Wow ! It sure can be confusing when you start to hang around the detailing web sites. All the experts throw around so many abbreviations, it's hard for the new guy to tell what the hell they're all talking about. Hit CTRL-F and enter the term you're searching for. Hopefully this list might save you some confusion.
| 106ff | Menzerna micro-fine polish. More agressive than Final Polish II, can remove 3000 grit sanding marks. Claim: that it can be used alone, without the need to "step down" to a milder product afterward |
| 1ZPP | 1Z or Einszett Paint Polish: a mild to medium polish. |
| 303 | 303 protectant. Used for interior and exterior trim, plastic, vinyl, rubber. See 303 products.com |
| 3900x | 3M line of paint polishes. See full listing of 3M products below. |
| 39002 | moderately aggressive abrasive polish: on Corvette clearcoat, best with orange pad to remove swirls, scratches, water spots. |
| 39009 | milder product, used after 39002, or alone for light water spot removal or light paint polishing. |
| "#7", #26, #6, etc | Meguiar's line of products. |
| 50/50 | a 1/2 water, 1/2 isopropyl alcohol solution, used the same as IPA. Keep a bottle with you as you polish. Before each inspection, spray on, wipe off to remove residual polish product and see bare paint. |
| 777 | refers to Automagic 777. Excellent for removing dirt from old wrinkled leather, vinyl, plastic. Also good for spots on carpets. |
| A2Z | Eagle One A2Z all-wheel cleaner. A spray-on, hose off product for removal of brake dust. AIO : Klasse All in one: paint cleaner and sealant. Does contain a very lightly abrasive polish, to remove old wax and minor swirls. Can be used with white pad and PC. Makes a great base for other products - often topped with Pinnacle Souveran. |
| AG | Acrylic Gloss. A Werkstatt product. jeffwerkstatt.com |
| AJ | Acrylic Jett. A Werkstatt product. jeffwerkstatt.com |
| APC | generic term for all purpose cleaner. Ive seen this used to mean Automagic 777 cleaner. |
| AW | Aqua wax. A spray wax made by duragloss. http://www.duragloss.com. |
| CJ | Carnauba Jett. A Werkstatt product. jeffwerkstatt.com |
| CRS | CR Spotless water filtering system. Removes dissolved minerals from water, so that the car can be air dried without water spotting. |
| DAP | Dual Action Polisher. Also called random orbital buffer (ROB). The Porter-Cable 7424 is the most popular model used for auto detailing that fits in this category. |
| DG | Duragloss. An entire line of interior and exterior auto detailing products. Duragloss.com |
| FGPC: | Duragloss Fiberglass Polish & Cleaner. Duragloss.com |
| Fx | Mother's FX tire shine. Mother's FX Tire Shine. Also could mean Mother's Fx Synwax, a synthetic sealant. |
| IPA | isopropyl alcohol. Also known as common "rubbing alcohol", available at any drugstore as a 70% solution. Used as a wipe-down after some polishes and cleaners to remove oils and dirt, and provide a clean surface on which to apply a sealant. Detailers often dilute 50/50 with water in a spray bottle to clean the surface after polishing. |
| LC | Lake Country. The most popular line of foam pads for the Porter Cable (random orbital) machine. |
| LSP | Last step product. A term used to mean wax or sealant", and to distinguish that product from other products that you use as first, second, third steps, like compounds, polishes, and glazes. LSP can also be used to mean a carnauba wax that you apply over a sealant - whatever you use as the final step. |
| Megs | Meguiar's MIP: Menzerna Intensive Polish, for swirl mark removal. More abrasive than MFP-II, best used with orange light cutting pad and PC7424. |
| MFP-II | Menzerna Final Polish II : for final paint polishing, used with white pad and PC7424. Normally the final polishing step after surface defects have been removed with MIP. |
| NXT | Meguiars NXT synthetic polymer sealant. Has some light cleaning properties, so cannot truly be layered, but has the advantage that it will clean some contaminants and dirt from the surface as it is being applied. |
| OCW | Optimum Car Wax |
| OTC | Over The Counter - meaning any product found at usual stores: Autozone, NAPA, Kmart, Walmart (Meguiar's, Mothers). As distiguished from the products used by serious detailers that are generally available only by direct purchase or internet order (Zaino, Pinnacle). |
| PB's | Poorboy's : makers of an entire line of detailing products. |
| PB NB | Poorboy's Natty's Blue. A paste wax. |
| PB SnG | Poorboy's Spray and Gloss quick detailer spray. |
| PB SnW | Poorboy's Spray and Wipe. A waterless wash product. http://www.autogeek.net/pbsaw16.html |
| PC | Porter Cable 7424, or Porter Cable 7336 random orbital buffer. |
| PG | Menzerna Power Gloss. Menzerna Power Gloss. Menzerna abrasive polish with double the cutting power of Menzerna intensive polish, according to the manufacturer. Rated 8/10 for aggressiveness on the chart at http://www.properautocare.com/copoglcoch.html |
| PO106FF | Menzerna's newer polish, less aggressive than intensive polish (MIP). "Designed to remove very fine (3000 grit) swirls and blemishes." |
| PS | Pinnacle Souveran. Expensive but reputed as highest quality carnauba wax product available. |
| QEW | Protectall's Quck and Easy Wash. A waterless washing fluid that allows you to wash in the garage, and without a hose. http://www.protectall.com. |
| RIDS | Random Isolated Deep Scratches. |
| RMG | Red Moose Machine Glaze. A chemical paint cleaner, no claimed abrasives. See autogeek.net for more info. |
| ROB | Random Orbital Buffer. By default, usually means the Porter-Cable 7424, the model used by most detailers. Also known as "Dual Action Polisher". |
| Rotary | Pure rotary buffer, which simply spins the pad in a circle. Produces much more heat on the paint than a ROB, and therefore is much more aggressive, much more effective at removing paint defects, but carries a risk of causing buffer holograms, and of burning the paint. These problems are impossible with a ROB. |
| SG | Sealant Glaze
|
| TPP | Duragloss Total Performance Polish. A cleaner/sealant product by Duragloss. http://www.duragloss.com |
| UPP | Four Star Ultimate Paint Protection. Sealant. |
| WOWO | Wipe on / wipe off. |
Definitely a little confusing, especially giving that some manufacturers use the terms loosely and incorrectly. Once you get to the true design of the product, you can easily fit it into one of several categories:
| Wax | a natural protectant (commonly designed with carnauba) to protect a finish. Meguiar's #26, Pinnacle Souveran, Mother's Reflections. |
| Sealant | a man made or synthetic sealant that is designed to mimic a wax and protect a finish. Waxes are natural sealants that contain carnauba wax. Other purely manmade sealants that do not contain wax include Meguiar's NXT, Zaino, Rejex, Wolfgang High Gloss Sealant. |
| Paint Cleaner | a chemical based paint cleaner used to remove surface dirt and grime from the paint. Typically used on very good to show-quality paint when an abrasive is not needed. |
| Polish | An abrasive liquid used to remove paint defects suce as scratches and swirl marks, and to jewel a paints finish. Different degree's of aggressiveness (also called cut) are based on a how badly the surface is damaged. Usually a more aggressive polish is used first with an orange pad and PC, followed by less aggressive, glossing polish with the white pad (finishing pad). |
| Glaze | a liquid used to temporarily hide or "fill" the swirls and scratched in a finish. Has no protection benefits, and needs to be protected almost immediately or will start to disenigrate. Example: 3M Imperial Hand Glaze. Meguiar's #7 Glaze. |
| #39002 | Perfect-It II Rubbing Compound, Fine Cut. Medium-abrasive polish. Removes 1200 grit sanding scratches, oxidation, swirlmarks, and water spots. Can be used by hand or by machine. Should be followed by 39009, or Imperial Hand Glaze to further gloss the finish. |
| #39003 | 3M Finesse-It II Machine Polish. Made for use with orbital buffer (PC) |
| #39006 | 3M One Step Cleaner Wax. Removes surface dirt or very light swirl marks and protects finish with wax layer. |
| #39007 | 3M Imperial Hand Glaze. Paint glossing agents to add shine and hide fine scratches. No abrasives cannot remove paint defects, but hides them. Offers no paint protection, so should be topped with 3M paste wax. #39009 Perfect-It Swirl Mark Remover for Dark Cars (red, black). Contains no waxes or silicones. Less abrasive than 39002, it is usually used after the main paint defects have been polished away by 39002. |
| #39026 | 3M Perfect-It Show Car Liquid Wax |
| #39034 | 3M Perfect-It Gloss Enhancer. Used as a quick detailer with 3M wax. |
| #39109 | 3M Perfect-It Swirl Mark Remover for Light Paints. Like #39009, but for silver, white, yellow, or metallic finishes. Light abrasive, usually used after 39002 has removed the major scratches. |
| #39526 | 3M Perfect-It Show Car Paste Wax. |
| #00 | Meguiar's Hi-Tech Wash |
| #1 | Meguiar's Medium-Cut Cleaner. highly aggressive cleaner for scratches and other damage. |
| #2 | Meguiar's Fine-Cut Cleaner. medium aggressive cleaner for fine cuts and minor scratches. |
| #3 | Meguiar's Machine Glaze. polish for conventional paint |
| #4 | Meguiar's Heavy-Cut Cleaner. most aggressive cleaner (last resort!). |
| #5 | Meguiar's New Car Glaze. |
| #6 | Meguiar's Cleaner/Wax. |
| #7 | Meguiar's Show Car Glaze. |
| #9 | Meguiar's Swirl Remover 2.0. least aggressive cleaner for removing contaminants and swirls. |
| #10 | Meguiar's Clear Plastic Polish. |
| #16 | Meguiar's Professional Paste Wax. For conventional paint. |
| #17 | Meguiar's Clear Plastic Cleaner. |
| #18 | Meguiar's Clear Plastic Detailer. |
| #20 | Meguiar's Polymer Sealant. |
| #21 | Synthetic Sealant. From the Professional "Mirror Glaze" line.
Quote from Corvetteforum member TH0001, local Meguiar's Guru:
|
| #26 | Meguiar's Hi-Tech Yellow Wax. Carnauba wax, comes in paste or liquid. |
| #34 | FI Meguiar's Final Inspection. Spray-on, wipe-off touchup. Higher gloss, more expensive than quick detailer (#66) |
| #36 | Meguiar's Hi-Tech Cleaner. For wheels. |
| #38 | Meguiar's Tire & Trim Dressing Gel. |
| #39 | Meguiar's Heavy Duty Vinyl Cleaner. For rubber and Vinyl. |
| #40 | Meguiar's Vinyl & Rubber Cleaner/Conditioner. |
| #62 | Meguiar's Car Wash Shampoo and Conditioner. In concentrate form. |
| #66 | Meguiar's Quick Detailer. |
| #80 | MSG Meguiar's Speed Glaze. |
| #81 | HP Meguiar's Body Shop Professional Hand Polish. |
| #82 | SFP Meguiar's Body Shop Professional Swirl Free Polish. |
| #83 | DACP Meguiar's Dual Action Cleaner/Polish. |
| #84 | Compound Power Cleaner. |
| #85 | Diamond Cut Compound. |
| #96 | Medallion Premium Leather Cleaner. |
| #97 | MPPC Medallion Premium Paint Cleaner. |
| #98 | MPPP Medallion Premium Paint Polish |
| Z1 Show Car Polish Lok. | Obsolete now that ZFx available. Meant to be used before the first coat of Z5 or Z2 to help the sealants adhesion and cross-linking. |
| Z2 Pro | Sealant for clear coated finishes. |
| Z3 | Sealant for standard, non-clear coated paints |
| Z5 | Sealant with very light fillers to conceal swirlmarks and fine scratches. |
| Z6 | Gloss enhancer spray. Used between coats of Z2 or Z5, can also be used as a quick detailer. |
| Z7 | Car wash |
| Z8 | Grand Finale Final Spray Seal. Used after the final coat of Z2 or Z5. Will further enhance gloss and depth. Best results observed the next morning after application. |
| Z9 | Leather Soft Spray Cleaner Z10 Leather in a Bottle Z12 Clear-View Glass Polish. |
| Z14 | Plastic Magic Cleaner & Polish |
| Z16 | Perfect Tire Gloss. Water-based tire dressing. Provides satin sheen, but not high reflective gloss. |
| Z18 | Clay bar. For removing stuck-on contaminants and dirt from paint surface that cannot be removed by washing alone. |
| Z-AIO | Zaino all in one. A paint cleaner and sealant in one step. |
| Z-CS | Zaino Clearseal. Pure sealant. Just wipe on, and walk away. No need to buff or remove product. New, and very exciting! |