I think this will benefit some members on here in trying to purchase some products for their vehicles. I will put in my reviews, but if anyone has used something that is not on the list please post and I will update. I'm going to try to put a variety of products with links on here, however I will only put products on here that I have used at least 10 times to have a pretty good opinion of the product.

The biggest thing in deciding on which product is for you, is how are you going to apply it? By hand, by machine? Also, what is your budget? All of the products I am posting have very similar characteristics and it basically comes down to the 2 question posted above.

Car Wash:
I think any car was on there works just as the same. Poorboy's, Adam's, Meguiar's, etc. all do a good job removing dirt. I would stay away from dish washer detergents as they're a little too strong for car paint.

Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine
I have to say this product has grown on me more and more. I started by using it as extra lube in my regular wash method, however I have switched within the the past couple months to using it entirely alone. I have used it on soft paint (quite a few black M3's in fact) with no damage to the paint. I would never use it on paint with mud on it, but I would definitely rate this product a 9 out of 10 with all the different uses for it.


Compounds:
Meguiar's M105:
Very versatile product. Great on all kinds of polishers/buffers and by hand. Does not require much skill, unless used on rotary buffer. Removes anything from medium defects to light defects. On a rotary it can even remove some deep defects. This is by far my favorite compound to use. Easy removal if use properly in a shaded region. Low dusting. I would rate this 10 of out 10.

Meguiar's M04:
Product to be used on rotary buffer only. Removes deep swirls/scratches with ease. Requires knowledge of rotary buffer so it is not for everyone. It dusts a good amount. I would rate this 8 out of 10.

Meguiar's 2.0 Scratch-X:
Great product to use by hand. Removed light defects with ease. Great for doing isolated scratch removal like door handles and such. It is limited in the amount of defects it can remove. I would rate this 7 out of 10.

3M Rubbing Compound:
Product is very widely available and cheap. Works best by hand. From my experience, not really worth buying. I can spend the $10 on something else, as it's only good for very light defects. If you have anything heavier it will take a long time to remove. I would rate this 3 out of 10.

Pinnacle XMT Intermediate Swirl Remover:
Good products to use by machine. I would put this on the same level as the Meguiar's M105, however it is not as versatile (meaning it only works well with a dual action polisher and by hand, not the rotary). I would rate this a 8 out of 10.

Menzerna Power Gloss Compound
Great product for removing light to medium defects with a dual action machine, or even medium to heavy defects with a rotary machine and a wool pad. Low dusting formula handles more like a polish then a true compound. I would rate it a 8 out of 10.

Polishes:
Meguiar's M205:
Great products for removing light swirls and oxidation by hand or machine. Very low dusting and leaves a great shine. Great finishing product before wax or sealant. I would rate this 9 out of 10.


Menzerna Super Intense Polish:
Great product for removal of medium to light defects. This is heavier polish. For use by machine only. It does leave some hazing so it does need to be finished off with a milder polish. Low dusting and very easy to use. I would rate this a 9 out 10.


Menzerna PO80RD Polish
This is a great finishing polish, and when used on a soft finishing pad it is great fo jeweling paint on a rotary machine. Leaves a great shine. It will not do a good job removing much defects unless they are light and you use a polishing pad. I would rate it 8 out of 10.

Mozena Super Finish Nano Polish:
Great finishing product. Very fine in texture. Removes light swirls and oxidation or hazing left by other polishes. Great products to use after a heavier polish or compound. I would rate this a 8 out of 10.

Adam's Fine Machine Polish:
Good product on the Dual Action polisher, although it can be used by hand. Good product of light defects. High in oils to leave a nice shine, however a good wash and maybe a detailing spray might have to be used to remove all polishing oils. I would rate this a 7 out of 10.

__________________

Prewax cleaner:

Meguiar's M83 Dual Action Cleaner:
Good product to use by hand or machine. For light to medium defect removal. It does bring out the shine nicely and may be substituted for a pure polish. It should be followed up with a wax for added protection and shine. I would rate this 8 out of 10.

Meguiar's D151:
Good products to really revive the shine out of old paint. Can be used by hand or machine, but I have had best results on a polishing pad with a dual action polisher. It fills in light to medium swirling, but has a great shine. I would rate this a 7 out of 10 only because I'm not a fan of fillers.

Adam's Revive Prewax Polish:
Very similar product to the Meguiar's M151, except it is non-abrasive. It simply removed surface contamination and leaves the paint ready for wax with a nice shine to it. I would rate this a 5 out of 10.

Dodo Juice Lime Prime Pre Wax Cleaner:
Great smelling product. Easily removed light defects and leave a decent shine on the paint. Very easy removal. Works be either machine or hand. I would rate this a 7 out of 10. (Krzemienr)

Zymol HD-Cleanse:
Good product for cleaning paint. It is a little hard to work with so I would not recommend to people that have little patience. It is only to be used by hand. Has mild fillers in it to hide light swirls and such. I would rate this 5 out of 10.

Zaino Z-AIO:
Good product to be used by hand or machine. Removes light defects, but is a little on the pricey side when compared to others (ounce per ounce price). I would rate this 7 out of 10.

Wax:
Meguiar's M26:
Great smelling wax (smells like a banana milk shake). Leavesa very high gloss and adds depth on the paint. Needs at least 2 coats to get the best gloss you can get much like any other wax out there. Last 2-3 months on a daily driven vehicle. This is one of my favorite wax because of the low price and high deep shine. I would give this 9 out of 10.

Meguiar's NXT wax:
Great shine, but some say it lack's the depth of a carnauba wax. Great long lasting protection though. Generally last 3-4 months on a daily driven vehicle. I would rate this 9 out of 10.


PoorBoy's Natty Paste wax(Red):
Good wax, easy on and off. Leaves paint super slick to touch. It can be hard to apply a few coats of the wax as it is so slick. I would rate this 8 out of 10.

Obsessive Detail Wet Obsession Wax:
A little more of an expensive wax at $55.00 a can. It does leave the paint super slick, shinny, and wet. This is a very nice wax to pair up over a sealant. I would rate it a 9 out of 10.


Premium Waxes:
(waxes that are a little more expansive and compete with the big boys that cost over a grand for a can of wax. These waxes contain at least 50% of white carnauba by volume. If you have never used a high percentage carnauba wax, please do. The wax experience is much different)


Dodo Juice Supernatural Wax:
Great wax only needs a couple coats to finish. Contains about 50% no.1 white brazilian carnauba wax by volume. Easy application, removal may be a little difficult if applied too much. I would rate this a 7 out of 10.


Migliore Primo Blend Wax:
By far my favorite premium wax to use. Very high gloss with deep shine. Needs very very very little product to apply otherwise removal is very difficult. Contains 52% of white no.1 brazilian carnauba wax by volume. This is a wax you can actually feel on a car. Great citrus smell!! I would rate this a 9 out of 10.

Migliore Competzione Blend Wax
This is my favorite wax I have used by far. At a price of $250.00 per jar, might seem a little high, but well worth every penny. When compared to its Swissvax wax competion, it reigns supreme. Ease on and off, very buttery finish. Leaves paint looking so wet, you can swim in it. When too much is applied it can be a pain to remove. I would rate this a 9 out of 10.

Sealants:

Meguiar's M20:
Great product and super long lasting. Dries like a wax, but does need a 12 hour curing time to fully bond with paint, meaning it can removed after a 30 min of application, but should not come in contact with water for 12 hours. Last about 6-7 months on a daily driven vehicle. I would rate this a 8 out of 10.

Zaino Z-CS:
A little more expensive, but probably the easiest products to use out there. You use less then 1/4 ounce on your entire car. Spray on a clean towel and wipe and walk away. It seals as it dries, but does need to dry fully before a layer of wax is applied. Usually lasts about 5-6 months on a daily driven vehicle. I would rate this a 9 out of 10.


Blackfire Wet Diamond, All Finish Paint Protection:
Used like a wax creates great shine with a long lasting finish. The only downfall of this product is that is that if you want to top it off with something, it is recommended to wait 8 hours for maximum bond. If you try this and lay 2 coats down, I have a strong feeling you will not want to top it with anything else!. I would rate this a 9 out of 10.

Spray Waxes:

Meguiar's NXT Spray Wax:
Super easy to apply and remove, leaves great shine and protection. Lasts about a month on a daily driven vehicle. I would rate this a 9 out of 10.

Zaino Z-6:
Very high gloss finish. Leaves paint super smooth. Removal may be a little hard if you apply too much. Make sure you dry it and remove right away otherwise it will not come off and will need a second application to remove. I would rate this 8 out of 10.

Pinnacle Crystal Mist Detailing Spray:
Great shine and easy to use. A little more expensive, but it leaves a nice deep shine. I would rate this a 9 out of 10.

Dressings:

Migliore Trim Protectant:
I love this products. Leave your dash very clean looking with a satin finish. You can layer it on top of itself to get a deeper color out of plastic. It can be used inside the vehicle or outside. It does not have much cleaning power to it, so you would want to clean your plastic with an all purpose cleaner of some sort before dressing. I would rate this a 9 out of 10.


Turtle wax F21 Super Protectant:
A little more expensive than ArmorAll but worth the money. Works very well on interior/exterior plastic, wheel wells, and tires. Also give a nice leather smell when applied. I would rate this an 8 out of 10.

Meguiar's Hyper Dressing:
Buy this in a gallon with a couple spray bottles. You dilute to your liking and application from super glossy to matte. You can use this on tires, exterior plastics, dash, etc.... I would rate this 9 out of 10.

__________________

double post

__________________

Tools of the Trade:

Polishers:
Porter Cable 7424:
great dual action polisher. I would recommend this to anyone as it is very simple to use and will not burn paint (most of the time, unless you are using a super aggressive compound,and those should be rotary compounds only anyways), but it is much safer then the rotary to use. Relatively cheap. I like using a 4 inch pad on these little guys. I would rate this 9 out of 10.

Meguiar's G110:
Another dual action polisher. It seems to be a porter cable just re badged, however the brushes on the inside seem to wear a little quicker then the porter cable. I would rate this one a 8 out of 10.

Flex XC 3401:
my favorite DA by far. IS a little stronger and more expensive the the 2 above, however it powers through anything no matter what size pad you got on it. Very high quality polisher. I would rate this a 9 out of 10.

Makita 92227C:
This has been one of the favorite rotaries for detailers for a long time. It is a quality product that is very dependable, a true work horse. The handles are nice as well. I would give it a 9 out of 10.

Flex L3403 VRG:
my favorite rotary because it is small and lightweight! Allows long work without your arms getting tired! The only negative part is that RPMS start at a 1000 and for anyone that truly "jewels" paint, knows that it's a little too much to do that. I would rate this a 8 out of 10.

Vector 7 inch polisher:
This is the cheapest rotary by far. A new one will run you under $80.00. The problem I had with it a while back, is that eventually the RPM's start alternating on their own (not good) but that was about 1 year and coutless hours of use. I would rate this a 7 out of 10.

Pads for polishers:

Lake Country Pads:
very nice pads, for all aspects of detailing. I used them on all of my polishers (whether DA or rotary). Easy to clean and very durable. I would give them a 9 out of 10.

Meguiar's Pads:
Different in design to the Lake Country pads, but have similar behavior. I use these on my DA mostly. Not as durable as the Lake Country, but still great pads! I would rate them a solid 8 out of 10.

Microfiber towels
the brand does not matter. How you care for your towels is what matters, here's a couple tips:
-you can wash them in the machine with cold water
-NEVER use bleach with them
-NEVER use fabric softener
-NEVER use heat when drying (tumble on low/no heat to dry)
-you can put an ounce or 2 of vinegar in the rinse cycle of the wash to open up the fibers more... then re rinse again

Cobra towels:
These are what I use for paint (removing any polish, wax, quick detailing, etc.). They are very durable and keep their softness as long as they're taken care of well. I would rate them 9 out of 10.

The Rag Shag Shaggy towels:
very nice as well, super soft, and I like using them to buff after wax has been removed or for a final wipe down.
Again, a 9 out of 10.

Zwipes (from Costco):
These are probably the best deal you can get on microfiber towels. I use these on wheels/engines/mufflers/ etc. not as super soft as the 2 I mentioned above, but I don't see why you can't use them on paint.... I generally use them a few times, and put them in my oil rags pile or house cleaning pile depending on how clean they are. I would give them a solid 8 out of 10 because of price.

Brushes:

Double duty brush:
Great idea, cheap, does not work well, lol. The glue on the brush is cheap and the bristles fall out easily. Not the best buy, save your money for something else. I would give them a 4 out of 10.

Boar't hair brush:
I have a ton of these, as they are very multipurpose, all separated in zip lock bags depending on application. I use some for exterior (crevices and around emblems), engine, wheels, and interior. Great buy in my book. High quality. I would give them a 8 out of 10 (I wish they were a little thicker, but still this cheap, lol).

Pet Hair Brush:
Love this thing! works very very well on removing hair from fabrics. The handle is flexible so you can fit in anywhere. I usually sweep everything into a little pile and vacuum it up! I would rate this a 9 out of 10.


Wheel brush:
Great brush, soft enough to use on all wheels and even the backside of wheels and wheel wells. I would rate it a 8 out of 10.



Let me know if you have any questions.
Rafal

__________________

Excellent writeup. What do you think of NXT 2.0? I was hoping to see a review of it after your original NXT review.

__________________
2006 Ford Ranger Sport 4.0 2WD on 32x11.50R15s
-3" Doetsch Spindle Lift


Using the forum:
How to Post on the Forum
Creating a signature (do this before asking any questions)
Upload an Avatar (image of your Ranger)
How to Post Pictures on the Forum
Switch the site layout: Light Theme or Dark Theme

Things to do:
Participate in Truck of the Month
Participate in the Ranger Photo Contest
Participate in the Non-Automotive Photo Contest
Become a Site Contributor
Shop at the FordRangerForum.com Store

ha I forgot to add that one...

__________________