Car Forums Philippines - AutoIndustriya.com

Cut and Paste from another forum. Edited a little to suit this board.

Ive recently gotten several PMs and emails from people just starting out detailing. Most are questions about what products they should use. Thats a huge portion of what this and other detail sites are all about. It can be very confusing when you are starting out.

We all understand that people want to get their feet wet without making a whole lifestyle commitment or major investment. Not everyone is going to take to detailing. Many "OTC" (over the counter) products work great and are inexpensive. They offer you readily available products that will allow you to try your hand at detailing and learn.

The best advice I can give, is read before posting. Chances are your questions will be very basic and has been discussed over and over again before. Please read the old posts before posting. The search tool is also extremely helpful for the same purpose. Trying in different key words will yield answers to most questions. Almost any product you can think of, and its use, is there in the search. Searches by acronyms will return more results than actual product names.

Reference the acronyms list:
http://groups.msn.com/pinasdetailing/archives.msnw?action=get_message&mview=0&ID_Message=156&LastModified=4675389936218038481

Remember, there is much to learn and it will take effort on your part. If you dont find the answers you need after a few varied searches, you should post your questions in the appropriate forum.( Familiarize yourself with the proper forums by reading the forum descriptions under each forum name) Posting your question to the entire membership, instead of directing your question to one member, will increase your feedback and offer you more than one opinion. There is a huge base of experience and talent here to call upon.

Yes, you can find lots of good products on the shelf of your local tool store, auto parts store and boaters supply. You dont have to make major online purchases to get started. Search out your local Ace, True Value, Handyman, Concorde, etc. for everything you need to make your car look fantastic and gain some valuable experience.

Here are some personally recommended products you should be able to find on many retail shelves, including some detailing basics that I recommend you have.
These products are widely available at many retailers. It should be very easy to find at least one product in every catagory and plenty to get you started.

Dont limit yourself to the auto section only. Brushes and cleaners can also be found in the household cleaning section.

Buckets- 3.5 gallon or larger is common. ( Home Depot, Lowes, discount stores )

Wash Mitt- Genuine Sheepskin, you need at least 2. ( around 7 bucks at Target, Walmart, Etc. )

Brushes- Upholstery, tires, wheels. ( discount & auto stores )

Vacuum- Wet Vacs and attachments are available everywhere.

Towels- Everyone carries some sort of microfiber now. No excuses.

Drying Towel- Microfiber preferred, but the Absorber works great.

Applicators- Foam is good for waxing and tire/trim dressing. Terry covered foam is ideal for interior vinyl/leather cleaning and dressing. Everyone has them.

Car Wash- Eagle One, Mothers, NXT, Duragloss, Megs #00 so much more.

Clay- Mothers, Soft99, Clay Magic. ( Kits usually include a quick detailer for lubricant. )

Wheel Cleaner- Eagle One A2Z, Megs Hot Rims.

Paint Cleaner- Mothers Pre-Wax Cleaner, Megs Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner.

Scratch Remover- Mothers/3M.Eagle One Scratch Remover, Megs ScratchX.

Polish/Glaze- Mothers Sealer and Glaze, Megs Deep Crystal Polish, ColorX, 3M IHG.

Cleaner Wax- Mothers Carnauba Cleaner Wax( Carnauba) Mothers Reflections (synthetic)

Wax (Carnauba)- Mothers 100% Carnauba, S100 Wax ( 1st choice, available at most Harley Davidson shops)

Wax ( Synthetic)- Megs NXT

Trim Dressing (Exterior)- Megs GC Trim Detailer, Vinylex, 303.

Trim Dressing (Interior)- Vinylex, 303.

Tire Dressing- Eagle One, Megs Endurance Gel, Megs NXT Tech Dressing, Vinylex, Armor All (AA was reformulated years ago. It is now a waterbased dressing that is cheap, available and works well on tires and wheel wells. Do not be afraid of the "urban legends" concerning this product.)

Plastic Polish- Mother Plastic Polish, Megs PlastX

Glass Polish- Duragloss ( Available at most NAPAs)

Metal Polish- Mothers Metal Polish

Chrome Polish- Mothers Chrome Polish

Leather Cleaner/Conditioner- Lexol/Lexol

Carpet/ Upholstery Cleaner- Most foaming cleaners like Tuff Stuff and Blue Coral work well for most cleaning. Dilluted Orange Blast works well on stains. Also recommend 1 part woolite and 6 parts water, premixed in a spray bottle. Carpet cleaners like Bissel, if on hand.

Glass Cleaner- Eagle One 20/20, Stoners Invisible Glass, 3M, Sprayway.

Engine Bay- Orange Blast, Simple Green, etc

Quick Detailer- Eagle One Wipe & Shine, Mothers Showtime.

Not everything is required but one product for each purpose is enough to detail and maintain almost any car that is in reasonably good condition. If you can get a handle on using these products and enjoy detailing, you will be better prepared to experiment with the more expensive enthusiasts products. Combine a little internet study with this starting point and you will ready to decide where you want to go from there. You will already have all you need to keep your car looking the best in your neighborhood.

I hope this helps.

Quote from: theveed on July 06, 2004, 02:16:31 PM
Yes, you can find lots of good products on the shelf of your local tool store, auto parts store and boaters supply.

Tire Dressing- Eagle One, Megs Endurance Gel, Megs NXT Tech Dressing, Vinylex, Armor All (AA was reformulated years ago. It is now a waterbased dressing that is cheap, available and works well on tires and wheel wells. Do not be afraid of the "urban legends" concerning this product.)

Sir David,

I was refreshing myself on the old threads.  And I came upon this post of yours.

Now that Armor All is water-based, will that mean that it is also safe to use on the rubber hoses and plastic/vinyl stuff in the engine bay?

Quote from: madman on October 25, 2004, 07:01:32 PM
Sir David,

I was refreshing myself on the old threads.  And I came upon this post of yours.

Now that Armor All is water-based, will that mean that it is also safe to use on the rubber hoses and plastic/vinyl stuff in the engine bay?

dude, i often (i's a month) use armor all sa engine bay and i don't seem to have any problem or what so ever...

It's fine

Sir David, I have read accross several posts regarding newly painted cars that it should not be waxed after at least 30 days para mag-evaporate ng husto yung paint solvents.

Does it apply the same for cars oven baked?

or can i wax the car right away after a week na?

please advice. thank you po

with most oven baked urethane (not acrylic) a month is sufficient. A week? Medyong pushing it..

what about acrylic? without baking... how long before i can start waxing my car? thanks in advance.

3 months

Quote from: theveed on April 28, 2005, 11:31:58 AM
with most oven baked urethane (not acrylic) a month is sufficient. A week? Medyong pushing it..

Thank you so much for the info Sir  

Quote from: theveed on April 29, 2005, 10:23:43 AM
3 months

that long?! i'm dead... with glaze as my only protection for the paint... the parking lot in my school will kill my car! tsk tsk...  

technically kasi you're not supposed to take the car out from the shop after it's painted until it cures hehe... sa ibang bansa ganun usually.

Quote from: theveed on May 04, 2005, 10:56:18 AM
technically kasi you're not supposed to take the car out from the shop after it's painted until it cures hehe... sa ibang bansa ganun usually.

ahh... oh well, i have no choice but to use my car
i'll just be extra careful with it...

Before asking, read this

http://www.detailguide.com/

Help lang, Pano or anong gagamitin kong pagtanggalng grease sa interior?