Don’t know about that, but I know their shizz works.
Many folks allege that they’re relabels of brands like Warner Instafinish sold at various dilution rates for 1.5x+ the cost.
Compare:
$40 for a gallon of this:
vs. $25 for a gallon of
The extra savage part is they allegedly dilute their source chemicals, too, even going so far as to sell the same base formula at different dilution strengths as different products… So consumers are paying more for even less product!
Not sure if the above is true or not, but that, plus the fact that they’re clearly experts at selling things (with margins like this everything is always on sale!) was enough to make me stay away.
OP, this is one of the only detailers on youtube who is worth watching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfrRcQ8QtrU
(I’d probably stay away from his line of products, too, though.)
2 Likes
This guy does high end details and talks about retail brands without pitching his own label
1 Like
Yeah, i’ve heard that for same rumor for a million years. Never had a problem with CG products and they have made it right for me when I had 2 issues. Their detailing videos are also good on YT.
I am ok with paying the margin on something that works, especially when it often gets heavily discounted on Amazon all the time.
1 Like
if it work it works I say.
1 Like
i guess when you’ve spent all of your money on your Bass Pro Shops off-road vehicle you have to cut corners somewhere.
don’t worry @ilpapa, when the CG stuff is 3 years past the expiration date you can pick some up at Big Lots and still have enough left over for your 7-Select burrito.
what does this mean?
Most of us here lease our cars so it’s probably not the most pressing subject however there’s got to be some folks here who wash, detail, and protect their own cars.
Share your tips, tricks, and tools!
Weird. I did a search to see if there was any topics and this didn’t come up.
Either way, let’s bring this back to the top!
I enjoy detailing and would call it a hobby of mine. I used to spend hours every week, but life happened and my free time seems to be minimal these days.
The biggest piece of advice I usually offer is that maintenance is key. Stay on top of keeping the vehicle clean, and everything is much easier. I also feel that those who let their vehicles go “too long” often don’t have the necessary equipment/supplies… so then a hired detail is required.
2 Likes
I’m a little rusty as I just don’t have the time these days to hand detail my cars. However, what I used to do was hand wash using the three bucket method. One bucket for wheels/tires only then the other two for paint. Of those two, one is for clean water and the other is for dirty water. Use pressure washer to first rinse the car as best you can. Then use the wheels/tires bucket (with soap) to first clean the wheels and tires (duh). I use a combo of softer wheel brush and wheel/tire-specific hand mitt for the wheels and a stiffer brush for the tires. Once those are done, rinse the wheels (to avoid caked on soap residue) and move onto the paint.
I first use a soap foamer further decontaminate the paint/windows then use a hand mitt and work from top to bottom. After a few passes with a separate mitt for the paint/windows, rinse the mitt in the dirty water bucket then re soak in the clean water bucket. Rinse/repeat (literally). Once everything has been washed, re-rinse the car with your pressure washer. After that’s done, I use an electric leaf blower to get as much water off the car as possible. Then use a drying aid with microfibers to dry the car. You should have certain microfibers for only the paint and separate ones for the wheels.
Note that this is a very quick summary. The process is definitely more detailed (another pun) than this.
Also a proper ceramic coating will make the process a hell of a lot easier.
2 Likes
My no. 1 tip would be to dive in with some good OTC retail products instead of possibly going down the rabbit hole of finding “the best” — you’ll naturally just get better every time.
2: hard to do any damage if you’re applying light pressure, letting the lubricating and cleaning agents in the product do the lifting (pun intended) instead of elbow grease. And your movements should ideally be straight lines instead of circles or ovals.
- Have fun with it.
Yes, I was just thinking of the drying process as I was reading through your post. I use a blower as well. Don’t touch the paint unless you absolutely have to. Swirl marks are a breeze to create but a headache to correct. Also, work in straight lines whenever you are touching the paint. This makes paint correction easier and provides more insurance in the event of something bad happening. Say a piece of gravel got caught in a wash mitt…you’re much better off making with discovery with a (linear) scratch vs sporadic movements. Potential damage is less.
2 Likes
Do you guys also wax the windshield?
No, and I’ve never heard of applying wax to a windshield. I’ve applied ceramic coating to glass before. If you want to get fancy with it try something like rainx. Cheap, easy application and effective.
There’s no reason to and actual wax is an inherently hazy substance.
Use glass products for glass.
I’ve been looking for some solutions personally since my favorite hand wash closed down (I won’t use machine washes aside from touchless)
So far I’m liking my iK foamers, one with KC Green Star 1:10 dilution for pre wash and wheel/tire and one with a heavy ONR (1:128) and a dash of KC Gentle Snow Foam as a surfactant.
ONR. It’s simply amazing. And saves time. If the car is really dirty I may do a pre wash and I use hyperseal as well after. I’ve never done clay bars because but would like to with the next car I lease.
This crap is a bit of a money trap. I think someone on this forum got me interested then I went to another forum and next thing I know I’m burning cash left and right.
1 Like
I’ve never used ONR, but I’ve always been skeptical of those types of products. That is, at least for a vehicle that is legitimately dirty… I’m not talking wiping the road dust off or water spots. I just can’t logically picture that as not resulting in a ton of swirl marks. I should pick up a bottle just for S&G’s. I also don’t see how it would be much different than a simple detail spray?
I agree - detailing can be endless and become expensive very quickly. Its also sickening to know that I have bottles of compound, for example, that I know for a fact are at least double the price to replace now. 
1 Like