Car detailers - what are your suggestions for things that WORK!

Use an actual car shampoo. Using Dawn on maintenance washes will strip the wax.

As for wheel cleaner, I don’t know of anything that is a true spray and rinse solution. Pretty much always have to clean the spokes with a brush or mitt. You could maybe put a wax spray on the wheels after drying them? Would help the dust and dirt to not stick.

As for products, ceramic sprays are all the rage these days. I have some from Griots and some from Turtle Wax and like both. Provides a lot of protection between washes and full detailings. That said I haven’t done a full detail on one of my vehicles in a long time…just eats up too much of my weekend.

Some additional tips/thoughts that popped into my head:
- change microfibers often
- look into the two bucket method with grit guards for washing or a foam cannon
- keep a bottle of waterless wash in your car with a good microfiber. I like Meguiar’s and use it for touch ups after a wash (bugs/bird shite)

In addition to what other have mentioned, get yourself a wheel cleaning wand. Something like this: LINK

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haven't found a good wheel cleaner that actually does what it says. i still have to get on my hands and knees and scrub between the spokes and even resort to using a soapy finger to really get rid of the dirt. is there anything that actually makes this easier?

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Your expectations are too high.

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for wax i like the meguires cleaning wax. i'm lazy so having a wax that is one-step and no more difficult than cleaning your car is a no-brainer and it lasts for a couple months.

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Turtle Wax Ceramic Spray Coating. Currenlty trying Griots 3-1. It goes on easier, but it's not as slick.
Collinite 845 for actual wax.

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303 protectant is great for the dash and trim and keeps it from looking greasy.

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Chemical Guys makes a great interior detailer

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other than that its just dawn, water, a sponge and a few microfiber rags.

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Chemical Guys Snow Foam or Citrus Wash

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would love to know what are some REALLY GOOD products or things you do to keep your vehicles looking sharp.

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Listed above - plus:
Chemical Guys Tire Kicker for tire and plastic shine
Turtle Wax non acidic wheel and tire cleaner - cheap and works


ETA: seeing everything listed it seems I'm slowly, unintentionally migrating to Chemical Guys products

For wheels I recommend doing a deep clean with a spray to dissolve the break dust, wiping everything down and then waxing the wheels with a ceramic spray or coating.

Next, and this is important, do NOT use a wheel cleaner on subsequent cleanings or it will strip the coating and you will be back to having stains and having to scrub hard with each wash to get the brake dust off. Just spray down with car wash soap, then rinse and use a microfiber to wipe clean any residue before the water dries and leaves spots.

Also, for car windows I cannot recommend enough purchasing a stack of proper window microfiber towels, I rarely even have to use a spray unless you have kids or a dog.

I HATE wheel scrubbing.

Got a drill powered sponge(?) last year for Father's Day, made it way easier. Not the bristle brushes, as those can mar, an actual sponge on the end of a stick that goes in a drill.


Chemical guys red diablo, scrub, and either a post application of chem guys wheel guard or any of the big brand ceramic sprays.

Once clean, if you spray a ceramic/wax, then a weekly wipe down with a wet rag will have them looking good.

Most of the stuff I get from Detailers Domain

I have not found a no scrub wheel cleaner. I bought wheel woolies and use Sonax Beast. They work very well but you spend about 10 minutes a wheel.

The have good foam cannon shampoos and some good wax choices.

Detailers Domain

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I use products form here Chemical Guys.

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Amen to this. Almost everything from Chemical Guys is solid.

I had a buddy that detailed professionally back in college and he used 95% Chemical Guys and some products from Auto Geek.

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for wax i like the meguires cleaning wax.

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Also a solid brand. Their M105 and M101 compounds are some of the best out there at getting swirls and scratches out. And for the finishing step, Menzerna is hard to beat.

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303 protectant is great for the dash and trim and keeps it from looking greasy.

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This stuff is probably fine but I highly advise no one EVER use Armor-All for cleaning interiors. On multiple occasions, I've seen it take color out of leather.

Be honest though, is it worth it? I've heard Chemical Guys is great but a little overpriced when you can get similar results from other products. I've wanted to try it out but the entry price for some of their products is so dang high.

A lot of it is quality stuff. They have a TON of products and a lot of it overlaps. Adam's also makes great products priced similarly and their quality may even be slightly higher. Otherwise, nothing wrong with Meguiars.

Yes please post an update! This is a subject worth revisiting every couple years.