@THE FISH BAIT , we have a few vehicles in our inventory. Each is great at their intended use, but not so great at others. I spend a decent amount of time detailing and performing preventive maintenance on the vehicles in order to keep them in good running order and ready to be used when we need them. I usually detail the car/SUV's in the spring and the 7.3L in the fall. This goes in line with their high use periods to ensure that the coming season of "high use", they are good to go.

That said, I will wash with Dawn dish soap to remove any wax or polish on the exterior. I then use a mixture of soap and water with a clay bar. Then I use Meguairs Ultimate Polish with a Porter Cable buffer, then Meguairs Ultimate Wax (UV protection is key in the south like in your area) with the same Porter Cable buffer. During the first 6 months, this is a great coat of protection from weather and UV in order to keep the paint clean and looking good.

Although, I often find that after a few months of traveling long distance and sometimes cross country, the paint needs a bit of touch up. So, I have been using a ceramic coating product that Ben (97-PSD on the FTE) turned me on to. Turtle Wax Ceramic Spray Coating. I have only been using the ceramic spray for about 18 months and this will be my second summer. So far, I like what it has to offer in the way of keeping the paint slick and protected from weather.

All this to say, have you tried any of the products I listed above (and pictured below) and if so, how do you think they stack up to the Mother's products you use now? I am always willing to listen to anyone and learn from anyone. I look forward to any advice or comments you may have for me as my stash of detailing products will need to be refreshed before the end of the year.

Pictures below of the products I use for clarification sake.

Thank you for your time sir.

 

Sous,
Yes, I use the Meguiar's compound and synthetic wax on my boat. Once a year I will buff it with the compound and use the synthetic wax. It does a great job of keeping the gel coat shinny, and I find the synthetic wax holds up better in the salt. I have never used a buffer on my vehicles though. I have always been scared too, specially on older paint jobs. I have used the compound on my other truck with a hand applicator. Like you, I used the synthetic wax and just recently tried the ceramic coating. In my opinion the ceramic seems to hold up, and shed dirt and water better. The only reason I chose Mother's is because I have had good luck with their other products.