Meguiars VS Mothers VS Others

[-DAvo]

This is probably opening a whole can of worms here, but for those who are into their detailing and car care, what brands do you prefer? why do you prefer that brand?

IMO not one brand is totally superior to another.. but perhaps certain products are more suited to specific applications/personal tastes etc.

please post up your thoughts on different products you have used... this is particularly aimed at the Meguiars range and Mothers range... but if you have any input on a certain product from another brand (autoglym, sonax etc) please post here too :)

Edited June 23, 2010 by -DAvo

[-DAvo]

To start off the discussion...

I have always been a Meguiars fan... i find their products priced well for the quality they give..

recently have been reading into some of the mothers range, and find myself very interested in their california gold range and how it stands against meguiars...

would the Mothers california gold Wax be a direct competitor to the Meguiars Gold Class plus? anyone used the mothers wax and meguiars wax? which did you find produced better results? (in your eyes)

[InactiveUser]

I voted for Meguiars even though I do use some AutoGlym products. I used to do the IT work for the Sydney distributor of Mothers (Command Auto Group) but at the time I had an AE92 so I didn't bother to take care of it.

[1stKill]

I voted for Meguiars even though I do use some AutoGlym products. I used to do the IT work for the Sydney distributor of Mothers (Command Auto Group) but at the time I had an AE92 so I didn't bother to take care of it.

Small world,a few years back we would buy product from Command Auto Group for the auto parts shop in Sydney i worked in.

the cruise controls were good sellers and do you remember or is he still around David Ladhams...he was my rep that called on us back in the day.

wow what a blast from the past. :D

[1stKill]

and to answer the post topic...i've mostly used Mothers all my adult life (great products) but lately Meg's has been winning the battle for my hard earn. :)

it maybe the packaging on Meguiars thats making me buy it :P

the only Mothers product i will not budge on is there California Gold car wash,been using it for years....i love this stuff.

[Kesawi]

Meguiars, only because that's what I first used and became familiar with. Also, because of the excellent Meguiars Online Forums and helpful advice there.

[and1]

I use mainly Meguiars with some AutoGlym products.

Why do I use Meguiars? It's a enthusiast detailing brand that is readily available in most auto stores.

[lateralus]

i only use autoglym on mine. tried to give meguiars a go, but i dont think it stood up to autoglym in both looks and durability.

[Hiro]

Voted Other, as I use a variety (usually what is on special :P)

No real preference for any one brand as long as it isn't crap, I don't go to anywhere near the detailing level of some of the other guys here but every so often I'll give the car a decent wash. Must say I was impressed with the $6 Kitten cutting compound and carnauba wax, one tin of each and my car was a changed animal - 12 years and the car had probably never been polished in it's life before then. Coming up to 12 months later and you can still tell which panels got done and which ones didn't (rain stopped me from finishing, and I've never gotten around to doing the rest since, although will in the next month or so)

[-DAvo]

i only use autoglym on mine. tried to give meguiars a go, but i dont think it stood up to autoglym in both looks and durability.

nice, just with the AG stuff, have you used to hi definition wax before? seems like a qood wax? not sold over the counter here in perth thou :(

[Silver-Aurion]

I'll start of by stating which product I dislike which is the Turtle car care product line. I've only used two of their products and considering these two are a thumbs down for me I rather not go for any other product they sell. Firstly, their scratch and swirl remover is like soup, its just way to watery compare to meguiars swirlx where it is a really nice thick paste.

The thicker paste is much better because the turtle stuff when used by machine splatters everywhere and since its too watery does not work as well as a thick paste filling in swirls.

Same goes with the Turle wax, very crappy beading and too watery again. For a cheap car I'd use these products as I won't bother spending big bucks on a aging paint.

I've only used mothers once and its not bad stuff. Can't comment much though since I only used it once, though I do have a brand new unopened canister of mothers polish which I'm yet to try out.

So for me it's meguiars products. It's proven to withstand a lot and keep beading and protecting and leave an awesome shine.

[lateralus]

i only use autoglym on mine. tried to give meguiars a go, but i dont think it stood up to autoglym in both looks and durability.

nice, just with the AG stuff, have you used to hi definition wax before? seems like a qood wax? not sold over the counter here in perth thou :(

yep, and its bloody awesome! its a big initial cost (around $150 from memory) however lasts a fair while and looks fabulous. so hydrophobic i think the car could almost float on water, lol.

when i first bought my tub of HD wax, it was over a year ago when no one in australia stocked it, so i had to get it shipped from the UK. now i think autobarn stocks it pretty reguarly. but you dont need to use much. in one year (and over 3 cars its been applied to, 2 of these cars waxed 3 times just for good measure) i've still got 2/3 of the tub left.

[Wixy]

well well well. can of worms atomic bomb i reckon.

im pleased to seee Davo that you didnt put TURTLE WAX hahahahahahhahdwshfsdhfsdhfhs

i would have laughed to see a percentage next to that name on the poll. ive always been interested how poorly turtle wax and armorall products perform. its just too interesting.

anyway, meguiar's meguiar's meguiar's. primarly because they EXPLAIN to the consumer how their products work, and provide reknowned support. if you ring their customer care here in Aust (which is the same number as the US one) they will put u through to someone, REGARDLESS of whether if it is a saturday, long weekend, etc. i once called inquiring troubleshooting issues with their professional lines, and they put be through straight away to some dude (i suppose its an on call backup guy sitting at home or doing the groceries) and he was able to resolve the issue with ease.

THATS THE SUPPORT YOU NEED, AND ITS FREE.

you can spend all the money in the world on swissvax, luxury snake oil products, or, you can get some meguiar's and the product lasts you easily years and years to come. i have had the experience of using swissvax, and their awesome products, however its only viable if im doing a detailing jobs on...mm...and audi R8 - which no one drives daily anyway. and even if there are those who drive lovely cars around, the niche detailing market is too crowded with too many detailers using snake oil products.

I find mothers to be a good product, in fact the first product i used, and was exposed to the 3 step process - stage 1 through to 3. however, poor support, poor range - esp on the depth of surface preparation products, and their not in the professional market. they are the same in the states, so they have a poor market segment compared to meguair's. on top of that, they rarely win awards. meguair's products are used on cars which always wins.

[mbruce]

I use Meguiars, mainly because I live in a country town, so there are not a lot of options but the local supercheap stocks a fair range of Meguiars. I am familiar with using it now, plus its good value compared to some other brands.

[Andrew357]

I'm a meg's fan however I wonder what their equivalent of Mothers Step 2 sealant is.

My primary wax is their Gold Class Wax however, I am getting some M26 shipped from the states soon (as I am also getting CHEAP K&N oil filters and some pulleys for my supercharger) and am looking forward to seeing how the M26 performs.

I've never bothered with their NXT 2.0 wax for some reason.

[-DAvo]

I'm a meg's fan however I wonder what their equivalent of Mothers Step 2 sealant is.

My primary wax is their Gold Class Wax however, I am getting some M26 shipped from the states soon (as I am also getting CHEAP K&N oil filters and some pulleys for my supercharger) and am looking forward to seeing how the M26 performs.

I've never bothered with their NXT 2.0 wax for some reason.

isnt m26 available locally? unless your getting the liquid version which (to my knowledge) was not supplied to the australian market... i would love the get my hands on some liquid m26!!

you'll probably find that the gold class will give a slightly nicer shine (as it contains some polishing oils)... the m26 is great in the fact that you can "layer" it, as it contains little to non cleaning ability...

my suggestions would be to put 1 or 2 layers of gold class (allow sufficient cure time) and then top it off with a layer of m26... should be mint!

nxt2.0 is definately worth a try at some point... you might be pleasently suprised at the shine and protection it provides, being a synthetic sealent...

on another note, got a quote on the autoglym high defintion wax today... $121.00!

for those who have used this product, is it really worth it!? at that pricing, i could easily look at zaino etc etc... is it really 3-4 times better than a meguiars wax?? :S

[Wixy]

isnt m26 available locally? unless your getting the liquid version which (to my knowledge) was not supplied to the australian market... i would love the get my hands on some liquid m26!!

yea only paste version in aust, they used to sell the liquid but those who use it (experienced blokes) didnt need liquid because of the age old assumption that paste is more potent. they also stop liquid because hardly anyone used it on their DA. to be frank, i dont know alot of ppl who use finishing pads & their DA to wax - u just waste too much. hand is the best for waxing process.

on another note, got a quote on the autoglym high defintion wax today... $121.00!

for those who have used this product, is it really worth it!? at that pricing, i could easily look at zaino etc etc... is it really 3-4 times better than a meguiars wax?? :S

its up to you to decide really. some dude who uses one or the other may say that the one which performs poorer, is better. its like asking someone which speaker sounds better in the world of hifi? - subjective - unless someone has done unbaised tests in control environments.

does a luxury wax that costs $5000 per 475gram going to outperform one that costs $42? If not, why do people use it? if so, why cant we mass produce that $5000 wax at economies of scale to decrease the product cost? (and dont give me the excuse that its because of some exotic tree in brazil - because all natural wax sources are sourced from the same plantation.)

[-DAvo]

isnt m26 available locally? unless your getting the liquid version which (to my knowledge) was not supplied to the australian market... i would love the get my hands on some liquid m26!!

yea only paste version in aust, they used to sell the liquid but those who use it (experienced blokes) didnt need liquid because of the age old assumption that paste is more potent. they also stop liquid because hardly anyone used it on their DA. to be frank, i dont know alot of ppl who use finishing pads & their DA to wax - u just waste too much. hand is the best for waxing process.

on another note, got a quote on the autoglym high defintion wax today... $121.00!

for those who have used this product, is it really worth it!? at that pricing, i could easily look at zaino etc etc... is it really 3-4 times better than a meguiars wax?? :S

its up to you to decide really. some dude who uses one or the other may say that the one which performs poorer, is better. its like asking someone which speaker sounds better in the world of hifi? - subjective - unless someone has done unbaised tests in control environments.

does a luxury wax that costs $5000 per 475gram going to outperform one that costs $42? If not, why do people use it? if so, why cant we mass produce that $5000 wax at economies of scale to decrease the product cost? (and dont give me the excuse that its because of some exotic tree in brazil - because all natural wax sources are sourced from the same plantation.)

excellent points there wixy!

i would still like a liquid version of m26 thou, purely cos i apply most of my wax with the mothers wax attack palm polisher/buffer, not my DA... just makes the whole process a bit quicker (for a daily driver)

but having used the UQW for a few days now, i can honestly say im starting to rethink my hesitation about gold class plus... the UQW is hands down the best spray product i have used from meguiars... very VERY impressed by the finish and ease of application. Big thanks to Wixy for recommending this product... prior i was convinced all forms of spray wax were the devils work :P

IMO so far, gold class plus paired up with UQW is a pretty hard combo to beat... to my eyes the gloss and reflections seem to be nicer than what iw as getting out of NXT 2.0... now the only thing that needs to come out of this is the durability, which i beleve UQW will help greatly in!

[Wixy]

excellent points there wixy!

i would still like a liquid version of m26 thou, purely cos i apply most of my wax with the mothers wax attack palm polisher/buffer, not my DA... just makes the whole process a bit quicker (for a daily driver)

but having used the UQW for a few days now, i can honestly say im starting to rethink my hesitation about gold class plus... the UQW is hands down the best spray product i have used from meguiars... very VERY impressed by the finish and ease of application. Big thanks to Wixy for recommending this product... prior i was convinced all forms of spray wax were the devils work :P

IMO so far, gold class plus paired up with UQW is a pretty hard combo to beat... to my eyes the gloss and reflections seem to be nicer than what iw as getting out of NXT 2.0... now the only thing that needs to come out of this is the durability, which i beleve UQW will help greatly in!

mmmmm carnauba and sythetic coupling...IM EXCITED BABY!

nothing beats a 5min spray and wax. oh the smell, yummmmmmmmy jelly like candy....i hate it when megs do that. they put the same fragrance from purple bubble gum in their purple long lasting tyre shine gel. drives me nuts!!!!!

EDIT: BTW, feels good to save time doesnt it!

Edited June 28, 2010 by Wixy

[-DAvo]

excellent points there wixy!

i would still like a liquid version of m26 thou, purely cos i apply most of my wax with the mothers wax attack palm polisher/buffer, not my DA... just makes the whole process a bit quicker (for a daily driver)

but having used the UQW for a few days now, i can honestly say im starting to rethink my hesitation about gold class plus... the UQW is hands down the best spray product i have used from meguiars... very VERY impressed by the finish and ease of application. Big thanks to Wixy for recommending this product... prior i was convinced all forms of spray wax were the devils work :P

IMO so far, gold class plus paired up with UQW is a pretty hard combo to beat... to my eyes the gloss and reflections seem to be nicer than what iw as getting out of NXT 2.0... now the only thing that needs to come out of this is the durability, which i beleve UQW will help greatly in!

mmmmm carnauba and sythetic coupling...IM EXCITED BABY!

nothing beats a 5min spray and wax. oh the smell, yummmmmmmmy jelly like candy....i hate it when megs do that. they put the same fragrance from purple bubble gum in their purple long lasting tyre shine gel. drives me nuts!!!!!

EDIT: BTW, feels good to save time doesnt it!

yes it does smell awsome!!!

yeah im really happy with the UQW, will definately be a permanent fixture in my detailing ****nal... so much so it has made me modify my weekly regime :P

[Buff Hamster]

I use 2 brands. Autoglym for interior and exterior and a brand most of you probably never heard of, Collinite for the exterior.

[Wixy]

I use 2 brands. Autoglym for interior and exterior and a brand most of you probably never heard of, Collinite for the exterior.

Collinite No73 is one of the best cleaner waxes ive ever used for the price

[-DAvo]

Ok so today i decided to step outside my safety bubble that is the meguiars product range, and purchased a bottle of AutoGlym Super resin polish..

now the descriptions were a bit vauge, its name would lead you to believe it is just a polishing agent... not so. it is acctually a cleaner/polish/sealant..

anyway, i washed the car, clayed it, and then applied the super resin polish with a mothers wax attack buffer, let it haze up, and remove.

application was very easy, the polish is a similar consistency of Meguiars M07. removal was super super easy.

left behind a very nice gloss, even for a white car! seemed to give it a depth similar to when the car had 2 coast of gold class plus on it.. minor swirls were filled in, and hazing which had occured through my laziness these past few weeks were gone. the shine was very clear and smooth.

i was very impressed with the gloss and reflections i was getting from this product - even on a white car! i left it to sit for a few hours and then topped with 2 layers of NXT 2.0, will reapply the final coat tomorrow. and then regular maintainence with meguiars Ultimate wash and wax and meguiars ultimate quik wax. should prove to be a very durable combo!

conclusion - i think the super resin polish has a place in my detailing kit! very easy to use product which produces very good results.. even thou it is a "all in one" product, i still choose to top it off with meguiars NXT 2.0 for that extra protection and a even more gloss!

inter-branding FTW!

Edited July 6, 2010 by -DAvo

[Wixy]

Ok so today i decided to step outside my safety bubble that is the meguiars product range, and purchased a bottle of AutoGlym Super resin polish..

now the descriptions were a bit vauge, its name would lead you to believe it is just a polishing agent... not so. it is acctually a cleaner/polish/sealant..

anyway, i washed the car, clayed it, and then applied the super resin polish with a mothers wax attack buffer, let it haze up, and remove.

application was very easy, the polish is a similar consistency of Meguiars M07. removal was super super easy.

left behind a very nice gloss, even for a white car! seemed to give it a depth similar to when the car had 2 coast of gold class plus on it.. minor swirls were filled in, and hazing which had occured through my laziness these past few weeks were gone. the shine was very clear and smooth.

i was very impressed with the gloss and reflections i was getting from this product - even on a white car! i left it to sit for a few hours and then topped with 2 layers of NXT 2.0, will reapply the final coat tomorrow. and then regular maintainence with meguiars Ultimate wash and wax and meguiars ultimate quik wax. should prove to be a very durable combo!

conclusion - i think the super resin polish has a place in my detailing kit! very easy to use product which produces very good results.. even thou it is a "all in one" product, i still choose to top it off with meguiars NXT 2.0 for that extra protection and a even more gloss!

inter-branding FTW!

lol your white car has got to be the most condom-ed white aurion around. 2 coats of GC+ and then another 2 of NXT2.0

i mean i like my car, but i dont love it like that - thats for sure! LOL - but also because when i detail other cars...makes me sad that i dont drive them LOL lame.

interesting re super resin polish. ive always been curious about autoglym products - primarily because its the only product the royal family garage detailers use (the mechanics/detailers responsible for the queen's armada of vehicles used for transport).

however, there just isnt enough education out there to get the know-how and usage of their products right. directions on the back of the bottle are one thing, having resources to share the secrets to getting the best out of the product is another.

and i also find that they dont have their own detailing materials to use in conjunction with their products. they might have them in the UK, but in aust they dont. so u end up buying meguiar's application pads or other materials...

there are also lack of products that can be used for serious paint defect removals, most of their products are 'apply with cloth and let the product work itself' kinda thing. so what to do? meguiar's. lol.

[-DAvo]

Ok so today i decided to step outside my safety bubble that is the meguiars product range, and purchased a bottle of AutoGlym Super resin polish..

now the descriptions were a bit vauge, its name would lead you to believe it is just a polishing agent... not so. it is acctually a cleaner/polish/sealant..

anyway, i washed the car, clayed it, and then applied the super resin polish with a mothers wax attack buffer, let it haze up, and remove.

application was very easy, the polish is a similar consistency of Meguiars M07. removal was super super easy.

left behind a very nice gloss, even for a white car! seemed to give it a depth similar to when the car had 2 coast of gold class plus on it.. minor swirls were filled in, and hazing which had occured through my laziness these past few weeks were gone. the shine was very clear and smooth.

i was very impressed with the gloss and reflections i was getting from this product - even on a white car! i left it to sit for a few hours and then topped with 2 layers of NXT 2.0, will reapply the final coat tomorrow. and then regular maintainence with meguiars Ultimate wash and wax and meguiars ultimate quik wax. should prove to be a very durable combo!

conclusion - i think the super resin polish has a place in my detailing kit! very easy to use product which produces very good results.. even thou it is a "all in one" product, i still choose to top it off with meguiars NXT 2.0 for that extra protection and a even more gloss!

inter-branding FTW!

lol your white car has got to be the most condom-ed white aurion around. 2 coats of GC+ and then another 2 of NXT2.0

i mean i like my car, but i dont love it like that - thats for sure! LOL - but also because when i detail other cars...makes me sad that i dont drive them LOL lame.

interesting re super resin polish. ive always been curious about autoglym products - primarily because its the only product the royal family garage detailers use (the mechanics/detailers responsible for the queen's armada of vehicles used for transport).

however, there just isnt enough education out there to get the know-how and usage of their products right. directions on the back of the bottle are one thing, having resources to share the secrets to getting the best out of the product is another.

and i also find that they dont have their own detailing materials to use in conjunction with their products. they might have them in the UK, but in aust they dont. so u end up buying meguiar's application pads or other materials...

there are also lack of products that can be used for serious paint defect removals, most of their products are 'apply with cloth and let the product work itself' kinda thing. so what to do? meguiar's. lol.

definately agree with you on their lack of product backing info and lack of a serious paint defect remover.. however my train of thought was my surface has minimal defects (for a daily driver) and i wasnt in the mood to break out the DA and hit the surface with 205... so i was originally out looking for M05, a polish which i could easily apply, let haze over and remove with ease... but none of the stores here in perth that i went to stocked it... ended up with the AG stuff just for giggles and was very impressed by it.. i treated it as users on autopia and other detailing websites suggested.. applied over the entire car, let it sit for a good 15 mins, and then buff off. worked very well and realistically there wasnt a great need for a sealant step (as the AG contains its own sealant) but i will always always finish off with a meguiars sealant/wax to ensure protection.

as for applicators etc, i wouldnt use anything else apart from meguiars anyway (i do use the mothers wax attack red pad thou with the wax attack buffer)... as i find their applicators and microfibres unbeatable...

but yeah, anyone on this forum should know im a die hard megs fan, but i will say that i was pleasently suprised with the AG super resin and will definately be using it again in the future... i can only imagine what the car will look like with a fully washed, clayed, 205'ed, AG super resin polish, NXT 2.0, and topped off with a Canubra layer would shine like... cant wait for summer.....