Need product suggestions for start-up

[MDS]

Hi everyone,

I and my friends are in process to start a small auto detailing facility in India.

It will take us atleast two months or so to get the operations going on. Until then we would be getting training and learning the techniques and gathering knowledge about products.
As we are starting, the services and products offered/used will be limited. We will expand as we gain experience and knowledge. We will be utilizing Meguiar’s products exclusively.

The services we plan to incorporate would be Paint correction and Protection, Interior detailing, Engine Bay detailing and Foam wash.

Here is a list of the products that will be procured by us:

DETAILER range

• All Purpose Cleaner
• Super Degreaser
• Hyper Wash
• All Season Dressing
• Leather Cleaner & Conditioner
• Glass Cleaner Concentrate
• Wheel Brightener

PROFESSIONAL range

• Detailing Clay
• M34 Final Inspection
• M85 Diamond Cut Compound 2.0
• M105 Diamond Cut Compound 2.0
• M205 Ultra Finishing Polish
• M80 Speed Glaze
• M66 Quick Detailer
• M20 Polymer Sealant
• M26 Hi-Tech Yellow Wax
• M40 Vinyl & Rubber Cleaner/Conditioner
• M23 Odor Eliminator

Other things include the Wash mitts, Microfiber towels, brushes etc.

I would like the experts to guide if the list is good enough for a start or anything else should be added to it.

Other products available are:

• M09 Swirl Remover
• M83 Dual Action Cleaner Polish
• M95 Speed-Cut Compound
• M21 Synthetic Sealant
• Body Solvent
• Hyper Dressing

Should we be getting these too? The stockist has indicated the above ones should be good to go initially.

Also the guy who would be training us has suggested a rotary machine with the wool and foam pads would be enough. Would a DA be useful with any of the above mentioned products? As per my knowledge most of the above products are meant to be used with rotary only right?

We will be sticking with Meguiar's products only, so if you have any suggestions even in the DIY range that would be useful for us do please let me know.

[MTLian]

Re: Need product suggestions for start-up

I wouldn't recommend only going with Meguiars since there are so many quality products out there you might be missing out on. However, I myself use almost exclusively meguiars products and I'm very satisfied with the quality.

I would look into getting some m101 foam cut compound. I've seen people use it and the results are amazing. Might save you lots of time in the shop.

you could get a DA but if you are a pro shop I'd seriously consider rotary tools.


id look into getting a foam lance/pressure washer combo going on also.

[MTLian]

Re: Need product suggestions for start-up

I'd definitely favor the synthetic sealant. M21. If you work so hard on getting a customers car looking perfect, you're gonna wanna seal it with something durable.

[MTLian]

Re: Need product suggestions for start-up

You will probably need isopropyl alcohol if you want a good rubdown between compounds. Don't think meguiars sells Isopropyl alcohol though.

[MTLian]

Re: Need product suggestions for start-up

Nanoskin products are a great way to speed up claying/prep but again, not Meguiars.

also, you don't have a metal polish. The one is use is great but again not Meg's. I'm sure Meguiars makes a dedicated metal polish.

Pretty much all the products you listed are perfect for use with a rotary buffer. Some are formulated so that they can also be used with a Dual Action buffer or by hand, but these are still ok to be used with a rotary. So as a general rule I believe most compounds can be used with a rotary buffer but only certain are safe for DA or by hand.

[The Guz]

Re: Need product suggestions for start-up

I would consider the following. My recommendations are in red.

DETAILER range

• All Purpose Cleaner
• Super Degreaser
• Hyper Wash
• Leather Cleaner & Conditioner
• Glass Cleaner Concentrate
• D143 Non-Acid Wheel & Tire Cleaner
• D151 Paint Reconditioning Cream - A great product for those quick details.
• D170 Hyper Dressing - very versatile. Can be used to dress tires, trim, engine bays
• D106 Fiber Rinse & Tannin Stain Remover - Interior cleaning is very important
• D116 Protein Stain Remover - A good duo for D106.
• D156 Synthetic X-press Spray Wax - A must have for those maintenance customers

PROFESSIONAL range

• Detailing Clay - I would consider adding a clay alternative like nanoskin or speedy prep as well as clay. It's good to have both.
• M34 Final Inspection or D155 Last Touch (can be used a clay lube and a quik detailer)
• M105 Diamond Ultra Cut Compound or M101 Foam Cut Compound. M101 offers more work time than M105. Both will get the job done.
• M205 Ultra Finishing Polish
• M20 Polymer Sealant either this or D151 for those quick details. Although D151 offers more correction while M20 offers longer protection.
• M26 Hi-Tech Yellow Wax
• M39 Professional Heavy Duty Vinyl Cleaner - preps the surface for M40. A good cleaner to have on hand.
• M40 Vinyl & Rubber Cleaner/Conditioner
• M23 Odor Eliminator
• M21 Synthetic Sealant - Always a good idea to have something that offers longer protection

M105 and M205 should be all that you need for correcting. If you are going to be using all Meguiar's and your wax will be Meguiar's I would not bother with IPA since you are staying within a Meguiar's system.

[MDS]

Re: Need product suggestions for start-up

I wouldn't recommend only going with Meguiars since there are so many quality products out there you might be missing out on. However, I myself use almost exclusively meguiars products and I'm very satisfied with the quality.

I would look into getting some m101 foam cut compound. I've seen people use it and the results are amazing. Might save you lots of time in the shop.

you could get a DA but if you are a pro shop I'd seriously consider rotary tools.


id look into getting a foam lance/pressure washer combo going on also.

Thanks MTLian,


Initially we will be sticking with Meguiar's only as we will be getting into an agreement for products and training and having a different brand would void that.

M101 isn't available here as of now. Might come soon though.

I'd definitely favor the synthetic sealant. M21. If you work so hard on getting a customers car looking perfect, you're gonna wanna seal it with something durable.

M21 Synthetic Sealant would be added to list. Should we get it in place of the M20 Polymer Sealant or keep both?

You will probably need isopropyl alcohol if you want a good rubdown between compounds. Don't think meguiars sells Isopropyl alcohol though.

IPA is also on the list, will have to be sourced from a third-party though.

Nanoskin products are a great way to speed up claying/prep but again, not Meguiars.

also, you don't have a metal polish. The one is use is great but again not Meg's. I'm sure Meguiars makes a dedicated metal polish.

Pretty much all the products you listed are perfect for use with a rotary buffer. Some are formulated so that they can also be used with a Dual Action buffer or by hand, but these are still ok to be used with a rotary. So as a general rule I believe most compounds can be used with a rotary buffer but only certain are safe for DA or by hand.

Nanoskin products are currently not available locally here. Might have to order them online from abroad and get them shipped, which would eventually increase the cost. Though will be on the look out as more and more brands are landing in India as the market is opening up.

Meguiar's India doesn't list the metal polish in their range, so might have to ask them to get it or settle for another brand, as this is something useful to have in the kit.

We will definitely be getting rotary machines though I thought a DA would be useful for the last step.

I would consider the following. My recommendations are in red.

DETAILER range

• All Purpose Cleaner
• Super Degreaser
• Hyper Wash
• Leather Cleaner & Conditioner
• Glass Cleaner Concentrate
• D143 Non-Acid Wheel & Tire Cleaner
• D151 Paint Reconditioning Cream - A great product for those quick details.
• D170 Hyper Dressing - very versatile. Can be used to dress tires, trim, engine bays
• D106 Fiber Rinse & Tannin Stain Remover - Interior cleaning is very important
• D116 Protein Stain Remover - A good duo for D106.
• D156 Synthetic X-press Spray Wax - A must have for those maintenance customers

PROFESSIONAL range

• Detailing Clay - I would consider adding a clay alternative like nanoskin or speedy prep as well as clay. It's good to have both.
• M34 Final Inspection or D155 Last Touch (can be used a clay lube and a quik detailer)
• M105 Diamond Ultra Cut Compound or M101 Foam Cut Compound. M101 offers more work time than M105. Both will get the job done.
• M205 Ultra Finishing Polish
• M20 Polymer Sealant either this or D151 for those quick details. Although D151 offers more correction while M20 offers longer protection.
• M26 Hi-Tech Yellow Wax
• M39 Professional Heavy Duty Vinyl Cleaner - preps the surface for M40. A good cleaner to have on hand.
• M40 Vinyl & Rubber Cleaner/Conditioner
• M23 Odor Eliminator
• M21 Synthetic Sealant - Always a good idea to have something that offers longer protection

M105 and M205 should be all that you need for correcting. If you are going to be using all Meguiar's and your wax will be Meguiar's I would not bother with IPA since you are staying within a Meguiar's system.

Thanks, The Guz for you suggestions.
Meguiar's India currently doesn't retail all of its product range here. Though they are adding new products from time to time.
The following aren't available as of now: D143, D151, D106 , D116, D156, D155, M101, M39

Will add the D170 Hyper dressing to the list but we were getting the All Season Dressing as that is said to be more durable.

M21 Synthetic Sealant will be added but should we replace that with M20?



Thanks a lot guys! Would follow your recommendations and modify the product list. Also would inquire with the stockist if the non-available products could be ordered on request basis.

[The Guz]

Re: Need product suggestions for start-up

I pulled this out of this thread to help you understand the difference between M20 and M21.

Post#23

First, to the original question: M21 Synthetic Sealant 2.0 vs Ultimate Wax - Both are 100% synthetic polymer sealants and both contain hydrophobic polymers. But they don't contain the same polymers so they aren't the same product just in different bottles. Ultimate uses our "thin film" technology which becomes immediately understandable the first time you use it - it goes on super thin and in liquid form it won't stain plastic trim. Ultimate liquid is the only wax/sealant we make that can either be allowed to dry for a bit before removal or wiped off right away with no change in performance. In some cases it actually works better if it's applied to a panel at a time and then wiped off before proceeding to the next panel. This is true especially on darker colors where a slightly heavy application can lead to an uneven appearance. M21 should be applied to all painted surfaces of the vehicle and allowed to dry fully before wipe off. Back to the polymers contained in these two products - M21 is very similar to NXT Tech Wax 2.0 in so much as they both use the same hydrophobic polymers but M21 has been slightly tweaked to better handle rotary application.

Second, to the discussion surrounding M20, cleaners, hybrids, etc. M20 Polymer Sealant would fall into that "hybrid" category where a blend of waxes and polymers is used but the emphasis is on the polymer side. This is as opposed to products that are generally considered to be "carnauba wax" like M26 Hi-Tech Yellow Wax, Gold Class Carnauba Plus, etc. These place most of the emphasis on the carnauba aspect, but since carnauba on its own is about as hard as a rock it must be mixed with other ingredients (usually various silicones, other types of polymers, etc) to make it usable. So you could argue that virtually any "carnauba" wax on the market is a hybrid of some sort. There is no such thing as a "100% carnauba wax" product in the sense that the bottle contains nothing but carnauba. Again, the contents of such a bottle would be hard as a rock. When a bottle or can states "100% carnauba wax" what it really means is that 100% of the wax in that container is carnauba - there is no montan wax, bees wax, paraffin wax, etc. It doesn't necessarily tell you what percentage of the container is actually wax, just that 100% of that portion is carnauba. So, back to M20 and M26 specifically - you could say that M20 is primarily a polymer with a bit of wax in it, while M26 is primarily a carnauba wax with some polymers in it.

Remember, too, that the word "polymer" is a very broad term. Wikipedia actually sums this up nicely with the following:



Finally, as to the cleaning ability of any of the above mentioned products, only M20 Polymer Sealant has any true cleaning ability here, none of the others mentioned in this discussion do. M21, NXT, Ultimate and Gold Class are all considered "polish waxes" since they all contain some level of polishing oils to help darken the paint and add additional gloss. M20 is considered a very mild cleaner wax, not even close to M06 Cleaner Wax, M66 Quick Detailer, D151 Paint Reconditioning Creme, ColorX or White Wax, but still a cleaner wax nonetheless. M26 and Deep Crystal Carnauba are considered "pure waxes" as they contain neither cleaners nor polish.

You could offer both as separate packages. M20 for those quick details and M21 for those wanting full correction. Hopefully a full time detailer can give you better insight as to what you really need.

[MDS]

Re: Need product suggestions for start-up

I pulled this out of this thread to help you understand the difference between M20 and M21.

Post#23



You could offer both as separate packages. M20 for those quick details and M21 for those wanting full correction. Hopefully a full time detailer can give you better insight as to what you really need.

Hey thanks for the info The Guz.

This did clear the doubt between the M20 and M21 Sealant

It was informed to us that some time in future Meguiar's would also offer the Deep Crystal Coating in India, this product is said to have been specially created for the Asian markets. Not sure if it is available else where.

[MTLian]

Re: Need product suggestions for start-up

Glad to see that you have something good going on with Meguiar's and you are in great hands.

I don't consider metal polish as "useful" but rather as an "essential" part of my detailing kit. Perhaps a Meguiars polish that is used for paint could also be used for metal? M205 as a metal polish maybe?

since you are going to be a pro shop, time is $$$ and many prop detailers believe that the nanoskin technology will change the face of detailing forever. It's not cheap, but if I was a pro and I could cut the claying time of a car from 1 to 2 hours to 15-30 minutes, I wouldn't even think of it twice. Think of how many more cars you can do and how much more money you will make by shaving this time off your process.

speed doesn't equate to quality and you need to spend the time to produce quality results. However, if you can achieve speed, safety and quality in certain steps (washing, rinsing, drying, claying, prepping) then you could potentially spend more time creating better quality in other steps like polishing, correcting, sealing etc. All in all, you could end up with better quality results in less time, which will result in heightened customer satisfaction and higher profits. An easy business decision.

perhaps contact nanoskin and become an exclusive distributor in India? I doubt Meguiars would object since this company is not in direct competition with Meguiars since there product line is simply different. Of course, use exclusively meguiars detailer as a lubricant in your claying step. Good luck with your new business.

[Jarhead0754]

I agree with the guz on those product choices. However if it was me I would just get the entire detailer set. As a prob shop you will have a need for it and to have it on hand will benefit you.

Also I would look into getting a da as well as a rotary. There will b a use for both and most professionals have both. The meguiars da is great and u could add the damf system as well.

And finally it should be ok to use other products than meguiars when meguiars doesn't make certain things.
Such as rain x. Also you might wanna consider adding a decontaminat such as carpros iron x, tar x, or trix. Also a great upscale service to offer is the cquartz finest by carpro.

So are you guys going mobile or having a fixed location?

[MDS]

Re: Need product suggestions for start-up

Glad to see that you have something good going on with Meguiar's and you are in great hands.

I don't consider metal polish as "useful" but rather as an "essential" part of my detailing kit. Perhaps a Meguiars polish that is used for paint could also be used for metal? M205 as a metal polish maybe?

since you are going to be a pro shop, time is $$$ and many prop detailers believe that the nanoskin technology will change the face of detailing forever. It's not cheap, but if I was a pro and I could cut the claying time of a car from 1 to 2 hours to 15-30 minutes, I wouldn't even think of it twice. Think of how many more cars you can do and how much more money you will make by shaving this time off your process.

speed doesn't equate to quality and you need to spend the time to produce quality results. However, if you can achieve speed, safety and quality in certain steps (washing, rinsing, drying, claying, prepping) then you could potentially spend more time creating better quality in other steps like polishing, correcting, sealing etc. All in all, you could end up with better quality results in less time, which will result in heightened customer satisfaction and higher profits. An easy business decision.

perhaps contact nanoskin and become an exclusive distributor in India? I doubt Meguiars would object since this company is not in direct competition with Meguiars since there product line is simply different. Of course, use exclusively meguiars detailer as a lubricant in your claying step. Good luck with your new business.

Thanks MTLian.

Will see what we can have for the metal polish. Might keep one in stock from a different brand until Meguiar's brings in their products.

I did check some reviews about the Nanoskin products, it does decrease the time to clay by almost half. This definitely is an advantage as the time saved can be used to give attention to other steps.

Your suggestion for getting a distributorship for Nanoskin is nice but the thing is we are starting up and it will take sometime till our business gets set. Also our network would be limited. But what can be done is we can provide this info to the established suppliers in the market, as they would already be having a strong network. By doing so the whole detailer community would get the benefit.

[MDS]

Re: Need product suggestions for start-up

So its been quite some time since we updated.
There has been some delay due to various reasons and our opening has been shifted to the start of next month.

Meanwhile here is an updated list of Meguiar's products that we will be able to acquire in our city-

Professional Range:

• M34 Final inspection
• M26 Hitech yellow wax liquid
• M85 Diamond cut compound
• M66 Quick detailer
• M80 Speed glaze
• M105 Ultra-cut compound
• M21 Synthetic sealant 2.0
• M23 Odor eliminator
• M40 Vinyl & rubber cleaner/conditioner
• C2100 Detailing clay aggressive

Detailer Range:

• D108 Super degreaser
• D110 Hyper-wash
• D160 All season dressing
• D170 Hyper dressing
• D180 Leather cleaner & conditioner
• D101 All purpose cleaner
• D120 Glass cleaner concentrate

The products available here are also quite high in price. For example a gallon of Ultra Cut Compound is around $205 while the Ultra Finishing Polish will set us back by $320 (based on the current exchange rates)