Need some Advise!

[IvanDRios]

OK i need some help!

Ive read all the how to's on how to clean my car the right way but one small problem i dont know where to start as far as buying products. Can somone be kind enough to make me a list of stuff to buy. My limit is $100 for now until i land this new job soon. I have no experience with any machine so it willbe dont by hand. The only thing i have so far isa hose and bucket. Im guessing i would need stuff like wash mitt, brushes, applicator pads, mf towels, etc. Again i am a noob at this and i pretty much plan to print the instructions out from the how to's and wash as i read along. I plan to wash dry clay and wax. Thanks in advance !

P.S The car im going to clean is my sunlight silver mazdaspeed3. Incase you might need to know the car or color.

[67Customs]

Exterior:

You will need another bucket, as it is better to do the two wash bucket wash than a single wash bucket wash.

You will need a couple of sheepskin wash mitts. Just incase you drop one, it is good to have a back-up.

A good wash. I like Duragloss #901. Very slick, smells nice and cleans great.

A good and Tar remover IF you have a lot of bugs to deal with.

Microfiber Waffle Weave Drying towel. COBRA guzzler or Meguiar's Water Megnet are both good.

Clay bar. Clay Magic makes a nice clay bar kit for $10.

Since you are doing everything by hand, I would skip out on any polishes. They would be pretty much poinless until you get a machine.

A good paint cleaner. This will follow the clay bar step. It will help prep the surface for a good sealant. There are many of them, but Duragloss #601 or Meguiar's Deep Crystal Step 1 are good choices.

Since you have a silver car, I would opt for a good sealant for protection. I love Duragloss #105. Looks great on silver and lasts forever. Keeps the car very slick and makes it a sinch to wash. If you do chose to use #105, I would heavily suggest using #601 as your cleaner.

Wheel cleaner. Again, there are many. Make sure you get one that works for your wheels.

Tire cleaner. Wesley's Bleche Wite is a great, cheap tire cleaner.

Tire Dressing. There are many. That is your choice.

If you have black trim, you will also need a exterior dressing.

Interior:

Meguiar's Quick Interior Detailer is a good interior cleaner for light duty on plastics and vinyl. If you need something heavier, grab some Meguiar's All Purpose Cleaner.

Stoner's Invisible Glass. Enough said.

Plastic and vinyl protectant. 303 Aerospace Protectant is my favorite choice. Leaves a nice matte finish.

Leather? Get a good leather cleaner and conditioner. Your choice.

Fabric cleaning, get some Tuff Stuff. Awesome fabric cleaner.

You will need an array of microfiber towels. You will need some good plush exterior paint microfibers and some good low nap interior microfibers. When I need to stock up on microfibers, I go to SAMS. You can get a pack of 25 for $10. They have four colors and two of them are plush while the other two are low nap. Grab a pack of each. I hate to take away a sale from Autogeek, but hey, when you are strapped for cash, you just can't afford to stock up on more expensive microfibers.

Also, while you are there, grab a pack of cotton terry towels also. They work good for fabric cleaning and under the hood.

Brushes - You need a good brush for under the hood and depending on your wheels, you might need a smaller brush for those. You will also need one to clean your tires with.

That is all I can think of at the moment.

[IvanDRios]

thanks 67customs!

anyone else want to pitch in?

[orionz06]

I thinkif i had $100 to spend, i would focus a nice washing tool (mitt, schmitt, bone) and some good soap with a guzzler.

After that, if i had one product choice for shine/protection (i would cry) then buy the klasse kit

good place to start, but the budget is limited to go nuts....



Shopping Cart
Item Unit Price Qty. In Stock Cost
Klasse Kit
[remove] $45.00 Yes $45.00
The Grit Guard Insert - Red
[remove] $9.99 Yes $9.99
The Bone by Cobra Buy One, Get One Free!
[remove] $7.99 Yes $7.99
DP Xtreme Foam Formula Auto Shampoo
[remove] $15.99 Yes $15.99
Poorboy’s World Quick Detailer PLUS QD+
[remove] $12.99 Yes $12.99

Subtotal: $91.96
Total: $91.96

[GeorgiaHybrid]

Look at your budget first.

Breakdown:

Bucket: free to $5
Car wash (Meg’s gold class): $6 to $12 (depending on size)
Sheepskin Mitt: $5 to $15
Brushes for tires and wheels $10 to $30
Clay bar kit: $12 to $16 Mother, Meg’s or Clay Magic)
Sealer or wax (Your choice with applicator) $12 to $20 (Colinite 845 here for good and cheap)
Bug and tar remover: $5 to $15 (Stoner tarminator or PB’s Bug cleaner)
Wheel cleaner (works on tires too): $6 to $12 (sacrilege here but try Eagle One A to Z)
Tire dressing: $5 to $15 (another sacrilege but take a look at black magic titanium matt)
Glass cleaner: $5 to $10 (Stoners here also)
Protect vinyl and plastic: $12 to $20 (303 Aerospace protectant)
APC cleaner: $5 to $25 (Simple green, Meg’s, lots of choices here)
Spray bottles: $5 to $10 (use to dilute various APC, Carpet cleaners etc.
Carpet cleaner: $8 to $25 (Folex for the win here.)
Cheap Microfiber: $4 to $10 (everything not covered below)
One good Microfiber $8 to $10 (for buffing wax or sealant)

Total on the cheap: $108.00 (Skip the Folex until next time to get to $100.00). Judicious shopping on your part will allow you to find the prices listed. They might not be the best but they will do the job until you can afford better. First up on the next go around? Good microfiber and start saving for a PC, pads and polishes.

Better products can replace some of these items later and some are among the best of their class. This can be a fun hobby or an abusive master depending on how serious you become. I think I rate more towards the S&M side of the fun factor……

[08 300C]

I agree with Orionz06 and the microfiber-waffle is on BOGO $15.99 gets you two. Unfortunately $100.00 just isn't much now days as far as quality detailing products go. I would just build your tools as you go.

[r0ckstrWS6]

let see if i can add to this a bit. I would do.....

a nice sheepskin mitt or two.
quality soap
use two bucket method
wheel cleaner
waffle weave drying towels
tire dressing
carpet cleaner
wax and or sealant

that may or may not be within your budget but I would for sure get a a sheepskin and good soap quality microfiber towels and a wax or sealant then just start builiding a nice arsenal of stuff as you go

[ScottB]

Car Care Kits, Car Care Cleaning Kits, Complete Detailing Kits

car care kits offered by AG offer the best bang for the buck. I bet you could pick up the Sig Series II kit from Pinnacle for about 100.00 and add other items when possible. The Poorboys Kit (if you have a buffer already) was under 100.00 and offer some great items too.

[IvanDRios]

Thanks everyone!

now as far as carpet cleaning. did you guys buy a water extracter or just used a scrub and the cleaning solution?

[08 300C]

I’m not a professional detailer but for me the Green Machine works great. Definitely not an industrial quality unit though.