DFB5.0
Well-Known Member
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- #1
For me personally, I get a kick out of discovering new products and brands. That's why my go-to products that I use and recommend are from sourced from different brands and different suppliers. Some brands come close to providing a winning product in every category, but none truly nail it. To me, that's an important factor and the reason why I my cabinet isn't filled with one brand. But....................that me, an obsessive-car-detailer. Having said that, I do realize some would like to simplify the buying process.
My Detailing Adress Book covers a comprehensive list of products and tools, but that follows my eclectic style. So, the below flow charts will focus on a quick reference product-towel-tool-quantity guide to make shopping and usage easier. In this case, I've tried to keep the product selection to a smaller group of brands and suppliers, again to simplify the buying process. I won't link all products and tools mentioned here, but with the exception of the Bilt Hamber, you can get these products from a few key suppliers -
The Rag Company
Sky's The Limit Car Care
Car Supplies Warehouse
The following is a towel shopping list. Use this as a guide to get started or to bolster your lineup. Take note some items you only need one of no matter how many cars you have. But for something like wash mitts, I think you need one per car, similar concept with drying towels. I used to ration my towels, but with how cost effective they are now, its always better to have more towels than not enough. Just remember, towels are consumables, demote and replace as needed.
I really hope this is of use. I think the biggest problem a novice detailer faces is the massive amount of choice out there now. Once upon a time, you went to the auto store, picked up a few Meguiar's products and called it good. But with countless brands now at our fingertips, it can be hard to know where to start. I guess with this guide, you can bypass the trial-and-error stage and skip right to the main event. This means you can buy with confidence and save some money in the process. Naturally, some of it will be subjective, but by and large, you won't be disappointed with any of the towels or products listed above.
Happy detailing!!
My Detailing Adress Book covers a comprehensive list of products and tools, but that follows my eclectic style. So, the below flow charts will focus on a quick reference product-towel-tool-quantity guide to make shopping and usage easier. In this case, I've tried to keep the product selection to a smaller group of brands and suppliers, again to simplify the buying process. I won't link all products and tools mentioned here, but with the exception of the Bilt Hamber, you can get these products from a few key suppliers -
The Rag Company
Sky's The Limit Car Care
Car Supplies Warehouse
| EXTERIOR WASHING & CLEANING | ||||
| TASK | PRODUCT/S | TOOL/TOWEL | TOOL/TOWEL QTY | NOTES |
| Regular/Maintenance Exterior Washing | Carpro Reset | MTM Foam Cannon, TRC Cyclone Ultra Pad/Mitt | 1 per vehicle | |
| Pre-Wash Snow Foam | Bilt Hamber Touchless | MTM Foam Cannon | NA | No agitation, foam & rinse only |
| Decontamination Washing | Carpro Lift | MTM Foam Cannon, TRC Cyclone Ultra Pad/Mitt | 1 per vehicle | |
| Rinse-less & Waterless Washing | Armour Detail Hero | TRC Eagle Edgeless 500 (blue) | 10 per vehicle | |
| Wheel Washing | P&S Brake Buster | TRC Ultra Wool Mitt, Detail Factory Wheel Brush, DF Boars Hair Brush, EZ-Detail Brush | 1 of each | Maintenance Cleaning |
| Armour Detail Wheel Cleaner | TRC Ultra Wool Mitt, Detail Factory Wheel Brush, DF Boars Hair Brush, EZ-Detail Brush | 1 of each | Occasional Deep Cleaning | |
| Tire Cleaning | P&S Brake Buster | Detail Factory Tire Scrub Brush | 1 | Maintenance Cleaning |
| Carpro ReTyre | Detail Factory Tire Scrub Brush | 1 | Occasional Deep Cleaning | |
| Glass (inc interior) | Stoner Invisible Glass | TRC Dry Me A River 16" x 24" (dark blue) | 2 per vehicle | Tint safe |
| Bug Removal | P&S Bug Off | TRC Jersey Bug Scrubber | 1 per vehicle | Use as needed |
| Tar Removal | Carpro TarX | TRC Jersey Bug Scrubber | 1 per vehicle | Use as needed |
| Iron Removal | Carpro IronX | NA | NA | |
| Clay Treatments | Capro Clay Lube | TRC Ultra Clay Sponge or Mitt | 1 | |
| Dirty Jobs | Koch Chemie Green Star at 8:1 | TRC Car Wash Towel (grey) and/or TRC Rip'n'Rag | 10 per vehicle / 1 roll |
| DRYING | ||||
| TASK | PRODUCT/S | TOOL/TOWEL | TOOL/TOWEL QTY | NOTES |
| Drying / Drying Aid | Armour Detail Supply Amplify | TRC Gauntlet 15" x 24" | 2 per vehicle | Body, Large Towel |
| Drying / Drying Aid | Armour Detail Supply Amplify | Microfiber Madness Chipmounk Jr. 16" x 16" | 2 per vehicle | Body, Small Towel |
| Drying / Drying Aid | Armour Detail Supply Amplify | TRC Gauntlet 12" x 12" | 2 per vehicle | Wheels |
| Drying / Door Jambs | Carpro ECH20 | TRC Dry Me A River 16" x 24" (light blue) | 2 per vehicle | |
| Drying / Engine Bay | Carpro ECH20 | TRC Car Wash Towel (red) | 2 per vehicle | Red to differentiate |
| INTERIOR CLEANING | ||||
| TASK | PRODUCT/S | TOOL/TOWEL | TOOL/TOWEL QTY | NOTES |
| Maintenance Wipe Downs | Armour Detail Pilot | TRC Car Wash Towel (green) | 1 per vehlice | Spray and wipe applications |
| Heavy Interior Cleaning | P&S Xpress | TRC Car Wash Towel (green), Detail Factory Ultra-Soft Brush, DF Carpet Brush | 2 per vehicle | Use brushes as needed |
| Leather Cleaning | P&S Xpress or ColourLock Leather Cleaner | TRC Car Wash Towel (green), ColourLock Brush | 2 per vehicle, 1 brush | |
| Leather Protection | ColourLock Leather Shield or Protector | TRC Car Wash Towel (green), TRC Pearl Applicator | 2 per vehicle, 1 Appli. | Shield for new cars, Protector for 3+ year old cars |
| Interior Dressing | Koch Chemie Top Star | TRC Car Wash Towel (green), TRC Pearl Applicator | 1 per vehicle, 1 Appli. |
| EXTERIOR POLISHING | ||||
| TASK | PRODUCT/S | TOOL/TOWEL | TOOL/TOWEL QTY | NOTES |
| Polishing | Carpro Reflect | TRC Creature Edgeless (grey) | 10 per vehicle | Light Polishing, select pads to suit |
| Griots Fast Correcting Crème | TRC Creature Edgeless (grey) | 10 per vehicle | Heavy Cutting, select pads to suit | |
| Metal Polishing | Mother's Mag & Aluminum Polish | TRC Rip'n'Rag | 1 roll | Exhaust tips, chrome bumpers ect |
| Prep Spray | Carpro Eraser | TRC Creature Edgeless (grey) | 4 per vehicle | Use before, during, after polishing |
| EXTERIOR PROTECTION | ||||
| TASK | PRODUCT/S | TOOL/TOWEL | TOOL/TOWEL QTY | NOTES |
| Prep Spray | Carpro Eraser | TRC Creature Edgeless (grey) | 4 per vehicle | Use prior to application of wax/sealant/coating |
| Wax/Sealant Application | Collinite 845 Wax | TRC Creature Edgeless (grey), TRC Pearl Applicator | 4 per vehicle, 1 Appli. | Towels in addition and shared with polishing |
| Spray Sealant Application | Armour Detail Ceramic Spray Sealant | TRC Creature Edgeless (grey) | 4 per vehicle | |
| Ceramic Coating Application | Gyeon CanCoat EVO | TRC Edgeless Pearl (orange), TRC Pearl Applicator | 6 per vehicle, 1 Appli. | 1-year protection |
| Gyeon Mohs EVO | TRC Edgeless Pearl (orange), TRC Pearl Applicator | 6 per vehicle, 1 Appli. | 3-year protection | |
| Wheel Protection | Carpro Hydr02 Lite | NA | NA | 2-month protection, towels are single use only |
| Armour Detail High Temp Wheel Coating | TRC Edgeless Pearl (orange), TRC Pearl Applicator | 4 per vehicle, 1 Appli. | 2-year protection, towels are single use only | |
| Glass Protection | Opti-Coat Clean & Protect | TRC Dry Me A River 16" x 24" (dark blue) | 2 per vehicle | Short term protection, exterior glass only |
| Gyeon Q2 Quick View | TRC Dry Me A River 16" x 24" (dark blue) | 2 per vehicle | Longer term protection, exterior glass only | |
| Plastic Trim Care | Carpro Reload 2.0 | TRC Creature Edgeless (grey) | 2 per vehicle | Medium term protection |
| Engine Bay Dressing | Carpro Perl at 5:1 | TRC Car Wash Towel (red) | 2 per vehicle | Red to differentiate |
| Tire Dressing | Carpro Perl at 1:1 | RaceGlaze XL brush for application | 1 | |
| Exhaust Tip Protection | Dr. Beasley's Metal Coat | TRC Rip'n'Rag | 1 roll | Exhaust tips, chrome bumpers ect |
The following is a towel shopping list. Use this as a guide to get started or to bolster your lineup. Take note some items you only need one of no matter how many cars you have. But for something like wash mitts, I think you need one per car, similar concept with drying towels. I used to ration my towels, but with how cost effective they are now, its always better to have more towels than not enough. Just remember, towels are consumables, demote and replace as needed.
| TOWEL USE & QTY PER VEHICLE | ||
| Per Vehicle = Qty should be multiplied by car count | ||
| Total = Qty required no matter vehicle count | ||
| TASK | TOWEL | QTY PER VEICLE |
| Wash Mitt/Pad (Paint) | TRC Cyclone Ultra Pad/Mitt | 1 per vehicle |
| Wash Mitt (Wheels) | TRC Ultra Wheel Mitt | 1 per vehicle |
| Rinse-less Washing | TRC Eagle Edgeless 500 | 10 - 15 total |
| Large Drying Towel | TRC Gauntlet 15" x 24" | 2 per vehicle |
| Small Drying Towel | Microfiber Madness Chipmounk Jr. 16" x 16" | 2 per vehicle |
| Wheel Drying Towel | TRC Gauntlet 12" x 12" | 2 per vehicle |
| Door Jamb Drying Towel | TRC Dry Me A River 16" x 24" (light blue) | 2 per vehicle |
| Engine Bay Drying Towel | TRC Car Wash Towel (red) | 2 per vehicle |
| Glass Cleaning | TRC Dry Me A River 16" x 24" (dark blue) | 4 per vehicle |
| Bug & Tar Removal | TRC Jersey Bug Scrubber | 1 total |
| Clay Towel/Sponge | TRC Ultra Clay Sponge or Mitt | 1 total |
| Dirty Jobs (reusable) | TRC Car Wash Towel (grey) | 10 total |
| Dirty Jobs (disposable) | TRC Rip'n'Rag | 1 roll total |
| Interior Cleaning | TRC Car Wash Towel (dark green) | 10 per vehicle |
| Polish / Sealant Removal | TRC Creature Edgeless (grey) | 15 per total |
| Metal Polishing | TRC Rip'n'Rag | 1 roll total |
| Coating Removal Towel | TRC Edgeless Pearl (orange) | 10 per vehicle |
| Applicators | TRC Pearl Applicator (orange) | 6 total |
| Microfiber Detergent | P&S Rags to Riches | 1 gallon total |
I really hope this is of use. I think the biggest problem a novice detailer faces is the massive amount of choice out there now. Once upon a time, you went to the auto store, picked up a few Meguiar's products and called it good. But with countless brands now at our fingertips, it can be hard to know where to start. I guess with this guide, you can bypass the trial-and-error stage and skip right to the main event. This means you can buy with confidence and save some money in the process. Naturally, some of it will be subjective, but by and large, you won't be disappointed with any of the towels or products listed above.
Happy detailing!!
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