Bought my First Set of Products

[CleanFlow]

I spent the past weekend in my uncle's woodshop and saved up enough money to buy some detailing products. After being obsessed with refinishing/detailing for awhile now, I can finally start doing it! Tell me what you think, what I have that I don't need, and make any suggestions on anything else I should get. Thanks a lot.

Porter Cable 7424XP Polisher
Generic Shampoo (O'Reilly brand)
Microfiber Wash Mitt
Mothers Clay Bar Kit
Scotch Blue Masking Tape
Meguiar's Mirror Glaze Medium Cut Polish 1
Meguiar's Mirror Glaze Swirl Remover Polish 9
Mothers Sealer and Glaze (Is this good for a synthetic sealant?)
Mother's Brazilian Carnauba Cleaner Wax (I'm going to swap this for a Carnauba finishing wax)
Invisible Glass Cleaner
Lake Country 5" velcro backing plate
LC 5.5" Flat Pads: Orange x2 White x2 Black x2
36 microfiber towels
My car-specific touch up paint
Blue Coral Upholstery Cleaner
Meguiar's Interior Detailer Cleaner Wipes
Meguiar's Supreme Shine Protectant
303 Aerospace Protectant
Gunk: Engine Degreaser Gel

[Hoytman]

Nothing wrong with those over-the-counter products if that is what you want to use. I'd ditch the gunk...it's junk and get rid of the soap for at least the Mothers or Meguiar's over-the-counter brands. Nothing at all wrong with the rest of those choices...it's a place to start.

Mother's makes quality products all around. However, the sealer glaze won't last very long...at least not nearly as long as the wax. The sealer/glaze is part of a 3-step system designed to be used with their wax as a topper, the third step. Mother's cleaner wax is an excellent product for what it does...an all-in-one...and it smells soooooo goooooood.

In all honesty I'd drop the Meguiar's products for other Meguiar's products to complete a nice set-up with one of the best compounds and a great polish. The Meguiar's M105/M205 will do almost any correction work you might need...then top with your choice of wax. Then all you might need to maintain your shine...with proper washing of course...is perhaps you Mothers cleaner wax. Or opt for the Mothers Pre-wax cleaner when a new coat of wax is needed as a way to prep the paint for the wax, then wax.

You're going to need a good alll purpose cleaner, or APC such as Meguiar's APC or Meguiar's APC+ which I heartily recommend. You could also opt for optimum power clean, sometimes refered to as OPC. Those 3 apc's are some of the best. Meguiar's will be your cheapest at this point and will serve you well.

There are in-store brands of apc's such as Super Clean, Purple Power Industrial, and many others found over-the-counter. However, you want to be very careful with these products as some of them are really strong...some too strong for a novice who hasn't educated himself a bit.

That should do you for now until you get a chance to do a ton more reading to explore other items you may want to get. Honestly, if you're just doing your own cars what you have coupled with a few of my suggestions will do you for a long time.

Oh...welcome to the forum.

[CleanFlow]

Wow, great stuff that I didn't know. Thanks a lot!

[tuscarora dave]

Your list looks good for the most part. I agree with Hoytman and would ditch the O'reilly car wash and the 2 megs polishes as they basically will do about the same thing. For a newbie I'd probably suggest Meg's D300 rather than M-105 as 105 can be a bit frustrating to figure out. D-300 is much more user friendly, a bit safer cut wise for a newbie, and can be had at some walmarts. The most important thing is to have fun with your new toys of the trade.

[CleanFlow]

I watched an hour-long special on youtube about M105 and M205 with the diminishing compound and all and I really wanted to try it out. 1 and 9 were the only things at the store I went to and I just didn't want to wait for the shipping from AG. My pads come in today and I can finally get started. I'm going crazy with all this stuff and no pads to use it on.

Tomorrow morning I'm going to do one more store(s) run to swap out some products and get all set.

One last question, all the washes I found at the stores included a wax or conditioner. I don't really want a 2-in-1 product. I want a wash only and the O'Reilly brand was the only one that didn't come with something else mixed in. Will buying a wash with a wax in it be dumb if I'm just going to clay the car anyway?

[Hoytman]

The first time you hit that car with a compound or polish the waxes in the soap will be gone. For that matter the soap you have will work for now. If it spots really bad, use less. Later you can find a quality soap.

O'Reilly's should carry plain ol' Mothers wash. I'm not talking about their wash and wax. They carry it in my neck of the woods at least. They should also carry the Meguiar's Gold Class soap as well...again, they do in my area but maybe not in your area.

M105/M205 does not have diminishing abrasives, rather, newer SMAT technology abrasives...or super micro abrasive technology. This means the products will continue cutting without breaking down. At least that's how I understand it. I'm sure Mike Phillips will chime in and let you know for certain.

[BradsDetailing]

I use klass all in one along with their high gloss sealant, lasts 4-6 months and shines good too. What kind of mf did you get? I would purchase a better shampoo like meguiars or mothers. I would pick up an apc and some brushes if you dint already have them

[dcjredline]

Learn paitents, the term "dont wanna wait for shipping" could end up costing you alot of money over your lifetime. Learn to (like you did to get here already) save up for the things you want and only buy them when they are on a big big bargain. Sometimes wait if you really can but just dont want to. Itll save you alot of money.

[CleanFlow]

I use klass all in one along with their high gloss sealant, lasts 4-6 months and shines good too. What kind of mf did you get? I would purchase a better shampoo like meguiars or mothers. I would pick up an apc and some brushes if you dint already have them

I'm still looking around for a good sealant. Is synthetic wax the same thing as a sealant?

And don't be mad, but I bought ZWipes MF. At this point in my endeavors I need cheap quantity over quality. I looked around for an APC but just don't want to spend the money yet on a product that isn't necessary (although I've done that a lot lately).

[CleanFlow]

Learn paitents, the term "dont wanna wait for shipping" could end up costing you alot of money over your lifetime. Learn to (like you did to get here already) save up for the things you want and only buy them when they are on a big big bargain. Sometimes wait if you really can but just dont want to. Itll save you alot of money.

Great advice. After all these initial purchases I'm plannning on waiting and picking up stuff gradually. I just have a bad itch to start now and want to get to it!

[CleanFlow]

The first time you hit that car with a compound or polish the waxes in the soap will be gone. For that matter the soap you have will work for now. If it spots really bad, use less. Later you can find a quality soap.

O'Reilly's should carry plain ol' Mothers wash. I'm not talking about their wash and wax. They carry it in my neck of the woods at least. They should also carry the Meguiar's Gold Class soap as well...again, they do in my area but maybe not in your area.

M105/M205 does not have diminishing abrasives, rather, newer SMAT technology abrasives...or super micro abrasive technology. This means the products will continue cutting without breaking down. At least that's how I understand it. I'm sure Mike Phillips will chime in and let you know for certain.

O'Reilly's has Mothers and Meguiars, but all have wax or "conditioner".

I'll get M105/M205 hopefully if an OTC store has it. Otherwise, I hope the stuff I have will do.

[dcjredline]

Advance Auto has the 105/205 here check them if you have one close.

an APC isnt an "unneeded product" at all, its almost one of the top 5 most needed and used products. Im sure most would agree.

[CleanFlow]

Advance Auto has the 105/205 here check them if you have one close.

an APC isnt an "unneeded product" at all, its almost one of the top 5 most needed and used products. Im sure most would agree.

Through the little clean up I did on my car today I have come to realize how right you are. Now, to look for a sale...

[SON1C]

Yeah the whole not waiting because or for shipping is usually not a good idea lol

[Hoytman]

If you're looking for ease of use these sealants, Optimum Opti-Seal 8 oz. Free Bonus! New & Improved! (http://www.autogeek.net/optimum-opti-seal.html) , Ultima Paint Guard Plus, paint sealant, liquid wax, paint sealer, car wax sealant (http://www.autogeek.net/ultima-paint-guard-plus.html) , Ultima Paint Guard Plus 4oz., paint sealant, liquid wax, car wax, paint sealer (http://www.autogeek.net/ultima-paint-guard-plus-4.html) , are some of the easiest to use. You prepare the surface using a compound and/or polish and simply take the sealants above and wipe them on and walk away. Can't get any easier than that.

I have both products and when you're ready you simply spray to prime a foam applicator pad and start wiping. Waaaaay less than even a 1/2 ounce of product is used on the car...about one spray per panel. I've personally seen 4-5 months of water beading using 1-2 coats.

For all-in-one products that are able to deep clean your paint surface, polish and seal the surface all in one step look no further than the Duragloss Car Care Appearance products The Wet Look (http://www.autogeek.net/duragloss.html) line. Many folks here highly recommend them and Duragloss 105 is touted to last an entire year. They also have a bonding agent, called DG 601, that improves the longevity of the sealant. These products are cheap in price and can be found here at AG, and occasionally at Car Quest Autoparts...if they have it on stock, which I haven't had much luck.


It can be a bit tricky chosing the right Duragloss product, so if you have further question about the Duragloss line ask "richy" or "rwright" on the forum here. These two guys tend to use a lot of Duragloss products. They can assist any question you might have, so either post up your question, or simply send them a pm. I'm sure they'd be glad to help assist you.


EDIT:
Here's another one-step sealant that cleans, polishes, and seals. XMT 360 corrects, cleans, and seals auto paint! XMT 360 is more than a cleaner wax, its a swirl remover, polish, and paint sealant in one. (http://www.autogeek.net/xmt-360.html)