Let me first start by saying that I do not sell or am affiliated with any product of company that I mention in my posts. I am only trying to convey a type of product and will likely list specific products, tools and equipment to show examples for reference. I also do not list every possible type of product available.
If you visit your local automotive retail store, you will find a wide variety of supplies you can chose from, however most will be brightly labeled and try to get your attention. I do buy some of these products, but I am going to tell you now that I avoid most of them. Why? there just not that good. I have used a great deal of different products to detail vehicles, from the cheap $20 polisher , to a nice $400 one… and guess what, I will only use the expensive one from now on. ( it’s a flex dual action polisher by the way ). Let’s move on. If your local store does carry brands such as Meguiar’s, Klasse, 3m, Wolfgang or Mothers, then there is likely a lot you can buy there. The only difference being that their best products will be at specialty stores or online orders. Take Meguiar’s Detailer line of products, these are probably the most use Meg’s stuff I have, but they come in 4 gallon jugs and do not sell well in retail stores. But their detailer line of products are fantastic.
The Tools….
- A good set of buckets ( ok, I know, simple start ). It is not that complicated, you need a couple wash buckets for you car wash soap and water, the second one is for your rinse water.
- Micro Fiber wash mitts, drying towels and buffing cloths. Never touch a car with another towel again, only use micro fiber. It will not scratch the surface, most other common towels will.
- A Garden hose. Or a good pressure washer, but a generic garden hose and spray nozzle will do just fine ( and it is cheaper )
- A good vacuum. You can use a generic shop vac, but most professional detailers opt for a Vac N’ Blo machine, which is a smaller unit, has smaller attachments to get into the narrow areas of the interior and the cool thing is that it also converts into a blower so you can blow dry the exterior before you start to polish. Blow drying the seems and door jams will prevent water running on the surface as you polish it.
- A variety of cleaning brushes: for the leather seats you need a boars hair brush, then for the wheels, a wheel brush, and a carpet and upholstery brush. You can even use a tooth brush for the small to reach areas and interior vents.
- An Extractor. This tool is usually one of the higher priced items and is not a requirement, but it makes cleaning a dirty carpet and seat really easy and really fast.
- Wax and Sealant applicators. It is easier to use a small purpose made applicator then trying to use a folded up towel to apply your wax and sealant products. Plus, their cheap, get some.
- A powered polisher. Yes, you can do it all by hand, but you get tired of that in a hurry. Get a quality dual action polisher ( for the novice ) or a rotary ( for the brave and/or experience ). A rotary polisher is harder to learn on and has a far higher degree of accidents and burning through the paint when being used. A dual action polisher will both rotate, but oscillate at the same time, preventing the chance of burning through the surface paint and prevents the swirl marks you generally associate with rotary polishers.
- Polisher pads. This is absolutely necessary to have a wide variety and selection of polishing pads. You need to usually change them several times while working on one car. You need various degrees of cut and buffing for them to. Get at least 2 heavy, 2 medium, and 4 finishing or buffing pads.
That should get you started with the right tools to use to detail a vehicle. But there is more… you need some actually product to use on the cars , the soap, polish, wax, detailers, cleaners, etc. That is another post all together. I will cover that next time. I will also cover some information about how to detail your car to keep it looking new
For now, lets start with the automotive detailing tools and equipment.
later
