[AWDSOME]

So I have been using automatic car washes on my last couple of vehicles. Now I have a brand new M3 that I've had for 2 days, I want to get back to washing it myself. I will be getting full PPF with ceramic coating.

I need help with cleaning supplies.

The rag company gauntlet drying towel gets good reviews.

I've also been checking out some of the Chemical Guys wash kits. They have several with a foam gun that works with a regular hose, is it any good? They have a 2 bucket kit. And they also have a kit with an electric power washer.

I would love to hear any thoughts about these items or something that you would recommend instead.

Have to have pictures of course

[Forzanerazzurri]

There's a car washing scene?

[Unimatrix0]

Originally Posted by Forzanerazzurri

There's a car washing scene?

LOL yeah, for crazy dudes like me that use more water than gas

[FISH22]

I use Dr Beasleys (top shelf), Griots and Chemical guys. While I think Chemical Guys offers A LOT of stuff, I think it's mostly their marketing that has made them so successful. Griots, which can be sourced off the shelf, is about as good as it gets. If you want to ball hard and use THE BEST stuff, Dr Beasleys is it. Of course nothing I'm stating are facts, but just from my experience.

As for foamers. Stay away from the ones that just use a garden hose. You'll blow through too much product and they're junk. I've been through a couple of them. A pressure washer with a good foamer is the way. I use the Griots one, and it's great. Foaming is probably the most satisfying thing ever.

[Habber]

Originally Posted by Forzanerazzurri

There's a car washing scene?

Hahahahahahaha.

[chicagofan00]

I’ve been using products from Griot’s Garage for the last 15+ years.

The one thing over all that time that I used that wasn’t theirs was Chemical Guys VRP for tire shine. It was easy to apply, gave a nice wet look, and never had any sling from it.

I did just put new wheels and tires on my G80 and decided to give CarPro Blackout a try. It’s one of those tire sealants so we’ll see how it holds up and if it keeps the tires looking good for the next 4-6 months as claimed.

[Twiigg]

Originally Posted by AWDSOME

So I have been using automatic car washes on my last couple of vehicles. Now I have a brand new M3 that I've had for 2 days, I want to get back to washing it myself. I will be getting full PPF with ceramic coating.

I need help with cleaning supplies.

The rag company gauntlet drying towel gets good reviews.

I've also been checking out some of the Chemical Guys wash kits. They have several with a foam gun that works with a regular hose, is it any good? They have a 2 bucket kit. And they also have a kit with an electric power washer.

I would love to hear any thoughts about these items or something that you would recommend instead.

Have to have pictures of course

Congrats on a beautiful car! I have all of our vehicles ceramic coated from new, and used the 2 bucket method with pressure washer and foam cannon for years. I’ve spent thousands of dollars over the years on cleaning products from Autogeek, the Rag Company, etc. That said, I honestly despised washing them as it took me hours, I had to find a shady spot, the weather had to be just right, etc., but I did so because I didn’t trust anyone else to do so and was not willing to scratch them up in automated car washes (YES, I am OCD). In discussing this with the owner of the company that ceramic coats our vehicles, he suggested that I try Optimum No Rinse Wash and Shine, or ONR… if you haven’t heard of it, research it- (there are tons of videos on YouTube)!

ONR was a game changer for me… I use it per instructions to wash the vehicles and dry them with high quality microfiber towels with Technicians Choice TEC582 Ceramic Detail Spray in my heated and cooled garage. I can assure you I’ve looked under all light conditions for micro scratches and can’t find any! Caveat would be our vehicles are not driven off road or in salty conditions, etc., but if they were, I’d pressure wash rinse them off first and then wash them inside with ONR. Also, every other wash I do clean the wheels with SONAX wheel cleaner, especially our BMWs with all the brake dust.

[AWDSOME]

So I've been doing research all morning and spent a lot of time at Obsessed Garage.

Thinking about the active 2.0 with the advanced or ultimate accessories. That puts me close to half the price of the Kranzle with either advanced or ultimate accessories.

Too many decisions 🤣

[AWDSOME]

Originally Posted by Twiigg

Congrats on a beautiful car! I have all of our vehicles ceramic coated from new, and used the 2 bucket method with pressure washer and foam cannon for years. I’ve spent thousands of dollars over the years on cleaning products from Autogeek, the Rag Company, etc. That said, I honestly despised washing them as it took me hours, I had to find a shady spot, the weather had to be just right, etc., but I did so because I didn’t trust anyone else to do so and was not willing to scratch them up in automated car washes (YES, I am OCD). In discussing this with the owner of the company that ceramic coats our vehicles, he suggested that I try Optimum No Rinse Wash and Shine, or ONR… if you haven’t heard of it, research it- (there are tons of videos on YouTube)!

ONR was a game changer for me… I use it per instructions to wash the vehicles and dry them with high quality microfiber towels with Technicians Choice TEC582 Ceramic Detail Spray in my heated and cooled garage. I can assure you I’ve looked under all light conditions for micro scratches and can’t find any! Caveat would be our vehicles are not driven off road or in salty conditions, etc., but if they were, I’d pressure wash rinse them off first and then wash them inside with ONR. Also, every other wash I do clean the wheels with SONAX wheel cleaner, especially our BMWs with all the brake dust.

I did some research on the ONR, sounds perfect for winter time here when it's too cold to wash the car

[BGM80]

I've heard the Active 2.0 pressure washer is great bang for your buck - that will be my next one once my greenworks one dies out. For foam cannons - big fan of the MJJC Pro 2.0. Definitely get a 50ft no-kink hose for the pressure washer too.

I'll second the Chemical Guys VPR for the wheels. And for rim cleaners, P&S Breakbuster is awesome (and you'll use it a ton with these breaks) - get the gallon.

[astroricardo]

Whatever you choose, it's back breaking work! I'm always sore for a couple of days afterwards.

Also, the 'drips' from the door drains drive me crazy. No matter how much I dry with a leaf blower and hand dry, a few days later I will notice the hard water line where it dripped after I was done. I'm talking opening all the doors and drying the door jambs, etc. Still happens...

And unless you sprung for CCBs, be ready to spend a major amount of time on wheels.

[luckylingy]

Originally Posted by AWDSOME

So I've been doing research all morning and spent a lot of time at Obsessed Garage.

Too many decisions 🤣

You found the right rabbit hole on your own! I popped for the Kranzle K1322TS 'ultimate' kit and haven't regretted one bit the (considerable) expense. For function, results and ease of use, I couldn't ask for more. A proper cordless electric leaf blower (EGO, for most) makes easy work of drying (especially crevices).

Pair that with your choice of cleaning products, wash mitts and drying towels, and brushes (Mark at OG has done the evaluations for you; you just need to watch his library of videos), or go with what others here recommend.

Oh -- and a wheeled stool for working on wheels and detailing vertical panels without bending over.

[Sparky_12]

Ceramic coating to start. I use a single bucket method with eight or ten microfiber towels folded up so they can be used a multiple times per towel and then set aside. The goal is to never have to put a towel or mitt into water that’s been used. I use Ammo in my foam gun and some purple stuff for the wheels. The rest of my chemicals are Ammo. I use an EGO cordless blower and a drying towel I got from OG. Tanzanite Blue II paint still looks factory fresh after a year of use.

[Sparky_12]

Originally Posted by luckylingy

Oh — and a wheeled stool for working on wheels and detailing vertical panels without bending over.

The wheeled stool is key. My old ass back and rickety knees are not dealing with these wheels without one. As much as I wanted to buy one from OG, I got a cheap one from Amazon.

[Limegrntaln]

Originally Posted by Forzanerazzurri

There's a car washing scene?

The car wash scene is just as big as the car scene, itself. It all depends on how much money you care to spend on this endeavour. If you just want to get the proper tools, I'll go what's a hit, and what's not.

Pressure washer: I have the Active 2.0. It's a hit in the car washing scene.

Foam cannon: MTM PF22.2 orifice nozzle depends on how much pressure your pressure washer puts out.

Chemicals: Chemical Guys is more about marketing than anything else. Dr. Beasleys is considered professional grade, as is Koch Chemie, GTechniq, CarPro, Rupes, Lake Country, 3D, Sonax, ONR, etc.

[JDUNITNOW]

Originally Posted by astroricardo

Whatever you choose, it's back breaking work! I'm always sore for a couple of days afterwards.

Also, the 'drips' from the door drains drive me crazy. No matter how much I dry with a leaf blower and hand dry, a few days later I will notice the hard water line where it dripped after I was done. I'm talking opening all the doors and drying the door jambs, etc. Still happens...

And unless you sprung for CCBs, be ready to spend a major amount of time on wheels.

You have tonopen the hood and wipe down the hood from the inside and around the cowl. That's where the water is coming from. Sometimes I open the hood and blow out everything to alleviate the water from dripping down and creating the hard water line. Other times, I just wipe the inside of hood and around the cowl.

[astroricardo]

I've been doing that too... along with the inside of the doors, jambs, etc. But more of an emphasis around the doors. I'll do under the hood a little more carefully. Thanks for the tip!

[Autoaddict]

I recently bought the Active 2.0 and hose reel kits from The Clean Garage. I would've bought it from OG but this kit was nearly $500 cheaper. But, I bought a lot of cleaning items and mitts from OG. But as others have said, I got my ceramic coated and my detailer told me that cleaning it for the first time is going to be pretty easy.

[PHXATC]

Originally Posted by Autoaddict

I recently bought the Active 2.0 and hose reel kits from The Clean Garage. I would've bought it from OG but this kit was nearly $500 cheaper. But, I bought a lot of cleaning items and mitts from OG. But as others have said, I got my ceramic coated and my detailer told me that cleaning it for the first time is going to be pretty easy.

The second (and 3rd, 4th, 5th...) time will be also.

[Nettles]

Originally Posted by Limegrntaln

The car wash scene is just as big as the car scene, itself. It all depends on how much money you care to spend on this endeavour. If you just want to get the proper tools, I'll go what's a hit, and what's not.

Pressure washer: I have the Active 2.0. It's a hit in the car washing scene.

Foam cannon: MTM PF22.2 orifice nozzle depends on how much pressure your pressure washer puts out.

Chemicals: Chemical Guys is more about marketing than anything else. Dr. Beasleys is considered professional grade, as is Koch Chemie, GTechniq, CarPro, Rupes, Lake Country, 3D, Sonax, ONR, etc.

I will back this entire post as a weekend warrior for 13 years. Carpro and Sonax really never miss and both have full range products that all perform very well.

Please for the love of God stop recommending CG. If you want to give your money to a pure marketing company that literally rebrands the same product 5-10 times then go for it. Buy some Liver King supplements while you're at it to get yolked.

[Limegrntaln]

Originally Posted by Nettles

Please for the love of God stop recommending CG.

I'm going to have to agree, here.

[Vishal50028]

dam, now i feel stupid for getting my brother a CG car wash set for his new x7 on his bday. lol