I've never paid too much attention to washing and detailing cars before, but the paint work on an Aston is so fine, that I decided to explore more options and started by contacting a friend of mine who is a professional auto-detailer. He told me to ditch the Wal Mart products I'd been using and use Optimum Car Care products. so I figured - he does this for a living - I'll give it a shot. Now, after using them for about 6 weeks, I have to say ... HE WAS RIGHT.

Some of these are truly amazing - so I wanted to share. First one that really impressed me is the Wash N' Shine:

http://www.optimumcarcare.com/onrwns.php?li=2

With this product, you can wash your car in the garage. No need to roll it out where its 30 degrees in the winter - or less. Simply get some warm water in a bucket, put this in it, and wash the car in the bay, then dry it off. I was HUGELY skeptical of this product and very cautious with it, but now I'm a believer in it. So little water needed that what hits the garage floor soon evaporates.

And this is my new favorite thing of all time on car care products:

http://www.optimumcarcare.com/oseal.php?li=7

This stuff is amazing, its a sealant similar to a Rain-X type product. It doesn't wax or polish, but seals in what you already have on the car. So the proper way to use it is CLAY>WAX>SEALANT. I tell you what, this on the car surface makes everything roll off as if it were Teflon. Where I am really liking this product is not so much on the Vantage, because it doesn't go out in foul weather, but on my trucks which stay outside 24/7. Everything beads up and falls off the vehicle surfaces. Coat your wheels with it and brake dust comes off with a water stream. Pretty cool - and one bottle goes a long ways. I'm using it on my commercial delivery truck as well as it really helps to keep it looking clean as well as making bugs and road debris wash off easily.

Finally I have always been frustrated in trying to keep windows clean and streak-free on the cars. I have come to find out that its all in the towel. There are special microfiber glass towels, and once you wipe your glass with one of these its perfect, every time. I'm using these towels with a variety of glass cleaning products and it appears its 90% towel, 10% product in getting streak-free results.

http://www.optimumcarcare.com/ogtowel.php?li=2

I'm sure there are other pro-detailing products that work just as well, but I'm pretty sold on these and just wanted to pass it along.

 

I don't believe you top waxes off with sealants... From what i've learned you put wax over sealants.


-Beach

 

LOL,....well, it wouldn't be the first time I have something ***-backwards!

 

^^^^ Me too Sealant, then wax. I'll wax several times between sealant applications.

 

That's correct. The product description says so too.

Thanks OP for the review. I will pick up some of this sealant too.

 

What do you do if it has visible dust and grit on the car? I'm always paranoid of scoring the clear coat with products like this?

 

Just wash it off with the bucket water that you have added the Opti-Wash to, seems to work well for me.

 

I had C.Quarts Finest put on my car. It's not cheap but I think it helps the car keep it shine. I have a black car so it is especially susceptible to minor imperfections.

Edit: this is not an application that should be done by armature car detainers. If it is not applied properly it can cause more harm than good.

 

Optimum makes great stuff Duane you are spot on, works perfectly for all cars and on an Astons paint just looks spectacular, whose your detailer... I might know him? I've been using ONR products on all my cars for a while... Optimum No Rinse or ONR (no rinse car wash) is a game changer I use their spray wax while I dry or between washes. Their quick seal product is super nice too. I use a pinnacle clay bar if needed, then a sealant like FMJ or an all-in-one product like klasse and then if I really feel like a layer of pinnacle sovereign wax, for the product application (not ONR steps) I use my porter cable random orbital.

 

Chemical Guys

 

^^^ yup, Chem guys, Menzerna, and Poor boys all make good stuff for surface applicaiton products... I like pinnacle for waxes and P21S has a nice wheel cleaner, Aero 303 is good for interior...I also use a non-toxic environmental safe cleaner for interior although I've wanted to try leatherique just haven't yet...heard good things about it though.

 

I will check out the washes. But I will tell you I invested $250 to have my detailer apply Opti-Coat since my XKR was my first black car in years and I wanted to lock in the nearly perfect finish I had my detailer spend literally 24 hours in my garage creating.

Well the Opti-Coat seems to be gone gone within 3 months. Water doesn't bead and I do see vine scratches although only use microfiber, two bucket wash technique etc. Yet the Opti-Coat was supposed to last years!

Hopefully this wash product is better.

 

^^^Anyone who says they have a sealant/wax product that last "years" under normal use is selling you a fantasy. Even the best treatments will begin to lose their properties after 10-12 months depending on environmentals and exposure.

 

I haven't used ONR yet, but the rest is EXACTLY how I do my car... good to see people who are knowledgeable in here.

 

Really, anything that contains as near to pure carnauba wax is the way to go. Apply gently to a VERY CLEAN paint surface with consistent light pressure on a good brand, dual-action 6" polisher with the CORRECT pads. Use micro-fiber cloths to buff to a shine. Repeat at least once. After about 2.0 hours work on a coupe or 1.5 hours on a cabrio, using two to three sparing applications and a bit of elbow grease, you'll have glossy perfection that will last up to three months.

I have waxed all my cars this way for years (a variety of Audis, BMWs, Mercs, Porsches and Range Rovers), using carnauba from several different high-end brands and notice very little difference in the excellence of the results. Always go for quality products. The Germans and Swiss seem to formulate the best waxes, but American firms like Griot's make fine products, too.

One caveat--and to recapitulate my second sentence--the surface MUST be clean before waxing. If you have minor/moderate scratches, swirls or oxidation deposits in your paintwork use a good, well-lubricated clay, then a #2 or #3 polish (again making sure you use a light application and the correct pads on your rotating and oscillating dual-action polisher), before proceeding to 1 to 2 rounds of waxing. I have found synthetic sealants to be superfluous, but I have several friends who like them. Good luck. Mark Motte