Car Detailing - What products are your go to? - Page 103

**DFB FGXR6** · 31-05-2024, 09:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fordomatic

So I enjoy refirbishing AU steering wheels, I mainly just do Momo wheels, but when i can pickup an XR wheel for $50 I grab them. So I got this one and thought the leather had gone rotten, turns out what I thought was rotten leather, was just filth. The filth was over the whole wheel and took me around 30 minutes with Colourlock strong leather cleaner and a brush to get it off. It also had wheel slip, I fix that by using Loctite 401 and an 18 guage needle. Inject about .5ml every 1.5cm along where it slips. I'll upload the finished product of this wheel once I re-dye it.

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I'm both disgusted and impressed! That thing was filthy, I'm surprised it came up so well. As my father would say, the dirt helped protect it.

**fordomatic** · 31-05-2024, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

I'm both disgusted and impressed! That thing was filthy, I'm surprised it came up so well. As my father would say, the dirt helped protect it.

It was so gross, it was really greasy as well, so guessing a mechanics car.

**fordomatic** · 03-06-2024, 08:55 PM

End result, not perfect, but for $40 i'm not complaining.

**DFB FGXR6** · 03-06-2024, 09:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fordomatic

End result, not perfect, but for $40 i'm not complaining.

image

Looks brand new!

**DFB FGXR6** · 04-06-2024, 08:26 PM

Meguiar’s were, and still are, slow to the “ceramic” market. In fact, the brand took until 2018/2019 to introduce Si02 infused “ceramic” products to the range in the form of Hybrid Ceramic Wax (spray and liquid forms) and Hybrid Ceramic Detailer. More recently, Ultra Ceramic Coating joined the range, basically a Carpro Reload competitor. Earlier this year, Meguiar’s launched a true ceramic coating, however M888 is a pro coating that is virtually unknown and has yet to land in Australia………………..I doubt it ever will.

But it’s the Hybrid Ceramic Detailer that I want to highlight. From the outset, despite what the name would imply, this is NOT a ceramic coating, it’s a quick detailer with Si02 added to deliver additional gloss, slickness and water beading properties.

https://www.meguiars.com.au/product/...amic-detailer/

Meguiar’s market this product as having cleaning ability, saying that it can “remove light contaminants and dust to maintain that and just washed and appearance”. To me, that sounds like a recipe for micro marring. No, Hybrid Ceramic Detailer is best used as a drying aid or topper to maintain existing protection, be that a wax, sealant or ceramic coating. Having said that, HCD on its own can provide some decent short-term protection and water beading.

There is no shortage of “ceramic” quick detailers on the market, but the user experience can vary widely between the brands and the individual product itself. For example, Gyeon Ceramic Detailer can be hit and miss for me, sometimes it goes on clean, other times it turns streaky and is a bugger to work with. Carpro EliXir is brilliant on Carpro ceramic coatings but can be a diva on other LSP’s.

What sets Meguiar’s Hybrid Ceramic Detailer apart from the competition is the extreme ease of use. Wet surface, dry surface, hot, humid, cold, apply it heavily, apply it sparingly …………………it doesn’t seem to matter with HCD, the end result is the same.

I typically use Hybrid Ceramic Detailer as a drying aid to top existing Gyeon coatings. To apply, I add a few sprays per panel and work it in with a medium TRC Gauntlet and a small TRC Platinum Pluffle. The initial wipes spread the product, the secondary towel clears up any that hasn’t flashed away. The finished result is a glossy and slick finish that is so stupidly easy to achieve.

There are only two things I would mark HCD down for. While this subjective, I just wish it didn’t smell like a quick detailer from 1998. The second being the price. At full retail, a 769ml bottle of Hybrid Ceramic Detailer sells for between $46.99 to $51.99. A 1000ml bottle of Carpro EliXir is $39.95, 1000ml of Gyeon Quick Detailer (which has wax in it) costs $32.99. At $46.99, HCD is not excessively expensive, but the fact Meguiar’s is almost always on sale at least one of the big box retailers, I would say shop around. At the time of writing, Supercheap have it on sale for $38.99. I would dare say that if Meguiar's set the price at lower permanent price, they would probably sell a lot more of it.

While it won’t outshine or out-gloss something like Bead Maker, nor will it deliver outstanding longevity like a spray sealant, but it’s far easier to work with and doesn’t need excessive towel work to deliver a clear finish. Overall, Meguiar’s Hybrid Ceramic Detailer is a product that doesn’t seem to get much love, which is a same as it’s truly an excellent product.

bangm001 · 05-06-2024, 10:15 AM

Thanks again DFB, i wasn't too keen to say I used the meguires "ceramic" stuff above here, given i havn't tried most of the other more premium detailing items mentioned in this amazing thread. But i have been using it every couple months on my cars for a couple years now with great ease and success, there is also the blue meguiars hybrid ceramic wax which is also really easy to apply. They both don't last long but give a nice beading effect and shine in between proper polish/waxes for me.

**DFB FGXR6** · 05-06-2024, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bangm001

Thanks again DFB, i wasn't too keen to say I used the meguires "ceramic" stuff above here, given i havn't tried most of the other more premium detailing items mentioned in this amazing thread. But i have been using it every couple months on my cars for a couple years now with great ease and success, there is also the blue meguiars hybrid ceramic wax which is also really easy to apply. They both don't last long but give a nice beading effect and shine in between proper polish/waxes for me.

I'm not ashamed to say that I am a brand snob. But credit where credit is due because HCD is a fantastic product.

I'm also not afraid to say that I use and like a selection of Meguiar's products. While I have issues with how the brand is managed in Australia, and the excess of overlapping product lines, there are some gems hiding within the range. As long as it's available, Hyper Dressing will be in my cabinet. Quick Interior Detailer (the retail version, the gallon format smells weird) is another excellent product that probably gets overlooked. I also really like Last Touch quick detailer, and Hyper Wash is absolutely fantastic. If they still made M39 I'd be buying that too, I'm down to rations now.

Apparently, the brand went downhill when the Meguiar's family sold out to 3M, they then lost a lot of good people in the late 2010's. However, some of those have started to return, so here's hoping the brand can start to capture a new audience.

**DFB FGXR6** · 05-06-2024, 08:34 PM

A small order containing two brand new products from Gyeon.

I needed another tyre dressing like a hole in the head, but I needed something to make the shipping. Pneu represents my first Swissvax product.

But onto the Gyeon products, of which Eco Wash interests me the most. This is Gyeon's first attempt at a rinse-less and water-less wash. Like all rinse-less wash products, this is used at a 256:1 dilution, while it can be used at 15:1 for waterless wash, or 20:1 for a drying aid/quick detailer. Sounds very familiar to Carpro ECH20. And like ECH20, Eco Wash smells amazing. From what I have heard, this is a benchmark product in terms of slickness and user experience.

Next, Total Remover. This is an interesting proposition, a product that can remove old waxes, sealants and even ceramic coatings in a simple spray and wipe action. It would appear this product is considerably more capable than an IPA type product such as Gyeon's own Prep or Carpro Eraser, and is said to be safe on paint, glass and plastic.

A quick sniff test had me wondering what was at play here. Certainly not an IPA type aroma, or that pungency of a high alkaline product. No, my instinct said acid......................................

Bingo!

In fact, it smelt very similar to Gyeon's water-spot remover, which had me wondering.......................

So, Total Remover is a strong acidic product, measurably more so than the water-spot remover. Both products would be a use with caution type of deal.

anobserver · 08-06-2024, 11:18 AM

Saturday's are becoming a day for spending money on car products.

After much thought, I've shied away from the cordless Shinemate polisher on special at Waxit. I'm just not comfortable with spending $700h (plus addons needed) on a product I may only use occasionally. I might have a look at a cheaper corded version to scratch that correction itch, perhaps this one:

https://www.waxit.com.au/collections...ex620-15mm-kit

or this one:

https://www.waxit.com.au/collections...-polishing-kit

That said I have splashed on replenishing the car care cupboard, including a few new ones from DFB's list:

Bowdens Own Boss Gloss
Bowdens Own Fully Slick
Bowdens own Ceramic Hybrid (as reviewed below)
P&S bead maker
P&S Express interior cleaner

DFB had previously recommended the ceramic hybrid product, and I'd agree pretty much with the writeup below. Its easy to apply and get a streakless finish, though as said longevity probably isn't its strong point.

The P&S interior cleaner is a test for cleaning dashboards, interior surfaces, and what-not. The fleet interiors feel so dusty lately.

bangm001 · 08-06-2024, 05:00 PM

Okay guys, first time machine polishing post for me. I bought the Shinemate DA enthusiasts kit a while back, along with their s30, s20, s2 and wax as well as red, blue and yellow shine-mate pads. Cost was a little over $400 plus i bought a few autoglym microfibres, pad brush and a few other things to get the job done.
This is my first ever go at machine polishing try so bare with me, but int he end came up with pretty good results! Ill post up some pics and thoughts for those interested.

Firstly, my back hates all of you and this thread!..

Okay now that's out the way, the wifes Mazda 6 has never had a proper polish before. I'v only ever used autoglym super resin polish and autogylm HD wax on it which has kept it in okay condition over the years. But it was definately time for a proper polish job.
It got a good decontamination with autoglym magma, wash with my usual meguiars, then a clay using meguiars quick detailer and clay bar. Came out reasonably smooth and i was happy to begin polishing from here.

I started by masking up the front bonnet. This first pics shows the right hand side untouched. The paint has almost been 'etched' by water marks which i could never get out by using the autoglym polish by hand. I began with 4 passes of the red shinemate pad using s2. It came up pretty good, but it needed something a little more to remove all of the 'etching'.

I then proceeded to mask up another section on the bonnet and used the blue shine-mate diamond pad with the s20. This seemed to bring the paint to where i'm pretty happy.

I then did a quick masking job and continued on the roof, bonnet and boot with the same blue and s20. The sides of the car were not as badly swirled like the tops parts so got nice results af6ter a few experiments using the s20 with the red pad. Results here:

SO. after using many more than i thought of microfibres, using 2 red and 2 blue pads, results came up as follows:

At this point i was pretty buggered, but not wanting to leave it overnight for any dust to settle on it, i then waxed by hand using the wax in the kit, and the final result is here. Overall im pretty happy with the results for my first time.

nearest gas station that has gas

Some take home things for those who might be an amateur like me:

These polished are fairly user friendly should one get them onto any plasdtic surfaces which was a big relief.

You definately need a little chair or stool of some kind for the sides. I might get some advice of a reasonably good chair on wheels for my next purchase?

Allow for at least 10+ good quality microfibres for the whole car. I used autoglym ones as that's what i have accumulated over the years, these seemed to work ok although the polish did fill them quicker than i thought (maybe i used a little too much polish in some areas).

There are still some areas of etching which may require a little coarser grade of polish and or pad which i will attempt to attack next time.

I will probably need a smaller polisher (as mentioned earlier in thius thread) to get nicely into the door handle regions of the mazda 6 doors. hand polishing using the polishes in this kit does not work anywhere near as well as doing 4 passes with the DA polisher! So again some advice here would be appreciated?

Overall it wasn't quite as "therapeutic" as i would have liked due to the noise of the polisher, might have to invest in some headphones to help keep the motivation up! The polisher isnt noisy by any means, but it definately takes the serenity away from doing this kind of thing to your car!

Thanks to all for all of the advice here, especially dfb. I really appreciate it. I'll probably move on to my old man's territory and then attack my BA typhoon.

bangm001 · 08-06-2024, 05:31 PM

I should also add that a detailing light is also a must have, it made life alot easier. Especially when in my case last night, I couldn't be bothered moving the fords out of the garage to polish in the shed rather than the carport. In saying that, this section of carport has 6x double led fluros so its fairly well lit up. Of coarse when i go to polish the typhoon, it will be done in even better (well the same amount of fluros but they sit lower in the shed) to get a better result.

**DFB FGXR6** · 08-06-2024, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anobserver

Saturday's are becoming a day for spending money on car products.

After much thought, I've shied away from the cordless Shinemate polisher on special at Waxit. I'm just not comfortable with spending $700h (plus addons needed) on a product I may only use occasionally. I might have a look at a cheaper corded version to scratch that correction itch, perhaps this one:

https://www.waxit.com.au/collections...ex620-15mm-kit

or this one:

https://www.waxit.com.au/collections...-polishing-kit

That said I have splashed on replenishing the car care cupboard, including a few new ones from DFB's list:

Bowdens Own Boss Gloss
Bowdens Own Fully Slick
Bowdens own Ceramic Hybrid (as reviewed below)
P&S bead maker
P&S Express interior cleaner

DFB had previously recommended the ceramic hybrid product, and I'd agree pretty much with the writeup below. Its easy to apply and get a streakless finish, though as said longevity probably isn't its strong point.

The P&S interior cleaner is a test for cleaning dashboards, interior surfaces, and what-not. The fleet interiors feel so dusty lately.

Xpress Interior Cleaner is one of those products I wish I hadn't sat on for so long, its a fantastic product. Some find the scent a bit odd, but I love it. I also love how it works great for a quick spray and wipe sort of cleaning, but it really steps up the cleaning power when agitated with a brush or scrub pad, I love how it lathers up. It then wipes away leaving no residue. Xpress is also pH neutral, so safe for any interior surface including leather.

Note how the scrub pad changes colour..............

**DFB FGXR6** · 08-06-2024, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bangm001

Okay guys, first time machine polishing post for me. I bought the Shinemate DA enthusiasts kit a while back, along with their s30, s20, s2 and wax as well as red, blue and yellow shine-mate pads. Cost was a little over $400 plus i bought a few autoglym microfibres, pad brush and a few other things to get the job done.
This is my first ever go at machine polishing try so bare with me, but int he end came up with pretty good results! Ill post up some pics and thoughts for those interested.

Firstly, my back hates all of you and this thread!..

Okay now that's out the way, the wifes Mazda 6 has never had a proper polish before. I'v only ever used autoglym super resin polish and autogylm HD wax on it which has kept it in okay condition over the years. But it was definately time for a proper polish job.
It got a good decontamination with autoglym magma, wash with my usual meguiars, then a clay using meguiars quick detailer and clay bar. Came out reasonably smooth and i was happy to begin polishing from here.

I started by masking up the front bonnet. This first pics shows the right hand side untouched. The paint has almost been 'etched' by water marks which i could never get out by using the autoglym polish by hand. I began with 4 passes of the red shinemate pad using s2. It came up pretty good, but it needed something a little more to remove all of the 'etching'.

image

I then proceeded to mask up another section on the bonnet and used the blue shine-mate diamond pad with the s20. This seemed to bring the paint to where i'm pretty happy.

image

I then did a quick masking job and continued on the roof, bonnet and boot with the same blue and s20. The sides of the car were not as badly swirled like the tops parts so got nice results af6ter a few experiments using the s20 with the red pad. Results here:

image

image

SO. after using many more than i thought of microfibres, using 2 red and 2 blue pads, results came up as follows:

image

At this point i was pretty buggered, but not wanting to leave it overnight for any dust to settle on it, i then waxed by hand using the wax in the kit, and the final result is here. Overall im pretty happy with the results for my first time.

image nearest gas station that has gas

Some take home things for those who might be an amateur like me:

These polished are fairly user friendly should one get them onto any plasdtic surfaces which was a big relief.

You definately need a little chair or stool of some kind for the sides. I might get some advice of a reasonably good chair on wheels for my next purchase?

Allow for at least 10+ good quality microfibres for the whole car. I used autoglym ones as that's what i have accumulated over the years, these seemed to work ok although the polish did fill them quicker than i thought (maybe i used a little too much polish in some areas).

There are still some areas of etching which may require a little coarser grade of polish and or pad which i will attempt to attack next time.

I will probably need a smaller polisher (as mentioned earlier in thius thread) to get nicely into the door handle regions of the mazda 6 doors. hand polishing using the polishes in this kit does not work anywhere near as well as doing 4 passes with the DA polisher! So again some advice here would be appreciated?

Overall it wasn't quite as "therapeutic" as i would have liked due to the noise of the polisher, might have to invest in some headphones to help keep the motivation up! The polisher isnt noisy by any means, but it definately takes the serenity away from doing this kind of thing to your car!

Thanks to all for all of the advice here, especially dfb. I really appreciate it. I'll probably move on to my old man's territory and then attack my BA typhoon.

Well done you!

Gotta be happy with that!

A couple of things I picked up on in your post -

- S20 Black is great for beginners because it can cut and finish in a single step. Meaning your first attempts at polishing can then be spent learning how to manage the machine rather than messing around too much with pad and polish combinations.

- For the chair or stool, you want something that goes low enough so that you aren't stooped too low. I started with one of those height adjustable units from Supercheap, but it didn't go low enough.

The seat I have is sold under a number of brands, probably all made in the same Chinese factory, but what I love is that it seems to be just the right height for detailing. The actual seat base is dished to lower it a bit more as well. I got mine from Waxit under the Economax brand, but I would buy the Maxshine one now because it includes a padded base (which I bought the padded part and fitted it to mine). In any case, they are waaaay overpriced for what they are, but I think they are worth it.

Padded -
https://detailingshed.com.au/product...h-soft-cushion

Non-padded -
https://detailingshed.com.au/product...3d7016f3&_ss=r

https://www.repco.com.au/car-care-pa...Search=creeper
https://www.waxit.com.au/collections...g-creeper-seat

- A rolling cart is also money well spent when it comes to polishing. Really helps keep you organized.

https://www.repco.com.au/car-care-pa...ley/p/A5586416
https://detailingshed.com.au/product...710262b1&_ss=r

- For towels, yep, you will blow through clean towels when polishing. I use TRC Creature Edgeless because they are dual sided, the plush side is great for wax removal, the short pile for polish removal. I would also suggest looking at the Edgeless 365 or the Car Wash Towel, both are excellent for this role and far better value than pre-packaged towels from the big box stores. I would order 15 to 20 of them. (The Car Wash Towels are currently on sale, brilliant value at $2.45 each, and they are a quality towel too.)

https://carcareco.com.au/product/the...l-41cm-x-69cm/
https://carcareco.com.au/product/the...rofiber-towel/
https://carcareco.com.au/product/trc...-terry-towels/

(Creature Edgeless pictured)

ALWAYS wash towels before use, then store appropriately.

- As for the noise, get yourself a set of noise cancelling headphones, one of the best things I have ever bought!!! Blocks out nearly all ambient noise, even the neighbors! Just don't buy the overpriced Sennheiser, they were garbage within a few months. I've been using the Sony ones and they have been brilliant. I wish I discovered these earlier!

https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/s...adphones-black
https://www.amazon.com.au/Sony-WH-10...69c28d15ef539b

bangm001 · 08-06-2024, 08:03 PM

Thanks again mate, ill add one of those stools to my wish-list right now.

I was definately "missing" a trolley of some type to store the polisher etc (you can see in the pics they were on the car!) but given i'll probably do the future polishing within my shed, i have a workbench pretty much right in front of the cars anyway so given the lack of space, wont go ahead with a one at this stage.

**DFB FGXR6** · 08-06-2024, 08:04 PM

Repco have Gyeon on sale at the moment, $25% off the (limited) range.

https://www.repco.com.au/search?q=gy...atching&page=0

**DFB FGXR6** · 08-06-2024, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bangm001

Thanks again mate, ill add one of those stools to my wish-list right now.

I was definately "missing" a trolley of some type to store the polisher etc (you can see in the pics they were on the car!) but given i'll probably do the future polishing within my shed, i have a workbench pretty much right in front of the cars anyway so given the lack of space, wont go ahead with a one at this stage.

I forgot to address the desire for a smaller machine. In your case, something like the ShineMate EB210 or Flex PXE-80 (on sale at the moment) would be perfect for you. Both offer interchangeability between 1, 2 and 3-inch dual action movements, or direct/rotary movement. The ShineMate in kit form is by far better value and Waxit will have a store wide EOFY sale starting on Monday.

https://www.waxit.com.au/products/sh...40522590879833
https://www.detailstore.com.au/produ...879a960d&_ss=r

**fordomatic** · 08-06-2024, 09:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

I forgot to address the desire for a smaller machine. In your case, something like the ShineMate EB210 or Flex PXE-80 (on sale at the moment) would be perfect for you. Both offer interchangeability between 1, 2 and 3-inch dual action movements, or direct/rotary movement. The ShineMate in kit form is by far better value and Waxit will have a store wide EOFY sale starting on Monday.

https://www.waxit.com.au/products/sh...40522590879833
https://www.detailstore.com.au/produ...879a960d&_ss=r

I want that shine mate mini so bad, just can't justify it. Would be seriously handy. As i've stated previously, ive got the corded 3" rotary but i've found im prety lazy as it is a bit of a chore to use it. So for the smaller jobs like lights etc, I always put them off.

**fordomatic** · 08-06-2024, 09:48 PM

My new favourite wash mitt, I dopped two of my Cloudburst mits on consecutive washes. I always throw out my mits when I drop them, not risking a stone or debris getting caught in it.

Anyway, bought two of these, stoked with them, they work so well.
https://www.waxit.com.au/collections.../carpro-dabdab

**DFB FGXR6** · 08-06-2024, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fordomatic

My new favourite wash mitt, I dopped two of my Cloudburst mits on consecutive washes. I always throw out my mits when I drop them, not risking a stone or debris getting caught in it.

Anyway, bought two of these, stoked with them, they work so well.
https://www.waxit.com.au/collections.../carpro-dabdab

I've been eying those for a while now, they get a lot of love from those who have tried them.

bangm001 · 08-06-2024, 11:18 PM

Stool and extra micro-fibres ordered!

:-)

**DFB FGXR6** · 08-06-2024, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bangm001

Stool and extra micro-fibres ordered!

:-)

Which version of both did you go with?

bangm001 · 08-06-2024, 11:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

Which version of both did you go with?

Repco have the standard seat for $103 so click and collect tomorrow, i was almost sold on the other one with the floor chair also but thought for the extra coin, my vinyl shed floor tiles are not that uncomfortable to sit on once or twice a year for an hour or two!

https://www.repco.com.au/car-care-pa...tailing%20seat

then several (5) red, few blue, few green on the cheapie car wash ones, then just a couple (yes only 2 lol) of the edgeless to give them a go before ordering more. I paid $10.00 each for the autoglym ones and have a box full of those, as well as several in various bowdens ones also. So overall... should be plenty to do (wash, clay, polish, wax and everything interior wise etc) a couple of cars over a weekend before needing to use the washing machine HAHA!

Where was your recent reviews on car washes? Cant find it at the minute, too many pages of shopping open!

Im also thinking of ordering some 6inch shinemate orange diamond pads..?

**DFB FGXR6** · Yesterday, 12:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bangm001

Repco have the standard seat for $103 so click and collect tomorrow, i was almost sold on the other one with the floor chair also but thought for the extra coin, my vinyl shed floor tiles are not that uncomfortable to sit on once or twice a year for an hour or two!

https://www.repco.com.au/car-care-pa...tailing%20seat

then several (5) red, few blue, few green on the cheapie car wash ones, then just a couple (yes only 2 lol) of the edgeless to give them a go before ordering more. I paid $10.00 each for the autoglym ones and have a box full of those, as well as several in various bowdens ones also. So overall... should be plenty to do (wash, clay, polish, wax and everything interior wise etc) a couple of cars over a weekend before needing to use the washing machine HAHA!

Where was your recent reviews on car washes? Cant find it at the minute, too many pages of shopping open!

Im also thinking of ordering some 6inch shinemate orange diamond pads..?

Those Car Wash towels don't get much love, mainly because TRC push the Eagle 350 and 500, Gauntlet and FTW's more. But they are perfectly sized for interior use, polish removal, dirty jobs, engine bays. I've found them extremely durable as well, the green interior and grey dirty job towels get used and abused and have lasted well beyond what their price of entry would suggest.

Soap thread here -
https://www.fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=11495784

The shortcut would be the following, with a preference for Reset -

- Koch Chemie GSF
- Carpro Reset
- NV Snow
- Shine Supply Shift

And I would throw Carpro Lift into the mix for decon washing (high pH).