Is wolfgang the way to go?

[magna_power]

Hi Guys,

I'm new to this whole detailing thing, well, new to doing it correctly I should say. Always enjoyed looking after my car (somewhat correctly from what I've recently learned). I'm basically looking to get a set of products that will cover me fixing a range of cars owned by my family, some with terrible swirls others with no real problems. If possible I'd love to be able to buy just one brand and stick with it.

So, I get to my question, is wolfgang the way to go?

They seem to have a good line up of products and people on the forum don't ever seem to be disappointed with them. I don't mind too much if some of their products "perform no better than blah", or are "no better value for money than blah", the main thing is do they work, and are people happy with the results.

I am a noob to this but I am also the kind of person who goes all out, and being in Australia I need to order a bit of stuff to make it worth while for the shipping ;)

My idea is to buy:
Wolfgang Deep Gloss Total Concours Kit $129.99
Wolfgang Duo3.0 (16oz) $59.99
Lake Country 5 1/2 Inch Flat Pads 6 Pack - Your Choice! $34.99

This I believe would give me basically 16oz of all the exterior wolfgang products (am i missing any? other than a final wax?) allowing me to tackle many cars of varying neglect. I'd probably buy a few other things as well, but those are the wolfgang things (and the pads by LC).

So once again, should I go with wolfgang? Or should I be considering another brand? Remembering I'd like to stick with just one brand (if possible), as then each product has it's very defined position in the lineup.

Sorry for the epic post, any suggestions/experiences would be greatly appreciated.

[CEE DOG]

Well, honestly everyone is going to have a different opinion and one mans favorite is another mans no go.

To answer your question WG is probably my favorite in house brand from PBMG. Wolfgang makes some fine products and they appeal to me.

The truth is if you only pick one brand you will not have the very best of every product but if you did choose only one brand as that is what you want Wolfgang is a good brand.

The WG Total Swirl Remover, and Exterior Trim Sealant are in the top of their class. The carwash smells amazing but is not my favorite in performance

I would get Ultima Paint Guard Plus or Optimum Car Wash for that.

For trim get Ultima Trim & Tire Guard or Wolfgang Exterior Trim Sealant (whichever is cheaper at the time)

For an extremely cost effective and versatile product get CarPro PERL which can be used on engines, interiors, trim, and tires.

For a detail spray and waterless wash get Ultima Waterless Wash Plus

For iron contaminant removal get CarPro Iron X

For a sealant I see WG appeals to you just as it does me so grab the WG sealant. If you want another to try in the future I recommend Four Star Ultimate Paint Protection.

For Clay Lube I recommend Optimum No Rinse.

For polishes WG TSR is wonderful and you can use the finishing glaze polish or move to menzerna 4500 to finish.

If you want a one step polish then CarPro Fixer is where it's at but WG TSR can work as a one step on many colors.

For a machine I recommend the Flex 3401

When you are ready to coat your vehicle for protection that will last far longer than sealants offer then I recommend CarPro CQuartz for the one time user.

If any of the vehicles have severely faded trim then add Solution Finish to the list.

303 High Tech Fabric Guard for fabric and if you have any canvas convertible tops

Brown Royale or amazing roll off for tire cleaning

[alko]

Exactly what Corey said in that everyone's opinion will be different. I tried the Wolfgang Duo on my 2010 Acura TSX, which has soft paint, and it worked out great. The total concourse kit has everything you need if you're just starting out and don't have shampoo, clay, lube, and MF cloths. IMO, you can get the duo, some sealant, and then a nice wax...that is if you have everything else.

[magna_power]

thanks for the comments CEE DOG and alko. CEE DOG that's an awesome list of products you've obviously spent some time going through and using, so i really appreciate that.

All I've really ever done is washed my car, used cut and polish to get the paint off my car that other poeples doors have left on it and waxed it each year (yes, with cheapo turle wax). So I basically am wanting to start fresh with better products.

I recently bought Meguiars Ultimate paste wax ($59.99 here in Oz over the counter, i got ripped off!) and was impressed by how good better quality products are, thus I have begun my search.

The cars I wish to treat are all different ages and in different conditions (2010 car always garaged to a 1998 always outside).

My two plans of attack with the wolfgang series would be as follows (I assume it's obvious):

"bad" cars
1. Wolfgang Auto Bathe
2. Wolfgang Clay Lubricant + Wolfgang Elastic Poly Clay
3. Wolfgang Total Swirl Remover 3.0
4. Wolfgang Finishing Glaze 3.0
5. Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant 3.0

then maybe apply the Meguiars Ultimate paste wax (but this may be a waste of time).

"good" cars
1. Wolfgang Auto Bathe
2. Wolfgang Clay Lubricant + Wolfgang Elastic Poly Clay
3. Wolfgang Paintwork Polish Enhancer
4. Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant 3.0

once again, maybe apply Meguiars Ultimate paste wax.

I'm considering this a hobby more than a profession, and just a way for me to enjoy my cars.

[van185]

I started out the Wolfgang also and have been well pleased with everything but the price. Like the others have said we will all have opinions. I have not been disappointed with any Wolfgang product as of yet. I don't think that you will be either. If at some point you decide to change or try something different this forum is a great place to research the other brands and see what other people think about them. I just recently opened a detail shop and have mostly Chemical Guy products and have not been disappointed with them either. I really like the Pinnacle line of products also. There are so many to choose from and I recommend reading the reviews before spending a lot of money.

[magna_power]

Thanks van185. Can you tell me which of teh chemical guys stuff you have? I find it hard to tell there stuff apart to be honest, they seem to have many overlapping products all at around the same price point.

Am i right in guessing that correction 1, 2 and 3 will get you to the "i'm reaady for sealant" stage? Then you'd throw on Jetseal followed by butter wet wax?

[KBsToy]

http://i1073.photobucket.com/albums/w384/KBsCamaro/003-1.jpgnot bad for white paint...
http://i1073.photobucket.com/albums/w384/KBsCamaro/006.jpg

[bigez]

I like the Wolfgang products, and also have been very impressed with Detailer's Pro as well. They don't have the "best" of every single thing they make, but in general you can't really go wrong with either of them..although I feel the price is more reasonable with DP.

[bobble]

Wolfgang makes has a solid product line if you want to stick to one line, their polishes are made by or rebranded Menzerna which is my personal favorite in polishes.
If you are going "best of breed" then Corey's(CEEDOG) list is all encompassing and he has quality reviews on most products there so check those out.
I also use a fair amount of Chemical Guys products but not polishes or sealants mostly the ancillary stuff. Also there is Poor Boys which is a vlasue brand like CG which I have a bunch of, again ancillary products from them I like. By ancillary I mean window cleaners, interior cleaners, APC, trim coating's and dressing's.
The import fees/taxes in OZ suck for you guys so I totally understand when you say a big order to make the shipping charges worth it. Good luck and your proposed task list for the good and bad looks about right. I assume you will be machine applying everything.

[magna_power]

Yeah, I'll be buying a DA polisher as well. I'm think of getting one in Australia as the ones on AG are either 110v only or a little over what I want to spend (I'm more in the market for a PC than a flex).

Anyone have more thoughts on chemical guys? Are they good for compounds/sealants, or should I be sticking to a Wolfgang/DP product line for that stuff?

Also, thanks for everyone's comments do far. I do search the forums but those mostly cover individual products rather than entire product lines.

[maximus20895]

I would get meguiar's or menzerna for compounds. The wolfgangs compounds are made by menzerna so keep that in mind.

[van185]

The Chemical Guys products that I use mostly are Honeydew Snow Wash, Diablo Wheel Cleaner, V34, V36, V38 polishes, Bare Bones, Jet Seal (Not as impressed with this as otehr products by CG), BlackLight, XXX Wax, Pete's 53 Wax, All in 1 Polish, and VRP Dressing (Great on trim) All these products seem to do well and come in gallon sizes except for the paste wax. I have found that almost all products do good if you take your time and use them for waht they are designed. Like you I have had trouble trying to figure out the Chemical Guys line due to all their products. I have called AG and Chemical Guys several times to ask questions about products and both companies are always great to provide information. I went with Chemical Guys due to price and so far have had nothing but great results. I use a few other brands like Meg's and I have some Pinnacle and Wolfgang products from when I started detailing before I opened a shop. I'm sure that I will continue to use others but Chemical Guys is my primary products. Hope that helped a little bit.

[bobble]

Like I said I personally prefer Menzerna polishes and compounds, Wolfgang twins are made by Menzerna. Just IMO.
If you use the CG ones stick to their optical line, I have a freind who swears by their optical line of polishes and sealants, they begin with a V IE V34, V36 etc..
Not much of a Jet Seal fan, durability has not been what I'd like when using it. For sealants I use Blackfire on dark colors Duragloss on light colors.

[hoyt66]

I just used Wolfgang trim sealant to bring the old plastic back to life as well as protect it on my 2003 Durango. Great stuff! I have tried a handful of trim and plastic sealer/protectants

and Wolfgang for me works really good. I also have WDGPS and Fuzion wax. I have not tried alot of lsp but these two are awesome.

[swanicyouth]

Wolfgang is the way to go. The TSR and FTG are a great easy to use pair. I liked them better than the Menzerna I tried prior. Just make sure you get enough polish because the $19.99 size of the Wolfgang polish doesn't do many cars, especially the TSR. I think it's only 8 ounces.





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