All,
I totally am in awe of those of you who are detail and concourse oriented - those of you who clean using pipe cleaners, and have tested every product known. I, however, am not one of you. I will have the car, a 2012 991S in platinum silver with red and black leather interior, professionally detailed twice a year. I like to wash the car and I want to properly take care of it between details. I fear dealing with the leather interior, but would like to keep it clean.

A friend gave me a Griot's catalog and it was interesting and a bit frightening. I had no idea the range of products and I have no idea which are used when. It would be great to have a basic understanding of what products are used when. But, most important to me is to know what products to use in between semi-annual detailing to keep the car clean protected and shiny.

Are the products in the Griot's catalog which seemed designed for this purpose, such as spray-on wax, speed shine and leather care wipes worth it for someone like me, who knows himself well enough to know he is not one of you!?

Thanks in advance.

 

GG is good stuff. Really all you need is the GG wash and sealant to maintain the exterior between having it detailed. I haven't used any of their interior products but this and this should be all you need to maintain your interior.

For exterior maintenance use their wash, then once a month and a half (yes it's overkill but that's about how often I apply wax or sealant even though it lasts much longer) throw on a coat or two of their sealant. In between washes wipe it down with their speed shine.

Here's two of their good starter kits I'd recommend:
Weekend Therapy Kit
Starter Car Care Kit

Hope this helps!

 

Thanks for the advice!

 

One of the most important things you can do exterior wise between details is utilizing the 2-bucket wash method with grit guards. One bucket for soapy water one for rinse water. Just do a search there is plenty of information out there. Use a quality soap to wash the car, DON’T USE DISHWASHING SOAP. This will cut down on wash marring and scratching the paint during routine washes.
If you are having the car detailed semi-annually and your detailer is using quality products you should be fine as far as exterior protection is concerned. If the car is not a daily driver you should be perfectly fine. You may want to use a quality quick detailer after washing the car just to add some extra protection and extend the life of the wax or sealant your detailer may be using. For the interior if your detailer is using quality cleaner and conditioner for the leather all you really need to do is to vacuum out the car and wipe everything down with a damp cloth. Unless the car is exposed to direct sunlight for several hours a day you may need to use something that leaves some protection behind.

 

Thanks. I do use two bucket washing and P21 washing formulas.

 

The above, plus use the best quality microfiber cloths and wash mitts you can get. [any brand of q-tip will do. ]