Combo review: Megs, Speed, Carpro and Optimum inside

[JCDetails]

Yesterday I went to work on a pair of SUVs that gave me a great opportunity to try some new products I’d picked up.



A 14 Escalade and a 12 GLK.

On initial inspection:

GLK was just really dirty on the outside. Never been detailed or protected, but under the thick layer of dirt it wasn’t bad. Handful of tar and iron deposits to deal with. Interior same deal, never been done but not horrible.

Escalade appeared to be in great shape, but after a hand wash a ton of tar contamination on lower panels and all over the tailgate, glass included. The hand wash also revealed it most likely had a ceramic coating at some point due to water behavior and it was still going strong. That changed my finishing approach a bit. Interior looked really clean.

First product came into play in the interiors. Meg’s d181 leather cleaner. I have another thread with some more detailed thoughts but this stuff is a no brainer. I’ve probably tried a dozen leather cleaners and this is the only one you ever need to bother with. Especially given the cost per gallon.

Next up was chemical guys citrus wash red. Discontinued a while back but found elsewhere. This is nothing to do with the current citrus wash n gloss, much stronger detergent slightly on the alkaline side. Could not have been happier with this soap. Left a squeaky clean surface with no weird film like dawn, and ate right through road film and the like. Great companion to the d143 I use at 1.5:1 on wheels/tires. I was so mad that I brought the wrong gun for my pw as I bet a presoak of this stuff would be absolutely phenomenal. Obligatory wheel comparison:

Before:



After:



Next was carpro tar-x. What can I say that hasn’t already been said. Incredible stuff, worked so unbelievably well and smells awesome. Really eye popping how it just melts the far away. My go to product even over gyeon tar.



Next in the cleaning process were Optimum’s Ferrex and power clean. Ferrex did a great job while smelling slightly less offensive than the likes of gyeon iron and ironx. Haven’t dug into the cost breakdown yet but pretty sure it’s less than the gyeon and probably equal or less than carpro.

Power clean was used straight up on the GLK as a prewash to test it against some of the heavier dirt. It lifted a lot of it without having to touch it. I also used it straight on the door jambs.

Both of the above were intended to be tested at 1:1 in the foam cannon but with my pw down that didn’t happen.

Protection for the GLK came in the form of HD speed. I previously had been a heavy M37 360 user. This stuff has converted me just in how easy it is to remove. That and I discovered it’s nicer not having a product that disappears altogether so you can find the residue more readily. Left a nice slick finish, cut maybe as good as 360 with LC orange thinpros, and should last a good few months. Really helped make the white paint pop.

The Escalade received Opti-seal basically as a topper/sacrificial later to the existing unknown brand ceramic coating. I applied it using the included yellow foam applicator which I happened to have about a dozen of that I never used. To be honest, I really wasn’t a fan of applying the optiseal. I basically looked for the point where the surface went from grabby to slick as a measure of if it had made it to the surface. On a light color it’s hard to tell where you’ve been, and the ‘high spot’ streaks are hard to find. I wound up doing a final wipe over with a fresh mf on every panel just to be safe. Did appear to leave a nice shine though I’m sure most of that was due to the coating.

Next, I had bought some Opti bond tire and trim gel to give it a try. I used it on the tailgate pad of the Escalade. Not sure if that trim had been coated before as well but it really didn’t make much difference to my eye. Then again, I was absolutely exhausted by this point so who knows.

Honorable mention to some of my old standbys: gyeon tire, invisible glass, the drill brush, d143, g15, rupes mini, TRC microfiber, and whatever else I’m forgetting.

And, gratuitous stripe shot...had to hook my little cousin up and make sure her GLK was dialed in:





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[DMiglio]

Good post!! Really enjoyed reading the reviews on all the products. I think I’d just about fall over after doing two SUVs inside and out in one day!

[JCDetails]

Yeah my back was screaming this morning for sure. Been all winter since I last did any real detail jobs! Thankfully these two turned into 4 more to add to the list I already have so I’m well on my way to my goal of getting my hands on 50 cars this season as a stepping stone toward growing my business. I figure I have April through October to get this work done which is 7 months, so I only need 4 cars per month to hit that goal. Here’s hoping I beat it!


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