Well, something that I've learned from years of detailing my own cars is that basically the stuff that you can buy at Autozone for $5.00 is crap. Companies like Meguiars that sell the more standardized stuff (a'la Turtle Wax, NuFinish etc) also have a professional line that is not as commonly sold in stores that is a good bit more expensive, but the products are much higher quality than what you buy in the store (The Meguiars Gold Class for instance). A great example is "Zymol". There are two types of Zymol, the cheap stuff you buy in the store, and the much more expensive imported version. You tend to get what you pay for and more "Gourmet" products are easier to work with, get better results and last longer.
Basically paint care is steps, there's the prep stage with washing, claying and cleaning the paint surface, then there's the repair stage where you remove swirls and such, the polishing stage and the finishing stage.
I made the big switch from Carnuaba wax a couple of years ago based on the advice of Gerald Jarrett to Zaino and have been VERY happy. I like polymers like Zaino because they're easy to use, and they are a lot more durable than the Carnuaba. I'm going to make the switch from Zaino to another sealant like Blackfire or this new stuff called "Poorboys EX" that we found on Autopia (
www.autopia.org). My son and I have been spending some time on their boards finding out what to refill our detailing cabinet with. We've made some choices and are going to order a whole bunch of stuff today or tomorrow.
My advice is, go over to
www.autopia.org those guys know it all about detailing. I know we have several members that are also members over there. I'm a member and my son is a member, but we don't post much. Myself, I think there's more than enough to just read! You might also want to look at
www.properautocare.com they sell just about every product you could want, the professional grade stuff.
Have fun
And stay away from infomercial and car show crap!
