I agree......I know your stuff doesn't last 5 years. Not even close. It's obvious you know nothing about appearance care products. But don't try to BS others about the product I use you know nothing about. Wizards Products finish last a minimum of 5 year on my coach. You are ignorant enough to think meguiars are the top of the heap. LMAO! LOL!

Ooh, a grownup throwing a temper tantrum. You need to lay off the caffeine, Joe.

__________________
1988 California version 260E (W124)
Anthracite Grey/Palomino
Owned since new and still going strong and smooth
MBCA member

Past Mercedes-Benz:
1986 190E Baby Benz
1967 230 Inherited from mom when she downsized
1959 220S Introduced me to the joys of keepin' 'em goin'

There are only 10 kinds of people in the world--those who understand binary and those who don't

I use items from http://griotsgarage.com
That's where I got my signature from.

__________________
83 SD

84 CD

Somewhere in this forum I posted a similiar response, Look it up much better written. It has a good outline for a detailing process.

I don't believe in getting involved in the wax religious wars. Any of the major brands are quality products.

Find one YOU like, YOU will use and use it correctly.

Different products work better with different paints, and colors. So don't be afraid to try a couple of different waxes. The prep work is similiar.

__________________
KLK, MCSE

1990 500SL

I was always taught to respect my elders.
I don't have to respect too many people anymore.

Thanks, I'll do a search for your name.

It's been a couple weeks since I posted on this thread, but here, I take issue with your statement; "any of the major brands are quality products." Definitely not so.......unless you have personally tested and listed them all here, how could you make such a conclusion? That is dubious at best.

Today, the knowledge level of what the best detail and appearance products are will expose the petroleum-distillate, silicone, polymer and wax suppliers as having the weakest products out there. They certainly do not have longevity in real-world applications. Today, water-based appearance products have the edge on appearance, performance, and longevity. They certainly are the easiest to work with -- that I can testify to.

Mercedes-Benz and Harley-Davidson (for instance) have private-labeling and packaging of appearance products. These two I am intimately familiar with as not having the performance or longevity in how they work in real world applications. There are far better products on the market, to be sure. And they aren't available at the big-box discount supply retailers.

Again, unless you can cite differences among categories, it is doubtful you have anything but a passive on-looker level of interest or experience in how different products perform.

Well the key statement I am making is

Find one YOU like, YOU will use and use it correctly.

I don't consider MB or HD as major brands, maybe I should have been clearer on that.

I am talking more like Mequairs Gold, Zanio (my favorite) or brain fart can't think of the name, as examples.

I did a few years ago try several different of the majors, generally the difference was minor and only noticable to a very keen eye.
I found Zanio gave the best general results, and was the easiest to work with. This was before the water based washes came out, but my experiance with them since (on my wifes car) was spotty. Not leaving spots, but a couple were good, a couple I didn't care for, so I went back to Zanio which for ME has provided the best results.

Again

Find one YOU like, YOU will use and use it correctly.

It is the prep work that makes the difference.
When I last did a deep detail on my SL, I washed it, washed it with denatured alcohol (the only way to fully remove waxes like Zanio), washed it, clayed it, washed it, used a paint prep/cleaner, washed it then finally waxed it.

__________________
KLK, MCSE

1990 500SL

I was always taught to respect my elders.
I don't have to respect too many people anymore.

KKnudson, we agree on a couple of points: Zaino is my personal favorite, and what matters most is that a person find products they like and will use. Lots of good products out there, so a person should just try some and decide for him/herself. There's no better teacher than firsthand experience. But I would caution against the use of denatured alcohol to "wash" the car. Alcohol does bad things to rubber seals and weatherstripping, and shouldn't be necessary as a means of stripping old wax or sealant. A dish washing detergent like Dawn gets the job done (and particularly if you also clay the car before applying a new coat of wax/sealant). My 2 cents.

__________________
1988 California version 260E (W124)
Anthracite Grey/Palomino
Owned since new and still going strong and smooth
MBCA member

Past Mercedes-Benz:
1986 190E Baby Benz
1967 230 Inherited from mom when she downsized
1959 220S Introduced me to the joys of keepin' 'em goin'

There are only 10 kinds of people in the world--those who understand binary and those who don't

Yes, care must be used with denatured alcohol, and again I should have been clearer.
That part maybe should have read "Wiped down the car with denatured alcohol". I wet down a micro fiber, and then wipe the body section off.

I was taught, and have read, that detergents will not affect the hi tech waxes like Zaino.

So again, Pick a product YOU like, use it and use it right, and make sure you check the details on each step.

And don't think product wide brand loyalty. I love the wash, wax and detail spray from Zaino. I do not like their tire shine.

__________________
KLK, MCSE

1990 500SL

I was always taught to respect my elders.
I don't have to respect too many people anymore.