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Cleaned my car up today so have a few more products to present.
If you like rinseless washes, this is the best I have found. 2 oz of this in 4 gallons of water, wash with a mitt and then dry. I use a QD/spray sealant as a drying aid, mist the panel and then dry.
Speaking of drying, these are my favorite drying towels. I love that its the twisted loop on one side and then a smooth weave on the other side. The smooth weave is great for windows etc. These will just glide right over a wet panel and leave it perfectly streak free dry in one swipe.
My favorite paint protection right now is Katiba Wet Wax topped with Katiba Gloss Booster. I use the Gloss Booster after every wash and/or as a drying aid. The slickness is unreal and the car stays so clean, almost like ceramic coating performance:
If you like a Waterless Wash, this is the best I have found. Think of it like a Quick Detailer +, I also keep a bottle in the kitchen to wipe down the granite counters and the stainless appliances. Very slick, never streaks:
If rusting brake rotors bug you when you're washing the car, spray the rotors down with this after you do the wheels and they won't get that surface rust:
These "disposable" microfiber towels are great. High quality, and they can be washed and reused. I use a fresh one to wipe in the Gloss Booster and then wash them and keep them for wheels and interior etc and when they get stained I just chuck them:
My favorite tire dressing, I have tried many and always come back to this. You can buy it concentrated but I buy it pre-diluted, you can buy this locally at an AutoZone etc:
Lastly this is one of my favorite tools. I have had it for 30+ years, as you can see its from Brookstone which is long gone. It never scratches, great for dusting pollen off etc. Can't vouch for any modern ones:
I can vouch for the performance of Katiba Wet Wax and Gloss Booster. At your recommendation I bought both and they are now my go to products. The shine and slickness are impressive. Have you tried any of their other detailing products?
I have a couple of older California Dusters that I use on the cars, and they work great on dust and pollen in the spring and summer months. Alot of people aren't big fans of them but I have no issues with scratching etc.
I haven’t tried any of their other products, I want to. They have a new wax out also. Their ceramic coatings are also supposed to be really good. I have stopped coating my cars because I like using so many different products it’s really not necessary.
Car dusters are one of those things that get better with age too. You just have to be smart about when you use them. Only for pollen, not after it’s been driven for a week etc. In the pollen months in between washes when it hasn’t been rained on I will dust the car off every night in the garage to keep the pollen off of it.
This is one of the most impressive products I have used. This is a dressing for rubber floormats, its non slip..and it actually flashes off and leaves behind a perfectly new looking matte finish to any rubber. I use it for mats yes, but I also use it for pedals, rubber cupholder inserts and those removable rubber tray liners you see in storage cubbies etc:
if anyones part of the harbor freight ITC membership, there is 40% off Grants detailing products sale for the parking lot sale starting Monday june 1st
Yesterday I cleaned up the X3. It already had a coat of Wet Wax on it, so I just used Gloss Booster as a drying aid and even on a white car the gloss is really good.
If rusting brake rotors bug you when you're washing the car, spray the rotors down with this after you do the wheels and they won't get that surface rust.
That's one thing I like about recent GM products...they use an FNC (Ferritic Nitro-Carburizing) process on the rotors that, while not necessarily 100% completely rust-proof, is very highly-resistant to rust and corrosion. I have not seen any rotor rust at all on any of the recent Buicks I've owned...even after sitting in rainy/damp/humid conditions and/or exposed to road salt. GM may cut costs in some areas, but that is one area where they compensate for it.
Last edited by mmarshall; May 17, 2026 at 04:46 PM.
Yeah the gloss of the Katiba products is great, it feels so nice to your hand too.
Originally Posted by mmarshall
That's one thing I like about recent GM products...they use an FNC (Ferritic Nitro-Carburizing) process on the rotors that, while not necessarily 100% completely rust-proof, is very highly-resistant to rust and corrosion. I have not seen any rotor rust at all on any of the recent Buicks I've owned...even after sitting in rainy/damp/humid conditions and/or exposed to road salt. GM may cut costs in some areas, but that is one area where they compensate for it.
This is one of the most impressive products I have used. This is a dressing for rubber floormats, its non slip..and it actually flashes off and leaves behind a perfectly new looking matte finish to any rubber. I use it for mats yes, but I also use it for pedals, rubber cupholder inserts and those removable rubber tray liners you see in storage cubbies etc:
A car wash once put some greasy shiny crap on my rubber mats, they were super slippery, I barely cleaned it off.
Thar reminds me of when I first started driving I thought it was a good idea to use tire shine on my floor mats....I'll tell ya what it lasted near forever lol!
Steve, you schooled me to a pressure washer setup years ago, I've used it maybe 2-3 times and concluded that I don't have enough undocumented immigrant genes in me to keep using it. I've since brought it to my shop and it just sits there, and instead I bought one of those foam blasters on amazon. Not as good as full pressure washer setup, but does the job just fine, especially for motorcycles.
I’ve had that Ryobi little cube power washer for over six months based on recommendations here but I hadn’t used it since I had another power washer that I was waiting to die and it finally did. I used the new one last weekend and it is way better than my old one and much smaller. I love it.
Originally Posted by LexBob2
Yesterday I cleaned up the X3. It already had a coat of Wet Wax on it, so I just used Gloss Booster as a drying aid and even on a white car the gloss is really good.
Quick question on this and I did a search to gain an understanding of using something like what you have as a drying agent but I still don’t fully get it. Is it supposed to be easier or better than drying the car and then just using it on a dry car and how does the water on the car not dilute the product? Also, how do you know what products are to be used as a drying agent?
Lastly, this was a great idea for a new thread about different products that people use. I have bought several products that have been recommended and it has worked out well.
