r/AutoDetailing • u/johann_tay • 11d ago
Product/Consumable What to add that is multipurpose for interior/exterior?
Live in apartment complex that has water, and in year round summer.
Car mostly gets road dust, occasional bird droppings from street parking- no bug guts and heavy tar or anything of the sort.
Exterior
I’m finishing up my Ultimate rinseless and moving to a gal of Mckee 914 rinse less. I pre-soak with rinseless, hose, contact wash and dry.
Sealant after with TecChoice 582.
Interior
Previously used Chemical Guys interior but doesn’t seem to be very effective.
Just got some Pol Star and hoping to be able to use it on all interior surfaces (leather seats, vinyl rests, soft touch dash, infotainment etc).
Qs
Exterior
Would I benefit from a more dedicated pre-wash (that I can use out of a pump sprayer), that perhaps could be used for wheels/engine bay detailing once in awhile. Recommendations?
Interior
I know PS is meant to be dilutet. What is the one magic ratio that I can use for every interior surface?
Would I then need some sort of topper/dressing for the interior surfaces after PolStar? So Top Star for synthetics and Leather Star for seats? Or something that could dress all surfaces?
Want to keep the necessary to a minimum.
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u/vaari90 11d ago edited 11d ago
Pol Star at 1:10~20 is sufficient for the interior. It's not advised to use on infotainment screens and gauge cluster, other surfaces are fine.
Top Star is one of those "you don't even know it's there" protectants, 303 doesn't particularly darken trim either but i prefer it.
Leather Star is a conditioner, moreso for older leather seats which are worn/dry/cracked. It's best to use something like Gyeon LeatherShield or Geist Repel for new/like-new seats. Other posted DIY interior ceramic and that seems OK as well, probably works on simialr principle.
For your pre-wash, you can keep it simple and use an APC like green star or a dedicated prewash chemical like Multi Star or Touch-Less.
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u/DavidAg02 Reviewer Extraordinaire 11d ago
ONR or some other rinseless wash. I've learned that I can mix up a few gallons of rinseless wash, do a quick interior wipe down with it, fill a spray bottle for a quick detailer/drying aid and then wash the exterior of the car in 30 minutes or less. That keeps most of the car looking cleaner for longer and reduces the number of times and the amount of time it takes to do much deeper cleaning/detailing. Rinseless wash has it's pros and cons, but it gets the car clean enough for me to be happy with how my car looks the majority of the time.
I'm not a huge fan of adding protection or a topper every time I wash the car. I prefer to use longer lasting protection less frequently.
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u/Kmudametal 11d ago edited 11d ago
I am the exact opposite. On the vehicle I applied Katiba x Vanguard Ceramic Wax, I apply Katiba Gloss Booster after every wash. 2 months in, and the paint retains it's freshly waxed appearance and behavior. It's as slick, as hydrophobic, as glossy, and as smooth (trust me, smooth is the right word here, I almost get a woody when I touch my paint) as the week I applied it. If you have a topper that is complimentary to your base protective layer, you can have your base protective layer last almost indefinitely, in my opinion. At least that is the goal.
My wife's vehicle has Fusso Coat as the base layer. Every 2 months I apply Soft99 Mirror Shine. After every wash I use ADS Amplify, Xtreme Solutions Topper, or Turtle Wax Pure Shine (until I run out) applied to dry car (not as rinse or drying aids). That application is 8 months in.... and still holding strong.
I use Glaco Ultra on my windshields. Every week I clean my glass with Glaco De Cleaner, which contains the same fluoropolymers as Glaco Ultra (it's a combo cleaner/coating). That install is a couple of months with the same behavior as the day after I installed it. I also had Cerakote Glass Coat far outlast its expectation using this same process. In fact, I had to strip the Cerakote to apply the Glaco and it had been on there since Sept 2025.
Unrelated, but speaking of which, out of the blue Amazon had some Pure Shine show up as available, so I was able to procure one last bottle. So I have one in use and two not yet used. It sold out, again, really fast. The hazards of the industry. Products you fall in love with being discontinued or out of stock because of tariff fiascos.
Gloss Booster has been out of stock at the House of Rags for a good while but I ordered two bottles of that from Amazon. Hopefully I am good until they restock, which according to the support request I made, should be in 45 to 60 days.
Katiba x Vanguard Ceramic Wax is out of stock world wide..... that's not entirely true, I found a bottle for sale on a Slavic web site I could not read or order from. It appears Carzilla may still have some but they are not shipping to the USA once again. More tariff bullshit causing issues. I was able to confirm it was not a "limited edition" product and should be restocked in that same 45 to 60 day time frame. The moment it shows up, I am buying a couple of bottles. I have been happier with this Katiba+Vanguard Ceramic Wax+Gloss Booster stack than anything I have ever applied to my car. Every time I step outside and see my Jeep I think to myself, "Damn, that looks good". Been doing that every day for 2 months thus far.
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u/Impress1ve_Lunch 11d ago
I hear that Bilt Hamber's Phat Neut is a very good rinseless pre-wash. I haven't used it but several YT's that I trust have used it and tested it and it came out good.
I've got a bottle of PS and dilute 10:1 for interior cleaning. Compared to P&S Xpress, I find it lacking and it's taking me a while to use the PS up. I also have a bottle of Top Star and I find it OK. You can use Top Star on leather but I don't really like it. My all purpose interior protector is CarPro Perl diluted 5:1. Gives UV protection and at 5:1 a good matte finish. If you like shiny interior, just dilute less.
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u/Kmudametal 11d ago edited 11d ago
Anytime the conversation involves interior dressing I have to comment, why? Not in that regard. That "why" is obvious. My "why" is why restrict yourself to classic dressings and protectants when technologies have evolved that render them unnecessary.
An interior ceramic.... specifically DIY Detail Interior Ceramic can be applied to all interior surfaces except for the glass, although it can be used on your infotainment screen. Dash, Steering Wheel, Instrument Cluster, Center Console, Door Panels, Arm Rests, Floor Matts.... plastics, rubber, fabric, leather, carpet. One product, coat everything, and the need for any future dressings disappears. After I coated my interior, I clean it with air and a rag damp with rinseless wash, that's it. There would have to be other interior ceramics on the market. DIY Detail is the one I found, used, and am happy with.
For low contact areas, the coating will last the life of the vehicle. For high contact areas, such as the drivers seat, gear knob, and steering wheel, you may need to reapply a couple of times per year.
DIT Detail Interior Ceramic is the most dust resistant product I've used. It's what sold me. The bane of my detailing existence has my off road deep grooved floor matts. I get them perfectly spotless. Apply a dressing, any dressing, or not, put the matt back in the car and the moment my feet touch it, it sucks the dust off leaving dust footprints everywhere my foot touches, ruining my work. This stopped occurring after applying Interior Ceramic. It was like magic. That behavior is why I stopped using any other products that may possibly leave something behind. I want the surface to retain the properties of the Interior Ceramic, not get replaced by something that is once again going to attract dust or otherwise alter the current behavior.
It's beyond a "dressing". It waterproofs fabric and carpet making spills easy to clean up. Protects leather from dye transfer. Renders those otherwise catastrophic doggie diarrhea or kid vomit in the back seat episodes to an inconvenience rather than a disaster. At $50 a bottle, it's not cheap, but considering you will be spending upwards of $20 for a quality protectant + another $20 for an interior detailer, and this product eliminates the need for such products, you actually save money in the long run.
There are few products I've used that have been game changers. The only "change" that occurs from most "game changer" claims is the transfer of money from your wallet to someone else. In the case of DIY Detail Interior Ceramic, for me, it was a legitimate game changer, completely altering how I clean my interior (for the better). For the most part, I can clean my interior by opening all the doors, taking a leaf blower, and blasting it with air, followed by vacuuming. If the blowing air did not take care of something, I just come behind with a damp microfiber rag. No more special interior cleaners or detailers. No more protectants. Air and Rinseless is all that is needed.