New Guy getting started and looking for guidance on products

[TShepp]

Hello everyone! After snooping the forums as a visitor for the past few days I decided that I needed to join and get some help. I am beginning to build my product inventory for my personal garage to maintain my two vehicles - 2017 White Charger Scat Pack and 2017 Charcoal Gray Chrysler Pacifica. I have read numerous threads about products, accessories, etc. but thought I would start my own to get some pointed feedback for my situation PLEASE. After researching a bit I went ahead and bought the Gilmour II Foam Gun, 5 Gal buckets with grit guard, and a pair of microfiber mitts. Luckily for me, my mother used to work at the Meguiar's packaging facility so I have a new gallon of Gold Class Wash, a box of Ultimate Wax, Quick Detailer, Polish, Tire Shine, and Engine Dressing. What I am still researching is a wheel brush and clay bar/mitt kit and not sure what else a newbie would need. I really want to make sure my cars are kept shiny and new but not go crazy on spending.


For a wheel brush I am thinking of the Mothers Wheel Brush. It's inexpensive and seems to have good reviews. Is this one ok? The charger has black wheels and the van I am not concerned about as much.
Good wheel cleaner spray to put on while washing to use with the wheel brush.
I am conflicted on clay bar vs. clay mitt. I have never clayed a car so I am looking for ease of use and effective.
Recommendation for a decent blower for drying. I have never used a leaf blower to dry a car but I love the idea!



Thank you in advance for any help and input. I am excited to use the new stuff this weekend for the first time and hopefully get a nice coat of wax on the cars!

[kevinmfitz]

Congrats on coming into the Autogeek forum! There is a lot of great stuff going on here?
I am a fellow Charger owner(2012 RT), I am jealous of your new ride!
You can't go wrong with Meguiars to start off with.

For wheel Brushes I recommend the Daytona brushes sold here on Autogeek. Get the 2 different sizes, I have had mine for 5 years and they show no signs of aging.
Wheel Cleaner- I have been using Meguiars Hot Rims All wheel cleaner for a long time now. It foams well and cleans great. Safe for all wheel types.

Clay Bar- certainly several to choose from, you can get a kit from Meguairs or Mothers and they will both work well. Start with the bars and see what you think. They are economical and you will be surprised how good they make
your paint feel and look.

Blower: I have the Metro Blaster side kick, small and easy to use. I am sure you could use a leaf blower with no issue if you wanted to.

Only other recommendation I would have is to invest in a DA polisher. Griots 6 inch or Porter Cable 7424 will be a great addition. The results you get from these machines cannot be matched by hand polishing.
They are so easy to use and there are a million videos on this site on how to use them. With those two nice new cars you have, you will want to use one these types of machines.

[TShepp]

Congrats on coming into the Autogeek forum! There is a lot of great stuff going on here?
I am a fellow Charger owner(2012 RT), I am jealous of your new ride!
You can't go wrong with Meguiars to start off with.

For wheel Brushes I recommend the Daytona brushes sold here on Autogeek. Get the 2 different sizes, I have had mine for 5 years and they show no signs of aging.
Wheel Cleaner- I have been using Meguiars Hot Rims All wheel cleaner for a long time now. It foams well and cleans great. Safe for all wheel types.

Clay Bar- certainly several to choose from, you can get a kit from Meguairs or Mothers and they will both work well. Start with the bars and see what you think. They are economical and you will be surprised how good they make
your paint feel and look.

Blower: I have the Metro Blaster side kick, small and easy to use. I am sure you could use a leaf blower with no issue if you wanted to.

Only other recommendation I would have is to invest in a DA polisher. Griots 6 inch or Porter Cable 7424 will be a great addition. The results you get from these machines cannot be matched by hand polishing.
They are so easy to use and there are a million videos on this site on how to use them. With those two nice new cars you have, you will want to use one these types of machines.

Thanks for the quick reply! I was looking at the Master Blaster and was way too expensive but didn't see the side kick, I'll definitely check that out!

I hadn't even thought of a DA polisher because as a teen car enthusiast I had heard of people burning paint, creating worse swirl marks, etc. using powered tools so I have always done by hand which is a real PITA! I think my muscles and body would appreciate a DA polisher for waxing and actually found the Porter Cable one for $110. I can just use that to apply the Ultimate Wax, right?

[kevinmfitz]

That old school thinking is long gone with these machines that are available now.
My two cents is to spend an extra $40 and get the Griots machine. It is nicer and has lifetime warranty.
There is a kit on the site for $189 that comes with Meguiars machine polish,polisher pads, 2 towels and the Griots polisher. This is a great way to start.
Pick up a few extra polishing towels as well. You can polish and apply the wax (lower speed setting) with the DA polisher.
Your cars will look fantastic and it is so easy to use.

[Automoglow]

Get you some good microfiber towels as well

[TShepp]

That old school thinking is long gone with these machines that are available now.
My two cents is to spend an extra $40 and get the Griots machine. It is nicer and has lifetime warranty.
There is a kit on the site for $189 that comes with Meguiars machine polish,polisher pads, 2 towels and the Griots polisher. This is a great way to start.
Pick up a few extra polishing towels as well. You can polish and apply the wax (lower speed setting) with the DA polisher.
Your cars will look fantastic and it is so easy to use.

I am currently comparing the Griot's Meguiar's Paint Perfection kit ($190) vs. the Porter Cable Value Kit ($155) with the 15% discount both seem like a good deal especially for a beginning looking to save some coin. Just need to make a decision understanding that with my budget and time constraints I might only use it a few times a year...

[kevinmfitz]

Sounds good. In looking at the Porter cable section on the site, the deal with the Mckees fast correcting polish and jeweling wax with 5 pads and the free book, that is a much better deal for all that
you get. The Red pads in that set would be perfect for wax application. I have the McKee jeweling wax and it is really a nice product.

[Dan K]

I am currently comparing the Griot's Meguiar's Paint Perfection kit ($190) vs. the Porter Cable Value Kit ($155) with the 15% discount both seem like a good deal especially for a beginning looking to save some coin. Just need to make a decision understanding that with my budget and time constraints I might only use it a few times a year...

Polishers are excluded from the current sale. There are sales without exclusions periodically.

[Ceerokz]

Griots gg6 over PC. More power and excellent customer support. I recommend getting them with the longer power cord. Check out auto geeks online store and browse the polishing kits, washing and drying kits and wheel cleaning kits. Get lots of microfiber towels as well. Go to Home Depot and pick up the ridgid shop vac and orange hose.

[Dan K]

You are on the right track with the purchases that you have made. My recommendations based on the products that I have and use are as follows.

The mothers wheel brush will work well for the wheel faces. The speed brushes that were previously mentioned are great for cleaning in between spokes and cleaning the barrels.

A Nanoskin mitt will save time because you can clay while you wash the car (remove the dirt first and rinse, then go back over the cleaned areas with the mitt and your soapy water).

Most of the wheels cleaners sold here will do the job. If you keep up on the wheels you should not need a strongring wheel cleaner at every wash. Use a wax or sealant on wheels and the upkeep is much easier.

I have the sidekick blower and the Air Force Commander blower. The sidekick is nice because of its small size and ease of use, but it is much slower at drying a whole vehicle. The key to only using a blower to dry a vehicle is to have a good hydrophobic coating, sealant or wax on all surfaces of the vehicle so that the water is blown off of the panels instead of just being moved around. If you flood the panels during your finals rinse a majority of the water should sheet off of the car, making drying much easier and quicker.

Since you have a white vehicle another purchase you may want to make is an iron removal product such as Iron X or McKees iron remover. If your Charger isn't showing iron contamination yet it will in the future. It will probably need decontaminated every 6 months or at the very least yearly.

If your vehicles are not in need of a paint correction you can get the necessities now and a polisher\pads during a good sale.

[TShepp]

Polishers are excluded from the current sale. There are sales without exclusions periodically.

That's odd, I just saw your message after I checked out and used the code. It gave me 15% off before I even read the fine print. I probably don't need the polisher right away but my arms and shoulders can't take the abuse of hand waxing both cars. My logic was that if I get a machine to help with the process I will be more motivated to wax them more often :xyxthumbs:

[TShepp]

A Nanoskin mitt will save time because you can clay while you wash the car (remove the dirt first and rinse, then go back over the cleaned areas with the mitt and your soapy water).


Which Nanoskin mitt would you recommend - Fine grade instead of medium grade? I have been back and forth on just getting a clay bar kit or mitt but I am all for something that is less labor intensive! I am assuming you don't use the mitt on every wash as that means you would probably have to polish and wax each time then too?

[Ceerokz]

Your care is new still. Use a fine grade mit. Only clay before waxing or polishing.

[Dan K]

Which Nanoskin mitt would you recommend - Fine grade instead of medium grade? I have been back and forth on just getting a clay bar kit or mitt but I am all for something that is less labor intensive! I am assuming you don't use the mitt on every wash as that means you would probably have to polish and wax each time then too?

I have the fine (blue) mitt. It works great, and you shouldn't need anything more aggressive on well kept vehicles. Correct, you only use the mitt when the paint is contaminated. The average vehicle in my experience will need to receive a mechanical decontamination, maybe a light polish, and new application of sealant or durable wax twice yearly. I have used the mitt on vehicles before without noticeable marring and therfore did not polish at all. The need to polish after claying depends on the paint hardness, color, etc, and perhaps how perfect you want the surface to look.

I own clay and I used clay in the past, but I rarely use it now. There are still circumstances where I may need it, but they are few and far between.

[TShepp]

You answered one of the questions before I asked it!! I wasn't sure if I HAD to polish between clay and wax or if I can wash, clay, wax?

As far as just a wash and wax do you do that every couple months?

I feel silly that I've pretty much just run my cars through the auto carwash but really want to get it right now and keep these 2 new vehicles kept in shiny new condition.Since the charger is only 2 weeks old I probably will just wash and wax for now but the Pacifica went through a Midwest winter so it's getting clay for sure.