Detailing Kits
Detailing can be a daunting hobby to get into. A quick look through a distributor site like AutoGeek can leave you more confused than when you first started. With the help of the community we have created a few tiers of recommended products that will help you begin your journey. These aren’t the be-all end-all lists for detailing! Everyone’s garage is different.
While this might not be the cheapest investment, you must realize that most of these chemicals are going to last you months or longer, especially when you buy in bulk. If you have any suggestions for the list, please let us know.
Within these lists you can mix and match. You don’t need a million different towels but several options are provided, for example. You can tailor your list to your budget.
Prices on this page are not exact. Prices recorded were accurate at the time of posting and may have gone slightly up or down, so be sure to check your total before hitting the checkout.
Buying Tips: Check for sales often! If you find a chemical you like using, order it in bulk for a lower price per volume. Some chemicals can be diluted with water to go further. Read the labels. Check your garage for what you already have. Check local stores before ordering online to potentially save on shipping/cost. Lowe’s and Home Depot have cheap buckets, for example.
Make sure to check out The Beginner’s Buying Guide, as well.
Basic ($75 – $100)
General Basic Kit
| Brand | Product | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collinite | 845 Wax | $19 | One bottle lasts for years of waxing. |
| Grit Guard | Grit Guard | $9 each | Get two. One for each bucket. |
| Home Depot | 5-Gallon Buckets | $3 each | Get two! One to rinse and one for soap. |
| Meguiar's | Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo | $15/64oz | Easy to find at Walmart, Autozone, etc |
| Meguiar's | Smooth Surface Clay Kit | $18.50 | Includes clay, quick detailer, and a microfiber. Alternative: Nanoskin Sponge |
| Stoner's | Stoner's Invisible Glass | $3.50 | Add-on Amazon Item. |
| The Rag Company | Chenille Wash Mitt | $5.50 | |
| The Rag Company | Dry Me A River Towel | $5.25 | Two towels will dry a whole car. |
| The Rag Company | Glass Towels | $3.75 each | Pick up a couple. They're good for all glass. |
| The Rag Company | Edgeless 300 | $1.40 each | Great all purpose towels. |
Quick Over-the-Counter Kit
| Brand | Store | Product | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Depot | Home Depot | 5-Gallon Buckets | $3 each | Get two! One to rinse and one for soap. |
| Grit Guard | Walmart | Grit Guard | $9 each | Get two so you have one for each bucket. |
| Meguiar's | AutoZone | Hot Rims Wheel & Tire Cleaner | $5 | Bright pink bottle. |
| Meguiar's | AutoZone | Quik Interior Detailer | $7 | Purple label. The "Ultimate" version is more expensive. |
| Meguiar's | AutoZone | Ultimate Quik Wax | $10 | Spray wax lasts for two weeks per application. |
| Meguiar's | AutoZone | Smooth Surface Clay Kit | $18 | Includes clay, quick detailer and a microfiber. |
| Meguiar's | AutoZone | Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo | $11 | Easy to find in most auto stores. |
| ProElite | AutoZone | Ultra Plush Detailing Cloth | $8 | Pick up 2-3. |
Meguairs “Complete Car Care” Bundle
| Brand | Product | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meguiar's | Complete Car Care Kit | $66 | Includes soap, wax, PlastX, ScratchX, quick detailer, interior detailer, clay, two towels, and a foam applicator. |
| Grit Guard | Grit Guard | $9 each | Get two so you have one for each bucket. |
Intermediate ($150 – $200)
Assumes you already have the General Basic Kit supplies.
General Intermediate Kit
| Brand | Product | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 303 | Aerospace Protectant | $21 | Interior protectant, no greasy feeling. |
| CarPro | Iron X Iron Remover | $20 | Pricey but dissolves brake dust and contaminants easily. |
| Meguiar's | All Purpose Cleaner | $25/gal | Concentrated. |
| The Rag Company | Edgeless 300 | $1.40 each | Good for dirtier jobs and interior grime. |
| The Rag Company | Edgeless 500 | $5.45 each | Great for general use. Get a few (or a dozen, we don't judge!) |
Advanced ($250+)
Assumes you already have the General Basic Kit and General Intermediate Kit.
You’ll want 3-4 of each pad because cleaning them while using can be daunting and they can become saturated. This helps make it so you can use them on a few panels and swap to a fresh one quickly.
Paint Correction Kit
| Brand | Product | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3M | Automotive Performance Masking Tape | $8 | Alternative: regular blue painters tape |
| Astro Pneumatic | 5" Velcro Backing Plate | $11 | A 5" plate offers better control and comfort |
| CarPro | Eraser | $21 | Removes residue before wax. Alternative: Isopropyl Alcohol |
| Griot's Garage | DA Polisher | $130 | Alternative: Harbor Freight DA Polisher ($70) |
| Hex Logic | 5.5" Yellow Pad | $8 | Heavy cutting pad. |
| Hex Logic | 5.5" Orange Pad | $8 | Light cutting pad. |
| Hex Logic | 5.5" White Pad | $8 | Polishing pad. |
| Meguiar's | M105 | $10 | Compound (harsh cut for wet-sanding marks) |
| Meguiar's | M205 | $12 | Polish (not harsh, used for light scratches and swirls) |
Useful Miscellaneous ($∞)
These are things you’ll often see mentioned around the Internet, usually someone raving about them or coveting someone’s inventory.
Great gift ideas for the detailer in the family.
| Type | Brand | Product | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brush | ABN | Wheel Woolies | $55 | Excellent wheel brushes. |
| Brush | EZ Detail | Nooks and Crannies Brush | $16 | Great for spokes, grills, exhausts. |
| Brush | Griot's Garage | Lug Nut Brush | $17 | Great for spokes, grills, lug nuts. |
| Brush | Solo Horton Brushes | Boar's Hair Brushes | $30 (online minimum) | Sizes 6, 8, 10. |
| Clay Alternative | Nanoskin | AutoScrub Fine Grade Sponge | $9 | Alternative to using clay. |
| Coating | Optimum | Optimum Gloss-Coat Paint Coating | $60 | Paint coating. |
| Coating | CarPro | Cquartz UK Edition | $55/30ml. | Paint coating. |
| No Rinse Wash/Lubricant | Optimum | Optimum No Rinse | $20 | Dilutes for rinseless wash, clay lube, and quick detailer. |
| Sealant | Menzerna | Jescar Power Lock | $28 | Polymer Sealant. |
| Sealant | CarPro | Hydro2 Touchless | $58 | Spray and rinse sealant. |
Great collation of products LagunaGTO, really helpful information for the beginner detailer as well as existing detailers who want to try something different than what they usually use.
I have noticed these are all products mainly sold within the US. I’m wondering if there will be a European version at some point in the future or will it always be primarily American based products/companies?
Thanks Jack! We would most likely need some assistance curating lists for European detailers. The majority of our subscribers on reddit’s r/AutoDetailing and our views on this site are from the US. We do list vendors that sell internationally, but building exact lists will be a bit tough. Some of the products are worldwide or it should be easy to find comparable models.
just hoping for some headlight kit reviews and some recs on coatings for headlights. ie is optimum opti-lens worth it?
Can someone put a good starter kit together for doing headlights? I have a DA polisher and 6″ backing plate/pads for paint detailing but need 3″ backing pad, sand paper, polish, and coating and don’t know what to get that won’t break the bank.
I’ve used the 3M kit. The heavy duty one and found that it works very well. Just make sure you tpe well around the lights. Don’t ask me how I know.
Thanks for including an over-the-counter list!
Can I recommend re-thinking this list? I feel there’s a more cost-effective (and effective overall) approach to this.
Your current basic kit includes (this isn’t the entire list, just focusing on some specific items):
two buckets ($6), two grit guards ($18), one wash mitt ($5.50). That is $29.50 assuming $0 shipping.
I’d like to counter this idea with the following:
one bucket ($3), four wash mitts ($22). That is a $25 total assuming $0 shipping.
The idea here is that you wash the entire vehicle using 4 mitts. As each mitt is used, rather than returning to the pail, you discard into a wash bin, and use the next mitt. Dirty water never touches the soap bucket. This eliminates *any* possibility of scratching, there are less products overall to purchase, less to store, less setup time, etc. A safer, cheaper and easier approach for the beginner (and pro) alike.
Thanks for the feedback! We tend to lean more towards the two-bucket method across this site but we can look into adding the single bucket method as well. Costs in general have gone up from COVID too, so that’s also a pain.