Car Detailing - What products are your go to?

[The Pad King]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

Thanks for the feedback. I don't want to be rude or offend, just presenting some observations I've made over the years. I've listened to Mark on the TRC podcast a few times, he comes across as very knowledgably. I also know something that might be coming in the near future that could turn things around.

In regards to his website, he really needs someone to sit down and find these bugs and iron them out. The layout is fine, but the function sucks. However, I know what it's like running a busy business and trying to juggle multiple roles at once.

The thing is, this website is his shop front. In the same way you sweep the floors and clean the windows of a shop to make it a pleasant shopping experience, the same applies to website function and presentation. It will also be costing him sales as often I will go to find a particular product that I know he stocks, but it won't show up in the appropriate tab or even when you search based on brand. If a customer can't find the product, how is he/she going to buy it? Also, logging into your account, only to have it automatically load your existing order into your cart, that's super annoying and potentially costly. I remember on one occasion, for no apparent reason it wouldn't allow me to pay for the order. I once contacted them about being sent the wrong item but was never replied to, two days later the correct item arrived unannounced.

As I said, I'm not trying to cause trouble, but there is clearly some refinement needed.

it is all good I dont get upset at all
Mark's a good guy and quite knowledgable - the site just needs an overhaul
And I bet he has alot on his plate

[DFB FGXR6]

I mentioned the other day how I am heavily guided by my sense of smell in just about every area of my life. I have a very strong sense of smell, to the point where I can smell things others can't. Scent is also strongly tied with memories for me, both pleasant and unpleasant. This is both a blessing and a curse.

I decided to write this post after I had someone question why product reviewers put so much emphasis on scent when evaluating products. And they had a point, the scent has no bearing on how the product performs. But then that doesn't account for several key reasons why scent becomes an important part of product evaluation.

So, when it comes to me assessing a product, naturally scent is going to be part of that. If a product performs well but has an unpleasant odour, I will pretty much hate the product entirely. The Turtle Wax foaming tire cleaner is a good example of this. On a very good product, sometimes a pleasant scent is the icing, which in turn gets mentioned because it contributes to the overall user experience.



However, a scent CAN NOT mask a bad product. I've had countless nice smelling products that got used once and never again because of how badly they perform at the intended task. This gets mentioned in reviews because it shows a product that has style over substance. Hello Bilt Hamber Trace-less or Auto Finesse Lather.



In 99% of cases, the scent of a car cleaning product has no bearing on its actual performance. And yet, the majority of detailing brands add scent to their products. In theory, they could eliminate scent entirely and increase their product margins, or even charge less. But then, where do they stop with that way of thinking? Do they eliminate colours as well? Have a universal bottle rather than bottles unique to certain brands? Do they all use basic labels with no branding? And what would we end up with? Pretty much one single "brand" with very little to tell them apart. But, I can guarantee "we" would come up with another way to determine differentiating elements between each competing product.

ADS Pilot, one of my current favorite scents, which I'm told is Spiced Pear.



And yet, none of this explains the pleasure I get from foaming a nice smelling soap and taking in the perfumed air. So, naturally I'm going to mention this in a review or when talking about a product.

This leads me to two detailing scents that bring back pleasant memories, both of them soaps…………………..

First, we go back to a 17-year old DFB, circa late 2003 and into 2004. I remember the year because in October 2003, Kylie released her latest album, Body Language, which was unlike any other before or after in not being her usual syrupy pop. One could say it was "Sweet Music" So where does this relate to detailing? Well, I would be out in the driveway on a warm Friday or Saturday night washing my parents’ cars listening to that album.

And the distinctive scent? Well, that was Armor All Car Wash, you know, the cheap blue one sold everywhere. From memory, my Mum would buy it at the supermarket for me. At that age, and back then, there was NOTHING like the choice we have today. I would eventually “upgrade” to Meguiar’s NXT and Gold Class……………….but you always remember your first.



It’s hard to describe the scent of that soap, it's not the usual cherry or citrus aroma that is common for car wash soaps. But it's so distinctive, to the point where when I bought a bottle for nostalgia last year, nothing has changed. But to me, this particular scent means more than just cheap car wash soap sold at the supermarket. It reminds me of a carefree time, one that we only realise many years down the road. That soap and it sent represents me discovering the joy that detailing brings. And………………………………Kylie Minogue, of course.





The second scent takes me back to 2020. And we all know what was happening in 2020, and ultimately what would continue to happen for several years. As someone who worked in retail, I was glad to be stuck home during the lockdowns for two reasons. As a diabetic, I was terrified of catching Covid and the possible complications. And secondly, it meant time away from work and a break from the stress I was under. Being in the country with a backyard and plenty of things to tinker with, I didn’t have to endure the horrible situation my poor sister had living in a Melbourne apartment.

In January 2020, I bought my first bottle of Carpro Reset, but didn’t start using it until mid-March. I don’t know how or where I learnt about this soap, but it was clearly evident that this is a very premium product, to the point where I would ration it. Every time I used that soap, it was like a special treat. But the pleasant thing about Reset is how it does
both form and function so well. It has great free rinsing ability, a highly concentrated formula so a little goes a long way, amazing slickness, great cleaning ability and these days, brilliant foam quality.

But it was the scent that had me hooked. Again, it’s hard to put a finger on what Reset smells like, suffice to say it’s totally unique and not something you will smell from other brands. Perhaps that’s why I love it so much, that I can’t get that same intoxicating aroma elsewhere.





It was also around this time when I started to dig even deeper into the detailing rabbit hole. With bulk time on my hands, I continued to expand my detailing skills and began devoting more time to writing about it. You see, not only was I learning, but I was also keeping my mind and body active. I ended up doing a “Daily Detail” series, and when I ran out of my own cars, I started doing other peoples…………………in a “Covid Safe” manner or course.





While there was a LOT going on during that time, a LOT has changed since then. Thankfully, Reset has remained THE benchmark soap. Washing my car with this super fancy soap was such a treat and became a lovely distraction to chaos around me. And that scent, well it brings back a mixture of good and bad emotions. The bad? Well, that would be fear, frustration, uncertainty. But balancing that were feelings of relief, the discovery of something new, leaning into what makes ME happy and not the expectations of others. All from a bottle of car wash soap.

So, what car detailing scent brings back memories for you?