The Evolution of Detailing-Products Forgotten

Pats300zx

Pats300zx

Super Moderator
Yesterday I was going through my detailing cabinet and was amazing at how many products that I have accumulated over the years that were solid products but simply are not talked about anymore. Obviously as technology changes new and better products are going to be released. It's just funny the amount of products that were all the "rage" back in the day but no one even mentions them anymore.

Here are some of the ones that I came across:

S100 paste wax

I remember when this was the detailing forum favorite and everyone used it. To this day it is probably one of the easiest carnuaba waxes I have ever used. I admit that durability is an issue compares to waxes and sealants today but for ease of use and looks it can't be beat. I remember the "forum panic" when rumors surfaced that it was going to be discontinued. I think Harley Davidson dealers saw an increase in S100 sales that week. Heck I even bought 2 jars :lmfao:lmfao:lmfao

Clearkote Vanilla Moose and Red Moose Glaze

Back in the day one of the killer combos. This topped with S100 was the "go to" combo. I even know of some forum members that mixed the two to create "Pink Moose". They were such easy products to use but you never really hear about them anymore with the release of products like EZ Creame Glaze and Blacklight and Prima Amigo.

Pinnacle Souveran

Ten years ago I can remember this as the standard in high end carnubas. Heck I remember debates that would last forever as if the wax was worth the price in looks. I remember getting my first jar on a group buy and paying $60.00. I feel it is still one of the best looking carnuabas on black and reds. However, its not talked about as much with the release of more expensive carnuabas by Swissvax, Zymol, etc. To this day I still love it on my red 300ZX and black 350z.

What other products am I missing that have been forgotten but are still contenders??
 
I wouldn't say this was a contender but I had a can of Autofom by Blue Coral sitting on the shelf that was about a 3rd full from must be 25 years ago. I was one of those that if it is on TV touted by an actor it must be good. Nu-Finish was another one that I used to use when it come out. I thought these were the greatest waxes made when they came out since they went and they came off super easy compared to the paste wax then. I actually used up most of the Autofom on my Camaro back in June and as of last weekend before I did a complete cleaning, claying, polish, and waxing it was still shedding and beading like the day I put it on but I did use QD spray after every wash. I thought the paint felt a lot slippery with that stuff than it does now with 2 coats of FK1000P.

:cool:
 
Of the products I have used, it is interesting how I still like older tire dressings such as Mothers Relections and Poorboys Bold n Bright although also use Optimum's Opti-Bond too. The unique quality of Poorboys BnB is that it has some cleaning ability so nice for quick washes on inlaws car, when doing a rinseless wash, or when tires are less than perfectly clean. However, I have started using PB's BnB gel and prefer the consistency and more even look with one application.

I also still like to have Poorboys Spray and Wash around. It still works great on warm paints where most any other waterless like product tends to streak to varying degrees. It also does not really add any gloss to paint. It is not as slick nor does it clean as well as later products like Ultima's Waterless Wash but has a niche role.

The products that have disappeared have been Meg's 83/80 combo but I never did use those.
 
The products that have disappeared have been Meg's 83/80 combo but I never did use those.
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Al..this used to be the most popular polishing combo before Menzerna polishes took off. M80 was great for single stage paints. I still remember using M81 and M9 as well. Can't forget good old Meguiars #7. Although temperamental to use at times it adds so much gloss to paint.
 
I still have some 80/83 stuck way back in the rear if my cabinets. Good stuff for it's time but as the say "Time stands still for no man ".
 
I never joined the flavor of the month club, so there's not a lot of overlap or discontinued usage here
I did however see a bottle of Windex the other day and thought back to the days' when I'd use window cleaner and could never figure out why there would always be streaks no matter my method :wall
 
Paul S said:
I still have some 80/83 stuck way back in the rear if my cabinets. Good stuff for it's time but as the say "Time stands still for no man ".
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I still use 80/83 on single stage finishes from time to time. For some paint systems the oils in them still work really nicely.
 
I forgot all about Clearkote Moose. I never tried it, in fact there were a ton of products I never tried
 
I was just looking at my bottles of Der Shinny Stuff today. I don't think that ever caught on the detailing forums like it did on a truck forum I was on at the time.
 
Ahhh I cleaned out my cabinet the other day.. CCVM and CCRM didn't make the cut it didn't look like it held up to the test of time as well as some of the original opt polishes. I kept my UPP though as i really want to see how it looks on the volt.
 

Hmm... I haven't used anything that has been listed so far.

What I do find interesting is certain products are so good or were revolutionary at the time that they have lasted. Pinnacle Souveran, P21S/S100 being a few.
 
When I first started (in a body shop) we used 3M Pink Fill N' Glaze to buff everything. Wool pad followed by a foam pad.

When I started to get into higher end detailing (post college) I used Meguiar's M83/M80 and sometimes M9 if needed. They did a good job but had some filling.

Then it was Menzerna, the two which were popular at the time were Intensive Polish and FPII. They were, at the time, light years above everything else.

Then it was SIP/106fa (later became ff). Finally PO85rd for finishing.

Then I dabble with 3M's Extra Cut Compound and 3M Ultra Fina (now Ultra Fine) polish, still using SIP in the middle.

Finally, Meguiar's M105 came out and changed, for the most part the way I detail.


As far as waxes.. I was a (and still enjoy using) Zaino guy. Then I tried a bunch of different products, and finally settled on BLACKFIRE, long before I became the BLACKFIRE guy.
 
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