club.liberty.asn.au

A one stop thread for the What - Where - How of detailing. NOW STICKIED

Purchasing


Online

• http://shop.finalinspection.com.au/ - Final Inspection high quality products and cheap to boot!
• http://www.carcareproducts.com.au/ - Recommended by TeK -
  
• http://www.waxit.com.au/ - Recommended by MattMann
  
• Meguiars products on the cheap - send a PM to member Jelwin for a wholesale hookup.

Stores

• Autobarn - carries a wide range of products (also depending on the size of the store) and are easy for a quick run to the store for the regular run of the mill products, they carry some good stuff too like Autoglym products. I also from my own experiences recommend it over Supercheap Auto as a quick stop if you are running low / out of stock and need to clean your one and only love (your car of course ). Personally I have found SCA's employees to know next to nothing about detailing, and that's from a multiple sample of stores.
  
• Supercheap Auto - Carries a decent amount of products (depending on store) but I personally found it to be the lesser of the large store car chains in terms of car detailing.
  
• Repco - stock a good range of Meguiars & Autoglym products, usually cheaper than SCA plus they give a 10% discount for RAC*/NRMA members. Staff knowledge is a mixed bag but in general they seem to be knowledgeable and experienced. -Recommended by SegR

Essentials
Non-Brand specific items

Multiple Buckets - 2 bucket washing method should always be used. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBo76v2je44
Drying - Waffle Weave Microfibre drying towel (the larger the better) - follow up with a smaller microfibre cloth to dry. Throw out your Chamois too
Degreaser - Engine bay / under car / wheel arches
Cloths - Microfibre - There are varying levels of quality for these kinds of cloths. Keep the bulk buy ones for things like Interior cleaning / Wheels / Engine bay etc. It's worthwhile to buy some slightly more expensive cloths to save for the paintwork of the car.
High Pressure washer - A lot of these on the market, complies with a lot of State rules in terms of water usage. Karcher is a common brand used.
Need more input



Products


Waterless Wash
Meguiars waterless spray detailer is great for a quick once over if your car is edging it's way towards becoming the dreaded dirty car, takes 15 minutes to do a quick spray and wipe of the car to rid it of dust / light dirt. I would suggest wiping the car down with a dry Microfibre cloth to rid it of some of the dust and dirt prior to using the spray detailer (personally I have found no difference between the 'Meguiars Ultimate quik detailer' and regular Meguiars waterless spray detailer, so just buy the regular as it's cheaper and also there is a 1 Ltr refill bottle available which is great value.


Leather cleaner
Zaino Z9+Z10 combo - Available in limited supply for close to half the price you will find buying in Australia. PM BennyGSR for details. This is hands down the best Leather cleaner available, and considering the price this is an absolute steal. Bennygsr has helped the club out in buying a huge batch of them for us, so help him out and buy a set or two!


Car Shampoo

• Autoglym Bodywork Shampoo Conditioner - My experiences with car wash detergents/shampoos (whatever you wish to call them) is limited compared to some, however at TeK's recommendation I tried Autoglym car shampoo and it works amazingly well, and is so far the best I have come across.
• Zaino Z7 Show Car Wash - I have probably used 20 different shampoos and found this to be the best. Use only a small amount so it lasts forever and there is no post wash hazing. Recommended by garbo41610

Wax
Swissvax Smaragd - Naldo used this on my car, and it is still going strong. I had never seen water bead off a car like it did the first time I took my car to the car wash after using this wax, highly recommended and it's still going very strong.



Sealant
Meguiars Ultimate Quik Wax - This is a great addition to add an extra layer of protection to your vehicle after a wash (waterless included). Curing time is approximately 12 hours, and you can add multiple layers, acts as it's own wax as well, so it's great for topping up your car on wax without having to do a full polish and wax until it's really needed.


Polishing Cloth
ArmorAll Polishing Cloth - I have found this to be the perfect cloth for doing waterless wash + Ultimate quick detailer. It's a very plush cloth so you really get a good application with it. Edit 10/12/2010 : Armorall have decided to be sneaky and change the quality of this cloth. If you can find the product in stores, try and look through the rack and feel the plushness of each cloth, if one is much more plush than the other, that is the older version (BETTER VERSION) also as an added test, press the sides in on the package, the new cloths seems to be quite rigid.....these are the bad ones. I went in to SCA today to check, and low and behold I found one of the original cloths and it came up on the register for $10....the new versions come up as $5. New versions are still ok...but nothing like they used to be. If you find the old versions snap them up, they won't last long!


Rim Cleaner

• Meguiars All Wheel Cleaner - Easy spray on and rinse off rim cleaner. I must warn you that this product is highly acidic and you really need to have a hose on the ready to rinse off after 15 seconds. MUST be rinsed off with water.
  
• Meguiars Hot Rim - Mag and Aluminium - This is a very time intensive process to do properly (each rim approximately 10-15 minutes) however the pay off is worth it (can also be used to polish other surfaces such as mufflers). The product is a clay like substance that you rub in to remove brake dust and other contaminants that have ingrained themselves in to your rims. I suggest topping it off with a claybar of the rim (with a waterless detailer) to get the brand new look. Please refer to the back of the packaging if this is suitable for your type of rim.

Tyre shine

• Meguiars Hot Shine Tyre Gel - Longer lasting than your regular spray on tyre shine, requires a little more effort to apply of course but the pay off is worth it. Can apply multiple layers for super shine.
• Forever Black Tyre Gel - takes some getting used to but yields great results. Recommended by garbo41610

Glass Cleaner
Need Input


Water Hydrophibic

• RainX Original - Fills in glass pores to make water slide off effortlessly.
• Nanolex - try Nanolex. When I bought it it was about 30 bucks. It is said to last 20,000k with wipers and 50,ooo without. It takes the same amount of time to apply as Rain x following the instructions with less drama, I have had it on for 3 yrs and while I do not do big K,s I do not doubt the longevity. Recommended by Blacknwhite

Wiper fluid treatment
Rain-X: Bug Remover - I have found the washer bottle additive one to be really easy to use and just as effective as the others. Recommended by Tek



Scratch Removal
Meguiars PlastX - Have used this to remove the tiny scratches on the Mackintosh headunit and also the clock display. Works fairly well.


Interior detailer
303 Products Aerospace Protectant - cannot go past 303 Products Aerospace Protectant, non greasy, lasts forever and keeps everything looking brand spanking new. Recommended by garbo41610


Cutting compound
Need input



Detailers


VIC

• Final Inspection - If you are after the best of the best, this is the place to take it to. varying levels of detailing available, ranging from low hundreds to thousands of $. Well known and well respected. I have taken my car there and I am going back to Damien at Final Inspection from now on, his work is world class.
• vp920b (Naldo) Forum Member - I have used his services personally, and he really knows what he is doing.

NSW

• DMS Detailing - Dan is very good, used him before. He is in Castle Hill. Recommended by BlackGT Closing Down
  Dr Buff - Sydney NSW - haven't used personally but seen results & talked to him a number of times so definitley recommend. 0418 118 998 Recommended by apg39

WA

• Inside & Out Car Care - Albany WA, workshop. 08 9841 7616 Forum member apg39
• Sublime Detailing - Perth WA, mobile & awesome. 0437 782 546 Recommended by apg39

SA

• Hamish_023 - Forum member. check out some of his work here

QLD

TAS

NT




Detailing Guides/Resources

• http://www.detailparadise.com.au/ - The Ultimate Detailing resource
  
• http://www.autopia.org/ - Offers a huge amount of resources for newbie detailers to professionals. Worth a good look.
  
• http://www.youtube.com/user/MeguiarsUSA - Meguiars Youtube channel. Informative videos on detailing tips. Keep in mind it's trying to sell you Meguiars only products, just remember there might be better products out there.
  
• http://www.detailparadise.com.au/ - Recommended by Matmann
  
• http://glowridaz.com.au/forum/ - Recommended by Hobba

Please post your personal experiences of Known Detailers - Detailer stores (online or locations) - Detailing products - Detailing Guides

Meguiars = Jelwin

Thanks champ.

Please post your personal experiences of Known Detailers in your State - Detailer stores (online or locations) - Detailing products

Updated in to a much more detailed thread - So Bump for peoples recommendations!

Meguiars Hot Shine Tyre Gel i find is too thick and flicks of the tyre, Perl is a alot better and water based

Good idea for a thread. I'll add that Repco stock a good range of Meguiars & Autoglym products, usually cheaper than SCA plus they give a 10% discount for RAC*/NRMA members. Staff knowledge is a mixed bag but in general they seem to be knowledgeable and experienced.

Thanks SegR.
I just checked their website and they have a sale on until tomorrow as well, so I'll probably head down (didn't know there was a store nearby) and have a look today.

Just went to 2 Autobarns, Supercheap and Repco to stock up on some stuff.

SCA is selling the Armor All polishing cloths for $5 each, they are normally $10....kind of wishing I picked up more than 2, although I have 5 of them now

I also finally found the car air freshener 'tree' I have been searching for since I got my car detailed back in July, it's Kenco (Fashion fresh line) 'inspired by cool water' - Not the regular Cool water from Kenco. It's the only tree I have come across that doesn't smell like a damn toilet spray, it's very good.

Zaino Z7 Show Car Wash. I have probably used 20 different shampoos and found this to be the best. Use only a small amount so it lasts forever and there is no post wash hazing. FWIW, I tend to steer clear of meguiars and autoglym, its always better to spend a little extra and use a better product.

For tyres I use Speciality Brands Forever BLACK Tyre Gel, takes some getting used to but yields great results.

And for the interior youi cannot go past 303 Products Aerospace Protectant, non greasy, lasts forever and keeps everything looking brand spanking new.

I get everything from www.carcareproducts.com.au as well. They are fantastic and a few times I have got my packages the next day.

http://www.waxit.com.au/

i use these guys

Can any Adelaide members recommend a local detailer for cut & polish and interior?

MatMann wrote:http://www.waxit.com.au/

i use these guys

Nice Paypal too. Just put an order through.

they know their stuff too any queries just call or email

also lots of info on this site detailparadise.com.au

This is my collection...

Nice.

I'll update this whole thread a bit more when I get a chance.
In the mean time please post more detailers / products....only got some Melb detailers so far, would be very handy for the members from other states to be able to find out detailers in one easy to use thread.