Detailing Products

You have got to check out the Zaino line of products. I have been using them for 6 yrs and love it.

They really look good on the lighter colored cars, what color is yours?

You can use the detail spray on the wheels with some very good results. I never had to use the wheel wax.

 

Attie, Welcome!

Been a former deacon of the church of Honda.

I'd read up on detailing here and other forums.

I found out when I was in your sitatuion that most of the over the counter car care products aren't really that good compared to some of the stuff avaialble from specialty providers

ScottinBend hit on one of the bigges. Other choices would be Prima or Griot's Garage and .....

It's all a personal pref on what you like. My observation is that Zaino is really good if you like a shiny/glossy look. I use the Prima and Griot's stuff cause it seems to give more of a depth of color. That my opinion for what it's worht

I'd recommend getting a Random Orbital Polisher. Seems the brand of choice in MINI land is from Porter Cable. Regardless of brand of polishes/waxes/sealants it does a much better job than by hand.

Experiment with differnet stuff, ask questions, do the research. Thats part of the fun of MINI detailing.

Cautionary note-engaging in detailing of MINI's has been known to induce a mental conditon known as OCD...... Obsessive Compulsive Detailing ....I should know as I have it baaaaaaddd

 

Also take a look at Adam's Polishes Been through Meguairs and Zaino, now using Adams stuff only. Adams has very good products. And Adam Pitale is a great guy who has been detailing for more than 25 years and developed his own full line of products. His company used to be based in SoCal, they recently relocated to Colorado. Check them out!!

 

Welcome Attie

I have used many different brands of detailing products. As has been said, what you decide to use is personal preference. One thing to keep in mind is that most products work better as a system, so for the most part buy products from the same line.

Another decision you will have to make, do you buy over the counter products that you can pick-up at most auto supply stores, wall mart, sort of places, or from specialty on-line suppliers. Over the counter products work, are easy to get, lots of folks like them, and the cost is reasonable. Specialty products mean ordering, and waiting for delivery, which causes some of us to get edgy if we run out of something, and NEED IT RIGHT NOW:lol:. That is why a lot of these products are sold by the gallon, the suppliers don't want to lose us to strokes, or being put in an institution because of stress waiting for UPS to show up. The specialty products may seem a bit more pricey, but in general you tend to use less, and they last longer on your car, so actual cost is a wash(pun intended:rolleyes5.

Another thing to keep in mind, is the amount of time/effort you put into detailing your new ride. For some this may just be a monthly wash, for others they pay someone to do it for them, and then there are those that wish they did not have to tear down the whole engine so they could daily polish their pistons:crazy:

For a lot of us, this is a rather slow part of the year as far as detailing goes, things are rather restricted in the winter, but we do have a thread on the subject. Things will pick-up as spring gets closer. But feel free to ask questions, and let us know how it goes as you get into it.

Mark

 

I am a huge fan of the Prima line! My Mini is Lightning Blue and Black. Prima adds the depth I love to see in darker colors. My wifes car is a Pearl White, and the pearl also seems to stand out. The big thing to me is that it is so easy to use and make your car look outstanding, that it actually becomes fun to really take care of it. I started out to wash my car last weekend (it was 40 degrees!), and wound up spending 3 hours using Nero and Clarity on the inside, putting a coat of Banana Gloss on the paint, and Wheel Shield on my winter wheels. It came out really well!

Take a look at their site. Prima Car Care: Premium Wax, Polish & More

 

They have a 15% off sale of all their Prima and MF products till the 18th of Jan.

They have also released this;


Mark

 

You have gotten a lot of good advice here. I have used a lot of different products on my cars. The only line of products I have found that work better than Meguairs is Prima. Meguairs makes a good product, but I can get a deep wet look with Prima on my purple haze and black S, I haven’t seen with anything else. They have a product called Amigo that is really different. If you like your paint to look deep, nothing works like it. A big reason to use the specialty products is the service that comes with them. The boutique companies will give you advice on how to get the best results. They know their products, and want to help you. Show Car Detailing is very good about helping people understand how to get good results.

 

I tend to support the vendors here on this site, as they offer support here, plus what they offer 1 on 1 with customers.

Mark

 

Don't forget Hydro!

Just did the MINI and Honda today.

 

Zaino may not be a vendor here, but I have spoken to the owner of the company, Sal Zaino, several times in regards to questions about his products. His products are on of the easiest ones to apply and are very concentrated. You only have to use a very small amount compared to the others. I really prefer the look and protection that it gives me over the Prima products. Tried them and went back to the Zaino line.

Don't dismiss any product until you have had a chance to see them on a car in person. They will give you somewhat different looks.

 

I always liked working with Zaino, and the results were great. I started switching to Prima products a few years ago. I still have some Zaino QD, great stuff!!! I also had talked with Sal a couple of times about how to do things, and their website is full of info. I have so much invested in the Prima line, it just makes $$$ sense to stick with it for now.

Also I have never met Sal, nor seen a photo of him, but I bet Heather is cuter

Mark

 

Don't forget to check out the Griots Garage line of car care goodies at OutMotoring.com

I personally use the product we sell and I have yet to find a product line that is more complete...plus, most of it's easy on the environment too.


Car Care + Detailing :: MINI Cooper Accessories : MINI Cooper Parts : OutMotoring

 

Took a recommendation from a fellow motorer and tried their Z-16 Tire Gloss. If you like a matte finish thats lasts through a couple rain storms I'd check it out.

Can't say I care for their shipping pricing. Set up to induce larger purchases which I can appreciate to a point. Does make me want to look for alternatives. I have a bottle of the Griot's on tap to try in the spring

 

This could come in handy.Griots Mini Wax Pad + Holder :: Polish + Wax :: Car Care + Detailing :: MINI Cooper Accessories : MINI Cooper Parts : OutMotoring


Mark

 

I find the use of those foam paint brushes to be just as easy for the trim and such.

 

I know the OP asked about detailing products which is a logical question to ask for someone just starting out. However, time and time again, when a customer asks me about certain products, it becomes plainly obvious that they really need more than a product recommendation, but a complete rethinking of their process.

Case in point, I got a call today from a customer who had some questions about Black Wow for his 2009 MINI. He was planning on using Turtle Wax Ice with BW because he heard it doesn't leave white streaks on the plastic.

He also complained about maintaining his black wheels, saying that there was only product that works and it was a Meguiar's wheel cleaner. He seemed sure that it was the ONLY product he could use on his wheels. I educated him a little bit about the different types of wheel finishes, and after a few minutes it became clear that his wheels were powdercoated, which clearly isn't what he had described to me at first.

I asked him if he had clayed his car before and he said his friend told him that claybar would remove his clearcoat. I told him he needs new friends.

When washing his paint he said that his MINI convertible was such a pain to wash that he used 3 buckets--two soap buckets and one clean water bucket. I thought, ok, maybe he does know a little bit more than I thought. So I asked him to take me through his process. He uses one soap bucket for his trim and another soap bucket for his paint, and the clean water holds an Absorber that's used for everything else. He had no clue that really he should be using the clean water bucket to rinse off the dirty mitt...

What I'm getting at here is that..although the OP is asking product related questions, just as important is the techniques he currently uses and his knowledge of general car care.

This customer that called me wanted an easy to use product that didn't leave streaks on his trim. In the Prima line, Hydro or Epic would fit the bill, and it sounded like that speed was more important to him..Hydro would be even easier to use than Ice providing similar durability with far less effort.

I asked the customer if he had tried waxing his wheels and he said that his detailer friend gave him some gallon of wax that left a mess and was really hard to get off. I told him that a product that doesn't need to dry like Hydro would be far easier to apply and use.

I sell Prima because it gets the results I want while making my customers cars look better than they have ever seen it before. Being able to polish, protect, and maintain using the same brand of products guarantees compatibility.

I've used quite a few different brands of products. Most enthusiast based products are quite sufficient to get the job done right. All of them require proper prep work and product usage to be effective.

There is no "best" detailing product that we are likely to all agree on.

The "best products" are the ones that fit your own requirements. The trick is knowing what those requirements are!

Richard

 

So its the "detailer" and a good product - or maybe better said knowledge and a good product ?

 

Technique is everything.

Take a car that need to be claybarred but you don't do it.

Whether you apply a Prima wax or a Griots Garage Wax or Zaino the results will be similar. The paint will not feel smooth to the touch. The car won't look as shiny as it could be. The wax won't last as long.

Another example. Take a car that really needs polishing, i.e. swirl removal.

If the owner doesn't know that there are typically two methods for improving his finish..1.) Filling in defects or 2.) Physically removing the defects....he really won't know that products heavy in fillers will improve his finish more if he doesn't have a machine buffer or the time to polish by hand.

And even if he did know about the two methods, does he know the limitations of filler products? They won't fill in deep scratches, just light swirls and marring.

Product knowledge and technique is key regardless of product choice.

Now combine that knowledge with a product that makes everything easier because it reduces steps without compromising looks or it gives you multiple choices to solve different problems then you have a winning product.

Zaino taught the enthusiast to use a system and got us into using clay bar. It also taught us that beading was one way of determining the amount of protection left on our paint, although it really isn't technically because some products favor sheeting over beading..but from the consumer point of view, that's what is used. If the paint stops beading, people generally assume the protection is gone.

Zaino also promotes the idea of layering..the more the better! I have 20 layers of Zaino! An impossibility but great for Sal because he sells more product. There is a point of diminishing returns after a few coats.

If there is only one thing that Zaino does well and that's provide an exceptionally slick surface that reflects like a mirror unlike most products. I like Zaino, but as a system I prefer Prima for flexibility and looks. A black car protected with Zaino should not lack warmth, it tends to look hard, cold, and shiny (extremely reflective like a mirror).

Richard

 

Thus the reason I asked what color of car the OP had as the color does have a lot to do with how the finish turns out.

I love the look on my EB after a Zaino detail.