Cleaners For The Cheap & Lazy - Interior and Tire

[Jazee]

I'm 52 and just bought my 28th car (brand new - yes I come from a "Car Family") I estimate I've spent at least 150 hours over the past 30 years reading about car care/detailing, techniques, products, etc. I sort of laugh at myself from time to time thinking I'm having hard time deciding to just do one coat of Klasse SG or two while other people in the world are having a hard time having enough food to eat.

I barely drive, put about 7000 miles a year on my car (work from home) and live in a mild area of the country without harsh weather. Kids are off to college, no pets in the car, so frankly my car is pretty easy to keep in virtually brand new condition. What I don't have a lot of any more is time. Time to make everything "perfect" like I'm taking my car to a car show or trying to impress a date. LOL.

Been a few years since I've been on here. Wondering if there's a general consensus on two products:

1) A mild, cheap all-purpose cleaner that can be used on all interior surfaces except glass (vinyl, leather, plastic), doesn't leave a perfumed smell (citrus, etc), and leaves no residue. Okay, don't tell me... take a spray 32 oz spray bottle and add 2 drops of Dawn. LOL.

2) Easiest to use tire cleaner/protector - like something you spray, let it sit, and then rinse off that cleans the tire, prevents/removes browning, and leaves a natural/satin finish. Generally I just spray the tires at the coin-op with the high pressure soap setting, rinse, and then spray with that cheapo Armor All Tire Foam (Natural Finish). I was using Z16 prior so maybe I'll just go back to that but if I recall I'd need a separate product to clean but I think one of the advantages of Z16 is it prevented browning?

[ducksfan]

1) Optimum No Rinse (ONR)

2)You might try Bilt Hamber or 3D Super Wheel cleaner. But I doubt you're going to get away without brushes. The best thing I can tell you is get some CarPro Hydro2 and every couple months clean the wheels well, spray on and blast with water. Do this while your washing the vehicle and it's not that much work. For a couple months after, a good car wash should get them clean.

[Jazee]

Thanks for the suggestions. After some searching I see that some detail shops use ONR for interiors confirming your suggestion. However it seems a bit odd to me I would want to use a product on the inside that leaves a polymer film on everything? Especially on the dash which is sort of a rubbery finish on my 2021 Mazda CX-5. Wouldn't add a little sheen to the leather? I don't want that. I like the matte finish. But I suppose anything other than plain (or distilled) water leaves a tiny bit of product behind? I've typically just used my alcohol (not ammonia) based glass cleaner on all the surfaces since the alcohol evaporates but I think there's got to be a little detergent in it also. I don't think I've kept a car long enough to ever get to see what long-term (5+ years) of use does to the interior using a single product.

[dgage]

I’d probably suggest two Meguiars products that are popular and you should be able to get locally. D101 APC, which can be used on the interior and wheels/tires. But for the interior since you don’t need much in the way of cleaning, I’d recommend taking a look at Meguiars Quik Interior Detailer, which is a mild cleanser and does leave a matte finish, especially if you wipe it down with a microfiber after applying.

[ducksfan]

I don't think ONR leaves more of a sheen than new materials typically possess. New isn't usually dull. I'd rather have the polymers of optimum on my interior than the stripped down finish of only using something like an APC. All of the interior detailers that I've used leave a lot more behind than ONR. And, that's not a bad thing for the long term appearance. But, since you don't keep the vehicle ... ?

Another option is McKee's N914. It's supposed to not leave much of anything behind. It's probably less harsh than glass cleaner.

[Desertnate]

For your tires, Duragloss 253 can't be beat. There is no spraying, rinsing, etc. On a dry tire simply put a little product on a foam applicator and wipe it on the tire. The more product you apply the shinier it will get so you can adjust it to your tastes.

For an easy interior product you can get Meguiars Natural Shine Protectant in auto parts/big box stores. I'd think most of the interior cleaner/protectant products sold here should probably work pretty well too. The one I use sadly is no longer sold by AG.

[BillyJack]

My favorite interior cleaner is Optimum's Opti-Clean. Advertised as a waterless wash, it is approved for all non-fabric interior surfaces by the owner of the company, including touch screens. Diluted 1:3 to1:4 it cleans light dirt well, has no strong scent and leaves a smooth-feeling surface with no perceptible residue.
I keep a small spray bottle in my console and often wipe down my leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob while sitting still in heavy traffic.
I do use the Meguiars Quick Interior Detailer on customer work, as it's a stronger cleaner, but it's Opti-Clean for my own cars.

Bill

[Jazee]

I don't think ONR leaves more of a sheen than new materials typically possess. New isn't usually dull. I'd rather have the polymers of optimum on my interior than the stripped down finish of only using something like an APC. All of the interior detailers that I've used leave a lot more behind than ONR. And, that's not a bad thing for the long term appearance. But, since you don't keep the vehicle ... ?

Another option is McKee's N914. It's supposed to not leave much of anything behind. It's probably less harsh than glass cleaner.

McKee's N914 sounds intriguing and like the ticket if I don't want a thin film left behind. However on the N914 I see when mixed at 1:8 versus 1:256 it's a stripper for paint prep. I imagine at 1:256 it wouldn't affect Klasse SG longevity. But at 1:8 would be a good option to do a go deep clean before doing a semi-annual Klasse AIO+SG routine. Of course if you're using ONR The Klasse AIO is going to strip the ONR residue anyway so maybe the paint prep option of the N914 1:8 ratio is a moot point?. What is strange on the N914 is I fail to see how a product has enough polymer to prevent scratching but leaves nothing at all behind without rinsing. I guess a small difference in ingredients can make a big difference. Interesting a lot of the reviews on Amazon swear the N914 is superior to the ONR. I think it boils down to if you want the ONR film/shine left behind or something that just cleans and leaves nothing behind.

I was eyeballing Meguiars Quick Detailer for interior but it definitely leaves a "matte" protectant coating. My thought is these brand new cars, the leather and vinyl already has a top layer of some sort of protectant so these sprays that leave a protectant are really leaving behind a film that really isn't necessary on a new car that doesn't sit out in the sun.

At this point my gut says to simplify (an save money) and go with ONR as long as diluted properly in a spray bottle can be used on the interior without making adding a sheen to the matte black leather upholstery. If it's slight and fades quickly, I can live with that, but I prefer the stock/brand new look of the finish of the interior and upholstery. I would guess the residue the ONR leaves behind also helps prevent scratching or stripping of LSP if you ever need to do a quick wash on your car without the ONR or run it through a touchless car wash.

I suppose on ONR if I try it for interior and don't like the finish Amazon will take it back and I can switch to N914 as my go to AIO Wash/Interior Detailer.

[ducksfan]

I agree on the Klasse AIO. It's a strong cleaner. It would take off any residues on the paint (and probably most sealants/spray coatings).

As far as 'nothing left behind", I don't know. The strict interpretation would mean everything in it evaporates. I have my doubts. But,...

I think a lot of people use the term matte when they really mean satin. From what I've seen, most new interiors look closer to satin than matte.

I doubt you would have a problem with the look ONR leaves. But if you did, both it and N914 make a good exterior rinseless wash. The only problem I've had with ONR was when I used it on paint that still had the polymers of another companies product. It caused it to streak some until a couple washes cleared the other product away.

[Jazee]

I've now watched/read several comparisons of the ONR and McKee N914. I think ONR is great and has a huge following having been around a long time but decided I'm going with the 914 without the polymers that won't change the look of the finish.

At the risk of being repetitious, I'll say my only slight concern with the 914 is if it can be used to strip the LSP in a less diluted form for paint prep, it probably if anything slightly reduces the longevity of any LSP including Klasse SG whereas it sounds to me like the ONR does the opposite. Will be SO nice though to reduce the number of products in my detailing kit and simplify. I think I'm scared having been around long enough from the old days where we all thought ArmorAll was magic when we all later found out in the long term it did more bad than good (before they reformulated) so I really don't like anything that alters the stock finish of the car's interior when it was brand new, at all.

Now the debate is whether to go Big Red "Rip Off" Sponge, Blue Grout Sponge, Gary Dean Style multiple MF towels, or MF Mit (one or more) for the 914 media. After more reading, I think the difference is negligible. The Gary Dean method, although produces a lot of laundry, seems the "safest' but probably negligible. As the guy on YouTube from Dallas Detailing points out, you're going to put microscratches in your clear coat every time you wash your car no matter what product and method you use to wash with. Otherwise you could wash your car by spraying a product on and rinsing off without any wiping. Some car colors and product combinations are just more noticeable than others. The key is to make the frequency of polishing and sealing as low as possibly needed. That probably boils down more to the car owner's personality (how obsessed you are with your finish) than the products and methods. LOL. Getting off on a tangent.