Griot's Garage
- Thread starter pat00641
- Start date
Mochamanz1
Sun Blinded Detailer
Griot's is a wonderful marketer, and in many cases finds item otherwise not brought to the attention of detailing enthusiasts. As in all things, your discernment is nessesary concerning value/price considerations. Griot's is a good source for finding detailing gear.
i have done and contiune to do business with them...one of the better companies in terms of customer service and shipping....however shipping is $$$$ and i dont like the idea of waiting for products.....i like things that can be bought right now...but that personal preference....many ppl here say they are overpriced...i would say that for the same $$ you can find good products and abou their seats, there nice but imo not practical unless have a nice garage, go to lowes and check their stools made by cobalt *i believe* and for a creeper go to pep boys or similar store and dont get one with padding but one just made of plastic as it either to store, can take a beating w/o ripping, and since it has no padding it gives you more room:xyxthumbs
top of my head..i know i will forget a few things, i used their speed shine, window cleaner, shampoo.....i have bought quite a few toys from them
....their stuff is good but for the same $$ i would look at other options....in place of speed shine i use final inspection which i love and has no silicone(not always a bad thing), i use generic window cleaner...the difference being i use 2 dedicated microfibers which is what makes the difference :bow, and for the shampoo i now use bmw shampoo:bow which is relabeled sonus i believe....i borrowed those griots product from a friend who owns everything they make 
...as for toys i love the professional inflation gun and am looking to pick up their gravity defying oil can to aid in changing my tranny fluid:xyxthumbs
....their stuff is good but for the same $$ i would look at other options....in place of speed shine i use final inspection which i love and has no silicone(not always a bad thing), i use generic window cleaner...the difference being i use 2 dedicated microfibers which is what makes the difference :bow, and for the shampoo i now use bmw shampoo:bow which is relabeled sonus i believe....i borrowed those griots product from a friend who owns everything they make ...as for toys i love the professional inflation gun and am looking to pick up their gravity defying oil can to aid in changing my tranny fluid:xyxthumbsAccumulator
Well-known member
pat00641- I've patronized Griot's since the early days when Richard answered the phone himself.
I love their car wash, it's the only one I use these days (I buy several gallons at a time).
Their wheel cleaner is good and cheaper than P21S if you buy it in gallons.
Their interior and glass cleaners are good.
Their polypro window wipes work well.
Their Speed Shine is a good carnaube-based QD. It leaves a fair amount of "wax" behind.
I like their rubber cleaner but it's awfully mild.
I consider their smaller BHBs (pn 15520) indespensible. I also use their BHBs for wheels (for both wheels and undercarriages).
I dunno about their pro tire inflation gun. Mine disagrees with my other tire gauges so much that I have to overinflate by a few pounds (per the gun) and then adjust with a better gauge.
Many of their other products are available elsewhere at a lower cost, but whether it's worth the time/effort to search them out is a judgement call.
If you're interested in any of their other products just ask away, I've used a *lot* of Griot's products over the years and I've generally only switched to other brands when I had a good reason to do so.
I love their car wash, it's the only one I use these days (I buy several gallons at a time).
Their wheel cleaner is good and cheaper than P21S if you buy it in gallons.
Their interior and glass cleaners are good.
Their polypro window wipes work well.
Their Speed Shine is a good carnaube-based QD. It leaves a fair amount of "wax" behind.
I like their rubber cleaner but it's awfully mild.
I consider their smaller BHBs (pn 15520) indespensible. I also use their BHBs for wheels (for both wheels and undercarriages).
I dunno about their pro tire inflation gun. Mine disagrees with my other tire gauges so much that I have to overinflate by a few pounds (per the gun) and then adjust with a better gauge.
Many of their other products are available elsewhere at a lower cost, but whether it's worth the time/effort to search them out is a judgement call.
If you're interested in any of their other products just ask away, I've used a *lot* of Griot's products over the years and I've generally only switched to other brands when I had a good reason to do so.
SK2003TypeS
New member
I love the short handle boar's hair brush for washing my rims. It's almost 3 years old and is practically brand new.
Also have the wash mitt with the rubber liner. The mitt is in great condition. The rubber glove however has turned moldy since
there were a few times I left it in the mitt while it was drying. My fault, not fault of the product.
As others have said, some of the products came be pricey. You just have to be selective.
Also have the wash mitt with the rubber liner. The mitt is in great condition. The rubber glove however has turned moldy since
there were a few times I left it in the mitt while it was drying. My fault, not fault of the product.
As others have said, some of the products came be pricey. You just have to be selective.
tom p.
Active member
I've purchased from them for years. Never had any issues except with the BOS wax which is miserable. Their car wash is exceptional. Wheel cleaner very good. I have all sorts of tools from them...good stuff...shop carefully!
togwt
The Old Grey Whistle Test
I'm in agreement with Accumulator; they provide a first class service, find first premium quality tools and accessories that others donâ€â„¢t carry and in my opinion will 'charge what the market will stand', although I do find their S$H to be higher than most.
JonM
JonM
Griots store is about 10 min from my house. I have their Undercarriage spray, Rubber Cleaner, Speed Shine, & Trim restorer. A few misc items like their wash bucket, nozzle. A good company. If I did'nt have so many other products from online ordering, I'd try more of their stuff...
kompressornsc
New member
And they have that liberal return policy...
That was one of the funniest threads I've ever seen on here- where the guy was asked not to order anything else from them.
That was one of the funniest threads I've ever seen on here- where the guy was asked not to order anything else from them.
Bill D
Hooked For Life
Don't forget about that terry fender guard :up Only one I know of that exists. You could put that on the fender first and the np ut a "regular" fenderguard over it if you want.
:up Only one I know of that exists. You could put that on the fender first and the np ut a "regular" fenderguard over it if you want.Accumulator, this is what I was considering buying:
The starter kit:
Car Wash (16oz)
Speed shine (35oz)
Best of Show Wax (160z)
Wheel Cleaner (35oz)
Vinyl and Rubber dressing (8oz)
Paint Cleaning Clay
And a few others:
Glass Cleaner (35oz)
Interior Cleaner (35oz)
Leather Care (16oz)
Paint Prep (35oz)
For those of you that use these items, please provide your input.
The starter kit:
Car Wash (16oz)
Speed shine (35oz)
Best of Show Wax (160z)
Wheel Cleaner (35oz)
Vinyl and Rubber dressing (8oz)
Paint Cleaning Clay
And a few others:
Glass Cleaner (35oz)
Interior Cleaner (35oz)
Leather Care (16oz)
Paint Prep (35oz)
For those of you that use these items, please provide your input.
superstring
New member
Car Wash (16oz) :up
Speed shine (35oz) :up
Best of Show Wax (160z) - Hard to work with (remove)
Wheel Cleaner (35oz) :up
Vinyl and Rubber dressing (8oz) - Doesn't seem to last long
Paint Cleaning Clay - Probably works as well as most
Glass Cleaner (35oz) - Works well but there may be others that work better/as well and provide better value
Interior Cleaner (35oz) :up
Leather Care (16oz) - Never tried
Paint Prep (35oz) - Works well, but so does 50/50 isopropyl:water
Hope this helps
Speed shine (35oz) :up
Best of Show Wax (160z) - Hard to work with (remove)
Wheel Cleaner (35oz) :up
Vinyl and Rubber dressing (8oz) - Doesn't seem to last long
Paint Cleaning Clay - Probably works as well as most
Glass Cleaner (35oz) - Works well but there may be others that work better/as well and provide better value
Interior Cleaner (35oz) :up
Leather Care (16oz) - Never tried
Paint Prep (35oz) - Works well, but so does 50/50 isopropyl:water
Hope this helps
I am pretty sure that is the kit I got as a gift. The speed shine and car wash are excellent. The wax is nothing special at all. I love their interior cleaner. It has cleaned up many stains that others would not touch and it is almost entirtely odor-free. Glass cleaner is no better than others. I have the leather care and leather rejuvenator. I like it because it leaves a matte finish and it did restore some supplness to my 15 year-old leather. That, and it smells good too. The clay is only OK. I love there rubber dressing. I use it religiously. It leaves a satin finish that I like and I can usually just clean the tires off after a couple weeks, and it is still there under the brake dust if I wanted to leave it. It even lasts through light rain. It only works well on really clean tires I've found, but that shouldn't be a hang-up for anyone here. The wheel cleaner is no better than other brands either. Hope that helps some.
Accumulator
Well-known member
Heh heh, ever since *I * returned about $300 worth of stuff (complete with detailed explanations as to *why* I was returning), they've quit sending me catalogs. I keep asking them about it every time I order and they act like they're surprised, but I still never get the new catalogs except the one that comes with my order.
pat00641- Some of that stuff I'd get from other sources; I'll try to steer you in the right direction so you get the most/best for the least money.
The starter kit isn't all that great IMO (despite the "you save $20" bit). The sizes of the starter kit are such that you'd be reordering some things *way* before you ran out of others, and you gotta consider shipping unless you live near Griot's.
I doubt that you'll be one of the few people who like the BOS wax (I sure don't) and you'll need a lot more wash than that 16 oz. bottle. The vinyl/rubber dressing (an even *smaller* bottle) isn't anything special and I *greatly* prefer the Sonus clay (from the Autopia store) over Griot's clay.
So I'd order the Sonus clay and lube from Autopia and buy a different wax and vinyl/rubber dressing (perhaps 303). Buy bigger size of vinyl/rubber dressing than the 8 oz. size that comes with the Griot's kit.
Nothing *wrong* with the vinyl/rubber dressing, but since I'd *absolutely* get the other clay I'd just order the dressing from somebody else too.
Instead of the kit, I'd just order the Wheel Cleaner and Speed Shine (and sprayers) and a gallon of the wash (it's the by-the-gallon price that makes the wash affordable and I'm sure you'll like it enough to buy that much).
The leather care is OK but not really better/different from everybody else's product of that type.
Unless you have a *real* need for the Paint Prep, I'd just use a rubbing alcohol/water mix. A product similar to the paint prep, but IMO more useful, is the 3M Adhesive Remover (Griot's pn 15900).
I really do recommend you get the BHBs I mentioned in my earlier post. Money *very* well spent IMO.
Look at the shipping rate tables and try to configure your order to get the most shipping for your money.
The above is all just IMO, but it is based on actual use of the Griot's products and similar products from other sources. FWIW I'm not somebody who sweats every penny and when I prefer other products over the Griot's ones it's usually not because of some subtle difference but rather something pretty significant.
pat00641- Some of that stuff I'd get from other sources; I'll try to steer you in the right direction so you get the most/best for the least money.
The starter kit isn't all that great IMO (despite the "you save $20" bit). The sizes of the starter kit are such that you'd be reordering some things *way* before you ran out of others, and you gotta consider shipping unless you live near Griot's.
I doubt that you'll be one of the few people who like the BOS wax (I sure don't) and you'll need a lot more wash than that 16 oz. bottle. The vinyl/rubber dressing (an even *smaller* bottle) isn't anything special and I *greatly* prefer the Sonus clay (from the Autopia store) over Griot's clay.
So I'd order the Sonus clay and lube from Autopia and buy a different wax and vinyl/rubber dressing (perhaps 303). Buy bigger size of vinyl/rubber dressing than the 8 oz. size that comes with the Griot's kit.
Nothing *wrong* with the vinyl/rubber dressing, but since I'd *absolutely* get the other clay I'd just order the dressing from somebody else too.
Instead of the kit, I'd just order the Wheel Cleaner and Speed Shine (and sprayers) and a gallon of the wash (it's the by-the-gallon price that makes the wash affordable and I'm sure you'll like it enough to buy that much).
The leather care is OK but not really better/different from everybody else's product of that type.
Unless you have a *real* need for the Paint Prep, I'd just use a rubbing alcohol/water mix. A product similar to the paint prep, but IMO more useful, is the 3M Adhesive Remover (Griot's pn 15900).
I really do recommend you get the BHBs I mentioned in my earlier post. Money *very* well spent IMO.
Look at the shipping rate tables and try to configure your order to get the most shipping for your money.
The above is all just IMO, but it is based on actual use of the Griot's products and similar products from other sources. FWIW I'm not somebody who sweats every penny and when I prefer other products over the Griot's ones it's usually not because of some subtle difference but rather something pretty significant.