New To Detailing Recommend Supplies?

[mattmatt483]

Hey everyone, im fairly new to detailing. In fact I never really knew how much went into actually cleaning cars the right way until coming along to these forums. And I am going to be making a fairly big purchase soon to use to detail my own car. And I was wondering what products / supplies you guys recommend.
I'm pretty keen on getting the Pinnacle Caranuba Paste wax because I've seen some good reviews about it. And I just ordered the pinnacle car washing shampoo kit. But everything else like good swirl removers, good microfiber towels to use when waxing / removing swirls, and everything else I'm not sure of.
Let me know what you guys use for your own cars, Thanks!

[Setec Astronomy]

Everything here is good. You can get good products from any brand Autogeek sells. My advice is to not get too carried away and just try to stick with the basics and one product of each type. Are you planning on getting a machine?

[mattmatt483]

Hey Setec, Yea that's what I plan on doing I was just wondering if there are any specific products you guys recommended to do the best job. Also about getting a machine I was looking at getting a Polisher to use for removing the swirls, is there any certain ones you would recommend for a first time user?

[Setec Astronomy]

You're going to get a recommendation for every product line and every polisher. As I said, you'll be able to get good results with any of the products and polishers sold here. You need to focus on understanding the processes and techniques, and that will be allow you to be able to get results from whatever tools/chemicals you decide on. Optimum, Meguiar's, Pinnacle, Wolfgang, Blackfire, etc. are all good brands with good products.

[mattmatt483]

You're going to get a recommendation for every product line and every polisher. As I said, you'll be able to get good results with any of the products and polishers sold here. You need to focus on understanding the processes and techniques, and that will be allow you to be able to get results from whatever tools/chemicals you decide on. Optimum, Meguiar's, Pinnacle, Wolfgang, Blackfire, etc. are all good brands with good products.

Alright Thanks man

[embolism]

do you know about the VIP special? $65 for a $100 gift certificate. You can buy one per household. The special runs through this Friday but I'd pick it up before then b/c it could change at any time on Friday.

whatever you plan to buy, you could get free shipping and save 35% on the first $100

I'd also recommend you look up your car in the show and shine section to see what others have used successfully to detail your make and model. Process is more important that product in many cases but having the right tool/products can make things much easier.

[mattmatt483]

do you know about the VIP special? $65 for a $100 gift certificate. You can buy one per household. The special runs through this Friday but I'd pick it up before then b/c it could change at any time on Friday.

whatever you plan to buy, you could get free shipping and save 35% on the first $100

I'd also recommend you look up your car in the show and shine section to see what others have used successfully to detail your make and model. Process is more important that product in many cases but having the right tool/products can make things much easier.

Yea I actually just picked bought the gift certificate yesterday. Thanks for the advice on checking the show and shine section gonna go check that out now

[ski2]

You need to read, read, read and watch as many videos as you can. This is a good place to start-- http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/23722-articles-mike-phillips.html

Then you can read some more about different products that meet your needs to make an informed decision.

[mattmatt483]

You need to read, read, read and watch as many videos as you can. This is a good place to start-- http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/23722-articles-mike-phillips.html

Then you can read some more about different products that meet your needs to make an informed decision.

Yea I was watching Mikes videos on youtube for about 2 hours yesterday haha. Didn't know he had articles on here though I'll have to check them out

[glen e]

I agree with Setec - Pick a line and get a few products to start depending on what you are trying to do. No need to go thru with 12 layers of wax and sealants. Just start with the fundamentals. I'm only in this about 3 months, and doing new cars. So I bought a light/easy compound, a prep for a sealant, a sealant and then a spray to keep it up. Cars look better than they ever did. I like the Ultima and Blackfire lines.

[opie_7afe]

my suggestion on one product everyone must own in their detailing arsenal is some collinite 845 wax and some kind of spray wax for after every wash, i suggest optimum car wax or xmt360 spray wax, also no arsenal is complete without some kind of rinseless wash! and as others suggested don't get carried away with the constant new stuff. also i suggest read tons of reviews, especially ones by corey aka cee-dog.

[Rix6]

Beware that Pinnacle Souveran wax doesn't last. So if that's a concern...


Here's what would work to keep consumables reasonable:

Megs 105 and 205 for correcting
Duragloss 501, 601, and 105 for protecting
Ultima Waterless wash Plus concentrate for spot detailing, misc cleaning
a gallon of ONR or duragloss rinseless wash.
spray wax like Matt mentioned.

Machine-wise, if you want to treat yourself, get a Flex 3401. If you want to go cheap, well can't help you make a decision there.

[Larry S]

do you know about the VIP special? $65 for a $100 gift certificate. You can buy one per household. The special runs through this Friday but I'd pick it up before then b/c it could change at any time on Friday.

whatever you plan to buy, you could get free shipping and save 35% on the first $100

I'd also recommend you look up your car in the show and shine section to see what others have used successfully to detail your make and model. Process is more important that product in many cases but having the right tool/products can make things much easier.

How did you know about the VIP special? I didn't see it anywhere on the home page.
I did do a search and found it, just wondering how you knew about it.

Thanks,
Larry

[embolism]

sign up for the email on the vip page

also, you can just bookmark the link and check it every week. They usually change sometime on Friday

[mattmatt483]

How did you know about the VIP special? I didn't see it anywhere on the home page.
I did do a search and found it, just wondering how you knew about it.

Thanks,
Larry

Hey Larry, when I joined the forums it was on the first page of the Recent Threads list