Need to build a detail kit, looking for recommendations

[soapboxpreacher]

First this is merely for personal use, I am not a pro. Second I want the kit to be centered around easy to us and simple. As I posted on an earlier thread I have a new Tesla model 3 performance edition with the sport package. It is in metallic white and I live in the chicago north burbs. Winter was tough this year we had several below 25 degree days, lots of snow and even some rain. Illionis salts as well. So that the background now, I am look8ng to build a detail kit around the Tesla. My hope and plan is to have this car for a long while. I absolutely love it! With this kit here is what I believe I need, some stuff I have to start with some I have but might want to swap or replace out. Others I just need to add. So here is what I believe a detail kit should consist of:

2 buckets (have, Menards 5 gallons)
2 bucket roller caddies (need)
2 large drying towel (have one waffle weave xl)
1 auto washing soap (have meguiars gold class)
3 wash mitts (1 megs microfiber, one wool, one that is ####...might need to star over)
foam applicators
waxes...I don’t know where to begin. I have nxt 2.0, megs ultimate liquid wax, Collinite 845 (haven’t used yet), Wolfgang DGPS 3.0. I have used nxt 1.0 and liked it went on easy looked great but doesn’t last...luster was very good. Wolfgang just went on, looks great but no experience with durability, haven’t used collinite but here it is durable but lacks depth and gloss.
1 cleaner wax? (Need one)
microfiber buffing towels. I have tons from Costco...the Kirkland ones. They have a tag on them...damn it! And some sams clubs one but those are not as good as the Kirkland ones.
Detailing creeper I had one and it was a Williams that broke...its junk (need one)

I’m sure there’s more for need wheel brush, applicator for tire shine, and whatever you guys think. My apologies for the long thread just want to cover everything to get a complete, easy yet simple kit. I do not want to get a buffer either. Easy is good.

[Dr Oldz]

That’s a lot of mumble to read above and honestly I didn’t read it.

Perhaps try breaking it apart a bit then posting! You will get better replies.

[Coatingsarecrack]

Skip bucket roller caddie,

Try griots or speedmaster creeper. Large casters, rolls almost anywhere. If you buy either one get the but pad from griots.

Soaps: when done with gold class upgrade soaps. I like optimum for price, suds and ph neutral. Reset popular but expensive. If sticking with meguiars hyperwash seems to be their gem.

Waxes: don’t use em. Use sio2 based products.

I stopped with 2 bucket method and just use one bucket 8 mitts. Clean a section and then use new mitt.

Try rinseless washes if want to cut down on time and want to wash in garage in winter. Lots of popular ones out their Ech20, WG Uber, ONR, McKee’s n-914.

Microfiber: for me personally Griots PFM to dry, RC creature edgeless 420 for rinseless and waterless all around. RC Everest 800’s. Buttery soft for LSP removal.


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[milesvdustin]

The rag company creature edgeless towels are awesome, I have 30 of them

If you want a wax, I just used collinite 915 on my car, it looks great.

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[Vanquish Auto]

You would benefit from a quick detailer or waterless wash. ECH2O would be a good choice for this. You can use them as both and it will give you some gloss. Some more wash mitts and a couple more drying towels would also help.

A popular choice these days is topping Collinite with Power Lock. Maybe look into that. You can also do better with your soap choice as someone else already mentioned. Just pick up some other items as you go along and try new things. You will have a garage full of items in no time.

[briarpatch]

Drying towels---> look no further than Griots PFM.....pricey but worth it

Two buckets---> have also ditched the two bucket method....multiple mitts...dirty one does not go back on the vehicle

[briarpatch]

Soap ---> nothing wrong with Megs Gold Class for an over-the-counter product....economical, cleans well.

Wax ---> I think you'll like the WGDPS....on the sealant lines, consider McKees HiDef. If you're looking for a carnuba product...Jescar ColorLock

[Bill D]

I have yet to regret buying a PFM towel

I can’t tell you the last time I washed with only one mitt. Many all the way!

[Finick]

Waxes: don’t use em. Use sio2 based products.

I actually am thoroughly disappointed in the performance of Reload enough that I threw away the bottle I had of it.

I’ve had better and more consistent durability out of D156 than I ever got out of Reload. Reload is essentially washed away after one rainstorm for me. It’s probably one of the most disappointing products I’ve purchased.

That’s not to say that I dislike all si02 based products. Meguiars HCW lasted easily a couple months of winter, and had fantastic self cleaning and beading for what it is. It was by no means degraded or dead when I reapplied either. I just happened to have access to a hose. I plan to experiment using it as my only form of protection when it’s warm enough to deal with a hose outside.

To dismiss non si02 products just seems hasty. Brilliant shine detailer isn’t si02 based, and it also consistently performed better than Reload, ime.


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[Coatingsarecrack]

I actually am thoroughly disappointed in the performance of Reload enough that I threw away the bottle I had of it.

I’ve had better and more consistent durability out of D156 than I ever got out of Reload. Reload is essentially washed away after one rainstorm for me. It’s probably one of the most disappointing products I’ve purchased.

That’s not to say that I dislike all si02 based products. Meguiars HCW lasted easily a couple months of winter, and had fantastic self cleaning and beading for what it is. It was by no means degraded or dead when I reapplied either. I just happened to have access to a hose. I plan to experiment using it as my only form of protection when it’s warm enough to deal with a hose outside.

To dismiss non si02 products just seems hasty. Brilliant shine detailer isn’t si02 based, and it also consistently performed better than Reload, ime.


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Yeah that’s probably the worst reviewed sio2 product out their. I’ve used hydrosilex, shinesupply clutch, kami overcoat, all have performed better for me, than any wax I’ve previously used. I. believe future of hobby detailing is coating lites, which I have gyeon cancoat, tacs system moonlight and dr Beasley’s plasma coat. All which I will play with this spring. Plan for personal car is cquk3 2 coats. Topped with cancoat. I’d don’t think theirs a wax out their that can hold a candle to cancoat.


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[Finick]

I definitely don't disagree about coating-lite products. I think once we start seeing products at the mothers CMX pricerange, with real cancoat durability, then it'll just be a no brainer. I think the real barrier will be being able to design a product the average person can grab off the shelf and throw on their car and have it last 6-8 months without the prep steps needed now. I think once that happens, it'll be tough to justify (in my own mind, anyway) using anything other than a product like that.

I know for some members around here, in the right circumstances (granted not everyone will have them), they can have a more reputable wax like collinite 845 last upwards of 5-6 months. Which is crazy to me. I think I can get a good 2-3 before I start to feel like it needs a top off, but even then you're talkin about y'know.. 15-20 minutes to throw some on. It's a tough call for me. I like washing my car, but I'm not interested in spending an exuberant amount of time washing it. I like simple, streamlined, and easy.

For me, if I can get 4+ months out of megs HCW (I think this isn't unreasonable based on the beating it took during the winter here), it'll easily be my go to protection. I have a couple coatings to use up and play with, but I really just wanna find something simple and not too fussy.


thnip

to the OP (so I don't just come in here and cause a ruckus and then bounce):

I'd stick to one bucket, with multiple wash media in it (be it towels, mitts, sponges, hair balls, cotton balls, whatever you like to use.) It definitely speeds up the wash process imo, and just feels better.

I'd personally keep more than 2 drying towels handy. Otherwise you're bound to not have one good to go when you need it, and that personally irritates the crap out of me. I like to think through what I need, and then double it. I think that twist loop towels are probably the way to go. Waffle weaves feel nicer in my hand, but the twist ones definitely suck up water a lot better. Twist loop towels are truly a one and done deal in regards to wiping it across the paint whereas my waffle weaves just require a lot more wiping, which I'm not a fan of.

Of the car soaps I've used I like Optimum Car Wash and Meguiars Hyper Wash. Looking into rinseless washing could also be worthwhile. I'd recommend ONR or Wolfgang Uber Rinseless for that purpose. I saw ECH2O mentioned a few posts back, and while I find that product to be really slick on the paint - it just doesn't dry as easily for me like WGURW or ONR does. It just smears a lot ime.

I like Collinite 845. Of all the waxes I've tried out, it's the only one that felt substantial to me, which is why I keep the bottle around. I can't speak to the look of the product, because I just couldn't care less about the depth, clarity, wetness, or any other descriptive word I can think of. Most everything looks good on polished paint, imo.

If you don't plan on using a DA polisher, you could try out the new Megs 3-in-1 cleaner wax they just released this year. It's formulated primarily for use by hand, as far as I know.

I've used the towels from Costco for awhile and not scratched any car I've ever used them on. If you're incredibly worried about them potentially marring the surface, I'd wait until you see evidence of any damage they do before you invest a large amount of money more on towels that you may not see any tangible benefit from. Truthfully though you have to be belligerent imo to really marr something other than paint so soft if you sneeze it'll scratch, and at that point any towel will marr the surface. That being said: I think if I had to pick one towel to do everything with it would be the creature edgeless from the rag company. It's just a solid towel.

[Bill D]

You could always just do the CD test on towels before using them on paint for peace of mind

[Coatingsarecrack]

My issue with Costco’s isn’t the towel itself it’s the Pyle. I feel fluffier towels will embed dirt and other particles deeper in so as they won’t marr paint. The crappiest 90/10 from HF won’t itself scratch the paint. It’s the picking up debris and sitting on top as you drag it around.


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[soapboxpreacher]

Wow so far you guys have given me a ton of great info. I am going to get 4 wash mitts to start right out of the gate. I think a grit guard might not be a bad idea as well. Being the roads are pretty dirty and not just dusty in northern IL two buckets still might not be a bad idea. It cant hurt! I found some Gold Plush or Relentless Micro-Chenille Wash Mitt. I also found that either megs or pinnacle foam applicators are fine for wax. I am gonna snag a PFM towel or two. I do have a cobra waffle weave that I like It can almost do the whole car. Its big! Good discovery in the basement this weekend, found some wolfgang finishing glaze and as well as WG swirl remover. After this harsh winter I might start over and Swirl, Glaze then finish with the WG Deep Polish seal 3.0.

Side not on the Meguiars stuff and their email back to me. Im assuming the Megs 3 in 1 is like doing all of these WG products just not as good...I believe 3 in 1 is replacing megs old cleaner wax but its better then the cleaner wax. Would be easier but probably not as good.

As for Collinite it is good but what I am reading is it doesnt offer the gloss and luster levels of Wolfgangs DGPS nor the durability (this is debatable but hearing that WG is better all around). I bought some 845 this week but might take it back seeing how I have the WG line and it might not be worth it. However, I could use it on the wive's Jeep GC...its in white as well but not metallic. Then again, I also considered do her jeep with the megs 3-in-1 to clean then the megs ultimate liquid wax to seal mostly out of ease of use. I have found megs stuff is sooo easy to work with, might not be the best but is far from the worst and I have to hand it to them, they constantly improve their stuff and they dont kill us on price tag when they do.

After my Zaino days with a black car...a whole day (10 hours of cleaning, waxing etc) for maybe two layers I said never again! Results were very good but that stuff was hard to deal with! Far too much work and to be honest it didnt last as long in the chicago harsh conditions and certainly not much longer then what is out on the market today for polish/sealants.

[SWETM]

A little about the protection you use. The Wolfgang DGPS is a great sealant and if you like the looks it's gives you it's awesome. 845 and fk1000p and Sonax PNS has a certain look from them that for some reason looks very good on white paints. So with Wolfgang and 845 you have good protection on your cars and if you want there is always something else that just do that little little extra on the looks. But with durability you would need to be going up a notch to the coating lite products or coatings if you want longer longevity from them. And even with those products you have the prep work is the most effective part for the longevity and looks.

I use also multible wash mitts when washing. And it's easy to use and faster actually. I still have 2 buckets to the paint. 1 with car soap and here are Carpro Reset car soap my all time favorite. But I test out other car soaps but the Reset you know what you get and that is outstanding cleaning ability and lubrication and rinse off very easy.
The first mf wash mitt or mf wash pad I start on the roof one side then flip and the other side. The second I do the hood with flip and then the front and finish with the windshield. I also rinse the panel when switch to a new wash mitt. The third I use on the back of the car which is a station wagon or a hatchback. Start on the hatch and then the back bumper and finish on the back window. For the 2/3 of the upper side panels it's 1 mitt on every side and here is the same start with the paint and finishing with the side windows. On the lower side panels I want a lot of car soap solution so a mitt that holds a lot of this and 1 for each side. So a total of 7 wash mitt and wash pads and all in the looks of these that I link to. The 2 buckets is know 1 for car soap and 1 for used wash mitts and I have grit guard with the extra wash board in the rinse bucket that I clean the mitts for the benefit to when it's washed later on. And also 1 extra bucket for the wheels and wheel wells. You can of course use less mitts and rinse them out and reload with car soap. One tips that some uses to get the rinse bucket to separate the dirt better is a little rinseless wash concentrate in the rinse bucket. It's water softerner in rinseless wash and waterless washes so it can be a little benefit with these in the rinse bucket.

I use a PW and do a thorough prewash with useing this to clean the paint with and also have different chemicals to prewash treatment. The benefit with these prewash steps is that the paint is as clean as possible before touching it. To the last rinse when the touching wash is done I often sheet rinsing so I have a very little water to dry up. 1 or 2 twisted loop mf drying towels and 1 plush and high gsm mf drying towel to get the last droplets and nock and crannies dry or useing the leafblower to blow off the last droplets. I don't use drying aid as I think that the drying towels should be of such a high quality that it's not necessary to use drying aid. If I want to spruce up the protection and gloss I feel I get more out of it without diluting it when drying. And if you get a problem with light water spots after the drying either a drying aid or after drying useing a QD is a great way to handle these.

Here is some of what I do and have been takeing these methods little here and there. So from all of the suggestions you get test them out and see what you like and what make sense to you to do. We just want our vehicals to be clean and shiney but you can get there with different methods and products.

XtraFluff Blue Microfiber Wash Mitt (https://www.autogeek.net/xtrafluff-blue-wash-mitt.html)

For some reasons these blue ones is a little fluffier and more dense in a good way than the orange ones.

/ Tony