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Admit it or not, we are all Brand Loyalists deep down. We all have our "Go To Sites" for products to keep our Lexus vehicles nice and clean. Over the 4th of July Holiday, my Favorite site had a 25% discount sale, which I took full advantage of. Just thought I'd throw out a Poll to see which Companies other Lexus Owners use, and exactly what "Products" you choose as well. For instance, my personal faves are AutoGeek & Rag Company for sources, and mostly Pinnacle, for products. However, I have purchased and tried a few "Optimum" Products recently, which I'm still on the fence about. For numerous reasons, many people are flocking toward the "Waterless" washes these days, which they took the lead on for sure. I recently tried this "Wash, Clay, Wax" method on my wife's RX350 which came out "Ok" but I don't think I'd use their "Clay Towel" again to be honest. Cool concept though!
I'm now drawn to the "Nanoskin" equivalent that just seems to fit & stay in the hand a bit better. Another tool I'm very fond of, is the Porter Cable 7424XP Dual Action Polisher.
I know there are others out there which some of you may be using, and would love to hear about them too! Perhaps, even someone who may have used the Porter Cable, and switched to another Brand? Therefore, if you'd like to Vote on your Go To Resource and share your favored Products, Im thinking there just might be something we all can learn. I am a firm believer in Paying It Forward in life, so what do ya say?
**SORRY- Just tried amending Poll to enable more than just one choice- But system wont allow it. Simply list more than one in a Reply.*
Admit it or not, we are all Brand Loyalists deep down. We all have our "Go To Sites" for products to keep our Lexus vehicles nice and clean. Over the 4th of July Holiday, my Favorite site had a 25% discount sale, which I took full advantage of. Just thought I'd throw out a Poll to see which Companies other Lexus Owners use, and exactly what "Products" you choose as well. For instance, my personal faves are AutoGeek & Rag Company for sources, and mostly Pinnacle, for products. However, I have purchased and tried a few "Optimum" Products recently, which I'm still on the fence about. For numerous reasons, many people are flocking toward the "Waterless" washes these days, which they took the lead on for sure. I recently tried this "Wash, Clay, Wax" method on my wife's RX350 which came out "Ok" but I don't think I'd use their "Clay Towel" again to be honest. Cool concept though!
I'm now drawn to the "Nanoskin" equivalent that just seems to fit & stay in the hand a bit better. Another tool I'm very fond of, is the Porter Cable 7424XP Dual Action Polisher.
I know there are others out there which some of you may be using, and would love to hear about them too! Perhaps, even someone who may have used the Porter Cable, and switched to another Brand? Therefore, if you'd like to Vote on your Go To Resource and share your favored Products, Im thinking there just might be something we all can learn. I am a firm believer in Paying It Forward in life, so what do ya say?
**SORRY- Just tried amending Poll to enable more than just one choice- But system wont allow it. Simply list more than one in a Reply.*
Autogeek and Detailedimage are one of the tops, they are both great and both offer similar sales and great support. While auto geek offers those flash sales, they ship Fedex ground, its a minimum one week wait for me, while detailed image offers wholesale account which requires a yearly minimum spend to qualify year after year, but they ship usps priority so you can receive products within 1-3days. Both offer great gifts and samples, you decide both are great companies with great support.
That wash claywax method is a great way to take care of daily, but realistically looks like that car just came out of a show room, it looks super clean. Manufacturer claims that sponge releases contaminants but on a car thats been driven for a week, that bucket will get contaimated again that no grit guard or onr will save. On a car thats being daily driven thats been polished I tend to avoid that one sponge method and use multiple microfibers using a fresh clean one every new panel to minimize inflicting any damage into the paint, you go through a lot of microfibers but 90% of them come out usable after a good wash, the remaining 10% will now go down the cycle to wheels, fender liners, etc./. The bucket stays clean with fresh onr and distilled water and nothing dirty gets introduced into this bucket keeping my wash media fresh and clean every time I use it against the paint.
Can we choose more than one vendor or does it have to be one only?
Autogeek and Detailedimage are one of the tops, they are both great and both offer similar sales and great support. While auto geek offers those flash sales, they ship Fedex ground, its a minimum one week wait for me, while detailed image offers wholesale account which requires a yearly minimum spend to qualify year after year, but they ship usps priority so you can receive products within 1-3days. Both offer great gifts and samples, you decide both are great companies with great support.
That wash claywax method is a great way to take care of daily, but realistically looks like that car just came out of a show room, it looks super clean. Manufacturer claims that sponge releases contaminants but on a car thats been driven for a week, that bucket will get contaimated again that no grit guard or onr will save. On a car thats being daily driven thats been polished I tend to avoid that one sponge method and use multiple microfibers using a fresh clean one every new panel to minimize inflicting any damage into the paint, you go through a lot of microfibers but 90% of them come out usable after a good wash, the remaining 10% will now go down the cycle to wheels, fender liners, etc./. The bucket stays clean with fresh onr and distilled water and nothing dirty gets introduced into this bucket keeping my wash media fresh and clean every time I use it against the paint.
Can we choose more than one vendor or does it have to be one only?
I tried to make it so you can select more than one, but one cant do that after its published. Sorry.
AutoGeek is #1 for me, Rag Co for all Microfiber, and Detailed Image for a few other odds n ends.
I'm a true amateur detail friend and scared as hell to add up what I've dropped this year since getting my RCF !
I'm a true amateur detail friend and scared as hell to add up what I've dropped this year since getting my RCF !
Autogeek is nice and organized with all your orders and how much you've spent there. Mine has all my orders going back to 2007.
The main stores that I shop at are Autogeek, detailedimage, detailing.com, and detailersdomain. All of these shops have been good to me over the years.
Lately, I've been on a carpro binge, so I have most of the carpro line. Last year it was Gyeon, and the year before that it was Nanolex.
I went from the original PC 7424 to a UDM (ultimate detailing machine) to a PC7424XP for the first 11 years of my detailing hobby, and I recently upgraded to the Rupes LHR15 Mark II. The rupes is a better polisher and cuts down on correction time, but it isn't a better value. If you earn a living detailing cars, then it's worth considering as an investment into your business. As a hobbyist, you have to not care about the price to justify going for the upgrade. The rupes is 3.5x more expensive than a 7424xp, but it isn't 2x better.
Autogeek is nice and organized with all your orders and how much you've spent there. Mine has all my orders going back to 2007.
The main stores that I shop at are Autogeek, detailedimage, detailing.com, and detailersdomain. All of these shops have been good to me over the years.
Lately, I've been on a carpro binge, so I have most of the carpro line. Last year it was Gyeon, and the year before that it was Nanolex.
I went from the original PC 7424 to a UDM (ultimate detailing machine) to a PC7424XP for the first 11 years of my detailing hobby, and I recently upgraded to the Rupes LHR15 Mark II. The rupes is a better polisher and cuts down on correction time, but it isn't a better value. If you earn a living detailing cars, then it's worth considering as an investment into your business. As a hobbyist, you have to not care about the price to justify going for the upgrade. The rupes is 3.5x more expensive than a 7424xp, but it isn't 2x better.
GREAT reply here BikeX !
You are right! I just went into my AG History and saw the same thing, orders from 2010 (And that's just under my newer email-used a AOL one back when it was around!) lol
Interesting about the Rupes device. Based on what you say, I think I'll stick to my Porter Cable. Just bought all new pads at AG anyway since I forgot what each color is designated for, even though theyre universal. As a Retired & Service Connected Marine I'm not looking to start doing anything professional, our 3 vehicles keep me busy-plus helping out a friend here and there is fun to do on a Sat. My Dodge Ram is so damn huge that when doing a FULL detail - from Wash, Clay (Nanoskin) to Polish & Wax is often a two day process! Might have the Co doing my PPF do my truck since they quoted me $350 inside n out.
Speaking of this Company doing a Full PPF & Ceramic Coat on my RCF next week - they use all Car Pro gear and will be covering the Suntek Film with CP CQuartz (The kind you and I cannot buy online) Apparently you must have some formal Detail License or something to obtain this stuff since its restricted. It was CQuartz or Gtechniq Crystal Serum. Either way, they are going way out on this for me! I assume you've done your own "Coating" yourself? If you have any other products meant to maintain this type of Film & Coating Im all ears buddy!
I started picking up new gear to be used over PPF and a lot of it is both CarPro and Gtechniq. I did get this one bottle from AG that maybe you can shed more light on since you seem to know your stuff. When I read it, I thought it was more of a "Drying Agent" and not a true "Coating" as I was told on the AutoGeek Forum (Are you on that too?) This is the stuff I am talking about:
I tried it on my truck and wifes RX350 by spraying it on after wash ,and immediately rinsing it off. It creates an INSTANT water repellent factor and for some odd reason seems to keep the vehicle cleaner after days of rain and road grime! The one thing I did not like, was that it created some huge water spots which required some serious elbow grease to remove.
When I bought my Wheels & Tires from an awesome Vendor here on Club Lexus (PK Auto Design) they coated them prior to mounting the tires, which helped a great deal in maintenance. However, I'd like to do them again. Matter of fact, I really want to change these OEM Brake Pads due to the unreal amount of dust they put off! I mean UNREAL!
Since you appear to know your stuff very well, check out the site I listed on the Pol - Obsessed Garage. The guy there is a hardcore detailer and has a TON of very cool videos on everything imaginable! The Series on his personal Porsche GT3 is pretty impressive. His pricing is somewhat high, but gear is good. OH BTW- Are you one who uses a Power Washer w Foam Gun / Cannon? If so, please post what you use on this because that is my next purchase. Was looking at this SunJoe 4000 w 2030 psi. Only issue is that aftermarket Foam Attachments are not compatible I think? Never tried this task of coating entire car w heavy Foam before gently hitting it with my fine Wash Mitts. Just a Two-Bucket Guy right now. Thanks for the input BikeXcoupe!!
(Post some pics of your Lexus please?)
Semper Fi !!
PS. Forgot to mention. Obtained a "Master Blaster Revolution" last month that totally blew me away (No Pun) This thing literally dries my entire car (without even touching it) in less than 15 mins! Every nook n crannie, inside mirrors, gas cap, door jambs, etc. Absolutely awesome piece of gear right here man!!
I've only done consumer grade coatings myself. Every company has their pro version that isn't available to the public. My SC is coated with Gtechniq Crystal serum light + an additional layer of EXO v2. I left the coating alone for about 1 year and started using Carpro Hydro2 on top of it every 3 months after that. I'm going to try topping it with Carpro Reload the next time it's due for a refresher. On my IS250 it has Gyeon Mohs and I have to apply Gyeon Cure every 2 months. Cure is included with the Mohs when you purchase it.
The most generic explanation for hydro2 lite is that it's a super diluted version of a coating that is designed to be sprayed on and rinsed off. It's a good way to give people a preview of what a coating can do. It is very temperature sensitive, so that's probably why you're getting water spots. The car has to be cool to the touch all around and out of direct sunlight. If there is any streaking left behind it'll take like 2-3 months to disappear on it's own.
The RCF/GSF brake pads are insane for how much they dust after 1 day of driving, but a less dusting pad usually comes at a trade off to braking performance.
I bought a ryobi pressure washer from home depot and a cheap foam gun off of amazon. I've used it a handful of times, but my cars don't get that dirty to begin with. The main purpose of the foam is to do a presoak, so you spray the car down with foam and let that foam lift the dirt off the paint, so you can rinse it off and wash the car normally after. For me, it's more trouble than it's worth on my personal cars. I think of it as more of a novelty item than a necessity to a good car wash.
I've checked out OG garage before and I do like that he buys everything to test them out for himself, but some of his stuff is overkill.
SC after it initially got coated with CSL + EXO:
IS after gyeon mohs and cure:
My current loaner LS460L after polishing + carpro reload
GREAT reply and VERY informative too! You actually helped me make the decision NOT to go ***** out on the whole Foam setup! This is a hobby not meant to be overly complicated, plus like you my car is dirt n lint free 24/7 in garage!
Those are some nice products ya'lls got there. IMO just skip the Childs play hyrdro and jump to the big guns reload/cure, cure seems like the exact same product as reload. Theres been plenty of times where carpro uk won best as standalone coating, and if your topping with reload anyways for additional gloss and protection. One coating I really want to try out is the GYEON Syncro.
If your going clear bra, I would do that right away and top with your favorite coating for additional glass like shine and protection, coatings offer great UV protection and great ease of maintenance. Then top the coating with reload/cure and your car will look good for many years to come.
From my experience, I would also skip that sun joe pressure washers, they use exclusive fittings and you wont be able to slap on a generic fitting such as a 50" hose, just go to your local store and buy the greenworks, they are more user friendly and work better with universal fittings.
This may be something to consider on your next pressure washer purchase. If your fine with all the exclusive lines, hoses, etc with the sun joe then by all means it may be a great purchase for you.
Those are some nice products ya'lls got there. IMO just skip the Childs play hyrdro and jump to the big guns reload/cure, cure seems like the exact same product as reload.
Those products are not a substitute for Hydro...
My question is why on Earth would you use Reload when Hydro is ten times easier, gives you complete coverage on areas you can't reach by hand or would otherwise be too time consuming, and if used properly it's idiot proof.
My question is why on Earth would you use Reload when Hydro is ten times easier, gives you complete coverage on areas you can't reach by hand or would otherwise be too time consuming, and if used properly it's idiot proof.
Reload offers more durability and easy to use as drying aid,
I had to wash firework residue off the LS this morning (my friends and I got a bit carried away on the 4th). After I washed the car, I mixed a batch of hydro2 to spray down all the wheels, glass, and grills. I can't see myself ditching hydro2 completely. Like 97-SC300 said, it's too easy to use.
I bet, Im not fortunate enough to be able to use that hydro because 9.5 times out of 10 I can get away with using a rinse less method using no free flowing water.
I shop on Amazon, hence my OTHER vote. While autogeek is in my state they take too long even for the same state to ship and for the stuff I want to arrive. I am not SUPER heavy into detailing so my products are things pretty much ANYONE can use. When I first brought home my 17 ES I did a clay bar once over and examined the car for any major issues, surprisingly there was only a few minor imperfections that were corrected by hand. Then it got 2 coats of Megs Ultimate Liquid wax. As you can see I mainly use Meguiar's products. My weekly routine is Megs Gold Class wash (2 bucket method), with a lambskin mit, I use Megs D170 hyper dressing on my tires (water based so no leftover goo), and after the car is washed and dry via blower, I use D156 Megs synthetic wax do finish the drying and keep the super slick surface. I do have a few other items from Chemical Guys and Mothers, as well as a Megs DA Polisher. But those won't be needed for a while as I do my washing routine weekly, and the car is garaged when I am at home.
Reload offers more durability and easy to use as drying aid,
I don't buy it. Never liked Reload, especially after the issues they had with it initially with streaking or being difficult to use. I know that was a while ago and I never cared to see if Carpro ever adjusted the formula or fixed their product.
I am seeing at least a couple of months out of a single Hydro application and that is MORE than enough for me for a product that literally takes 3 minutes to apply. There is nothing else like it. I'll take touchless over a spray sealant any day of the week. Proud to say I have not touched a spray sealant in years and do not plan on it.
Ceramic coating of your choice followed by Hydro as a maintenance aid every few months or a couple of times a year depending how much you use your car. Done.
07-05-18, 05:20 AM
Whats Your Favorite Resource & Product?
Outstanding !!!
