.php?s=&op=modload&name=Web_Links&file=index&l_op=viewlink&cid=1



it all depends on what polish you want to use and what you need, which there are many different, good ones that work. i like PB's SSR line because 1) i can get it locally from ranney; and 2) they're quite easy to work with.



AIO is good but not something i like on my car. i love it (with SG) on metallic paints, not to mention my clear coated aluminum rims. other than that, it's not my choice to go on *MY* paint.
 
never having enough microfibre's (good quality MF's)



I personally use



#80, VM, Sonus Paint Cleanser, SSR2.5, #7

NXT wax, #16 and nattys.



I have a range of turtle wax and t-cut still, but I dont use this stuff at all. It just sits.



A range of towels and MF's, not forgetting pads, is a good start, browse the topics to find products that get good write ups. Dont go for something just cos its cheap. If you pay good money you normally get a good product.



I started out with autoglym, your equivalent is Klasse, then I moved to meguiars, now onto poorboys, next I wouldnt mind some P21s/Zymol/Souvern/Swissol.
 
I like the "good case of OCD", lol!



Enough microfiber towels and foam/terry/mf applicators so that you can drop one every 5 minutes and still have plenty.



Same with PC pads; get 3 or 4 of each grade (hard to soft), at least



A good paint cleaner. I think MPPC is the best, but AIO is good too.



#83, or SSR2.5, or comparable



Menzerna IP, or #80, or comparable



Menzerna FP or comparable



A good glaze; #7, #81, IHG, or comparable



A good sealant; SG, Zaino, 4* UPP, or comparable



A good carnauba; S100, #26 or #16, Mothers Cal original, Souveran, or comparable



A good tire dressing



A good vinyl dressing



A good plastic polish



A good glass cleaner



A good bug & tar remover



A good car wash



lambswool wash mitts



drying towels (get twice what you think you need)





That's a start.









Tom
 
A good place to start for MFâ€â„¢s and pads is at Excel Detail:



http://www.prestostore.com/cgi-bin/storefront.pl?ref=exceldetail



As mentioned before the 3M PI III RC and MG are great products and are my âہ“go-toâ€Â� polishes, but Megâ€â„¢s #83 and #80, or Poorboyâ€â„¢s SSR2.5 and SSR1 are good choices also.



AIO is hard to beat as a cleaner, but I also like ClearKoteâ€â„¢s Vanilla Moose as a base for many products because itâ€â„¢s so easy to use and both look good on everything (paint, trim, and glass).



Sealers I like EX, EX-P, Klasse SG, and Four Star UPP.



My favorite waxes are Megâ€â„¢s #16, Poorboyâ€â„¢s Nattyâ€â„¢s, and Pinnacle Souverän.



There are a lot of good products out there and as others have mentioned you just have to find the ones that work best for your applications and techniques.
 
I would order some hi temps light cut from topoftheline.



Why?



Because when you start out you will most likely use too much product, need to go over areas more then you should,youll want to play around- and HTLC is cheaper at 32 oz than just about anyones elses 16oz bottles.



And it is easy to use, wipes off without a problem, and works.



I would also check out some of their sealents. If you are like me you will polish and seal-wax,then decide to get "this little tiney mark out" and need to seal or wax again. A little mark on say the door ends up being a light polish on the whole car foir me :)



I have got all that out of my system now though so ill spend some more $$ to see how shiney, deep, or whatever i can make the paint.
 
the other pc said:
essential? a good case of OCD :)
Click to expand...



Hhaha at first I was like , what is that a case of alcohol wise. Then I was like how about a case of MGD.....



Took another second then bing. It hit me.



OCD is my middle name. That is why I tune the same car for the past 6 years and still dont feel its enough.



That is why for my second set of rims on the car. I bought the exact same rim , just in another color.



Thats why everytime I hit a bump too hard or take a unresponsive turn. I jump out and adjust my shocks.



Thats why I still to this date play GT3 in hopes that I will complete all 100% of it.



Thats why I buy RC cars. Those are ocd in a bottle. I need something that I can go nuts on for years and still feel inadequate on the subject. :) I love this stuff.
 
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