Reddit mentions of Adam's Wheel Cleaner (16oz) - Tough On Brake Dust Wheel Car Detailing Formula | Car Cleaning Barrel & Rim Cleaner | Safe On Clear Coated Polished Plasti Dipped Wheels | Wheel Brush Car Wash Kit

I'm reposting some suggestions I made from a previous similar thread, hope it works out for you (the last person's budget was $100; not sure what yours is, but you can pick and choose!)

 

Optimum No Rinse: Concentrated and capable of being diluted as a wash, quick detailer, clay lubricant, window cleaner, light interior cleaner, and more.

Optimum Opti-Seal: Incredibly easy to use sealant (wipe on and walk away!), can be used in place of RainX on windows, good drying aid, and useful as an interior dressing as well. Opti-seal ALL the things!

Detailing brushes: Because every detailer can use more brushes!

Nanoskin Autoscrub Sponge: Makes the process of decontaminating your paint much faster. Much longer life than clay and can be used even after dropped on the ground! Use the ONR as lubricant and you save tons of money.

The Rag Company Eagle Edgeless Towels, 4 pack: These will be the best towels he's ever used.

The total for all of this should be $97.96, just under your budget :)

 

A couple other suggestions if you want to mix and match:

Smaller Opti-Seal: Since it's the biggest budget item here and a little goes a long way, you can go with the small one to include more items in your bundle.

Adam's Wheel Cleaner: The least terrible smelling wheel cleaner, but extremely effective as well. Good if that truck throws a lot of brake dust.

CarPro PERL: For protecting exterior plastics as well as dressing them, and for use as a satin look tire dresing.

Wheel Woolies: Makes cleaning wheels a much nicer experience, and won't fling brake dust into your face like the brushes do.

Hope this helps! If you want any more specific recommendations for any category, feel free to ask! As for things to avoid, Armorall, Turtlewax and Chemical Guys in my opinion.

I've always struggled to keep my vehicles clean because 1) they were always old, 2) I've lived in condos, 3) car washes did a terrible job / detailers charged too much, and 4) I didn't realize you could do all of this yourself pretty effectively.


When I bought a new truck at the beginnging of the year, I randomly stumbled upon an Ammo NYC video and the nerd / clean-freak was intrigued. A couple dozen videos later, and I was hooked. Shout out to Larry for your passion - thank you for the insane amount of information on your channel. (Wish I could afford all of your products, or that you had some of them on Amazon!).

Living in a condo, I have to swing by my local coin wash and take up a bay with a few buckets during off-peak hours, but I've gotten it down to 1.5 hours and looking like this every time.

I've only been doing this for a few months, but thought I'd share the products I've researched and selected based on reviews and costs. Hope this helps save someone time!

TOOLS

• McGuire-Nicholas 22015 15-Inch Collapsible Tote - https://amzn.to/2HXGsvd - I love this thing. Handle is sturdy and holds every chemical I need.
  
• Relentless Drive Ultimate Car Wash Mitt - https://amzn.to/2KJC7td - Great mitt and would strongly recommend it. I've only used the mitt for a few washes so I can't comment on durability, but if I had to guess I think it's going to hold up. My only complaint is that it's so voluminous that it's difficult to rinse / wring out the dirt when using the two-bucket method. Not a big enough problem to look for another mitt, though.
  
  BUCKETS
  
  
• Chemical Guys ACC_101 Detailing Bucket Kit - https://amzn.to/2KJb552 - a good starter bucket, but it's worth calling out how much of this stuff is BS marketing: the bucket is only 4 gallons, the gamma lid can be bought for cheaper on amazon, the citrus gloss is OK, and the wash mitt is worthless / isn't going to hold up. I barely used the mitt once and fuzz falls off constantly when handling.
  
• Adam's Grit Guard Wash Bucket with Lid - https://amzn.to/2IoSflo - Better value than chemical guys, but the bucket is just a regular bucket ($4 at Home Depot) and the gamma lid can be purchased for $10-15 on Amazon. I'm not convinced grit guards are worth it, but more on that later.
  
• Grit Guard Washboard Bucket Insert - https://amzn.to/2HW4juZ - the product is well made and does what it's intended to do, but I'm skeptical of its value. Yes, rubbing your mitt on a washboard would intuitively get dirt to fall off, but is it actually more effective than using your hands (which you do anyway to wring out the mitt)? And I'm not buying that the fins "trap dirt." Anybody who looks at their rinse bucket while washing wheels for example can plainly see the water's black. Dirt's floating everywhere.
  
  
  CHEMICALS
  
  
• Mothers 08216 California Gold Instant Detailer - https://amzn.to/2KJ2f7t - this stuff has done a pretty good job for quick wipe-downs, spot cleans, etc.
  
• Griot's Garage 11108 Window Cleaner - https://amzn.to/2Iq5CSF - The spray bottle itself is awesome and works really well. The solution also seems to work well, though I've only ever used it after washing the truck and so I'm not sure how much it helps.
  
• Meguiar's G3626 Ultimate Waterless Wash & Wax - https://amzn.to/2jFg3DJ - I used this a few times with the microfiber directional pass method after some serious pollen clouds invaded Austin, and it worked surprisingly well. Ran through 3-4 towels to do my entire truck, then spot-cleaned with an instant detailer. Even though wheel wells and a few pieces were still dirty, it was a huge improvement without the hassle of a full wash. Will definitely be using this as my in-between wash method.
  
• Chemical Guys V7 High Gloss Spray Sealant and Quick Detailer - https://amzn.to/2HXiQ9R - I'm new to detailing, but this stuff is probably the most impressive chemical of everything I've used. The combination of a damp microfiber + V7 produces the result everyone thinks about when they think about car washes: a clean car with no streaks or water spots. Wringing out my microfiber towel can get old, but the end result is just awesome.
  
• Chemical Guys Citrus Wash and Gloss - https://amzn.to/2I1knvx - I don't have the luxury of a frother right now, but from simply adding some in a bucket and using a power washer to generate suds, I get decent foam and the soap seems to work well. That said, it's not earth-shattering and I will probably try other washes when I run out.
  
  
  INTERIOR
  
  
• Mothers 06512 All-In-One Leather Care - https://amzn.to/2IlawAg - This stuff works great and smells even better.
  
  
  WHEELS
  
  
• Adam's Deep Wheel Cleaner - https://amzn.to/2K09l6f - The spray bottle is terribly difficult to press and I always end up using way more than I want. I'm not confident I need to use this instead of just using soap. Maybe it's for exceptionally dirty cars or those with tons of brake dust, but I'm rarely in either camp so I may not buy some more after I run out.
  
• Adam's Hex-Grip Pro Tire Dressing Applicator - https://amzn.to/2HYtb5y - Works well and easy to handle.
  
• Mothers Wheel Brush - https://amzn.to/2K0Ky1Y - really like how easy this is to handle and how soft the bristles are. Highly recommended.
  
• Optimum Opti-Bond Tire Gel - https://amzn.to/2KJsxGP - This is a good low-gloss gel, though I need to try additional coats to see if I can get those tire shinier.
  
• ABN Car Wheel Rim Cleaning 3-Piece Kit - https://amzn.to/2KFgSIR - Yes the big woolie has good reach and allows you to clean the inside of your rims effectively, but the handle is annoyingly difficult to hold after it becomes saturated / heavy to hold.
  
  
  TOWELS
  
  
• Chemical Guys Professional Grade Premium Microfiber Towels, Gold - https://amzn.to/2HY8Q0a - these things are outsidanding and are a great value. Definitely watch Larry's video on microfiber care, which fixed all of my annoyances with microfibers accruing fuzz in the dryer.
  
• THE RAG COMPANY EAGLE EDGELESS 500 Korean 70/30 Super Plush 500gsm Microfiber Detailing Towels - https://amzn.to/2HYVmky - very high plush and high quality, though I end up using the Chemical Guys towels more often and save these for random spot details. Probably not ideal.
  
• THE RAG COMPANY Premium Window, Glass, Mirror & Chrome Korean 70/30 Microfiber - https://amzn.to/2rrveVg - work great for cleaning windows and mirrors.
  
• Nylon Laundry Bag - https://amzn.to/2rtYOcP - I have one bag for clean and one for dirty. Has done a great job of keeping dust off the rags during storage.

I'm honestly not too sure. Its the Blue bottle
This : https://www.amazon.com/Adams-Deep-Wheel-Cleaner-16oz/dp/B00BPGGSCW/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2A8ZIEF26QW9S&keywords=adams+wheel+cleaner&qid=1556760752&s=gateway&sprefix=adam+s+wheel%2Caps%2C134&sr=8-2

I use this wheel cleaner


Adam's Deep Wheel Cleaner 16oz - Tough on Brake Dust, Gentle On Wheels - Changes Color As It Works https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BPGGSCW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_0I8hDb0VR153A

With this brush

Chemical Guys ACC_G08 Short... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N8RHDPW?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

And this woolie


Adam's Wheel Woolie - Wool Fibers... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008I58BAA?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Mine aren’t coated yet but this stuff works great.

Ok so I'm a little bit crazy when it comes to detailing. For rims, I use

https://www.amazon.com/Adams-Deep-Wheel-Cleaner-16oz/dp/B00BPGGSCW

Any of these deep cleaners will work. They'll smell terrible, which is good because it's actually grabbing the iron and brake dust contaminants and pulling it off of your surfaces. Spray on, let it sit for 30 seconds to a minute, and then I hit it with a wheel brush and mitt.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002LOP5IA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Wheel-Fingers-Microfiber-Half-Mitts/dp/B07F3FB152/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1542234430&sr=1-2-spons&keywords=microfiber+wheel+mitt&psc=1

Then I hit it with a clay bar and detail spray, then wipe.

After that, technically you can apply a wax and you can buy a specific wax for your wheels, but I just wax it with colinite 845 since I have a ton of the stuff lying around.

My wheels are gold and so I do this routine once every two-three months. Doesn't take long to do once I keep up the routine as it's usually not that dirty. I ride my bike everyday in all weathers and it keeps up pretty well. Every time I do a quick wash in between, a simple soak with the foam gun and wipe is sufficient

I have tried Adams, its one of the cheapest by gallon. Adams Wheel Cleaner I have used Iron X and Trix, Trix being the weakest. I can say that on paint Iron X and Adams are very similar. I only used on my car but I could not tell apart, maybe more seasoned detailers can. Both smell like something death will run away from.

Sonax. It's the same stuff. $17 on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003UT3S6Q/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466803620&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=Sonax&dpPl=1&dpID=41FlM1230lL&ref=plSrch


Adams is also the same - $15. https://www.amazon.com/Adams-DWC-16-Car-Wheel-Cleaner/dp/B00BPGGSCW

They both work equally well.