Saving money on products

[ken tuep]

What kind of tricks have you done to try to save money on detailing supplies, cleaners ,pads, polishes, whatever it may be. I'm trying to get the most bang for my buck.


I'll start. I don't know if its been done or not. One thing I've been wanting to try out is Iron-X. But it seems so expensive for the quantity of product. I purchased a small sample of the Iron-X ($6.99 for 2 oz), and the Iron-X snow soap ($27.99 for 32oz). I was originally going to put the snow soap in my foam cannon, but knowing that I would use the entire bottle on 2 washes didn't sit well with my wallet. I saw the snow soap could be diluted, so mixed it 8:1 in a spray bottle as per the manufacturers recommendations. I sprayed the entire vehicle, including the wheels with 1 32oz spray bottle of the diluted Snow Soap. I just wanted to compare and see how well it worked, next to the original Iron-X.

I set up a test on my personal vehicle, both front wheels for evenness of dirt. Spayed them each with the separate solutions, about 2oz on each wheel to be fair(since all I had was a sample of the original Iron-X).

I allowed both to dwell for about 4 minutes then procedded to scrub with a daytona wheel brush only. Both seemed to remove iron, and bleed out about the same. The Iron-X Snow Soap produced a nice foaming action as i agitated, the original Iron-X did not. I then rinsed and inspected the results. They both worked equally well, there wasn't any real difference in appearance after the cleaning.


I also sprayed the entire vehicle to decontaminate it, and used almost a full 32oz of diluted snow soap on my wifes 2010 Dodge Journey. It seemed to work perfect.

I should have taken pictures during the process, but was a bit pressed for time. Maybe when I do my truck I'll take pictures for comparison.

All said and done I am impressed with both products, but have decided the snow soap is the route for me. Just figured I'd share my experience, and hope to hear some more ways to save.

Thanks for reading, Ken.I KNOW!!

[ken tuep]

102 views and NO input? You guys are better than that!

[.brian.]

I take advantage of the BOGO offers on autogeek.net!

[BillyJack]

I can't comment about the Iron-X, since the only Iron-X I use is the soap gel and I'm very satisfied with it. As far as controlling your detailing budget, I have a few recommendations. Don't be tempted by the current "hot" product. There are no miracles out there. All products have their own characteristics and some are better than others, but it's so easy to spend big bucks looking for something that's just head and shoulders above anything else on the market, only to be disappointed. For my DD's I maintain, I rely heavily on the Collinite and Duragloss line. Both are excellent values and give superb results. Same thing with Meguiar's. Their pro products such as the Glass cleaner or D151 AIO are excellent values. I use OPC on the leather parts of my seats, but Meg's APC everywhere else, since it's just as effective and a lot less costly. If you find someone who shares your passion, you can pool your funds and buy larger sizes of products, such as ONR and save a bunch. AG's rolled edge towels are as good as anything else out there IMO and are a bargain at regular price, not to mention being on BOGO from time to time. Speaking of BOGO, taking advantage of those is one of the best things you can do to control your expenses. Even if you don't have a large enough order to get free shipping, taking advantage of BOGO's on stuff you use can still be a substantial savings. I have enough supplies in stock that I don't really need anything at any given time. I always have a list populated and when one of AG's many deals come around, I'll pull the trigger.

One final thing worth mentioning is to read a lot here on the forum. So many or our great membership are happy to share their experiences. You can use their reviews as sound criteria to decide how best to allocate your funds.

Bill

[swanicyouth]

I'm not sure what's the purpose of the IRonX Snow Soap? Once you IRonX a car (once) how often would you have to use the chemicals in IRonX? Buying the sample sizes is VERY expensive ounce per ounce BOGO or not. Why not just get a bottle of TRIX and use it for dual purpose for $16?

If your trying to save money, but products that are highly dilutable if possible, like CG stuff. Buy stuff on BOGO and stock up. Always wait for free shipping promos. Buy towels directly towel places instead of detailing places. Buy larger sizes.

[ken tuep]

I do take advantage of BOGO very often, and has saved me a bunch. As far as the Iron-X I mentioned, it's for Iron decontamination on the entire vehicle. It helps to ensure the surface is as clean as can be after claying, and before polishing.

[ken tuep]

I'm not sure what's the purpose of the IRonX Snow Soap? Once you IRonX a car (once) how often would you have to use the chemicals in IRonX? Buying the sample sizes is VERY expensive ounce per ounce BOGO or not. Why not just get a bottle of TRIX and use it for dual purpose for $16?

If your trying to save money, but products that are highly dilutable if possible, like CG stuff. Buy stuff on BOGO and stock up. Always wait for free shipping promos. Buy towels directly towel places instead of detailing places. Buy larger sizes.

I use Iron-X on every vehicle I detail. The Iron-X snow soap makes almost 2 gallons for $27.99. Which makes it very cheap compared to everything else I've seen like it? Iron-X is $32.99 per liter, and is to be used straight out of the bottle.

[ken tuep]

CarPro Iron X Snow Soap, paint cleaner, paint decontamination soap


Iron X Iron Remover, CarPro IronX Paint Cleaner, paint decontamination

[Cosmin]

What kind of tricks have you done to try to save money on detailing supplies, cleaners ,pads, polishes, whatever it may be. I'm trying to get the most bang for my buck.

Ken , you already loosing money.

the best to save is 15off, free shipping , or 20%off free shipping. and buy in gallons or more than samples.
now about products , i can get same results if not better and i don`t use fancy products, i use chemicals that you diluted and get the right strength to do the job.
the price for your samples i get my all year around wheel cleaner. make sense?

Cosmin

[ken tuep]

Ken , you already loosing money.

the best to save is 15off, free shipping , or 20%off free shipping. and buy in gallons or more than samples.
now about products , i can get same results if not better and i don`t use fancy products, i use chemicals that you diluted and get the right strength to do the job.
the price for your samples i get my all year around wheel cleaner. make sense?

Cosmin

I do take advantage of free shipping, and buy in larger quantities after I have tested a sample product. I wasn't stating that I was or am loosing money, just that there are always cheaper options if you search for them. This was mostly for the guys who do use Iron-X, or haven't used it because of the cost.

This is the first fancy product I have tried ever, I only use otc products most of the time. Meguiars for compounding, polishing, and wax. Purple power is my main apc, and cheap soap is what I stick with most of the time.

My cabinet is full of gallon containers, 105,205, cg wash, and so on. I was just showing how I saved money on a product that is somewhat costly by using another for the same purpose. I thought I was a genious when I figured this out!!!!

Thanks for all of the feedback, I appreciate it a lot.