DoubleTrouble

I need to get a "real" detail kit and DD's seems to fit the bill, but I see alot of talk about Menzerna, Swissvax, etc. and DD's complete kits only contain Adam's products. Should I start with that and see how it does, or just buy the PC seperately and the line of Menzerna products?? I have a 2004 Brilliant Black A6 s-line that looked great when i bought it CPO last year, now there are TONS of swirls and imperfections in sunlight. I suspect the dealership used a nice glaze that filled in the imperfections and it looked good for a few months, but New England winters suck the life out of cars, even though I always use the two bucket method and no automated car washes, it looks like crap in direct sunlight! I have always been OC about my cars(drives my family crazy!) but since the Audi, I'm ready to take it up a notch. I now have a heated garage, which will be great for winter maintenance and detailing, if only I could entice pierreb or meem to come up for some detailing expertise.....

DJ_JonnyV

A lot of others on here use a good majority of Adam's products. I use a lot of Adam's products outside of their waxes/polishes, including:

- VRT
- Car wash
- Undercarriage
- Leather conditioner
- In & Out spray
- Metal Polish
- All purpose cleaner
- QD spray - really like this stuff btw
- Claybar
- Foam applicator
- Carpet & Upholstery - good stuff too!!!
- MF towels
- Waffle weave MF towels

And there's probably a few I'm forgetting. I also have their Revive Polish and Butter Wax. I have used both and they work extremely well also. Now, if you're planning on getting a PC, then that's a little different on the waxes/polishes. I recently stocked up on some Menzerna polishes and they work pretty much as advertised. Also, just applied my first coat of their FMJ yesterday, and I'm in love. So, no matter if you do get a PC, a lot of the Adam's packages include products from the list above as well. I still use Revive Polish for the hard to reach areas that you cannot get with a PC or sometimes a 1z polish. So, going with an Adam's package may be your best way to ramp up initially. Hindsight being 20/20, I probably would've gone that route initially.

doctordave

Call/email Phil. He can setup literally any package you like.

roadyTT

The PC and dual sided pads kit. I picked mine up from DD earlier this summer and I love it. Very simple to use, though not as fast as a rotary polisher, it's less likely you're going to damage something. Beware going too high on the speed (6) as I believe this might have destroyed one of my pads. Speed 5 is effective without a doubt.

Since you're in a garage, you can find a good high intensity light at Home Depot for about $10. This will allow you to easily see how effective your polishing efforts have been.

Menzerna IP and Menzerna 1066 Final Finish creams for your polishing efforts. They seem to have done very well on my finish. Although no black paint is ever perfect, the majority of the swirling came out of my finish using the 1066, which is a much finer grade polish. For the deeper imperfections, you'll use the IP (Intensive Polish). As the IP is a rougher grade polish, it will bring somewhat of a haze to your finish, but you'll bring the polish back with the 1066.

Menzerna FMJ is a polymer sealant which I've had tremendous success with. Just picked it up a couple months ago after hearing from the guys on the board here. Per the literature, it actually bonds with your vehicle's clear coat. I'm using it on my wife's Grand Am which is a deep metallic green. The water beads nicely and it really brought the color out. You can apply this very easily with your PC and the black pad(no cut), I went with 3 applications over the course of 2 days.

Use a carnauba paste wax of your choosing. They bring about a nice depth in the paint. If you're not interested in going all out for the wax for a brand like the Swiss or Zymols, P21S makes a very good product for about $30, and you can use your PC to apply it. Personally I use the Zymol Glasur and I love it. After I sealed the TT with the FMJ, I went for three coats of the Glasur. Combining the two brought out some tremendous results.

pw-man

Having picking up my cars back in June, I started with the Real Absolute package to get things started. I also picked up the 1Z Glanz as originally recommended by Phil.

I use all the products from the kit and have even ordered refills of many that I use more frequently. Even with the 1Z on my vehicles, I still use the adams swirl/haze, polish and wax for the occasional lite scratch.

Eventually I will con my wife into letting me get the PC and when I do, I will likely pick up the Menzerna products for my difficult details.

But, keep in mind there are other important parts of the kit - including the bucket and MF towels... all necessary...

Through in the black wheel shmitt and a couple of the boars hair brushes and you'll be all set...

And of course, Phil is a great guy (and very addicting) :-)

formerly dennisA4

ProperAutoCare.com
I buy tons of stuff from them.
They have kits from Menzerna, Klasse, etc. Different size kits from each, too. They also sell the Porter Cable and a slew of different pads.... also kits for this.
The more you buy over time the more you save. I've bought enough that I now get 10% off every order. They have great customer service and lots of great products. I'm a real happy customer... my wallet (empty) proves it! haha<ul><li><a href="http://www.properautocare.com">http://www.properautocare.com</a</li></ul>

Raistlin

putting one together with Menzerna polish and 1Z glanz wax.

The kits are nice, but you do end up with several things you don't need.

detailersdomain is having a labor day 15% off, look a few posts down and take advantage.

Since you have a heated garage go with Menzerna polish, everyone loves them and they live up to their reputation (don't use in the sun). Adamns is nice if you don't have a garage as it can be applied in direct sunlight.

Just boil down what you really need, I am sure you have buckets already as well a MF towels. Just pick a car wash, unless you have already, one or two good menzerna polishes, and decide on what type of wax you want, synthetic (FMJ) or carnuba. You can also use carnuba over FMJ which a lot of people here do.

I spent more time than I wanted to trying to figure out what to buy. I literally had nothing, no autowash, rubber dressing, window cleaners, nothing. So I ended up buying it all at once. I bought the PC kit also, have not used it yet but plan on it very soon.

reefer_bob

I put my own package together from Phil... A mix of Adams, Menzerna, and now working in 1z stuff..

DoubleTrouble

I am going to get the PC kit and replace some of the Adam's stuff with Menzerna for a little extra $$. Hopefully I'll have some time this weekend to do my first "all out" detail with my new stuff!!

SKIroad'r

It may smell nice, but it really tastes very soapy. Oh it also stings if you get it in your eyes. (windy day).