Some thoughts on my go-to Griot`s products

[oneheadlite]

I don't often get a chance to do any kind of real write-up of any kind, since most of my time checking in on the forum is snuck in here and there throughout the work day.

Wanted to take a few minutes and throw out some feedback on some products I've been using and enjoying to try and actually be a contributing member. I'll skip trying to go into any back story and just get to it.

Griot's Interior Detailer
I love this stuff. Smells great, leaves the interior looking crisp and clean (not overly dressed), and theoretically leaves some U/V protection behind. While listed as able to do mild cleaning, I've actually had pretty good results when I've had to clean up some spots.

Recently I was doing turbos on a car at work and spent the day having coolant and oil dripped on my head. Thought I got myself cleaned up, but noticed a couple days later there was an oily print on my headrest. Interior detailer cleaned it right up. I've also used it on steering wheels with no ill effects. Cleans well, but didn't leave the wheel sticky or slippery.

Griot's Rinseless Wash and Wax
Works great used as a rinseless. I've been using it at the stronger ratio as a drying aid; it's also been my go-to window cleaner. Cleans well, dries with no streaks, and leaves the glass nice and slick.

Griot's Spray On Car Wash
I had originally gotten this with the hopes of doing "garage washes" during the winter months (before joining the Autogeek/Autopian ranks), but quickly figured out the cars get too dirty to safely do so. Even in the summer months, I've found I'm much more comfortable with the Rinseless wash protocol vs a waterless wash. I've been using it for door jambs after washes. Works well, leaves a lil somthin slippery behind so they clean easily the next round. I also use it for glass patio door cleanings - cleans up dog nose prints easily, and the more you use it the easier they wipe off.

Griot's One Step Sealant
Before I found the forums, this was my LSP of choice. I'd usually top it with their Premium Carnauba Paste Wax. At the time, I wasn't into LSP properties enough to keep track of beading/sheeting lifespan. One Step Sealant was easy enough to work with and left a solid finished product. When topped, even after a Minnesota winter with touchless washes, you could tell there was LSP intact due to how easily it cleaned when bucket wash season returned.
Haven't used it lately due to life getting in the way (3 year old daughter beats car cleaning hands down - yes, she'll be getting involved soon!), but recently pulled it out when the hood of one of my Boss's cars got some nasty wash induced damage from a well-intention-ed (but not detailing savvy) coworker. I'll get some pictures posted to show the before and after. Used it on a Fast Finishing Microfiber pad, and knocked out the majority of the damage in just a few passes. I'd love to chase the rest of it (and finish the rest of the car), but there's not time in the work day to work on it.

Griot's Iron and Fallout Remover
Just got a chance to try this yesterday on the Mrs' wheels. In the past, I've used Iron-X and the Griot's Heavy Duty Wheel Cleaner. I know after one use it might be early to call it my go-to, but I really liked this stuff. Thicker than Iron-X, so it did a good job clinging in place. No knock-you-out odor.
I hit the wheels with a Boars hair wheel brush, then chased it with a microfiber sponge to get the (waaaay too many) nooks and crannies. Cleaned well, rinsed well. Looking forward to using it again. Might do a head-to-head with Iron X when I do my car.

Griot's PFM Detailing Towels
Another Griot's product that never seems to get mentioned - I love these things! These are the rectangular blue PFM's. I know a lot of people tend to prefer larger towels, but these work just right for when you just need a quick wipe down. They're 16x9, so you just fold them in half.
My window maintenance regime lately has been to soak a towel in rinseless wash, wring it out, then wipe down all the glass. Give the windows a quick spray with the 15:1 mix, wipe with the Detailing towel, flip and buff off. Streak free, nice and slick. Also good for little spot cleanings as needed.

Just wanted to give a shout-out to these products since it seems like they don`t show up in conversation much!

[PaulMys]

Great post.

Griot's is easily my favorite company for detailing products.

I have found having their catalog is really bad for your wallet as well..................

[Sizzle Chest]

Thanks for posting up your favorites! I really like Griot's products!

[FUNX650]

Still amazed at their offering of a
Lifetime Guarantee on their tools;
nearly unheard of nowadays.


Bob

[Frank70]

I've used the Griot's PFM Detailing Towels and they were great. Used them for a quick spray wax application.

[oneheadlite]

Paul - Thanks! And ain’t that the truth! No where else in life have I had such a strong “collect the set” drive. I’ve gotten better. Though I do have the new foaming system on order...

Sizzle - Glad to contribute at least something! Looking forward to a time when I can do more proper write-ups with pictures. Always appreciate the time you put into your reviews and show&shines!

Bob - No kidding! They warrantied my 10 year old gen 1 machine and replaced it with a long-cord 3rd gen. They also warranty their sprayers!

Frank - Glad I’m not the only one digging the Detailijg PFM’s!

[oneheadlite]

And let the record show- I’m not fanboy-blind. Thanks to here I’ve got stuff from McKee’s, Optimum, Wolfgang, etc also. It just seems the Griots stuff flys under the radar sometimes.

[PaulMys]

And let the record show- I’m not fanboy-blind. Thanks to here I’ve got stuff from McKee’s, Optimum, Wolfgang, etc also. It just seems the Griots stuff flys under the radar sometimes.

Agree 100%. I have the same brands as well, and no one could ever pry HD Speed from my hands.

But Griot's products are excellent, and their customer service is second to none.

In addition, I have been reading about some members having their Rupes polishers quit on them. Bad enough feeling right there, but having to pay $100+ to get it fixed would be horrendous.

With Griot's, they guarantee the machines.

[Desertnate]

Griot's One Step Sealant
Before I found the forums, this was my LSP of choice. I'd usually top it with their Premium Carnauba Paste Wax. At the time, I wasn't into LSP properties enough to keep track of beading/sheeting lifespan. One Step Sealant was easy enough to work with and left a solid finished product. When topped, even after a Minnesota winter with touchless washes, you could tell there was LSP intact due to how easily it cleaned when bucket wash season returned.

I'm surprised to hear you got such great durability from the product. I wonder if topping it made a big difference. I really like the One Step Sealant because of the good correcting ability you mention and the great shine it creates, but found it only lasted me about 6~8 weeks in the summer. It isn'nt worse than other AIO's I've used, but I was just hoping for better.

[Route246]

Still amazed at their offering of a
Lifetime Guarantee on their tools;
nearly unheard of nowadays.


Bob

They have chosen (rightly so, I think) to incur the cost with the benefit of enhancing their brand. They may even use these polishers as a loss leader (highly unlikely) or are willing to sell them at little or no long-term profit in order to sell chemical products that have insanely high profit margins which subsidize the polishers. HP used this strategy with printers for decades selling printers at or below cost in order to sell ink cartridges at highly inflated profit margins. During a proxy fight with Walter Hewlett (son of founder) it was disclosed that the printer ink division accounted for something like 145% of HP profits at the time (greater than 100% because so many divisions were losing money and the ink compensated for those losses, too). Google also has this upside down profit model where online ads (AdWords) account for virtually all of their corporate profits.

Every time someone reports an out-of-warranty sad story for their competitors here it is a huge win for Griots. They are just sitting there smiling in the catbird's seat. I'm not a pro so I'm not that particular with my requirements but I have 3 Griots polishers (G15, G21, 3") based solely on the lifetime warranty. I also have a Makita (for forced rotation) and a PC (my first polisher). If I'm going to lay out $300-$500 for a polisher I don't want to deal with it dying a year out of warranty, even though the number of hours used is minuscule compared to a professional who uses it to earn a living.

Think about the saves we read about here. Someone beats the snot out of their 5-year-old GG6 and it breaks down. They make a call and after some troubleshooting a new one is sent out. It probably costs them less than $100, the story gets told here and to all of the guy's friends. That $100 is money well spent in free advertising and promotion.

If you make a decent product the warranty claims will be minimized. The problem is when you make junk and warranty claims end up burying your operation.