I’m in the market for new detailing products since buying the new truck, so I’m looking for recommendations. I’ve always done washing/detailing myself, but the past few years I’ve been very lax about our vehicles’ appearance, that’s going to change with the new Tacoma. I’ve always used “meguiar’s” products, such as wash, wax, polishes, etc. They seem like decent quality, but lately I’ve seen a lot of ads for “chemical guys” products, and they have a shop near me. Has anyone tried/used their products, and what do you think? I know there are other companies such as “Adams” and “Griots”. I do everything by hand, I don’t use a hand-held polisher or anything like that.
I’ll also add, I got a quote from a local detail shop, for just a hand wash, machine polish, and hand wax………..$500! Thanks, but I’ll do it myself!

I was actually just making an order from Griots this evening. I don’t “detail” enough to know how superior one brand is versus another, but I have been happy with Griot’s products. Excellent customer service as well. Chemical Guys stuff seems pretty good, but I’d put Griot’s a step above.

I'm a Meguiars fan also, my son likes chemical guys products and he's more ocd about cleaning cars than me. Checkout autogeek.net
Enjoy the new truck.

I use Griots ceramic coating. It was a top performer in a long term test. This YouTube channel seems unbiased: https://youtu.be/rrhVXMQb4vE

Don’t listen to Pan the organizer. He has been outed for taking money for good reviews.

See this thread, I still highly recommend it:

https://www.meguiarsdirect.com...d-paint-coating.html

https://sigforum.com/eve/forum...800051584#9800051584

Chemical Guys is hit or miss in terms of quality, and their pricing is often higher than the quality. They have an unnecessarily huge number of redundant, mediocre products but a few gems. Their better products: honeydew snowfoam (for foam cannon), GlossWorkz Auto Wash (for handwashing), their moto metal polish (i.e. polish, cleaner, and protectant for motorcycle chrome), Clear Vision (i.e. motorcycle helmet visor cleaner).

Griot's is quality stuff

Adam's is quality stuff. Their car shampoo is on deck for when I finish off the CG GlossWorkz Auto Wash in a few weeks.

Meguiar's is quality stuff. I really like that you can buy their professional line detailer stuff for a reasonable price in gallon, concentrated (i.e. needs diluting) format. It's like a year's worth, but I've got the room and diluting is easy. For example, their Non-Acid Wheel & Tire Cleaner after diluting is 3 gallons and for less money will outperform anything on the shelf at the autoparts store or big box (e.g. Walmart) store.

McKee's 37. Only tried a few things, but have lived up to their quality reputation. For example, their 914 rinseless/waterless wash is better than Optimum No Rinse (aka ONR).

Turtle Wax. Really stepped up their game with the ICE line, and then did even better with their Hybrid Solutions line. I have their spray ceramic sealant on my truck and motorcycle and get tons of compliments. I top it off once a month by using their Wet Wax as a drying aid.

Armor All. Lots of people hoping their new ceramic line means they're doing what Turtle Wax did. Only new product I tried was their ceramic glass cleaner which caused me to have to polish my windshield to get off the thousands of tiny ceramic dots (yes, I followed directions) which was a pain in the ass.

If you're looking for a compound or polish, take a look at Sonax (perfect finish, Cut & Finish, and CutMax), 3D (One, ACA 500, ACA 520), and Koch Chemie. It's what many pros use, low dusting, easy wipe off, and is available in smaller 8 oz containers making it reasonably priced.

I use a lot of CG stuff on my Lexus and my Charger. I will say that for the money, it hard to beat the Maguire express detail spray wax in the gallon size. this is a very easy on quick product, in terms of shine, it is like an 8 out of 10, in terms of easy on/off, it is a 10 out 10..CG has some great polish and waxes. A good questions is what kind of weather is your truck going to be driven in and what color is it???

I like the Butter wax by CG and the spray foam cannon they sell as a hose attachment. My dog chewed mine this year and I called to order a replacement. they sent one out for free! exec CS and easy to call with questions.

https://www.chemicalguys.com/b...20waxes-and-sealants

https://www.chemicalguys.com/b...ue=Internal%20Search

the second one I use on my black charger and it last a long time..a little thicker to apply but worht it.

I use the Chemical Brothers Butter Wet Wax and their Jet Seal sealant. Pretty happy with them. Easy to apply and buff. I also use the Heavy Duty Water Spot Remover, which works great. Inside, I use their leather cleaner and conditioner.

All good products and reasonably priced.

The Wash Wax All product from this company-Aero Cosmetics- works well. Just depends on how much time you want to spend on detailing your vehicle. For 38 bucks on Amazon this kit with a spray bottle, gallon of the wash/wax and microfiber towels won't break the bank. Not as good as a carnauba hand wax for sure, but it's about 80% as good for 20% of the effort IMO. Paint, glass, bumpers, it works good on all of it.

https://washwax.com/

I first started washing and waxing cars about 65 years ago, so I've had some experience. How many are old enough to remember, when Simonize paste wax was the gold standard? It did a good job but when it dried, you needed a hammer and chisel to get it off. When I was a teen, my dad had a friend, who worked for Prestone and he would give me free Prestone polish and wax. For as long as I can remember, I have been using Meguiars products. I use the liquid cleaner wax if cleaning is required and follow with their latest wax. I was using their tech wax but have switched over to their liquid hybrid ceramic. It's durable, beads well and buffs off easily . I get a Griots catalog every month but most everything is over-priced and doesn't work any better than Meguiars. I do like their liquid engine cleaner

Ive been buying from Griots for years now and have been happy with the results.

I live in Florida. Even though I garage my car, I still want UV. Not many products out there offer this production. This has UV, goes on super easy. I gave the car two coats the first time in December last year and it is still protecting the car. PRODUAX

A good source for products and information on detaiing is AutoGeek, product videos, articles and a forum...

https://www.autogeek.net/

I have been a very happy user of Zaino products for many years. Really makes dark colors pop. I presently have a white car and even it gets comments about how shiny it is and white is hard to show gloss.
Zaino is a multi step process to get it on but once you have gotten past the "installation" it is easy to maintain.