Meguiars vs Mothers vs Others

[unwritten law]

Hey all just wondering what you like to wash/wax/polish/detail ur car and if there is any secrets that you are willing to spare.

first off i am using only Meguiars gear for the wash/wax, I am very happy with it, but I am wondering if there is any other stuff out there that is better??

I use the pink soft wash gel for the wash. - found it pretty good for removing general dirt and grime.

For the wheels i use Meguiars Acid free wheel cleaner. (just spray on wait 30sec and wash off - removes brake dust easily)

I use So Easy Wet Look (i think CRC make it) tyre shine. Just spray on and leave it. its not too bad, but comes off if it rains. This is the only tyre shine that I have bought, any other recommendations would be great.

A good synthetic chamois for the dry. (plas chamois)

Meguiars quick wax (spray on stuff) using a yellow applicator pad to apply and terry towling to wax off. I have tried the gold class stuff (my old man's) once and was pretty impressed with it, but found it very similar to the quick wax (which is a bit cheaper).

Also use eagle one (rainX equivalent) windscreen protectant. not too bad but i think rainX is better.

I do not rate the Armourall glass cleaner quick wipes, did not get too many results with them.

I am happy with armourall for the dash, but is there any other stuff out that is better?

A friend of mine bought the meguiars clay block with the quick detailer. This revives the paint by stripping all of the dirt and grime back to the clear coat. he is pretty happy with it.

[Bleach1]

For tyre shine type stuff meguires has this purple gel, not sure what its called. It is the best tyre shine i have used.

[strutto]

Meguiars here! Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo & Conditioner. Just like Pert for your car

I use the Meguiars Gold Class Endurance High Gloss Tire Gel... Works really well but is a wipe on, not spray on. Smells like cherry bubble gum too!

Only waxed once with Turtle Wax... Seemed OK. Meguiars would be better IMO.

Windex for the outside of the windows. Soap and water for the inside. Gave up on RainX a while back.

Armourall for the inside occasionally, usually just a wipe down with a soft cloth.

Autosol Metal Polish for the shiny bits.

[funkymonkey]

Buff has no wrath like my Meguiars Gold Class Wax n Shampoo pack combined with my electric buffer!!

For light scratches on panels and glass, Meguairs Scratch X is sweet as.

Once its all buffed up n polished n shiny a daily wipedown with windex is the go. I got the technique off a prepman for the Sydney Auto Expo, he was wiping down the then prototype 350Z with this blue liquid, and I was like "what's that?" and he told me how they couldn't wax the cars every day so the wipe then down with windex. Its solvents are gentle enough not to take off any layers of wax, but strong enough to get rid of dust and grease n fingerprints.

And of course you have armourall for the interior bits and plain old tar for the tyres. For the rims I just use a toothbrush n hot hot hot water and pinocleen concentrate. then some nice metal polish like brasso (they also make one for steel compounds).

Of course this was for my strawberry face 180sx, my current r32 beyatch gets no such love, maybe a wash at the car wash every week.

[hippy]

first off i am using only Meguiars gear for the wash/wax, I am very happy with it, but I am wondering if there is any other stuff out there that is better??

I use the pink soft wash gel for the wash. - found it pretty good for removing general dirt and grime.

whats the diff between the 2?? .. i use the pink stuff as i sometimes was my car alot ... i think its great stuff ...

when would i want to wax it?? cause after i use that pink stuff the cars pretty shiny ... i guess the paint is still not too bad

[funkymonkey]

the normal pink stuff is reccomended for a matte finish. the gold class is like gloss. So obviously you wouldn't use gloss on a bright car, as it makes it look wierd, but on dark cars you can use the gloss and it looks shmick with the light refracting off.

Gold class is a wax that leaves about a 1 mm thick layer on the car whearas the other one leaves a layer of wax that's half the thickness.

[hippy]

i dont' get it .. please explain what all this matte and gloss means?? ... seriously i dont' get it LOL

[strutto]

gloss = real shiny

matte = not as shiny

IMO

[hippy]

so why dont' u want to use gloss on a bright car?? u'll just make it brighter

[strutto]

No idea really... Gloss for me all the way!

[funkymonkey]

well most peple disregard the whole concept of gloss n matte polishing, and just gloss every car. but say you had two cars... one was bright orange, and the other was black.

lets say you gloss both cars... under a white light (eg: sun) youd get:

orange car: highlights - white, normal surface - whitey orange, undertones - orange.

black car: highlights - white, normal surface - lit up black, undertones - dark black (yes dark black its a wierd colour but it happens with light)

with matte and same situation you have:

orange car: highlights white, normal surface - orange, undertone - dark orange

black car: highlight - grey, normal surface - black, undertone dark black.

Make sense?

Sometimes if you overgloss a car, you lose its detail.

[funkymonkey]

a matte polish is hard to explain, its like polish without the gloss basically. It brings out the colour of a car.

A gloss polish is like a mirror polish. It brings out the depth and contours of a car.

[Red Sky II]

Once its all buffed up n polished n shiny a daily wipedown with windex is the go.  Its solvents are gentle enough not to take off any layers of wax, but strong enough to get rid of dust and grease n fingerprints.

funkymonkey - Windex on the paint work??? On my older cars I used Windex on the windows (of course) but sometimes it got on the paint work and on a white car, I noticed the complete colour change - it went really white leaving colour differences. It was almost like it stripped away something - hopefully just the dirt but if you start using it suggest doing the whole car to get an even colour. Wouldn't recommend using it often though.

As for cleaners, Meguiars (all products for me) with a chamois dry using the drag technique mentioned in this forum before.

Armourall?? Some detailers won't use it claiming it damages the plastic. I have the Meguiars equivalent but haven't tried it yet. Mag wheel cleaner is great.

Does the electric buffer make it easier and produce a better result - was thinking of getting one?

Cheers, Al

[funkymonkey]

windex mixed with water i should have said but yeah that's what he used on this expensive as merc, a dodge viper n all these other cars.

electric buffer is definitely the go, makes it soooo easyto get a unifom look.

you gotta dot he nooks n crannies by hand. Oh and the buffer wrecks your hands after a while... makes your blood flow to the wrong places in your hands n stuff... evil...

[Sumo]

Eagle 1 is the best tire shine/exterior rubbers and plastics I have ever used. The panel beaters got polish on those rubber strips on the roof of my cousins VT commo, and they all cracked and faded, but the eagle 1 bought them back to life. tis good stuff

[NIZR34GTT]

Once you have waxed or polished your car try the meguires final finish.It comes in a spray bottle you lightly mist the panels and rub off it gives the paint a nice deep shine.The guys that have show cars use it quite a lot.Very easy to use .Meguires yellow wax is very good to a lot of panel beaters use it.

I use a towels to dry my car off then I use the meguires final finish.

[Busky2k]

Ive used both Meguiars 3 step as well as the 3 step from Mothers, Both were pretty good, but I reckon the meguiars was slightly better overall.

I use everything meguiars, from car wash to interior gloss. They make the best shit!

Btw, their final finish stuff is good stuff! I use it mainly to get rid of water marks on the paintwork after a wash. You cant dry everythin =(

[funkymonkey]

wierd coincidence. just used that final finish today actuallly... its mad stuff

[sewid]

Yesterday I washed with Meguirs Gold class shampoo & conditioner then I waxed with Meguirs gold class liquid wax using the yellow applicators.

I am not really impressed. The shine is nice but for the price im expecting better.

After I buffed it off the body still feels rough in patches, is it supposed to be smooth or rough?

I am going to redo the roof today as it just was ugly with meguirs.

[Silver-Arrowz]

ARGH! FRICKEN CAT! Spends one night in the garage because it was raining and there's FRICKEN claw marks on the car! I've been using Meguiars gold polish and it's not helping.