Ceramic Car Care Products we love for our Copperas Cove/Killeen/Harker Heights clients!
We use almost all Autofiber towels and mitts for our shop. This is because Autofiber has a great variety of clear bra/ceramic car care products. For this reason, we asked to do media for Autofiber to demonstrate for our clients. Many of our Copperas Cove/Killeen/Harker Heights clients as us what they can use for ceramic car care, and we have put together this list for you as a “one-stop ceramic car care shop.”
You can also see our ceramic car care instructions here, which goes in-depth with auto detailing instructions. On the other hand, this page is primarily for showing you where to buy products we use. Amazon is our preferred link method for you, so you can find everything in one place. While we used to try to stock ceramic car care products, we decided to move to this method. With this, we reduce inventory space, avoid charging you tax, while still making a small percentage from Amazon. It’s a win for auto detailing for all of us!
Where can you find these auto detailing products?
\Many of these products are not available locally in the Copperas Cove/Killeen/Harker Heights or even Austin areas. All of our Amazon auto detailing product links will open in a new window so you can add to your cart, close the tab, and return to where you left off. Additionally, each section builds on the next. Meaning, intermediate includes everything from basic, and so forth.
Basic ceramic car care product suggestions
Basic ceramic car care products, with access to water/pressure washer. We recommend these products at a bare minimum to get you started. While I realize that car care is not always inexpensive, our ultimate goal is to prevent you from having future issues that will cost you more significant amounts of money if you have to bring the car back to us!
- Drying towel(s):
Autofiber Dreadnought 20”x30” x1:
2. Smaller drying towel (can also be used on glass) x2 (one for paint, one for wheels):
Autofiber Dreadnought Jr. 16”x16”:
3. Wash mitt:
Autofiber Zero Cuff Wash Mitt x2 (one in black for wheels, one other color for paint):
4. Auto detailing towels, general purpose (wiping off bird poop, quick wipe up, interior, etc):
Autofiber Elite detailing towel:
5. Wheel drying/detailing microfiber towels, black:
Autofiber Zero Edge:
6. Quick detailer/glass cleaner/waterless wash/rinseless wash concentrate:
American Detailer Garage Wipeout (can be diluted and lasts a very long time):
7. Spray bottles for ADG Wipeout and other products:
8. Buckets with grit guards x2 (one for wheels, one for paint):
Intermediate auto detailing product suggestions
Intermediate ceramic car care products include everything from our basic ceramic car care product list, but include some additional tools and chemicals that can make auto detailing even faster. At Harker Heights Ceramic Coatings, we believe that the easier it is to maintain our vehicles, the more likely that we are to do it regularly. Of course, that means that the vehicle generally stays less dirty, which extends the life of both the ceramic coating as well as clear bra/paint protection film/PPF.
9. Pre-treatment and wheel cleaner, American Detailer Garage F-Bomb diluted 10:1 (can be used 20:1 for interior):
10. The best wheel cleaning tool we have ever used, the Autofiber Barrel blade (reaches the barrel, between the brake caliper, and narrow spokes):
11. Foam cannon wash tools for auto detailing, the MTM Hydro PF22.2 has a wide base to prevent tipping:
12. American Detailer Garage Fuzion foaming hybrid wash (for use in foam cannon, use 2+ ounces per fill):
13. Microfiber detergent to extend the life of your Autofiber microfiber and other towels:
14. Optional but useful for trucks and SUVs: Autofiber Mitt on a Stick Pro.
Backup extras:
15. At Harker Heights Ceramic Coatings we suggest redundant products from basic (more Autofiber Dreadnought drying towels, or Zero Edge towels, etc). Our reasoning is two-fold. In some cases, you might drop a towel by accident, and once you do, you need to replace them. Also, it’s important to understand that towels degrade over time, regardless of quality. You’ll eventually want to replace your ceramic car care towels, as they feel more “scratchy.”
Advanced auto detailing ceramic car care product suggestions
Advanced ceramic car care products include everything from intermediate and advanced car care, but go above and beyond. These products ensure you have spot-free water and introduce the pressure washer we use at our own shop. The pricing for auto detailing starts to increase dramatically with these products, but it’s very difficult to articulate just how much the spot-free systems are. If you have an average TDS of 250ppm or less in your city, you could get approximately 90 spot-free washes before you need to refill.
You can't beat spot-free:
16. Our most favorite detailing tool we have is our Adam’s Spot-Free Water system, which allows us to keep our Total Dissolved Solids under 20 parts per million. TDS under 20 PPM gives you a spot-free rinse, which means you can wash and walk away without worrying about water spots. The spot-free system can get you nearly 900 gallons of spot free water with an average of 250ppm tap water using their pro system. Your city should publish its water quality report, which will give you an idea of your average TDS PPM. They offer two versions of the system, the standard and the pro. We have the pro system at our place, and the refills are approximately $300 for the pro system.
17. Our favorite pressure washer we have used is the Grandfalls from Giraffe Tools. Our reasoning for loving this pressure washer is that the pressure washer hose is on a reel and the system attaches to your house. This eliminates a lot of the kinks, knots, and issues with coiling you might typically see when using ceramic car care products/pressure washers.
Ceramic car care products reviews an explanations (for some of the suggested products)
Not convinced? Let my explain why some of these more specific products are great options for you!
Car care drying towels:
Drying towel(s): Autofiber Dreadnought 20”x30”
The Autofiber Dreadnought is our go-to drying towel, in multiple sizes. We have 16×16, 20×30, and 20×40 variations for auto detailing and ceramic car care projects. Autofiber Dreadnought towels rarely lint, and due to the long pile design, glide easily even when wet. For glass cleaning, you can almost guarantee a streak-free finish. Of course, if you prefer other options, Autofiber has the Amphibian or No Streak Freak.
Auto detailing wash mitts:
The Autofiber Zero Cuff Mitt is our go-to car wash mitt. The chenille “noodles” retain a lot of water, but make for great gliding and low tension when using to conduct car detailing and washing. We like to use the black one for dirtier areas such as exhausts, wheels, etc. Then, we use our blue or yellow Zero Cuff Mitt to wash paint.
The Autofiber Dreadnought is our go-to drying towel, in multiple sizes. We have 16×16, 20×30, and 20×40 variations for auto detailing and ceramic car care projects. Autofiber Dreadnought towels rarely lint, and due to the long pile design, glide easily even when wet. For glass cleaning, you can almost guarantee a streak-free finish. Of course, if you prefer other options, Autofiber has the Amphibian or No Streak Freak.
Ceramic car care multi-purpose wash concentrate:
Quick detailer/glass cleaner/waterless wash/rinseless wash concentrate: American Detailer Garage Wipeout (can be diluted and lasts a very long time)
American Detailer Garage Wipeout is designed by our friend and one of the industry’s biggest innovators. The purpose of ADG Wipeout is multi-fold. Believe it or not, you can use ADG Wipeout for rinseless or waterless wash, a quick detailer to help wipe off bug guts and bird poop. Additionally, you can use Wipeout as a glass cleaner, clay bar lubricant, and more. Best yet, the product dilutes quite well, meaning that gallon product lasts a signficant amount of time.
Pre-soak before auto detailing, all-purpose cleaner:
Pre-treatment and wheel cleaner, American Detailer Garage F-Bomb diluted 10:1 (can be used 20:1 for interior)
F-Bomb is a soap-based, multi- or all-purpose cleaner you can use to soak down wheels and tires at a 10:1 dilution ratio. At a 20:1 dilution ratio, you can use it to clean interiors. Believe it or not, F-Bomb can even be used for wet sanding. Lastly, American Detailer Garage F-Bomb can be used to unclog a ceramic coating, should it stop performing the way you expect.
Foam cannon for foam bath:
MTM is a top-of-the-line company that makes auto detailing/car detailing products. Their foam cannon is one of the times we suggest splurging. The wide base prevents the foam cannon from tipping over, which is far more important than it seems! Lastly, we love that you can easily adjust the nozzle for a wide spray or stream. Typically, we like the wide spray stream for our Copperas Cove/Killeen/Harker Heights clients. This is great for ceramic car care.
F-Bomb is a soap-based, multi- or all-purpose cleaner you can use to soak down wheels and tires at a 10:1 dilution ratio. At a 20:1 dilution ratio, you can use it to clean interiors. Believe it or not, F-Bomb can even be used for wet sanding. Lastly, American Detailer Garage F-Bomb can be used to unclog a ceramic coating, should it stop performing the way you expect.
With a foam cannon, you need soap!
American Detailer Garage Fuzion foaming hybrid wash (for use in foam cannon, use 2+ ounces per fill):
Fuzion is an awesome product, and so is SB3 Coatings pH neutral soap. Either one is a great option for foaming up that vehicle during ceramic car care (also safe for clear bra/PPF/paint protection film).