There are hundreds of different car care products and the same number of different opinions on what works best. I am as particular (read: obsessive compulsive…....) about which products work best, based on my experience and ultimately use on my cars, to accomplish different finish goals. After trying quite a few products over the years this is what I have settled on to date. I hope this helps some of you who are curious what to use and will be interested to hear what others are using as well.
For my Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG and my wife's BMW 335i xDrive Coupe:
Since 2007, I have been using the following
Ultima products from
Autopia Car Care for protecting the
metallic paint finish of my Mercedes-Benz and BMW cars. The process and sequence I follow starts with washing our cars with the Chemical Guys Glossworkz, and then follow by preparing the paint, followed by applying the protective polymer. I have listed below each product in order of sequence, links to each product on their respective web site(s). Also, the noted ongoing/occasional cleaning system is great for removing tree sap, bug splats, etc. after having applied the polymer, as well as the listed Detail Spray that is formulated to be compatible with the protective polymer. The finish of this polymer is a very shiny high gloss that is sufficient for my tastes for daily driver cars, thus eliminating having to also apply a wax/polish and the time required to do that on a regular basis. If one wants to have a shine with more depth, it is suggested to use a high quality car polish on top or over the polymer, realizing it will only las 2-3 weeks with normal exposure to the environment. (I also suggest that you might want to read some of the customer reviews for each product):
Chemical Guys Glossworkz Hi-Foam Gloss Booster & pH Neutral Auto Wash
http://www.autogeek.net/chemical-guy...auto-wash.html
Ultima Paint Prep Plus Pre-wax Polish
http://www.autopia-carcare.com/ult-4012-120.html
Ultima Paint Guard Plus
http://www.autopia-carcare.com/ult-1004-100.html
Ultima Elastrofoam Paint Cleaning System
http://www.autopia-carcare.com/ult-3200-3322.html
Ultima Detail Spray Plus
http://www.autopia-carcare.com/ult-2022.html
For my 2014 BMW M6 Coupe:
My new BMW M6 with the Alpine White paint finish, is
NOT a metallic paint. Therefore, I want to use a product that will work better for that type of finish, producing a glossy and protective coating over the painted surfaces, I have done some more research online and have decided to purchase some new products from the excellent online auto car care retailer
AUTOGEEK.NET, specifically
Wolfgang Concours-Series Car Care, listed below. I will apply them this weekend and see how they perform over the next 3-6 months:
I will continue using the Chemical Guys Glossworkz Auto Wash, described previously, since I am satisfied with its results, then will apply the following new protective paint polymer sealant:
Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant 3.0
http://www.autogeek.net/wg5500.html
I will then use the following as necessary:
Wolfgang Instant Detail Spritz
http://www.autogeek.net/wolfgang-ins...il-spritz.html
For the carbon fiber roof I will use the following product which is one of the few that claim to work very well on carbon fiber:
Chemical Guys JetSeal 109 Super Acrylic Sealant Formula
http://www.autogeek.net/chemical-guys-jetseal-109.html
For my 1961 Mercedes-Benz 190SL
I enjoy top-down driving of this little roadster during fair weather weekends and taking it to selected car shows and enthusiast events, I use the following traditional carnuba was products to produce a spectacular show shine polished finish over non-metallic paint finish:
P21S Gloss Enhancing Paintwork Cleanser
http://www.autogeek.net/p2paincleanl.html
P21S Concours Carnauba Wax
http://www.autogeek.net/p2concarwax.html
Sonus Carnauba Spritz
http://www.autogeek.net/sonus-carnauba-spritz.html
For all of our cars I use the following:
Wheels & Tires
For cleaning off the continuous dreaded accumulating brake pad dust on surfaces of all of the alloy wheels of our M-B and BMW's, I use the following:
SONAX Wheel Cleaner
http://www.autogeek.net/sonax-wheel-cleaner.html
Ultima Tire & Trim Guard Plus (for a satin finish on the tire sidewalls)
http://www.autogeek.net/ultima-tire-trim-guard.html
My miscellaneous cleaning and polishing items
California Dry Blade
http://www.autogeek.net/orcadrybl.html
CCS Red Wax/Sealant Applicator
http://www.autogeek.net/red-ccs-applicators.html
Daytona Speed Master JR Wheel Brush
http://www.autogeek.net/daytona-mini-wheel-brush.html
Stoner Tarminator Tar, Grease & Sap Remover
http://www.autopia-carcare.com/stn-91154.html
Plexus Plastic Cleaner, Polish and Protectant
http://www.plexusplasticcleaner.com/frames.html
What do all of you use and really like, based on your experience.....?