To all my peers in the automotive and marine detailing industry plus all you motoring enthusiasts, here are a few products and tools which I give the “GLOSS GURU” seal of approval to that have served me well over a long period of time or have impressed me greatly when testing them for the manufacturer
DYNABRADE DB8 Forced Rotation polisher
The Renny Doyle and Dynabrade collaboration has produced undoubtedly the best forced rotation polisher on the market today. Having had a very small relationship with the Australian Dynabrade distributor about a decade ago when I was still using their game changing rotary to DA adaptor units (2008-2016), I know how good Dynabrade can be at making tools and after testing this machine at another pro detailer’s workshop who has two of them, what sets this machine apart from all other forced rotation machines is that it goes exactly where you want it to go and doesn’t try to steer you upwards or downwards when you move it left or right or vice versa.
The Makita PO6000C and DPO600Z (Australian market versions) are powerful but they move you all over the place and the thin backing plate makes it’s ability to be operate smoothly something very much pad thickness dependant. Someone I used to know well who used it extensively said it liked 17 to 20 mm thick pads the most.
The head of the Dynabrade polisher is very comfortable to hold with some nice elastomer or similar materials on top and the rear handle is superb. I really do love the black and orange colour of this machine also .
Even though the machine is made in China which is a slight downside although not all chinese products are created equal, this machine is the true standout of chinese made tools along with the next brand as well.
Forced rotation polishers have needed a serious evolution for a decade and whilst this is only a forced rotation polisher not a dual mode polisher with random orbital as well which would be nice, it’s the new pinnacle of this type of machine.
Liquid Elements T4000 and T5200 MK II plus the A4500 Cordless
The Liquid Elements polishers affectionally known by some as the Stormtrooper polishers are powerful and well balanced machines that have served me extremely well for a year now. Whilst they have the new and even more powerful A4500 cordless machines, these are still a great polisher. The 4000 is 15 mm orbit and 5200 is 21 mm
The only flaw with these tools is the backing plate can stall on some curved areas of panels however the pad is stiill spinning and it’s easy to readjust to get them spinning again. It is a very minor issue
Power is 950-1000 watts with removable power cord and they have way more torque and power than the 3M/Rupes MK III machines. The A4500 uses makita betteries so getting more of them is easy and it promises to be the most powerful machine of their lineup ever. Expect to pay mid hundreds in Euros for the A4500 but the others are quite affordable
MIRKA PRO IRIDIUM 1250 ONE PRODUCT CORRECTION SYSTEM
This is something which I first got my hands on and tested in September 2023 before it’s Australian official release at my Pizza, paints and polishes detailers networking/social event
The product is easily the best compound and polish or All in One product of the entire Mirka polishing range and where it stands alone from it’s polarshine siblings is that unlike them it does not leave powdery residue adjacent to the area or panel your working on, doesn’t smell like solvents and won’t leave the paint finish feeling grabby like it’s been attacked with a nasty aromatic hydrocarbon solvent which makes paint feel super squeaky. It’s smooth and that’s it
Sanding marks are no issue with this product, it powers through them and you can finish in one, two or three steps depending on how far you want to go, how heavy or light you sanded and your desired outcome
My one and only issue with it – if you overcycle it way too much or crank the machine speed up and don’t watch it carefully, it can suddenly cement itself to the panel but it will wipe off with wet towels and rinseless wash with a little elbow grease. Besides that, it is still the best polishing product Mirka has ever made and works well on water spots after neutralising the minerals with a water spot neutraliser/remover like Starke Venom
GLARE ZERO & ADVANCED
These products over the last twenty five years have probably polarised, confused, delighted and disappointed some people in the enthusiast and pro detailing communities all over the world however when you understand them and how to use them, there is nothing else like them.
These products especially the Zero are truly unique – they are silicate ion based or glassplexin as they like to call it and what the Zero does so well is deep clean surfaces – paint, glass, exterior trim, oxidised car badges and metal/chrome pieces and fill in paint defects which then Advanced locks in for about three to six months if done properly but if used after paint correction the zero deep cleans the paint, enhances it and the Advanced improves on the gloss, colour and clarity even more and beyond what abrasive polishes alone can do due to a higher film build which silicate ion provides over polymer siloxane or silicone in laymans terms
Whilst the quality of the protection that Advanced provides to me seems to not be as good as it was on paint though that could be me not doing something right, when it comes to exterior trim, if you create some heat via rotary polishing on the trim it bonds on like cement and after sixteen years the trim moldings on my Falcon have never faded one bit.
There are other products in the Glare lineup such as Micro, Infinity plus, Spider and knockout but sadly micro is not what it once was. Twenty years ago it was a creamy pink liquid that really amped up the gloss after deep cleaning with Zero but then it went to this brown dry paste that lacked the gloss capability of the previous formula. Maybe they changed the formula due to VOC regulations in the USA. Either way I’ve not used micro since.
Also the one great thing about GLARE is that it will never scratch any paint and works on every one of them. Plus if your paint’s getting on the thin side like my Falcon is (65 to 80 microns when it once had 120 to 150), you can polish it with GLARE a tonne of times – it’s not removing anything. There are no abrasives in it. Plus you can polish metal and glass as well as wiper blade arms, some cowlings and heck you could probably even deep clean white residue off of anything.
TRICK – Mix Zero and Menzerna Super Finish 3500 in a bottle at 50/50 to make an amazing semi permanent exterior trim polish. Use a course foam first then leave the residue there and buff it fast with no pressure with a dry intermediate grade foam with no product and that will gloss it up some more. Then mix Menzerna with Advanced in another bottle 50/50 and apply that to the second foam then grab a third soft finishing pad and buff the residue with the dry pad then just apply advanced on it’s own with it by hand or machine and you then have yourself a piano black side mirror, wiper blade arm, exterior trim molding, rear spoiler or windscreen seal. But don’t use too much product – it’s solvent based and will leave white residue in the gaps if you use too much. Rub it into the foam well and don’t use too much.
PS Do not apply to heavily textured trim moldings on the bottom of car and SUV doors – if it looks more grey than black or feels rubbery or rough, don’t go near it with those products. Only smooth and semi textured ABS, Injected resin, elastomer and urethane trims not those others.
Nanolex Optimizer
Nanolex Optimizer was my secret weapon for totally changing the viscosity and the filming performance of compounds and polishes. Since buying a five litre of this I have used it to turn 3D ACA 510 Xtra Cut compound from a horrible wet separated sloppy liquid into a beautifully suspended creamy compound that rarely ever needs shaking again to get it all mixed together properly.
This product can be used to improve the spreadability of ceramic coatings in undesired weather conditions like high humidity, extreme cold or heat, to add to any foam pad to increase lubricity and improve filming ability of dry dusty compounds and polishes as well as putting them into the actual polish bottles (20 ml per 250-500 ml) to make super thick paste type products creamy and easier to apply to pads, paint or put from large containers into smaller bottles.
This will be available here at Matt’s Magic Detail Tech soon
Paraffin Oil
Some of you might be thinking right now, what the heck is this product doing in a gloss guru blog, the truth is that I have been using a small drop of this product for about fifteen years at minimum to add lubrication to help me to machine polish sticky paints mainly from Asia, eliminate dusting with some drier compounds I have tested and solve other problems within polishing. It’s the main lubrication ingredient in some of the best compounds, polishes and single product correction creams and sprays due to it’s superior filming/lubrication properties. To use this simply put a tiny drop on the pad when polishing each section of a panel or at minimum every second or third section. Do not overuse it as eventually wipe off will become difficult – just the smallest little drop works wonders
It will make the driest, dusty compounds film better and not dust as much. One of many supplimental wetting agents
Leather Mate Tenderly by URAD Italy
Tenderly is a product for softer finished leathers as well as porous or raw natural leather and most suede and nubuck leather but I have been using it primarily to care for the steering wheels of my cars.
It is made by an Italian company called URAD. The name URAD comes from the DARU family in Italy and has been in operation since after the second world war. The key essential difference with Tenderly over the other leather care products is that it does not contain the carnauba wax and terpenes that is in some other products.
Any leather care products that contain waxes tend to darken or change the appearance of softer more absorbent leathers or those with an unfinished natural appearance. This is not the case with Tenderly which was designed to solve exactly that problem.
Waxes also tend to minimize the natural “distressed” leather effect that is deliberately designed into certain leather sofas, shoes and handbags.
Tenderly is additoinally ideal for very expensive soft leather jackets such as those made from kid leather or lambskin.
It cleans, conditions and protects all leathers without changing their appearance though If offers reasonable water and stain protection without using the waxes normally required for this purpose.
The main thing I am using tenderly for besides leather steering wheels is to enhance the appearance of the vinyl materials on the interior door panels of my Ford AU Falcon XR6 – it does a fantastic job at giving them a little lift in colour but it is dry to the touch and is not a dressing whatsoever – it will not leave silicone on it which after a long time if you steam clean them, comes off like a thin sheet of glad wrap as I’ve done that with armor all soaked door panels with a steamer.
This is not a super long-term product but something to use regularly and keep those softer and nicer leathers and vinyl door panels looking nice. It’s also nice to give the elastomer-based pieces on the front and rear handles of some polishers some conditioning as well.
Visit the gloss guru blog section of the website regularly as we continue to share products which get the gloss guru tick of approval
Happy detailing and share the love of it with those around you
Another detailer does not have to be the enemy – all to me are family whether they think that way or not.
Thanks for reading
Matthew
32 year veteran of the auto detailing industry
