My Favorite Detailing Products

Hi Guy, I have a Prius IV on order. I'm so frustrated. It's taking forever to get it. My question is, What is an A/C screen? I know I'm probably a ding bat for not knowing, but I don't. Help me out here. Steve

 

There is a display that show air conditioning info...temperature settings, fan settings, etc.

 

I am another Zaino fan... I have a Classic Silver Prius V with nav. Silver is one of the hardest colors to get a good reflection on...

 

These pictures were taken later in the day...

 

JonS - Awesome!! I have to say - I've hand washed my car 3 times since the big Zaino weekend and topped off with the glizzy spray and not only does the car smell yummy - it is sooo shiny. I love it.

My question for the Zaino fans here is - will I need to repeat the whole process in preparation for winter - or will this summer polish do the trick. And is this polish tough enough to protect against the salt, sand and grime of winter?

 

Zaino is very durable. But I would add a couple of coats before the winter season starts.

 

JonS: looks spectacular! Thanks for sharing!

 

longtime lurker, this is a wonderful thread, but it is also a little intimidating to me; I have never washed a car by hand and I want to take good care of the new 2010 prius in between details. Just looking for some advice and products. Unfortunately I don't have a garage or driveway which makes a time and labor intensive process a bit difficult -

- I live in an urban environment, with the car parked outdoors, either in the sun or in shade, so I will most likely need to bring the car somewhere to wash it, can't wash it in the street. Salted roads in winter, some acid rain.

- I do plan to get the car detailed every 6 months

- I may have access to a DIY car wash stall type place, would want to wash every 3 months or 2 months?

Any suggestions as far as what products I can use in a timely (1-2 hours?) manner at one of these DIY stall type places (I think it just has a water hose?)? I was looking at the Griot Spray on Wax, and Speed Shine (for cleaning up bird droppings between washes, it can be a problem here), and the sheepskin mitt suggested earlier. The zaino stuff looks intimidating and expensive (3-5 products needed?), perhaps a little further than I'd want to go? For me the real issue is time, I don't mind paying for a quality product but I don't think I can spend all day washing/waxing the car, maybe I am asking for a miracle here? Appreciate any suggestions.

 

Paradox,
could you please verify if I have a correct plan here. Pulling all these posts together, I may have gotten confused. This is on a Barcelona Red 2010 IV w/ solar.
1st time:
Dawn wash
Z-18 Clay bar wit cap of Z-7 in 16oz sprayer
Z-7 car wash (just for good measure)
Z-5 Pro
Z-2 (extra shine)
Z-CS
(any Z-8 needed in here?)

Periodic washes:
Z-7 car wash
Z-8 after wash whle drying

Quick touch up between washes:
Z-6 between washes

 

Wow...........I also have a Classic Silver and after seeing Jon S's pictures of his Prius I am sold on this Zaino stuff. I'm going to order some of it right away.

Barrett

 

My plan is to pay someone else to do the detailing while I spend the time it would take me to do it relaxing with my family. (I will do ONR washes between details though.)

There WAS a time I would spend hours doing it myself.

 

just ordered my first Zaino products, Z2Pro and ZFX, no I have to clay bar my wife's SUV.. yuck!

 

Can I get some more comments about this Liquid Glass?? Reviews on amazon suggest it is the only thing you would need to keep your car looking great, and you only have to apply it every 8-12 months.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002JMIEK/

Right now I'm definitely leaning towards this or RejeX... unless someone can explain why these aren't as good as the zanio stuff?

 

Paradox should get a commission from Griot's Garage. I just ordered the Ultimate Interior Kit, Leather Care, and a box of lint-free towels.

I noticed today that a belt I wear had transferred some dye from it to my misty gray seat. I used some Lexol cleaner and conditioner to lighten it up, but I'm hoping the Griot's Interior Cleaner removes more if not all of it. Then I'll follow up with the Leather Care.

I'm a fan of Stoners Invisible Glass and newsprint for the glass, so it'll be interesting to see how the Glass Cleaner and lint free towels compares.

(And that leather belt's going in the trash. )

 

I've never tied Liquid Glass, but it reminds me a lot of Finish First polish. Finish First Polish: Ordering

I've used Finish First polish, and while it looked nice when done, was a bit of a pain to apply and remove.

I prefer the Klasse AIO stuff over it.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/product/B0002LAA0W?tag=priuschatcom-20

 

Sorry if this has been asked before; I did a search and couldn't find an answer.

Is it safe to use the same products (polish, carnuba wax, etc.) on the exterior plastic (bumpers, mirror housings) as those used on the painted metal? TIA!

 

On the painted surfaces, yes.