From Griots to Chemical Guys and not looking back

warp10 · 11-23-2011, 09:21 AM

Hey Guys Been lurking around the Detailing threads for a while and have been experimenting with many different products. I started and was probably lured in to the idea of Griot's Garage Products because of there "easy" to use products with great results. Well after a few months of washing/detailing with the Griot's stuff I was finding that it was just not doing the job. I had some dealer prep swirl marks and so I bought there Polish 3 & 4 and there pads, their DA, etc... Well I still have swirl marks and the paint doesn't seem to budge with there polish and I don't want to go an aggressive polish on a brand new car. So the reason I started the switch in the first place was I need something to strip the old wax off the car so I picked up CG Citrus wash and gloss. Worked great and had a great swell and can be diluted to be an every day wash. And slowly I have transitioned to CG. They have a wide range of products and their customer support is pretty good. I have ordered their scratch and swirl remover to get at my swirl marks that I still can/t get out. So I will also report on the findings their on Jet Black. But Sorry for the rant but the product I got from them yesterday was Blacklight and VO7 Spray Sealant. Blacklight is, as they call it, a new LSP. And VO7 is a spray sealant. Both smell great and are super easy to apply. I applied the Blacklight by hand, I did not have the right DA pad, and you let it cure for 15 min and then buff off and follow up it with the VO7 and thats it. I like the way it finishes on Jet Black and people have used it on other colors, but mainly on dark paints. What I really like about these products is that they are anti-static and I cant tell you how much better it is to have no dust on the car after you spent time detailing it, instead of being dirty 30 min after words. Here are some pics of my car with Blacklight and VO7 applied. (Cloudy weather but good reflections, crappy iPhone camera)

THE TECH · 11-23-2011, 09:27 AM

Sucks to hear you don't like the Griot's stuff. I just bought their master detailing kit and haven't had a chance to use it yet.

Glad you like the new products you've found. Car looks great.

warp10 · 11-23-2011, 09:40 AM

It is not that I dislike Griot's products they just were not working for me. I do have both the 6" and 3" DA, and I do like there best of show wax and there clay bar is pretty good. It was more that the polish and some of the other products I bought were not doing it for me. But I would not regret your purchase. What is nice about Griot's is that they all have a uniform look and you know exactly what each product if for.

Money2536 · 11-26-2011, 08:13 PM

It's funny that you are stumbling on other products much like I have been. I didn't realize that other polishes would not only work much better but also come off much easier. Polish 3 make my fingers bleed trying to get it off the paint even spraying it with Speed Shine. I still love my Griot stuff. I'm just adding to my arsenal.

BMW&me · 11-27-2011, 08:25 PM

There are a lot of good products. You just need to find what works best for your use.

TTG · 12-01-2011, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BMW&me

There are a lot of good products. You just need to find what works best for your use.

+1

And no one company can do everything the best IMO.

I use Griots interior cleaner (one of their very 1st products), MF towels and some other stuff that I like. They also have a very good engine and undercarriage detail kit.

I love their spray bottles and small containers for waxes & etc....

I tried and not impressed with their speed shine (everyone loves this), leather cleaner & wheels cleaners..... There are much better options out there...

And for paint correction I am very bias towards Manzerna products

11-23-2011, 09:21 AM	#1
warp10 Lieutenant Colonel 776 Rep 1,718 Posts Drives: 2011 M3 Jet Black:ZCP, ZCV, ZP Join Date: May 2011 Location: Atlanta, Ga iTrader: (7) Garage List 2011 M3 [10.00] 2011 28i X3 [0.00]	From Griots to Chemical Guys and not looking back Hey Guys Been lurking around the Detailing threads for a while and have been experimenting with many different products. I started and was probably lured in to the idea of Griot's Garage Products because of there "easy" to use products with great results. Well after a few months of washing/detailing with the Griot's stuff I was finding that it was just not doing the job. I had some dealer prep swirl marks and so I bought there Polish 3 & 4 and there pads, their DA, etc... Well I still have swirl marks and the paint doesn't seem to budge with there polish and I don't want to go an aggressive polish on a brand new car. So the reason I started the switch in the first place was I need something to strip the old wax off the car so I picked up CG Citrus wash and gloss. Worked great and had a great swell and can be diluted to be an every day wash. And slowly I have transitioned to CG. They have a wide range of products and their customer support is pretty good. I have ordered their scratch and swirl remover to get at my swirl marks that I still can/t get out. So I will also report on the findings their on Jet Black. But Sorry for the rant but the product I got from them yesterday was Blacklight and VO7 Spray Sealant. Blacklight is, as they call it, a new LSP. And VO7 is a spray sealant. Both smell great and are super easy to apply. I applied the Blacklight by hand, I did not have the right DA pad, and you let it cure for 15 min and then buff off and follow up it with the VO7 and thats it. I like the way it finishes on Jet Black and people have used it on other colors, but mainly on dark paints. What I really like about these products is that they are anti-static and I cant tell you how much better it is to have no dust on the car after you spent time detailing it, instead of being dirty 30 min after words. Here are some pics of my car with Blacklight and VO7 applied. (Cloudy weather but good reflections, crappy iPhone camera) Attached Images
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11-23-2011, 09:27 AM	#2
THE TECH BimmerPost Supporting Vendor 307 Rep 13,093 Posts Drives: BPMsport 2012 E92 M3 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Kansas iTrader: (45) Garage List 2013 Nissan GTR [0.00] 2019 Sierra Denali ... [0.00] 1999 Nissan Silvia [0.00] 1999 Nissan Skyline ... [0.00] 1998 Toyota Supra [0.00]	Sucks to hear you don't like the Griot's stuff. I just bought their master detailing kit and haven't had a chance to use it yet. Glad you like the new products you've found. Car looks great.
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11-23-2011, 09:40 AM	#3
warp10 Lieutenant Colonel 776 Rep 1,718 Posts Drives: 2011 M3 Jet Black:ZCP, ZCV, ZP Join Date: May 2011 Location: Atlanta, Ga iTrader: (7) Garage List 2011 M3 [10.00] 2011 28i X3 [0.00]	It is not that I dislike Griot's products they just were not working for me. I do have both the 6" and 3" DA, and I do like there best of show wax and there clay bar is pretty good. It was more that the polish and some of the other products I bought were not doing it for me. But I would not regret your purchase. What is nice about Griot's is that they all have a uniform look and you know exactly what each product if for.
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11-26-2011, 08:13 PM	#4
Money2536 Colonel 1586 Rep 2,148 Posts Drives: '13 E92 M3 \| 992 GT3 Touring Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: The Villages, FL iTrader: (1)	It's funny that you are stumbling on other products much like I have been. I didn't realize that other polishes would not only work much better but also come off much easier. Polish 3 make my fingers bleed trying to get it off the paint even spraying it with Speed Shine. I still love my Griot stuff. I'm just adding to my arsenal.
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11-27-2011, 08:25 PM	#5
BMW&me New Member 0 Rep 17 Posts Drives: 325i Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: The Welt iTrader: (0)	There are a lot of good products. You just need to find what works best for your use.
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