I'm trying to get and idea of what brands people use to clean and maintain their TLs. I went to Auo Zone and noticed there are about 10 different products to clean tires with. Anyway, if you get a second please answer the below questions to help myself and others in deciding which brands/products to use for our TLs.

Exterior:
-Wash Soap:
-Brush/Rag/Sponge used to wash exterior:
-Wax:
-Washer fluid:
-Applicator used to apply wax:
-Tire Cleaner:

Interior:
-Dash/non-leather surface cleaner:
-Seats/leather surface cleaner:
-Window cleaner:
-Navi Screen cleaner:

Thanks for the time and help. Hopefully we can get a lot of responses to this so we'll be able to share what we use and learn about other products that possibly work better. Thanks again.

Rob

 

zaino is most pple's choice, but is expensive, i like meguiars

 

meguiars

 

meguiars

 

Zaino

 

My order of Klasse AIO/SG and Pinnacle Souveran are on there way in terms of what I'll use for wax.

Currently for interior I'm using 303 for dash/plastics/vinyl, and Lexol for the leather.

 

Exterior:
-Wash Soap: Mr. Clean Carwash System (Accept No Substitutes)
-Brush/Rag/Sponge used to wash exterior: 100% Cotton Towels
-Wax: Meguiars
-Washer fluid: What ever Vandergriff Acura feeds it at service
-Applicator used to apply wax: 100% Cotton Towels
-Tire Cleaner: F21 Wheel Cleaner by TurtleWax. (I don't dress my tires... It mostly ends up all over your rocker sills anyway!)

Interior:
-Dash/non-leather surface cleaner: Matt finish Armor-All
-Seats/leather surface cleaner: Lexol
-Window cleaner: Old Fashion Windex
-Navi Screen cleaner: Damp Cloth

 

Good questions. I did a lot of research on bettercarcare.com and other locations. My goal, yours may differ, was to maintaiin a clean car each week without a lot of expense and time. For example, my initial order of materials was about $150 for everything with probably a recurring yearly expense of about $50. I am quite willing to wash my car every week, protect the exterior every 4-6 months and shine the exterior every month. Each week I want the inside to stay clean, but not shiny. I will not be removing my wheels each time to clean ALL of the rim nor will I be daily detailing my car each night in my garage using special lighting in the garage to view the results. Now that you have some context, here's what I went with:

Exterior:
-Wash Soap: Meguiars Gold - large bottle, inexpensive, Target stores - don't use dishwashing soap (removes wax and is harsh for car parts - I did on my last car)
-Brush/Rag/Sponge used to wash exterior: Sheepskin mitt, Pep Boys - don't use people towels (leaves scratches over time - I did on my last car)
-Wax: Klasse All in One (ordered on Internet) + Meguiars #16 (ordered on Internet) - the Klasse AIO is truly "All in One" every 4-6 months and is extremely easy on and off: light polish (so I can avoid extra step with claybar), poly sealant for the clearcoat + nice shine and very smooth - top off with #16 every 1-2 months. I've heard a lot about Zaino, but I didn't want all the extra steps and cost.
-Washer fluid: Dude, don't even use this on my shiny car!!!
-Applicator used to apply wax: Foam applicator with microfiber exterior
-Tire Cleaner: 303 Aerospace (ordered on Internet) - nice matte finish, not oily
- Drying Cloth: Microfiber towels

Interior:
-Dash/non-leather surface cleaner: 303 Aerospace (see above)
-Seats/leather surface cleaner: 303 Aerospace (again, less products, low price)
-Window cleaner: Sonus Glass Cleaner (ordered on Internet) with microfiber towels, no streaks, can leave somewhat wet, easy on and off - interior and exterior
-Navi Screen cleaner: Sonus Glass Cleaner - again the theme for me is fewer products, good price, easy availability

Hope that helps!!!

 

Welcome to the board. We have an entire forum devoted to car care. Please check it out


WASH AND WAX

 

.

 

Zaino. A case of getting what you pay for.

 

Exterior:
-Wash Soap: Griot's Garage car wash soap
-Brush/Rag/Sponge used to wash exterior: Griot's Garage sheepskin wash mitt
-Wax: Griot's Garage new paint sealant in the most recent detailing; going to try their spray-on wax next time I wash it. Used their claybar with SpeedShine prior to applying the paint sealant.
-Washer fluid: Whatever I happen to buy when I need some
-Applicator used to apply wax: Griot's Garage orange pad with elastic-backed holder (I have a Porter Cable but don't often use it)
-Wax buffer: Three microfiber towels that Griot's sent with the paint sealant
-Tire Cleaner: Don't normally bother

Interior:
-Dash/non-leather surface cleaner: Usually I just dust it with a rag; I have some Griot's Interior Cleaner wipes for stuff that is tougher than that
-Seats/leather surface cleaner: Got some leather treatment from La-Z-Boy when I bought a leather couch, so I may try that. Haven't needed to clean the leather yet.
-Window cleaner: Varies
-Navi Screen cleaner: I try never to use the touchscreen, so generally I can just dust it.

Just did a thorough detailing on Sunday and got some pretty good results--hopefully the paint sealant will hold up as advertised (I have no reason to doubt it will):

 

Exterior:
-Wash Soap: meguiars, blue bottle, can't remember the name
-Brush/Rag/Sponge used to wash exterior: nothing but mircro fiber, walmart has them for a good price
-Wax: meguiars NXT
-Washer fluid: i just use the same water we use for the lawn
-Applicator used to apply wax: sponge that came with NXT wax
-Tire Cleaner: green bottle can't remember name, no it's not simple green. then i use a special mixture of armor all that tire shops get. stays shiny, longer than what i used to use - meguiars hot shine

Interior:
-Dash/non-leather surface cleaner: damp micro fiber cloth
-Seats/leather surface cleaner: lexol cleaner/conditioner. i tried meguiars wipes but it left it shiny and sticky
-Window cleaner: black bottle, yellow cap, sorry can't remember the name
-Navi Screen cleaner: LCD cleaner from office depot. 2 pack for $6

 

Exterior:
-Wash Soap: Meguiars NXT Wash
-Brush/Rag/Sponge used to wash exterior: Sheepskin Mit/MF Towel, MF Waffle Weave
-Wax: Meguiars NXT, wil be using BLACKFIRE Gloss Enhancing Polish, BLACKFIRE All Finish Paint Protection,
-Washer fluid:
-Applicator used to apply wax: Foam Pad, MF Applicator Pads
-Tire Cleaner: Eagle 1, Meguiar's Hot Shine

Interior:
-Dash/non-leather surface cleaner: Aerospace 303
-Seats/leather surface cleaner: Meguiars Gold Class
-Window cleaner: Stoner's Invisible Glass
-Navi Screen cleaner: MF Polishing Cloth

 

Exterior:
-Wash Soap:Meguiars Gold from Target
-Brush/Rag/Sponge used to wash exterior : Cotton Washing Mitt, Waffle Weave MF towel to dry, Pakshal MF towels to buff
-Wax:Sealants: Klasse SG and Platnium UPP Wax: S100
-Washer fluid:
-Applicator used to apply wax: Hand: Meguiars Foam pads PC: Lake County Pads
-Tire Cleaner:Cleaner: 3:1 ratio of Meguires APC Dressing: Aerospace 303

Interior:
-Dash/non-leather surface cleaner: 303
-Seats/leather surface cleaner: Lexol
-Window cleaner: Stoners

 

Meguiars NXT

 

...is that good or bad

 

Wax, twice a year New Finish
Meguiars detailer, after every wash
Clay bar every spring.
Wash, any good car detergent.
Dry The Absorber Any color
Total cost excluding clay bar 10 bucks every 2 years.
Just as good for 1/5th the cost and 1/3 the time of Zaino!
BTW meguiars NXT is just a copy of New Finish, imitation is the highest form of flattery!

 

Zaino wash, wax, cleaners
+
Stoners Invisible Glass cleaner
+
100% Cotton USA White Towels

I don't have a TL yet, but I used that combination on my last Infiniti after a lot of research on detailing forums. It worked perfect for me, and I have no reason to try anything else.

I found it a bit expensive at first. I bought the full kit (Wax, Clay Bar, Detailing Spray, Tire dressing, leather Cleaner, leather conditioner, car wash, scratch/swirl remover) 2 years ago. I still have around 1/2 - 2/3 of the kit left. I will have to restock on the car wash soon, but I expect to get another 2-3 years from the rest. Luckily, I haven't had to use the scratch/swirl remover yet.

Of course, how fast you will go through it depends on your car wash and detailing habits.

 

.

 

BLACKFIRE all the way. If you are looking for a wet look with a lot of depth, this is the perfect product for that.

 

Zaino, Zaino, and more Zaino!!!

The nice thing about Zaino, that not everyone points out, is that unlike wax, it won't melt off your wheels, and will protect them from the brake dust!!! Brake dust will wash right off. And it shines like no other.......who else is addicted to the smell????

 

Nice look on the RRP there. Don't see too many of those around here, but I think it's the second-nicest color (after NBP, of course).

 

Exterior: Zaino
-Wash Soap: Z7 but Clay Bar every 6 month's
-Brush/Rag/Sponge used to wash exterior: 100% Cotton Towels Made in USA
-Polish: Z2
-Washer fluid: ?
-Applicator used to apply wax: 100% Cotton Towels Made in USA
-Tire Cleaner: Z16 and 303

Interior:
-Dash/non-leather surface cleaner: 303 Aerospace
-Seats/leather surface cleaner: Z9 and Z10
-Window cleaner: 303...Looking to try stoners's
-Navi Screen cleaner: 303






Please post topics like this into Wash & Wax forum in the future, thanks.

Edit by MOD rets