Returning customer confused by new products.

[ScreamingTaco]

It's been awhile (5 years).

Long story short, I have a new truck, an old dual action polisher and a bunch of detailing product that's either dried out or of questionable quality. I used to use the Mirror Glaze line of products but I can't find them on the shelf locally. I can find a bunch of the Ultimate line of products but I know nothing about them. I'll buy online if I have to, but if the Ultimate line is suitable then I'll get that instead.

I'm looking for recommendations for products (soap, paint cleaner, polish, wax and a plastic care product) that will work well on a white 4x4 pickup with black plastic detailing. The truck gets off-roaded regularly and is constantly bombarded by insects on the front end, however I'm anal retentive and like it looking minty fresh between weekends. Durability, resistance to bug etching and the ability to buff out scratches will be more important than showroom shine. Not having to scrape white stuff off black plastic is also a bonus.

I'd also like recommendations for;

A tire product that spreads evenly, will work it's way into mud terrain tire lugs and is either low lustre or doesn't shine.

A recommendation on how to care for a chromed plastic grille?

And recommendations on how to care for painted rims with a billet aluminium beadlock.

Thanks!

[wifpd4]

Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo and Conditioner
Smooth Surface Clay Bar
Quik Detailer - as clay lube
Ultimate Compound - check out the photos from the Saturday classes
Ultimate Polish - optional step
Ultimate Wax - for longevity
Ultimate Black and or M40 Rubber and Vinyl Protectant
Aerosol Endurance - shine will diminish after bit or wipe off - easy to apply to knobbies
Wax on chrome grill
Ultimate Quik Wax on rims

For maintenance -
Ultimate Quik Detailer
Ultimate Quik Wax
the very awesome - Ultimate Wash and Wax Anywhere - great for bugs.

You probably need some new foam pads for your buffer too.

Down and dirty quick list, other folks will have good, if not better, recommendations

[Michael Stoops]

We like David's product listing!

For the record, a lot has changed in our consumer lineup in the past few years, and that's a very good thing. Ultimate Compound is derived from M105 in the Mirror Glaze line and is probably a more potent yet better finishing product than any of the older Mirror Glaze products you used to use in the past. Very forgiving on the DA, long buffing cycle, minimal dusting (almost none, really) and great cutting ability with a great finish.

The other very important thing we want to add is regarding care of your wheels. Stick with either our Hot Rims Aluminum Wheel Cleaner or just plain soap and water. The billet beadlock is the main reason as this material is very easy to stain with an overly aggressive cleaner, so stay away from even our All Wheel Cleaner on those!

[ScreamingTaco]

Any particular advantage/disadvantage to the Ultimate Paste vs Liquid Wax?

What is the purpose of the Ultimate Quik Detailer vs the Ult Quik Wax? I used to use the old Quik Detailer to remove water spots after drying, but I noticed this new Detailer is now wipe on/wipe off, which made me think it it was some sort of wax itself?

[stanclub]

From what I remember, the paste wax drys with white residual like old fashion; the liquid wax will not. I recommended the liquid version to my friend to use on his black car, and he even put it on the trim.

[Murr1525]

You might like to get the wheels cleaned up well, and then use the Brake Dust Barrier on them. Would be pretty easy on those, and seems to help the dust and dirt wash off mine easier.

Any particular advantage/disadvantage to the Ultimate Paste vs Liquid Wax?

What is the purpose of the Ultimate Quik Detailer vs the Ult Quik Wax? I used to use the old Quik Detailer to remove water spots after drying, but I noticed this new Detailer is now wipe on/wipe off, which made me think it it was some sort of wax itself?

They will both dry more or less, but the liquid wont stain the black trim. Some people do have a few issues with streaking from the liquid version (usually applying to thick), but any minor error would be hard to see on white.

The Quick Detailer is good for claying, and removing light dust, but doesnt really leave anything behind.
The Ult. Quick Detailer is good for removing light dust, and leaves behind a polymer coating. Its not exactly a wax, but its something.
The Ult. Quick Wax leaves behind a wax behind, but needs applied to a clean surface. It works really well when drying though. I usually go around my car twice, once to get most of the water quickly, and then once with a dry towel and the UQW to finish drying, misting the UQW as I go.

[ScreamingTaco]

Cool. So it looks like I should be using the UQW as my final step after a regular washing instead of the UQD. That's good to know.

On the interior side of things, what is the breakdown between the Ultimate Protectant Spray and the Quik Detailer?

Also, it seems we don't have Ultimate Black available in Canada but we have a product called Ultimate Protectant Dash & Trim Restorer that isn't showing on the US site. Are these the same product with a different name?

http://www.meguiars.com/en/automotiv...ltimate-black/

http://en.meguiarscanada.com/product/371

[Murr1525]

Looks the same to me.

The QID spray is more of a duster, with a little protectant left behind.

The Ult. Protectant, and other dressings would leave more protectant behind, and just a little cleaning.

In theory, you would want to use a dressing once in a while, and dust a bit in between.

Also, the spray and liquid are the same product, just different ways to apply.

[ScreamingTaco]

Cool.

Did my shopping trip today and stocked up on most of the list. Couldn't find any Endurance products (only Hot Shine), so I used the Ult Protectant on my tires. The results are similar to #40, which I can't find but really want for it's "looks like new rubber" look. I'm skipping the Ultimate Polish for now as I want to see how the Ultimate Compound performs on it's own. It's a white truck, so I'm not even sure if I'll reap the benefits of the extra step like I would with black paint.

On that note, I have a question about the Ultimate Compound. Reading up on the forum it seems that it's a fairly aggressive compound, which kind of goes against the "Use the least aggressive compound required" mantra of Meguiar's. I figure there's a method to their madness, but after years of being told to stick to mild abrasives unless absolutely necessary it seems a little over the top that a consumer grade paint cleaner is more aggressive than ScratchX?

[wifpd4]

While I wholeheartedly agree with the "least aggressive method" and also working with a "test spot" first. You did say,

...truck gets off-roaded regularly...

That to me made me think you've got marks or defects that may need the attention of Ultimate Compound.

This article shows the versatility of Meguiar's products and how pad choice, downward pressure and DA speed influence the performance of your buffing efforts. Which you may have seen this article years ago.

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums...Total-Cut-quot