Morribiscuit
Well-known member
The turtle wax ceramic wax also works really well. it is NOT a proper ceramic coating, but as a cheaper alternative it applies very nicely, gives good shine, good hydrophobic properties as well.
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Read the WELCOME ALL BMWFANATICS post.
BMW At Home Car Wash: What Products do you use?
- Thread starter Keatonraman330dMSport
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Scotty88
Active member
Yeah also great product, I just find the seal and shine more value for money with similar properties.Not a wax but i really enjoy this, the amount of Gloss and water beading after is amazing
Turtle Wax - Hybrid Ceramic Spray Coating (500ml) - CrazyDetailer
Easy to apply and delivers unmatched hydrophobicity & ceramic protection for our cars paintwork that will last a minimum of 6 months.www.crazydetailer.co.za
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i must check it out. I see it is CARNAUBA WAX based. how is it in terms of durability?
i also tried the Megs equivalent but not as good as The Turtle Wax:
Didn't give as much Gloss
Scotty88
Active member
Durability is great. I would say 3 months of protection. Crazy hydrophobic properties too.
I tried detail ease, and it was very poor durability. Matter of weeks and the protection is gone.
Turtle wax makes cleaning my car a breeze. Just some water pressure, and most of the dirt comes off.
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r0ckf1re
Well-known member
I’ve used this and very happy with it
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Glad you mentioned the Detail ease because it always pops up on my Insta, so i was really considering it. Now i know its not worth it.
Will check out the Megs one you mentioned
Benji
Well-known member
Something I have not seen mentioned here - clay. You can not have a detailing kit without it. I have fairly recently had "my eyes opened" to clay, especially cars they spend time in uncovered parking and on South African roads. I can't tell you how many times I have polished a car (an intrusive, abrasive and time consuming process) when all the car needed was a quick claybar and reseal.
Scotty88
Active member
What clay do you recommend? I don't have clay but probally as I don't have the correct knowledge on how to use it properly. What is the correct process when using clay?
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I’ve recently started watching Pan the Organiser and he has a lot of videos explaining all the different detailing aspects, demos om how to do it and quite a few product reviews which I found helpful. He very detailed in his explanations.
He’s in the US so some products not available here.
Benji
Well-known member
The nice thing with clay is that it is just clay, nothing special about it. You will need a lubricant as well. I bought the turtlewax claybar set which came with lubricant, but dare I say (maybe I will be corrected here), I have found any soap to be a sufficient lubricant - use logic and feel when mixing concentrations, and apply with a spray bottle. The clay must glide over the paint, remember to "turn" the clay frequently and dont over use it. Once it stars looking visibly loaded, chuck it.
Maybe something obvious to state: clay is not really a maintenance item - it should only be used when contaminants can not be removed with detergents/pressure washer/wash mitts, but definetely HAS to be done before any kind of machine polish is applied to a car.
Sabretooth tiger
///Member
I agree with Benji. I always had a clay bar as part of my products. The el-cheapo stuff works just as great.
Just make sure you use enough lubricant and if you drop it throw it away. Don't go near the car with it.
Just make sure you use enough lubricant and if you drop it throw it away. Don't go near the car with it.
TurboLlew
Honorary ///Member
Good idea is that the first time you're detailing, do an iron decontamination with your wash, clay the whole car and then after that point, if your coating/wax and maintenance is decent, you should only have to use the clay for specific areas/panels after this.
There are also different grades of clay. Most of the clays in the kits are not very aggressive. That said, you may have to polish the panel (at least in some spots) if you need to go aggressive on some specific spots. I found before I used the iron decontamination (IronX, Gyeon Iron etc) the clay would be a lot dirtier and the effort needed polishing afterwards was greater.
The specific clay lubes are a little slipperier and take a bit longer to flash off, but you can use any kind of quick detailer/soapy product really.
TurboLlew
Honorary ///Member
When watching ALL youtubers take what they say with a pinch of salt. There are a host of them sponsored by crap products and they claim everything does 'insane' things. I have seen youtubers wash a car and even start applying 'ceramic' coatings. Read through the buzzwords and marketing too. Alot of these products are marketed as "ceramic graphene' somethings but they are just spray sealants that have existed for decades that now have new signal ingredients and a few formula upgrades. Doesn't mean they aren't good... I use the Turtlewax one as an interior detailer as I mentioned.
Nothing in a spray bottle (maybe Can Coat) is really ceramic. Graphene, your mileage will vary as with Ceramics you can get them from R99 to 20x that. You can mimic ceramic properties and those products are available as 'topper' or maintenance products for real coatings as well (Gyeon Wet Coat).
I have tried many things over the years and dodgy youtuber content it is very evident when some shop brand (you've tried) is getting rated the same or better than a higher end product (that you've also tried) when it is obviously not the case in reality. These brands have shills online FOR DAYS and if you complain it will be because of how you parked the car, where you live, how you applied it etc.... not that you can't expect a R200 product on a shelf to perform like a R2000 coating that is professionally applied.
Youtubers also have an arc of first being honest, then getting paid sponsorships (disclosed or not), having some drama around it where suddenly everything is shit or they get called out, but not to worry they are bringing out their 'own trusted range' of products and brushes white-labeled in china (cos none of them are chemical engineers LOL).
I agree with Benji. I have tried the Megs Clay kit and the cheap Shield clay. Both worked just as fine.
For Lubrication i tend to just buy the Shield quick detailer as it is cheap. Once i ran out, and did research and found that you can use your Car shampoo. i tried and it worked just fine. The only downside is then you have to rinse the shampoo off the car, especially if you going to apply wax or polish after.
I really enjoy using for other items too. Like my windscreen, it gets rid of tree sap nicely. Rims it works well too, and my exhaust tips. I clay then apply the metal polish and it comes out perfectly.
You cant polish a car with out ever being clayed, or recently clayed. There are so many contaminants just under the clear coat. The smooth feel and clarity after clay, then a polish is just awesome. Just the time. I will never clay an entire car myself again lol. Especially now that i am full time working at the office. Rather find an affordable detailer to do a proper job once. Then do odd touch ups your self thereafter when needed.
And hang on top that clay! Nothing more disappointing then dropping that hand ful of clay lol Its really one of those slow motion "NOOOOOOO!!!' moments as you feel it slide out your hand and hit the floor lol
For Lubrication i tend to just buy the Shield quick detailer as it is cheap. Once i ran out, and did research and found that you can use your Car shampoo. i tried and it worked just fine. The only downside is then you have to rinse the shampoo off the car, especially if you going to apply wax or polish after.
I really enjoy using for other items too. Like my windscreen, it gets rid of tree sap nicely. Rims it works well too, and my exhaust tips. I clay then apply the metal polish and it comes out perfectly.
You cant polish a car with out ever being clayed, or recently clayed. There are so many contaminants just under the clear coat. The smooth feel and clarity after clay, then a polish is just awesome. Just the time. I will never clay an entire car myself again lol. Especially now that i am full time working at the office. Rather find an affordable detailer to do a proper job once. Then do odd touch ups your self thereafter when needed.
And hang on top that clay! Nothing more disappointing then dropping that hand ful of clay lol Its really one of those slow motion "NOOOOOOO!!!' moments as you feel it slide out your hand and hit the floor lol
Sabretooth tiger
///Member
Same here. Also since my carpal tunnel started getting bad I started using the guy from Sleek detailing after I stared to follow him on social media doing Cheslin Kolbe's cars. My car's paint is taken care of for a reasonable price and I don't have to suffer afterwards.
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gavsadler
///Member
Clay is a game changer for sure. I first tried out clay about 15 years ago, and now use it every time before I embark on an enhancement detail of sorts.
Also, these days you also get synthetic clay products. There are clay towels, clay mitts and also clay scrubbers (sponge wrapped in microfiber with synthetic clay material on the one side). Generally the consensus is to use a clay bar once, or maybe 3-4 times at most before it breaks down too much and needs to be tossed. With the synthetic clay towels, they have many more cycles in them before they need to be tossed. The reason for this is they can be rinsed out. I'm currently using a clay towel, and I've lost count but must be nearing 20 cycles.
I also recall once upon a time, I purchased a fong kong clay bar for R35 (when regular bars are R300+) and it was utter crap, rubbery and useless. I actually didn't even use it.
In terms of clay lube, yes soap will work. But I've also tried this with clay bars before and it just mushes up the clay, making for a negative overall experience. I personally stick with my own mix which is a rinseless wash product called Optimum No Rinse (ONR) diluted with distilled water. This has a polymer composition which provides extra slickness during the wash / clay process.
As I've said earlier in this thread, I geek out on this stuff to a large extent, and have access to a huge range of products, so in theory I don't have to take shortcuts.
Also on the topic of sealants, I myself am not fond of the Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wax, I find it a mission to buff off again and there is no shine. My unsung hero is Menzerna Powelock Ultimate Protection. It's relatively inexpensive based on how much you use and the slickness is (insert Youtube lingo) super-crazy, lol.
Also, these days you also get synthetic clay products. There are clay towels, clay mitts and also clay scrubbers (sponge wrapped in microfiber with synthetic clay material on the one side). Generally the consensus is to use a clay bar once, or maybe 3-4 times at most before it breaks down too much and needs to be tossed. With the synthetic clay towels, they have many more cycles in them before they need to be tossed. The reason for this is they can be rinsed out. I'm currently using a clay towel, and I've lost count but must be nearing 20 cycles.
I also recall once upon a time, I purchased a fong kong clay bar for R35 (when regular bars are R300+) and it was utter crap, rubbery and useless. I actually didn't even use it.
In terms of clay lube, yes soap will work. But I've also tried this with clay bars before and it just mushes up the clay, making for a negative overall experience. I personally stick with my own mix which is a rinseless wash product called Optimum No Rinse (ONR) diluted with distilled water. This has a polymer composition which provides extra slickness during the wash / clay process.
As I've said earlier in this thread, I geek out on this stuff to a large extent, and have access to a huge range of products, so in theory I don't have to take shortcuts.
Also on the topic of sealants, I myself am not fond of the Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wax, I find it a mission to buff off again and there is no shine. My unsung hero is Menzerna Powelock Ultimate Protection. It's relatively inexpensive based on how much you use and the slickness is (insert Youtube lingo) super-crazy, lol.
Completely agree.
I have tried sticking to Turtle wax as many people recommend /use it.
He does own a 911 Turbo S, so when he uses products on that car I know/assume the product is good.
TurboLlew
Honorary ///Member
Any time anyone has ever asked me about detailing I tell them I could never EVER make it work from a numbers perspective (even if I wanted to) given the time and products required. You will spot cars that I help mates out with in my garage from time to time, but we either tackle it together or cos it is something I feel like doing free. Hats off to those who can somehow scale or make this work for the prices they charge!! Sometimes it is not much more than the coating itself costs if you buy it as a consumer.
Affordable good detailing aside, my weekends are too valuable to me to dedicate to ungrateful/nitpicking customers either
. Customer expectations with "car things" in general are a minefield. People are 'pedantic' or 'perfectionists' in their expectations, but their car shows up looking like it just arrived from Ukraine.Detailing is fine as a hobby or (in my case) to disconnect from the rest of the world and get lost in thought. These days I find that I break up the steps over a number of days. I also enlist the help of my kids who have become quite good at it! I am sorted for old age
.I actually think i have Tennis elbow from Hand washing and polishing my cars for a decade or more lolAny time anyone has ever asked me about detailing I tell them I could never EVER make it work from a numbers perspective (even if I wanted to) given the time and products required. You will spot cars that I help mates out with in my garage from time to time, but we either tackle it together or cos it is something I feel like doing free. Hats off to those who can somehow scale or make this work for the prices they charge!! Sometimes it is not much more than the coating itself costs if you buy it as a consumer.
Affordable good detailing aside, my weekends are too valuable to me to dedicate to ungrateful/nitpicking customers either
Detailing is fine as a hobby or (in my case) to disconnect from the rest of the world and get lost in thought. These days I find that I break up the steps over a number of days. I also enlist the help of my kids who have become quite good at it! I am sorted for old age
If you have time (like work from home) and a closed off garage then it is possible to detail your car, especially if over a few days.
But i agree... weekend time is just to valuable these days.
I wash my X3 and my wifes car and it takes around an hour and forty five minutes.
And thats with out the interior.
Getting a pro to do a detail is worth it. I detailed my X3 about two and a half years ago, and have only ever washed it myself using the two bucket method etc. 2 years alter and barely any swirl marks. i top up on my sealant ever 2 to 3 months and stays looking super glossy and freshly detailed all year round. Even the guys at work know my car because its always like a mirror.
So just at initial clay,cut, then polish and sealant. and you top up every few months and you golden
Yeah respect to the guys who charge under 2 grand for a paint enhancement,. A lot of work for a little amount.
Nice one on getting the kids involved, and an even bigger congrats on keeping them invested and actually doing it with you!
My 5 month old started holding her little baby spoon.... Perhaps a good indication she can almsot hold up the mag cleaner ? 😁
I've seen these new shield ceramic products around. Any reviews or opinions?
www.shieldchem.co.za
Shield Ceramic Infused Car Care Range
The Shield Ceramic Infused Car Care Range offers a variety of products that will protect the interior and exterior of your car while making it shine inside out.
www.shieldchem.co.za
